Today, I want to share a story about my AirPods Pro repair. I bought a pair of AirPods Pro on Nov 13, 2019. It worked well initially, but later both the left and right earbuds started to have crackling sound issues. So I stopped using them.
In 2021, Apple released the AirPods Pro Quality Program (E1) (https://support.apple.com/en-ca/airpods-pro-service-program-sound-issues). And they admitted that some batches of AirPods Pro have these kinds of issues. That’s why I’ve been tormented. I sent my AirPods Pro to Apple for repair on Dec 7, 2021. They went through the test with a particular testing device and told me that they found the issue on the right side earbud but not the left side, so I got the right side replaced.
One year later, in 2020, the issue on the left side appeared more and more frequently. I brought the AirPods Pro to Apple for another test on Oct 13, 2022. And that is the beginning of the nightmare. They conducted all the tests and told me that the machine could not identify any issue. I talked to the apple employee (2319676921): “You do not need any device, just put it on, and you will hear what’s happening.” The employee initially said she was not allowed to put it on. She has to test it with a specified machine. But since I insisted, she tried the earbud and admitted it had a crackling issue. But she told me since the testing device could not identify this issue, even though she acknowledged it, she could not give me a replacement under Apple’s internal policy (she showed it to me). So I got the repair receipt below.
I have many questions and feel very confused about this repair process. Who is in charge the product has issues or not, human or machine? If a human can quickly identify the problem, and the result is different from the machine, which result should we follow? The apple employee told me she wanted to replace my AirPods, but she couldn’t. She felt very sorry about the repair system. I comprehended and said: “It’s OK. It’s not your fault. I should blame Apple, not you”. That’s why I want to write this post to share my experience. I am very disappointed with Apple’s repair policy, especially in this quality-program-related case. Apple should do better, but they are not.
At last, I attached a video showing what is happening to my AirPods Pro. We use the machine to help us, not to rule us. For years, users have complained about Apple’s arrogant and authoritarian repair policy, and I hope all electronic equipment manufacturers can face this problem, not just Apple.
Edited on Mar 22, 2023:
Apple finally replaced both sides of my AirPods Pro.
