iPhone 4 Case Program Begins, Users Get A Free Bumper, Case or Refunds
POSTED BY NOLA Tech Writer IN Featured News

If you haven’t heard of Apple’s “antennagate” then you’ll probably been living under a rock lately.  The companies highly anticipated phone made a big splash with its retina display, facetime, and the ability to multitask but angered users over dropped calls.  Over time, iPhone 4 owners noticed that the dropped calls seem to be due to the way the phone was held.  Independent tests respected experts (see: Consumer Report) confirmed that the dropped calls where due to a small gap that is at the bottom of the phone.  When held in a cupping fashion, the signal bars would go down and the call would eventually drop.

Apple responded at first saying that users where holding it the wrong way but with more and more negative press, they finally decided to throw a little water on the fire.  An update to iOS4 came out calming to fix the algorithm that displayed the bars on an iPhone 4.  The update fixed the bar display but it still did not do anything for the antenna issues (which is a hardware design flaw).  Instead of a recall, Apple has launch its iPhone 4 case program which will offer their customers free bumpers or case free of charge and is offering automatic refunds for anyone that purchased a case or bumper.

Special Note: This info only allows to people that purchased an iPhone 4 between July 23, 2010 through September 30, 2010.  You must apply no later than August 22nd, 2010 or within 30 days of your iPhone 4 purchase.

So You Want A Cool Bumper or Case?

Step 1: Download the iPhone 4 Case Program from the App store.

Opening Screen of iPhone 4 Case Program

Opening Screen of iPhone 4 Case Program

Step 2: You’ll have to sign in with you iTunes apps within the app and select a case or bumper. (Normal shipping time: 3 – 5 weeks).

Options

  • Bumper (Black)
  • Incase Snap Case (Smoke or Clear)
  • Belkin Shild Micro (Clean)
  • Griffin Motif (Diamons/Smoke)
  • Griffin Reveal Etch (Black/Black Graphite)
  • Speck Fitted Case (Black Tartan)
  • Speck PixelSkin (Black)
Select A Bumper or Case

Select A Bumper or Case

Step 3: Confirm your shipping info

Confirm Your Shipping

Confirm Your Shipping

Step 4: Place order (The process was very easy.  Let's just hope Apple can keep up with the demand.)

I’d Like A Refund Please On My Bumper

If you purchased a bumper…

  1. from apple with a credit card, then have already automatically begin refunding customers.  Although it my take up to one billing cycle for you to see it.  You can check the status of your refund on their website.
  2. with cash, check or a gift card at an Apple retail store to buy a bumper you can return  to the store with your receipt by September 30th 2010 to get a refund
  3. from a gift card on the Apple online store, they will automatically mail you a new gift card for the refund amount.
  4. from an AT&T store you can fill out a rebate coupon and mail it to Apple by September 30th, 2010.

I’ll Trade You My Phone For All My Money

Apple also says that if you are not completely satisfied with your iPhone 4, you can return your undamaged phone to any Apple retail store, AT&T store, or the Apple Online Store with 30 days of purchase for a full refund.

Geovanni Velasquez, local New Orleanian, who uses his iPhone extensively for work and personal use says he'll opt for a case instead of the refund. "I am going to ask Apple to send me a case.  I don't think I would even consider a refund because I truly feel that this is an awesome phone.  But I can understand some people that might want a full refund."

Let us know what you’re doing?  Getting a bumper or case, getting a refund, or bringing the phone back all together?

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  • http://socialblogsitewebdesign.com sergio

    I just uploaded my experience with the iphone case program scam, and of course, it's been deleted.

    Here's it:

    The terms and conditions (not that I read it, but as per what 4 apple support reps told me) are made to covering ONLY At&t customers, inside US.

    Anything other than that, (other carrier, other country, not activated yet, etc) won't work.

    I bought 2 iphones. 1 to replace my current At&t unit (extending its contract) and another paid in full to give my cousing as a gift. I bought it way before its birthday because I it's so fainting difficult to get them (I went to the store 3 times in the morning until I got the shipmen… They don't ship every day, nor the same amount, to keep the buzz in the store, but that's another story)

    I ordered the bumper for mine, it's in its way. No problems with that: I live in the US, I ASKED for the bumper and they gave me the info on how to get it, and I'm an At&t customer.

    Now, the other phone is NOT ACTIVATED, and I don't want to give it to my cousin's and say "now you have to get your own bumper. Oh, sorry if you took this long to activate it, but you don't qualify for the bumper anymore".

