expected life of Airpods Max?

[Jason Davies]

Hi gang

I have a pair of Airpods Max that are misbehaving (have to restart them every time I used them – inconvenient but not the end of the world). Apple will repair them for 286 quid. They're four years old.

Does this seem reasonable under consumer law? I vaguely remember something about lasting 7 years with reasonable use for such devices... Anyone know if I can force their hand on reducing this amount?

I'm pretty sure it's from the last firmware update – they've worked beautifully up to around then. But the lightning Airpods max no longer seem to get updates of firmware...

Cheers,

Jason

[Sam - MacAmbulance]

The Consumer Goods act states devices should be sufficiently durable and fit for purpose for a reasonable time, generally considered to be 7 years. Apple could argue it’s not a manufacturing defect, which isn’t something you could prove or disprove.

I’d argue for a discounted repair at the very least, given how much they cost to start with

_

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[Jason Davies]

On 9 Apr 2025, at 14:18, Sam - MacAmbulance wrote:

> I’d argue for a discounted repair at the very least, given how much they cost to start with

Yep, that was it but I just couldn't think of the wording. Thanks.

They're certainly not cheap. I have no idea how to raise this – they seem to offer a single price for all repairs, and probably swap them out for remanufactured ones anyway. I'll try to get some legal advice on reddit (unless we have suitable lawyers here?)

They said I had to pay the cost up front, then ship them, then possibly get a refund if I decline the work/they're not repairable. It all seemed a bit hinky and back to front so I backed away. There was a hint that the cost might vary but they had already said there is a standard cost for all repairs.

Suddenly having to restart them manually every time I use them seemed less inconvenient;)

Cheers,

Jason

[Michael Simpson]

See what Martin Lewis says  https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/2023/02/martin-lewis-faulty-tech-warranty/

Sent from my iPhone 8

Michael S

On 9 Apr 2025, at 2:48 pm, 'Jason Davies' via Sussex Mac User Group <sm...@googlegroups.com> wrote:

[Jason Davies]

Thanks – It's all about 'reasonable length of time' and as a union rep, I know what games get played with 'reasonable' (over four years, in this case).

The headphones still 'work', I just have a song and dance about connecting them, so I'm going to see how widespread it is (haven't had time). If it's relatively common, then my argument that it's a design fault is stronger (as per Sam's point).

I also need to look into this gap between 'reasonable' and 'seven years', which is (legally speaking) an absolute swamp!

Cheers,

J

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Cheers,

Jason