Apple faces battery pledge complaints

The dent on Josh’s iPhone which prevented Apple replacing the battery

Apple has been accused of finding unnecessary faults with iPhones and thereby profiting from a battery replacement initiative.

When the US firm announced it had been slowing down iPhones in order to "preserve battery life" in December last year, it apologised for not telling people sooner.

Watchdog’s Nikki Fox meets David Bowler, whose phone Apple also claimed had “extra damage

Facing a consumer backlash, it promised owners of the iPhone 6 and more modern models a discounted or free battery replacement.

It said: "We are able to do the work we love only because of your faith and support - and we will never forget that or take it for granted."

But since then, some Watchdog viewers have told the programme that their faith in the company has been seriously shaken after trying to take Apple up on its offer.

Apple demanded that some customers pay 10 times the sum it referred to in its apology.

The company told customers this was because of existing damage to their phones that would impair the replacement of the batteries.

But Watchdog's investigation found that this is not always the case.

Josh Landsburgh sent his phone off to have the battery replaced in February.

Two days later, he received an email from Apple pointing out a small dent to the edge of the phone, and quoting a cost of over £200 before it would make good on its battery promise.

A furious Josh had the phone returned from Apple. He had the battery replaced without an issue at a local repair shop - which meant he voided his Apple warranty.

"They're trying to regain trust and they come back to you with, 'Give us more money than you were planning to initially.' I think it's just shocking, they've got enough money, they're Apple," he told the BBC.

David Bowler also contacted Watchdog.

Watchdog took David’s phone to a specialist to have the battery replaced