What is Apple authorized repair REALLY like?

[@laminatedsamurai]

Personal opinion from someone that has never worked for CSAT and has no relation to it. Why keep people from bringing their cell phones into the facility? Probably to help prevent any kind of documentation video/audio/photos of these exact conditions and treatments of workers. The isolation from the outside world is just a bonus.

[@chudchadanstud]

yup. It's quite common in production facilities.I work in R&D so I move from site to site. I'm not allowed to bring my cellphone in unless it's a company phone. Those things riddled with corporate spyware so I never take turn them on when I'm traveling.

[@rossmanngroup]

Have some pride in your abusive working conditions, that's what we do. kzbin.info/www/bejne/f3iwioeVnZuop9E kzbin.info/www/bejne/r5TQgZSInZiJotE

[@adamcarter7826]

Honestly, I don't blame a large repair "factory" having 100's of employees, not allowing personal devices. Dishonest employees could use the device to take photos of customers private information, or steal files from customers devices, using a bluetooth connection.... I worked at GeekSquad for a bit before opening my own shop, and if I remember correctly they had the same policy if you were in the geek squad repair area. (this was one of the only areas that had this limitation) This is to protect the customers. They also had a policy that ONLY employees of Geek Squad were allowed in the repair area, to limit issues like this, or employees stealing customers devices. It sucks, but eventually if you are big enough, one bad employee can screw it up for everyone else. My shop has a policy that if you are caught looking at someone's personal files ONCE, your fired, no write up, no second chance, your gone. I have been in the repair industry for 23 years, and I have seen this happen before, and 100% not acceptable. In a small businesses like mine or yours, WE have better control, due to having less employees... Everything else, ya they suck.. But they have to protect customers data, and you can't be mad at them for that.

[@chudchadanstud]

@@rossmanngroup They're repairing customers products. They probably don't want sensitive info getting out. It's not like a small facility with 10 workers. I'm not supporting their behaviour, in the UK they'd be in court, most of the stuff reported is illegal here.

[@chrismarku]

'And goddamn you if you're calling me about my car's extended warranty...I WILL FUCK YOU UP SO BAD' Funniest thing ever heard. Keep up the good work sir 👍🏼

[@Heizenberg32]

I arranged "authorized" repairs for hundreds of Macs and thousands of I-devices in a previous job. Years of handling such repairs in the "manufacturer approved" way led me to the false belief that board-level repair was something that just wasn't done at any significant scale. That swapping out entire mother boards, displays, etc. was the only practical way to repair these kind of devices commercially. I thought desoldering and replacing individual components like chips and capacitors was relegated to enthusiasts who had a lot of free time and were willing to risk breaking the thing even worse. I know better now. It hurts to think of all of the customers who I was not serving as well as I thought I was at the time.

[@petlahk4119]

This facility does not do board level repair. 90% sure they send that overseas.

[@Rose.Of.Hizaki]

Im 99% sure that Apple sends a lot of their faulty devices overseas where they get completely stripped down and recycled. With a lot of the components either sold to other manufacturers if not re-used to repair other faulty devices.

[@GrifFungin]

They can’t take their phones inside the building because it would allow them to video record the poor working conditions.

[@nffan696]

True

[@Kirainian_Gaming]

Poor work conditions? No no no… this borders on inhumane.

[@katkatthecat]

Correct! No evidence, it didn’t happen, and is conspiracy theorist hearsay! But once you see the truth you cannot unsee it

[@KabukeeJo]

I am just waiting for Apple to double down and design a chip that self destructs after you solder it a 2nd time.

[@AdamIsUrqed]

They'll call it the MI chip for "Mission Impossible" just to further troll independent shops.

[@ian2372]

As soon as you touch the screws to release the back panel it self dissolves in a puff of smoke that makes a middle finger on the way up.

[@TheOriginalJphyper]

Don't give them ideas!

[@user-ty2uz4gb7v]

Serialization is worse

[@pilotavery]

They do that. It's called a flux fuse. If reflowed for too long, the solder bridges shorting itself. TPM chips use it, but I'd be surprised if apple didn't.

[@calvinteh3297]

These stories remind me of movies like Snowpiercer, Hunger Games, Elysium, etc. Everything looks slick and clean but underneath it all, the people toiling away to maintain the facade live and work in deplorable conditions.

[@SaHaRaSquad]

In dictatorships this is reality. Turkmenistan's capital city has over 500 buildings covered with white marble. When you don't want people to look too closely, show them some shiny things. Works with oppressive regimes, works with Apple.

[@bgiv2010]

At the heart of dystopian fiction is the sober observation of the relationship between misery and greed.

[@Steel0079]

Is Elysium worth watching?

[@Steven0O0Seagal]

@@Steel0079 yeah. Probably. It won't change your life but it's definitely not a waste of time.

[@Pyxis10]

We live in a boring dystopia.

[@DamianInman]

I used Authorized repair to replace a screen that cracked. I then got a recall on the battery and took it to an Apple Store for replacement. They hesitated to change the battery because the authorized repair did not use an Apple Screen... What good is Authorized repair if they do not even use the genuine Apple parts?

[@liucyrus22]

Should have their license revoked, given that you have paid good money for that screen. Chinese sources for the Retina screens are going for perhaps $150 a pop for fakes and $300 for the real deal. That is the case if you are not able to just swap the LCD like how they are able to on a hot table.