    I called many times, called the store, went to At&t…

    After the detailed below, I realized that everything is *on purpose to leave most of people as possible out the "program that solves an antena failure*". In that way, they ADVERTISE as responsible, and cut it to the minimum.

    a) They are not available yet, and Apple reps DON'T TELL YOU ABOUT THE PROGRAM WHEN YOU BUY IT if you don't ask for it, so when you come back to the store later, the program has expired.

    b) You can't get it if your phone is not activated.

    c) They tell you At&t stores have the cases. They even look at the computer and say "yes, this or that store has it". They also confirm when you are at the second store you drove to, saying "yes, I see in my computer that they not only should be able to ship it to you, but they also HAVE IT in stock, or SHOULD HAVE IT". I've been at 3 At&t stores, one of them the largest in Miami, and NONE of them have the cases, nor know about the refund, nor have ever seen the "bumper" in their store.

    d) When you call to ask them how else you can get the cases, other than having the phone activated, they are limited to tell you "you have to download the app, and order it through it", although Apple will refund the money if you get it at At&t stores and show them the receipt, which… you'll never get, since NO At&t store has it. (the manager of one store shown me her computer's screen with the table of product availability, which shown "cero, cero, cero…" across the whole screen, for ALL THE FLORIDA STORES.

    e)The customer support reps don't are instructed to help Apple to keep the charity at minimum, rather than helping you to fix their problem with the antena.

    When you tell any of those reps "the program was made to fix a HARDWARE ISSUE, and that issue exists regardless of me having it activated or not…", they keep repeating "you need to access the app to get the bumper"
    When I asked them if "that means that the antena FIX is limited to the ones that activated the phone?", they replied "YES".

    It took a few times for them to understand that "install the app" can't be always done, but it seems they don't have anything setup for "helping" you to fix the antena issue that overlaps with their orders for keeping charity at minimum, and admite the logic conclusion:

  • http://socialblogsitewebdesign.com sergio

    I just uploaded my experience with the iphone case program scam, and of course, it's been deleted.

    Here's it:

    The terms and conditions (not that I read it, but as per what 4 apple support reps told me) are made to covering ONLY At&t customers, inside US.

    Anything other than that, (other carrier, other country, not activated yet, etc) won't work.

    I bought 2 iphones. 1 to replace my current At&t unit (extending its contract) and another paid in full to give my cousing as a gift. I bought it way before its birthday because I it's so fainting difficult to get them (I went to the store 3 times in the morning until I got the shipmen… They don't ship every day, nor the same amount, to keep the buzz in the store, but that's another story)

    I ordered the bumper for mine, it's in its way. No problems with that: I live in the US, I ASKED for the bumper and they gave me the info on how to get it, and I'm an At&t customer.

    Now, the other phone is NOT ACTIVATED, and I don't want to give it to my cousin's and say "now you have to get your own bumper. Oh, sorry if you took this long to activate it, but you don't qualify for the bumper anymore".

    I called many times, called the store, went to At&t…

    After the detailed below, I realized that everything is *on purpose to leave most of people as possible out the "program that solves an antena failure*". In that way, they ADVERTISE as responsible, and cut it to the minimum.

    a) They are not available yet, and Apple reps DON'T TELL YOU ABOUT THE PROGRAM WHEN YOU BUY IT if you don't ask for it, so when you come back to the store later, the program has expired.

    b) You can't get it if your phone is not activated.

    c) They tell you At&t stores have the cases. They even look at the computer and say "yes, this or that store has it". They also confirm when you are at the second store you drove to, saying "yes, I see in my computer that they not only should be able to ship it to you, but they also HAVE IT in stock, or SHOULD HAVE IT". I've been at 3 At&t stores, one of them the largest in Miami, and NONE of them have the cases, nor know about the refund, nor have ever seen the "bumper" in their store.

    d) When you call to ask them how else you can get the cases, other than having the phone activated, they are limited to tell you "you have to download the app, and order it through it", although Apple will refund the money if you get it at At&t stores and show them the receipt, which… you'll never get, since NO At&t store has it. (the manager of one store shown me her computer's screen with the table of product availability, which shown "cero, cero, cero…" across the whole screen, for ALL THE FLORIDA STORES.

    e)The customer support reps don't are instructed to help Apple to keep the charity at minimum, rather than helping you to fix their problem with the antena.

    When you tell any of those reps "the program was made to fix a HARDWARE ISSUE, and that issue exists regardless of me having it activated or not…", they keep repeating "you need to access the app to get the bumper"
    When I asked them if "that means that the antena FIX is limited to the ones that activated the phone?", they replied "YES".

    It took a few times for them to understand that "install the app" can't be always done, but it seems they don't have anything setup for "helping" you to fix the antena issue that overlaps with their orders for keeping charity at minimum, and admite the logic conclusion: