Dead iPad Air M1 - fixable?

[NiceCupOfTea]

Hi all,

My wife has an M1 iPad Air 256GB she has had for 2 years or so, takes very good care of it (case/screen protector, etc). It was very low on battery the other day (2%) so plugged it in to charge. When we came back it was off and wouldn't power on. No response from any combination of buttons, no sign of it receiving charge, have tried different chargers and cables, plugged into a laptop which didn't respond.

She took it to the Apple store today who just told her it was dead and would she like to buy a new one? Other than plugging it into a couple of things they didn't do much investigation. I've had car batteries so flat they didn't identify as batteries when plugged into chargers - I've brought them back by attaching them to other batteries. Clearly Apple aren't going to touch it and I guess the main board could have shat itself but it seems somewhat unlikely. Are there any 3rd party repair services who would look into it in more detail? God forbid there was anything stored on it that she wanted.

Really disappointing that a well looked after premium device can just die like that without comeback (at least hoped there would be some repair options rather than asking you if you'd like to pay full whack for a new one). I know warranties exist for a reason, but I think £500+ of electronics should have a minimum expected lifespan...

Edited by NiceCupOfTea on Wednesday 1st October 13:35

[the-norseman]

My work iPhone did this, was working fine, battery got low one day (think it was showing about 89% capacity) so I plugged it in, came back a few hours later it was completely dead. Apple store tested it and said it was dead, offered me to buy a replacement. I said no thanks and just got work to replace it.

[craig1912]

If you are saying it is 2 years old then try the Consumers Rights Act with them

https://www.apple.com/legal/warranty/docs/statutor...

https://www.reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/comments/14...

[andburg]

might be boring but in the old days when a battery went completely flat the answer was stack charging. Connect the charger for a minute the disconnect it and repeat as required.

worth a try for the sake of a few minutes, you're just trying to get enough juice into the device to get it to start properly charging

failing the above ismash have branches all around the uk and prices are pretty reasonable

Edited by andburg on Wednesday 1st October 13:51

[RotorRambler]

Worth a try?:-

Do a hard reset again while connected to power (quickly press volume up, then volume down, then hold power until you maybe see the Apple logo — it can take 30–60 seconds if the battery is flat).

[Tony1963]

Is the charging socket spotlessly clean?

[NiceCupOfTea]

I've tried the hard reset, and sadly it is just over 3 years so I doubt we would have any luck with the CRA - even though it still seems very poor life expectancy. It was bought new from John Lewis if that makes any difference (may have had a 2 year warranty?)

andburg said:

might be boring but in the old days when a battery went completely flat the answer was stack charging. Connect the charger for a minute the disconnect it and repeat as required.

worth a try for the sake of a few minutes, you're just trying to get enough juice into the device to get it to start properly charging

failing the above ismash have branches all around the uk and prices are pretty reasonable

Edited by andburg on Wednesday 1st October 13:51

Do they do more than plug it into a "diagnostics" device that show it's dead? My suspicion is that battery is too low to charge so I wonder if it needs some sort of boost (ie, connecting another battery in parallel) so that it will charge. Are there any palces that do this sort of repair?

I'm trying the plugging in and out. Also wondering about sticking it in the airing cupboard as this has helped me with car batteries before...

[mmm-five]

NiceCupOfTea said:

I've tried the hard reset, and sadly it is just over 3 years so I doubt we would have any luck with the CRA - even though it still seems very poor life expectancy. It was bought new from John Lewis if that makes any difference (may have had a 2 year warranty?)

It's 6 years in UK consumer law.

[AlunJ]

My daughters old ipad has just done similar, admittedly its not as new so not the end of the world. Read a few places to try warming up the back of the ipad then a force reset and that does get mine to display the apple boot logo before dying again…. Could be worth a try.

[NiceCupOfTea]

mmm-five said:

NiceCupOfTea said:

I've tried the hard reset, and sadly it is just over 3 years so I doubt we would have any luck with the CRA - even though it still seems very poor life expectancy. It was bought new from John Lewis if that makes any difference (may have had a 2 year warranty?)

It's 6 years in UK consumer law.

This is interesting. Surely if it were that easy everybody would be doing it though?

[mmm-five]

NiceCupOfTea said:

This is interesting. Surely if it were that easy everybody would be doing it though?

Well, I never claimed it would be easy - but might be worth an email / query to John Lewis pointing it out?

There are different parts of the CRA, so whether you're claiming against they 'fit for purpose', 'as described' or 'satisfactory quality' part will depend on what's wrong with it and how long since you bought it. 'Satisfactory quality' also covers durability...but remember that price paid can affect a claim, so a £10 laptop will not be held to the same standard as an expensive Apple product.

After 6 months you have to prove the problem was there when you bought it...or that a normal person would expect that product of this quality should last longer than x months/years.

https://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/regulation...

There's also a complaints tool a bit down the page to guide you in how to progress this.

Edited by mmm-five on Wednesday 1st October 18:01

[nickd01]

Try a higher powered charger to 'kick start' it - like a 65W laptop one. Worked for me on a Kindle once.

