Apple Reduces iPhone Return Policy Time

Anyone who has purchased any Apple device directly from an Apple retail store or its online store knows that the return policy on these items is 14 days. There was one exception to this policy. If your purchase was an iPhone Apple applied a 30 day return policy.

It seems that as of today those days are over. It appears that the allotted time has been but in half. According to information from 9to5 Mac, the U.S. Standard Return Policy has now been changed to read that customers have 14 calendar days.

The time period starts on the date of purchase and includes weekend days as well. If your iPhone purchase was an online transaction, the countdown will begin on the day that you receive your phone. Keep in mind that as previously stated in its policy, in order to receive a refund the iPhone has to be undamaged, come in its original packaging and include everything that was originally in the box.

It should also be noted that this return policy only applies to direct purchases. If you bought your iPhone from a third party, or if it displays any sign of damage, you will not be able to return it to Apple. Although it is true that until today the return policy on iPhones has been 30 days, all other Apple devices including iPads, laptops and desktops were always subject to a 14 day return policy.

As 9to5 Mac mentioned, this was in “stark contrast” to its carrier partners who only offer a 14 day return window. When purchased from a carrier, a customer may choose to return the iPhone to Apple within the 30 day period but if it was returned after day 14 they would still be responsible for Early Termination Fees (ETF) or any other penalties from the wireless providers.

One of the advantages of the 30 day policy was that it gave you enough time to play with your new iPhone and then decide if you wanted to exchange it for a different color or maybe a model with more storage.

Although the change to the Standard Return Policy took effect today, the change had already appeared yesterday morning. As of yesterday the policy read:

If you had read this policy last week, it would have read:

The reason that Apple gives for this change in policy is consistency. The document from Apple says that it is making the change in an effort to have one universal return policy across all products and to match the 14 day policy of most carriers.

The question to ask is not if Apple should have changed the policy, but rather if 14 days is enough for someone to realize how they feel about their new iPhone.