update:
After time and much reflection I feel it necessary to giggle at myself a little here. My biggest pet peeve is for people to try and shame a business using social media, and I used my blog to do this. The truth is it’s my fault for not backing up my photos, and that’s that. I now use Dropbox and iCloud AND carbonite 🙂
Let me start with this… I have had an iPhone since inception. I’m a huge advocate of Apple products and what some might consider a brand loyalist.. to the max. I’ve been beyond happy with my iMac, Macbook Pro, Macbook Air, iPad and numerous iPhone’s over the years. I choose Apple because they have always provided a superior product and that is important to me and my business. I don’t mind that they cost a bit more because you definitely get what you pay for and my business is dependent on the performance of these products.
That said, this past week has been a nightmare of epic proportions with my iPhone 5. I stopped using iCloud a while back because it was randomly synching other people’s photos to my phone and who knows who my photos were being shared with. I just uploaded my iPhone photos to iPhoto weekly instead and it worked out great. Last week we took our family to Disney World on a vacation that I saved up and planned for over a year. We didn’t just want to go, we wanted to go and do everything, and we did. I took my “2 hander” camera (Nikon DSLR) for special photos but used my iPhone for the majority of photos and video because who wants to lug around a large camera and then worry about it while on rides? No problem, iPhone has a decent camera and will definitely do the trick. Right?
Wrong. On our last night at Disney I look over at my phone and it has the “connect to iTunes” screen. The screen of death.
I had touched nothing, updated nothing. The screen just popped up. That is perhaps the most infuriating part of it all. I can see me accidentally updating to a new software without backing up and kicking myself for it, that would be 100% my fault as I chose not to use iCloud. But I did NOTHING. The screen just appeared out of nowhere and for no apparent reason. When I connected my phone to iTunes the only option it gave me was to restore as new iPhone. No “backup and restore”. I attempted to turn my phone off and on, but the screen just kept coming back up.
I didn’t use my phone for the next 24 hours in hopes I would somehow be able to recover the memories of the past week we would never be able to get back. Once we landed in DFW I called Apple customer support (useless) and the agent attempted to make me purchase an additional support plan, I told her no. She then got a “waiver” from her supervisor to assist me further. She ended up treating me like an elderly person who has no experience using electronics even after I informed her I’ve had an iPhone for years and am aware of the normal troubleshooting procedures. After that, I went straight to the Apple store where I was told “Sorry nothing we can do, it would cost thousands of dollars to hire someone to attempt to recover your photos.”
So, I drove back to my parent’s house and attempted several YouTube tutorials to recover my photos, Tiny Umbrella RecBoot etc… Nothing worked. I decided I would just have to restore my phone, and I did, and everything was gone. Everything. I sobbed like a baby for a few minutes before I became extremely pissed off. At myself for not backing up, even though I had no reason to believe it would be that crucial in the midst of a vacation and at Apple for letting this crap happen when they’re freaking Apple.
We drove home to San Antonio the next evening and my phone continued to turn itself off and on and put itself into recovery mode several more times. I threw it. I was angry. Forget that I’d lost all of my photos and videos from a once in a lifetime vacation, now I can’t even answer emails for my business much less rely on this phone for anything at all. I called Apple customer support, again. They were very nice but told me there was nothing they could do and I would need to go into the store. The store that is 45 minutes away without traffic and it would be rush hour by the time I had a chance to get there after picking Chloe up from school. I went because I had to, I had no phone and running a business kind of requires that you be connected to that business while also having the ability to make a phone call if need be.
Upon arriving at the Apple Store I was forced to retell my entire story to 4 people before being placed in the queue for assistance. I played on the iPads with my amazingly patient 5 year old for nearly an hour and then someone came over took my phone and said I’ll take care of this. Finally, someone is going to fix this. Hallelujah. 20 minutes later he returns with my phone and tells me I need to click the erase button, enter my password etc. All the while he is staring at my screen while I enter my passwords and then repeating them back to me? Who is this guy? After I did all that he said “I’ll be right back.” Another 20 minutes later I get up to see where this guy took off to and find him helping another customer. When he returned he handed me a new … iPhone5. I asked him if this was going to continue to happen and he said “Probably, we don’t sell iPhone5’s anymore because of this very reason.” I am definitely a “you catch more flies with honey” kind of gal, but I’d been pushed to my limit. I let loose, in my own way, which probably still included a kind tone and multiple “I’m sorry, buts” but I didn’t hold back my feelings. “I have lost photos and videos from a vacation that I can never get back, but I’ve come to terms with the fact that they’re gone. However, I cannot continue to lose the ability to run my business while on the go. I have 2 small children and my phone is the center of everything. Can you just give me the 5s or let me upgrade to it, I’ll pay, I don’t even care at this point.” Do you know what he said? “I guess now you see why it’s so important to backup your phone.” Are you freaking kidding me? I wanted to unleash the fury of a Mama picturing her little girls meeting Cinderella in a video I no longer have, or my baby dancing during the It’s a Small World ride, knowing I will never get those videos back… but I kept my cool, although my face probably threw a few expletives at him, I didn’t let them come out of my mouth at least… The last thing he said was “Wait until you have a full upgrade available and get the 5s” I could no longer speak. If you don’t have anything nice to say…
I finally just left. With a pit in my stomach. The brand that I’ve loved and endorsed for years had failed me in compassion and that was the thing I loved most of all. In the past when I’ve had an issue they have gone above and beyond to at least let me know “hey that sucks, I’m sorry.” And those issues were minute compared to this one. I do, however, realize that a few people do not make up an entire brand and do not hold the entirety of Apple responsible for my poor experience. I do, however, hold them responsible for releasing a software update knowing it would cause issues with a recent phone and not doing anything about it. I sell digital products and cannot imagine releasing something knowing it would crash someone’s website without doing a darn thing about it. Software is going to have hiccups, I get that more than most. But this is not just a hiccup and the resolution is unacceptable.
