iPhone owners get slapped with higher repair costs in U.K.

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Some iPhone users in the UK are upset with Apple over sudden increases in repair costs.
Some iPhone users in the UK are upset with Apple over sudden increases in repair costs.
File Photo: Cult of Mac

Some iPhone users in the United Kingdom say Apple has suddenly hiked repair prices on older iPhones.

Replacing a cracked screen on an iPhone 6s rose significantly the day after Apple unveiled the iPhone 7 last week, according to unhappy customers quoted in the British press.

Apple says it occasionally changes prices based on currency fluctuations, but the news site, UNILAD, suggested Apple was sticking it to UK users after the European Union ordered Ireland to collect more than $14 billion in unpaid taxes from Apple.

“The Pound has fallen in value against the Dollar in the last few days, but not that drastically,” wrote UNILAD’s Ben Hayward. “Come on Apple, still sore about being called out on your billions of pounds worth of unpaid tax?”

Cult of Mac reached out to the Apple public relations team Monday but got no response.

Smartphone sales worldwide are slowing down and Apple unveiled a new waterproof handset, including a Plus model with an optical zoom lens, on Sept. 7. Whether the iPhone 7 is sexy enough for people to upgrade remains to be seen, but some loyal customers are likely to stick with their iPhone 6 or 6s, miffed over Apple excluding an earphone jack on the new model.

UK customers, seeking a screen replacement for their older phones, wonder about the timing.

Another news site, The Sun, said a screen repair for an iPhone 6 jumped from 79 British pounds (about $120) to 119 pounds ($158). For a 6s screen, the price went from 99 pounds ($131) to 139 pounds ($185). The Sun also reported screen repairs for the iPhone 5 also jumped 20 pounds.

“The girl who dealt with me (at the Apple Store) said the rise was that morning,” Sam Cole told UNILAD.

Another customer said a quote she had received last Wednesday changed to a higher price the next day.

U.S. customers will be pleased to know they will not be hit with sharp increases for repair. Last week, Apple announced it would charge just $29 for screen repairs under its Apple Care Plus repair plan. The company did switch to a flat $99 rate for incidental repairs, which means a $20 jump for users holding older phones.

Source: UNILAD

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