German Telekom, the biggest Apple-Reseller on the American corporation’s biggest European Market, confirms a serious technical shortcoming of the iPhone 6: It gets bended in normal use. Ruhr Area On 21st of October 2014 by Stefan Laurin
The number of Telekom clients affected is unknown. Employees of Telekom affirm reports of the problem with the iPhone6 – and refer to Apple. Yet, Apple tries to downplay the trouble, wanting to know nothing of it. Apple spokeswoman Trudy Muller said in a mail to Reuters „Under normal useage extremly rarely the iPhone will bend“. From my point of view this must be a blunt lie. Since Telekom admitted to the shortcoming and being one of the biggest resellers of iPhone 6 worldwide, it is impossible to believe, they have not informed Apple.
Carsten Drees also wrote an article about this yesterday on Mobilegeeks and released an update today.
A bit of background information: My iPhone 6 – the smaller version, not the iPhone 6 plus – is crooked after just two weeks. I carried it – as I had done with all other iPhones before – in my trousers pocket.
Yesterday I went to the Telekom for help, but help could not be offered. Instead the Telekom came up with an interesting statement:
‚Telekom-hilft (Telekom helps) – Good evening, Stefan, this is a well-known issue with this smart phone. In this situation, it is the producer’s responsibility to optimize the workmanship of their product. Unfortunately, there is nothing we can do about it. Kind regards, Teresa‘
So this means, not only is the German Telekom not wanting to take care of the issue, it is knowingly selling a faulty product. Naturally, I could not have known this when I pre-ordered my iPhone on the 12th of September. In addition they have not warned their customers of the problems since and refuse to exchange the devices. Instead, one will be redirected to Apple, who apparently stand by the opinion, that the iPhone6 is more of a portable cordless phone, rather than a traditional mobile phone: On request Apple told me, the normal use of a iPhone6 was making phone calls and just sitting at a table. In situations like that, it would not bend. And therefore, they are refusing to replace the unit. Even though, you just can’t treat it like the previous models.
Bottom line: Last night I cancelled all of my Telekom contracts: land line, mobile phone, high-speed Internet and entertainment package. I refuse to continue to pay for the wool, which had been pulled over my eyes. Apple in turn has lost a customer, who was with them for 23 years.
Telekom told me today, that they want to find a solution for my iPhone6 upset.
More on this subject:
Ruhrbarone: My little, crooked iPhone6 (in German)
Mobilegeeks: iPhone6: Bent iPhone6, is this what you call standards? (in German)