[bigdom]

NiceCupOfTea said:

This is interesting. Surely if it were that easy everybody would be doing it though?

Have a read of this, similar type of issue.

https://news.sky.com/story/money-problem-my-1-2k-s...

[Sheepshanks]

mmm-five said:

Well, I never claimed it would be easy - but might be worth an email / query to John Lewis pointing it out?

I tried with JL with a vacuum cleaner that turned out to be just about the only one they sold with a one year warranty. It failed at 15mths old.

JL's response was to quote consumer law at me - and that I would have to prove it had an inherent fault.

I called the manufacturer who seemed horrified. They arranged to collect it, repaired it, and sent it back.

[mmm-five]

Sheepshanks said:

I tried with JL with a vacuum cleaner that turned out to be just about the only one they sold with a one year warranty. It failed at 15mths old.

JL's response was to quote consumer law at me - and that I would have to prove it had an inherent fault.

I called the manufacturer who seemed horrified. They arranged to collect it, repaired it, and sent it back.

The CRA also covers you for poor durability...especially if it was an expensive product with higher expectation of durability. But the devil is in the detail and most people give up quite quickly, as they can't be bothered arguing or making their case.

I don't mind spending an hour or two writing an email to complain, and explaining my reasoning...after all it's cheaper than buying another £1000-£2000 TV.

I've been quite lucky in my JL (and other) online purchases, and I try to buy items when there's a free extended warranty offer. Have had a new LG OLED after the first one started showing banding after about 2 years, and have had an LG QLED repaired at no cost 4 times in the 6 years I've had it.

[NiceCupOfTea]

Thanks for the continued suggestions - I've had it on a 65W Anker charger with no joy, and it's been sitting on a towel on a heated clothes airer for the last half hour to get it warm, but still nothing.

I will think about the CRA angle some more. TBH I think any reasonable person would expect a £6-700 premium device to last more than 3 years when it's not been mistreated, but I'm sure there would be pushback from John Lewis.

TBH though I'd just love to get the thing powered on as I feel sure there will be some data loss (a couple of games my daughter plays which don't get backed up to the cloud and various other bits). Do ISmash and their ilk actually take things apart to troubleshoot or is it just plugging in a diagnostic device?

Edited by NiceCupOfTea on Wednesday 1st October 20:18

[tim0409]

I’ve used the small claims court in the past (in Scotland) when a laptop died outwith the manufacture’s 12 month warranty and they refused to fix/replace it. They settled before it got to court.

In your position I would email/write to John Lewis, explaining that given the cost of the iPad, you feel it is reasonable to expect that it should last for more than three years, quoting the legislation referenced above. If they come back to say they aren’t interested, download and fill out the forms for a small claims action (not sure what the equivalent is in England), email them to John Lewis and let them know they have 14 days to reconsider or you will be taking them to court, pointing out that it will be far more cost effective to replace the iPad than instructing a solicitor to defend the action.

It is worth a go!

[tim0409]

NiceCupOfTea said:

I will think about the CRA angle some more. TBH I think any reasonable person would expect a £6-700 premium device to last more than 3 years when it's not been mistreated, but I'm sure there would be pushback from Apple.

Apple won’t be interested in terms of the CRA as you don’t have a contract with them. Your contract is with JL, so you need to deal with them.

[RotorRambler]

Dear John Lewis Customer Service,

I am writing regarding my [Apple iPad model], purchased from John Lewis on [date of purchase] (order/reference number: [insert]).

Unfortunately, the device has developed a fault and is no longer functioning correctly after only three years of normal use. I believe this is not a reasonable lifespan for a premium electronic product of this type.

Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, goods must be of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose and last a reasonable length of time. I do not believe that this iPad has met that standard.

I would therefore like to request an appropriate remedy under the Act. Ideally, I would like the item repaired or replaced. If this is not possible, I am willing to consider a partial refund to reflect the reduced lifespan.

Please let me know how you intend to resolve this matter.

I look forward to your prompt response.

Yours sincerely,
[Your Full Name]
[Your Address]
[Your Contact Number]

[Sheepshanks]

mmm-five said:

The CRA also covers you for poor durability...especially if it was an expensive product with higher expectation of durability. But the devil is in the detail and most people give up quite quickly, as they can't be bothered arguing or making their case.

I don't mind spending an hour or two writing an email to complain, and explaining my reasoning...after all it's cheaper than buying another £1000-£2000 TV.

I've been quite lucky in my JL (and other) online purchases, and I try to buy items when there's a free extended warranty offer. Have had a new LG OLED after the first one started showing banding after about 2 years, and have had an LG QLED repaired at no cost 4 times in the 6 years I've had it.

There's a better chance for the OP as he's been told (although maybe not correctly) that the iPad is a write off.

Problem with CRA is it doesn't say an item shouldn't need to be repaired. So they might suggest a 6 yr life, but that doesn't mean the item might not need a repair or two along the way, at the owners cost, just as you'd have on a car out of warranty.