I’ve researched other phones because I’m that upset and wary of future updates. At the moment I’m considering the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, but still not sure. My Husband purchased the HTC One and it’s a pretty neat phone, but there is definitely a transition period required that I’m not sure I’m ready for right now. As it stands I’m just upset. Upset without anything I can do about it beyond telling my story and hoping that nobody else has the same issue, although after some googling I found that it’s beyond common if you have a 5. They should have just called the darn thing iPhone5 BETA.
Since having had the first issue with not backing up, I used iCloud. And guess what? When my phone failed again NOTHING had backed up to iCloud despite having it activated and giving it ample time to do so.
On the bright side (because I’m an optimist) I have several photos and videos that I texted to family and friends as well as a few I uploaded to instagram. I also have 2 or 3 photos that Disney took on our photopass. The photos I lost on my phone were over 1000, but the few I have will provide great memories.
Signed,
A disheartened former brand loyalist
If you decide to stick with Apple, I also have an iPhone 5 and use a photo/video backup program called Dropbox. I’ve been very happy with it and consider it my “extra insurance.”
I just installed it, thank you for the recommendation 🙂
I am so sorry to hear that. My husband is an Apple loyalist, but still has a 4S. I have always had Android phones, so that is what I am used to. I use the Samsung Note 2 and love it. It is large, which a lot of people don’t like, but it is large enough for me to log onto people’s servers and do small updates and maintenance jobs for people while in car line. It takes great pictures and videos as well. I use it for email and server work, plus doing research for clients as well. I love it! Best of luck with whatever direction you choose. I am so sorry for what you’ve been through. It puts a lump in my throat just hearing about it. Those memories and pictures were priceless!
I definitely wouldn’t mind the larger phone Debra, as it appears you and I have similar needs and the bigger screen would be a bonus. Thanks for letting me know, that Note 3 is looking even better now 🙂
I am so sorry. This happened to my husband as well and he lost all photos and videos of our kids and all his contacts. I know so many people with iPhone issues. It truly Sucks!!!!!
Ugh it’s just awful. I miss my old software that actually worked 🙁
Ugh, I am so sorry!! I had a similar problem. The ios7 update failed to fully install. After many hours at apple and on the phone with tech, my husband was told our only option was factory restore. I have text messages from my dad on my phone and I can’t stand the thought of losing them. Apple was USELESS. And, like you, I’m brand loyal (maybe to a fault) and I was SICK. Thankfully, we’ve been loyal to apple since the first iPods and did the off/home button trick and it worked! I only lost my home and lock screen images, and my phone works again.
I’m so sorry for you though!
I’m so glad you were able to fix your issue without losing important data!
Oh Lindsey, I’m so sorry that happened to you:( I’ve been following you for awhile and saw how excited you were for the vacation. I can’t believe how they treated you! Ugh! I have an iPhone. Don’t like it. I’ve always had a droid. I’m thinking of switching to the galaxy s4 but I’ll have to check out the note. I need something that makes emailing and calling and everything else easier for my business.
Thank you, Amy! Yes the Note 3 looks perfect for emailing, very large screen 🙂
Gosh, Lindsey… I am so sorry to hear about the loss of your photos and other information. But, mostly sad to hear about a loss of trust in Apple. I am just now really falling in love with their products and the customer service people I have dealt with , in the past few weeks, have been over board with the help.
Gosh, I sort of hope you just found a few rotten apples . tee-hee.
I love to be able to make a note on one device and have it show up on all the other devices. However, I do not have my photos synced to all devices.
My photos go from my phone to the iPad, but they do not go to the desktop. (I am not sure why) If I want them there, I email specific ones. It just works out better, that way, to me.
I have the iPhone 4s, and I have been thinking about upgrading to one of the new ones. Just today, I talked to Verizon on the phone and the customer service rep said that an upgrade would be the same price for either the 5c or the 5s, and suggested I get the 5s, but I am not sure.
