Does anyone think that apple do not have any confidence in their products by only giving a 12 warranty repair or replace rather than a 1 year guarantee?

Question

I recently got an iphone 4 through my network provider after 4 days of having the product i started to experience problems.  My iphone 4 would start calling people in my contacts without me even touching the phone, at first it was funny but people were not laughing when it was calling them through the night and in the early hours of the morning.  My Network provider sent me a new i phone 4 and collected the faulty one, now the newly replaced iphone 4 after 1 week developed a problem with the camera, the shutter will not open and i cannot use video or take pictures.  I contacted my network provider who have now referred me to apple who say they have a 12 month warranty in place for a repair or replace service, not a 1 year guarantee which makes me think apple have NO confidence in this product at all.  I spoke with apple on the phone and they advised me to go into my local store and they will repair the phone, I advised i do not want the phone repaired as this could cause problems later down the line with the phone itself, but they would not budge saying they would only repair the phone and if worst came to the worst and the phone could not be repaired they would replace the phone.  Because i could not get anywhere on the apple customer service telephone line i was put onto another operator who actually said to me on the phone that apple do not like the phones being opened up as this could cause problems later down the line with the phone.  Now i had said this to his colleague earlier on the telephone, so if this can cause problems later down the line which he confirmed with me, why are apple not replacing the customers mobile phones instead of repairing them if they know that this can cause a problem with the phone in later life.  Me personally am glad i got my phone from a network provider and did not pay £400 - £550 on the iphone 4 as i will be stuck with a refurbished phone now and not a new product this phone is only 1 week old.  I would advise everyone considering an apple product to seriously consider the implications of buying an apple product, as it seems to me even apple do not have enough confidence in their product with only giving out a 12 month warranty and not a guarantee.  The iphone 4 is a great idea but not a reliable one that will last you for years down the line. I couldn't wait to get my iphone 4, now all it gives me is problems. My previous phone was a Sony Ericcson W995 i have had the phone for 2 years 6 months now with no faults and no problems and my partner also has had the same phone for the same amount of time with no problems.  Are new mobile phones not built to last anymore, and if so why such the high cost to the consumer?  This is my first apple product my partner also has an iphone 4 and experiencing the same problems as me and i feel really disappointed and let down, where did all the customers rights go?
Diane Gallacher

Answer 1

A 12 month warranty and a year 1 year warranty are the same correct, but a 1 year warranty and a 1 year guarantee are totally different.  I sell products in work which have a 1 year guarantee and a 9 years warranty, guarantee means if anything goes wrong with the product in the first year you will get a straight replacement. Warranty means the product will depreciate in value each year.  If you spend £1000 on an item which has 10 years cover divide £1000 by 10 years and your product is depreciating in value each year by £100. so if you had a problem after 2 years and were outwith your guarantee you item would be worth £800 which the manufacturer will give you a credit note so you can purchase an item up to the value of £800 or you can put another £200 to it yourself to either get the same product or a product at the same value you purchased your first item.  Guarantee and warranty are 2 totally different covers.
Is there also not a cover in the uk on all electrical products for a 5 year term no matter what the product? this one i am unsure of but have been told this is the case.