An Apple customer in Spain who sent an iPhone 15 Pro Max to an authorized technical service center for a routine battery check received a 709-euro repair estimate, rejected the fee, and ultimately filed a public complaint through the Organización de Consumidores y Usuarios (OCU) alleging the device was returned significantly damaged and completely unusable.
The June 2025 Battery Service Request and the 709-Euro Estimate
The sequence of events began on June 9, 2025, when the owner of the iPhone 15 Pro Max dispatched the smartphone to an authorized Apple support provider because the battery longevity fell short of expectations. The handset already possessed existing aesthetic flaws on both the front screen and the rear glass panel, yet the hardware maintained normal operational capacity prior to shipment.
Following an initial evaluation, the technical service facility issued a cost estimate totaling 709 euros. The client declined the fee, anticipating the immediate return of the terminal without any alterations or interventions.
Customer Discovers Unauthorized Battery Replacement and Missing Hardware
Upon receiving the device back from the service center, the owner discovered that modifications had occurred without explicit authorization. The customer explicitly rejected the financial estimate, yet the internal battery had nonetheless been replaced.
Worse still, the rear cover of the smartphone was entirely missing, and the display exhibited severe new damage that rendered it completely inoperative. Baffled by the physical deterioration of hardware that originally functioned despite cosmetic blemishes, the consumer contacted the support desk once more and agreed to a second inspection to clarify the mishap.
Second Inspection Reveals Total Hardware Failure and Physical Deterioration
The second diagnostic cycle yielded another estimate for the exact same 709-euro sum, which the owner refused a second time. Upon this secondary return, the terminal condition deteriorated further.
The display glass arrived completely shattered, the rear panel remained absent, and internal damage affected the flexible cable associated with the True Tone sensor. The device began exhibiting severe thermal anomalies, refused to establish a data connection with any computer, and failed to boot entirely.
Owner Files Formal Public Complaint After Independent Assessment
Seeking an outside opinion, the owner brought the hardware to an independent repair specialist. That evaluation concluded that the accumulated internal and external damage made the handset entirely unrepairable.
Confronted with a completely non-functional device, the owner filed a formal public complaint through the OCU on July 2, 2025. The claim demands financial compensation or a replacement device to offset the loss of the functional smartphone originally dispatched for simple battery servicing.
Current Status of the OCU Complaint and Apple’s Response
Standard documentation regarding consumer guarantees and repair protocols stipulates that unauthorized work outside an approved estimate should not proceed without explicit client consent. However, the public filing currently shows as closed on the OCU platform following automated receipt messages from the manufacturer.
The public record contains no specific technical explanation from Apple addressing the alleged unauthorized teardown or the subsequent hardware destruction. Without a definitive official statement or a detailed independent diagnostic log made public, the ultimate origin of the structural damage remains officially unresolved.