I know someone who uses the larger Note, that you mentioned, and the screen is nice… but… well… it is not an iPhone. But, I will give it a gander when the time actually comes to upgrade.
Please keep us posted on what you decide.
Oh… go back to your fb post about it and edit to add the full company name, not just Apple. Reason: They may get an alert and do something for you. I had a friend who posted about a place where she had bad customer service. It was a big store. As we commented back and forth, this store suddenly stepped into the conversation! She also commented on their fb page and website. She got results. Hey, ya never know! Especially if they see all those people who are saying that they are no longer considering Apple.
Thank you, Susan! It was definitely disappointing. If you do upgrade, definitely go with the s 🙂 I added a few hashtags to my facebook post, thanks for the suggestion!
This is why I always wait a couple weeks after release to install new software – to allow all the “bugs” to be worked out.
This was more like an infestation than a bug. I wish I had waited for sure.
Gee really sorry about that!! I just bought the 5S last week and I hope it doesn’t happen to me too.
Bottom line with these corporations is that they do not care about the consumer. They are in it for the money and I understand they need to make money but it’s just a shame that this can happen to people.
Very sorry again that it happened to you! 🙁
Ugh I hate to say it, but I feel the same here lately. Thank you for the kind words!
Wow that’s awful! I know what it’s like to lose your family photos but my iPhone was stolen on our 14 hour drive home from a trip. It’s devastating! I have been an iPhone user for many years as my husband – we have everything MAC at home as well but recently he switched to the Note 2 and loves it. So I’m jumping ship and getting the Note 3 later this week. I’m nervous too about the transition but he uses Dropbox and it works great. I thought he was crazy that he didn’t get a new iPhone but the more I played with his phone in the last 3 months and saw the things it did, the more jealous I was – especially the huge screen and I love having the stylist pen too. Good luck!
The Note 3 was awesome, but just not my cup of tea so I’m back to the iPhone 5 until something better comes along. I hope you’re enjoying your phone!! And boo to losing your iPhone on your trip! That’s awful 🙁
Hi Lindsey! I’m so sorry that you received that kind of response from Apple! Unfortunately, Apple customer service has really gone down the tubes; since, Steve Jobs died. I have a similar story about my MacBook. Only my nightmare lasted for about a year. I had an AppleCare plan, but I still went through you know what to get my problems resolved. It also included a member of the “executive team” calling me a liar. Finally, after 2 times of sending my MacBook in, one 4 hour round trip to an Apple Store, and probably more than 50 hours over the phone, my MacBook was replaced. It really shouldn’t take that much, but customer service isn’t what it used to be.
Oh goodness gracious, that’s awful :/ We spend more on Apple products because of what was once exceptional customer service. I really hope those bad apples are replaced with representatives that resemble what Apple’s support team has been known for in the past.
Hi Lindsey, SO sorry to hear about your iPhone 5 debacle. Pictures are priceless!
This summer, my husband & I upgraded to Samsung after our disappointment w/ tiny iPhone screens (even in the newest versions) VS the quality of Samsung’s devices, phone camera, etc. After switching, our 1st reaction was – SERIOUSLY, why didn’t anyone tell us how amazing Samsung is? Why have we been fumbling with tiny iPhone screens & unsophisticated technology when Samsung has the coolest most up-to-date design (& huge screens / great cameras to boot)?
I’m a big photographer, so the photo quality alone was a big selling point, but the enormous screen size (nearly double the iPhone 5 size) is fantastic. There are so many more gadgets & fun things to do w/ it than with our iPhones. You can even Facetime using the Skype app (free!) & use the “Assistant” Droid app, which does the same job as Siri (I’ve found Assistant to be more accurate than Siri). Talk-texting on my Galaxy S4 is significantly more accurate than my old iPhone, too.
We were blown away by Samsung, after years of using iPhones. We also traded in our iPhones to AT&T for a $200 credit EACH (woo!), meaning we essentially got my S4 for free and my husband’s Note 2 for $100. We also got the Galaxy Tab 2 for $200 (discounted from $500). Very very happy with all of the above. Yes, there is absolutely a learning curve when you switch from iOS to Droid, but they have video tutorials & (for me) a great staff lady who talked me thru a lot of my questions via phone (for over an hour)!. Much of the learning curve comes from the fact that our new phones offer so many new capabilities than the iPhone! As a web designer, you should have no real issues w/ the adjustment 🙂
That’s been our experience. I highly recommend! Feel free to email me with ?s. Best wishes finding your replacement phone!
That is horrible! I hate that you lost so much. I have the Note 2 and it is hands down the best phone I’ve ever had. I usually get the latest and greatest phones, so that’s saying a lot! I am anti-iPhone though. So many people I know have had problems with them. Not to mention how tiny they are! With as much as I use my phone for, (personal, business, play, etc) I need a bigger screen. Samsung is definitely the way to go.