[@declanashmore]

My question is: what does the screen have to do with replacing the battery that was bad enough for even Apple to do a recall?

[@trashtronics1700]

The real issue is all and I mean all electronics from apple come from china but if u don't get it threw them including parts they won't warranty it

[@Antervis]

simple: certain repair shops can swap original working parts with fakes to resell them later. This malpractice was first discovered at large in 2013, China.

[@MrDavepeters]

Many Asian countries consider using sit-on toilets to be unclean, they use squatting toilets. So some tend to squat on the toilet and may miss.... Isle of Wight, UK.

[@mlindholm]

That's exactly it...squatting or hovering to avoid touching the seat with a western toilet, leads to pissing and shitting on the seat, which means anyone else after them will only do the same, exacerbating the issue. So having a high ratio of folks who would do that by default, means the seat will ALWAYS have some piss or shit on it.

[@carlangelo653]

@@mlindholm Also some people are pretty much forced to squat because they want to avoid the shit on the seat. Making the initial problem worsen.

[@shakalpb1164]

Damn a positive shit loop, how long for the entire world to be covered

[@beware_the_moose]

@@shakalpb1164 positurd feedback!

[@rexsceleratorum1632]

As a south Asian, I find this a reasonable explanation. In Asia there is always a hand-held bidet or other access to water in a squatting toilet to wash off any mishaps

[@그냥사람-e9f]

"Who designs computer like this? Why?" Apple does, because they "think different"

[@youtubesucks8024]

Differently* It drives me mad that they ran that campaign with the grammar quality of their product design.

[@AlLiberali]

And by different they actually mean wrong

[@louistournas120]

​@@AlLiberali Maybe Apple devices are not meant to be repaired. They are like paper cups and paper plates and plastic forks. Remember Funcams? Use it once and then they develop the film and the camera gets thrown away. Remember one time use DVDs? I don't remember but you rent the DVD and once you open the package, it lasts for 1 day. The plastic becomes dark red and unreadable. You throw it away. At certain dollar stores, you have one time use battery chargers. They contain a Li-ion batt. You use it to charge your cellphone and throw away the battery.

[@kwhyes5619]

@@louistournas120 yes

[@arahman56]

C O U R A G E

[@raymondrenfrowrayren98trib34]

I think the reason authorized repair shops only do certain repairs is because if their workers knew how to do everything like the way Louis does they would open up their own shops.

[@sigma6656]

I'd be interested to see the contracts they sign. There may be a clause to prevent just that.

[@c3pu333]

Whenever a company calls their employee "associates" you know their staff is treated like shit.

[@BigRedTower]

When someone says "authorized repair", I hear, "teenage wage slaves who want to creep your photos really, really bad". Also, I get a massive surge of those exact spam calls every month when my cable bill is due. Phone scamming is highly profitable, just ask Comcast.

[@maxmyzer9172]

I get the same calls, wonder if someone has my number down on their phone bill

[@Antervis]

this can happen in both authorized and unauthorized repair shops. Tbh I wonder why apple didn't yet come up with "repair mode" that will only give personnel access to settings, not data. It can be done simply by implementing "guest" account.

[@excitedbox5705]

Authorized repair doesn't fix, they replace. The reason it is so expensive is because they replace a motherboard because a 10 cent part is broken. AND the high service fees of course.

[@SaHaRaSquad]

If they are even able to replace anything other than the whole device. With the Surface Pro 1 it would take professionals a full hour just to open the device without destroying the display, and then it cannot be closed again without visible glue traces. The Surface Laptop can't be opened without literally melting the keyboard.

[@3v068]

replace a motherboard? Bruv they wont even do THAT. They straight up give you a brand new device and transfer all of your files onto it, and not even in a smart way. They make a backup of your phone, copy it to their own servers in the cloud, and put it on a new device. These fucking losers dont even know how to fix the things they create.

[@duketogo2616]

@@3v068 - They don't handle data. You're getting back a refurbed device and your old phone is being harvested for useable parts.

[@3v068]

@@duketogo2616 incorrect. If they didn't handle your data, they would be giving you a refurbished phone without any data whatsoever on it. The fact that companies will copy your data to another device when going in for a "repair" means they are handling your data. Considering they're the manufacturer of the phone as well, they can easily get into the operating system without a password if they so choose and even take your data from there just for the hell of it (just because it's illegal doesn't mean that companies still don't do it.) The entire job of the person handling your "repair" is to take all of your data and transfer it to a new device. That's data handling 101

[@duketogo2616]

@@3v068 - I work for Apple. If you send in a phone for mail in repair the unit you receive will be what's called an FRU or Factory Replacement Unit. It's a device made specifically for service replacement and any remaining warranty from your old phone is transferred over to it. The serial number will be different. If you forgot to remove the SIM or any screen protectors, you won't be getting those back. Any data on the phone will be lost as you will not be getting the same unit returned and Apple will not transfer any data from the old device. Apple can't access your data without your passcode and they won't ask you for it. The only time you're getting the same phone back is if you have service done at an Apple Retail Store and the only way you're getting the data back is if you already have a backup or if the issue isn't with something on the logic board which contains all your data. If anything is wrong with that board and you don't have a backup, you either get someone like Louis or Jessa to repair the board or that data is gone.

[@AddisonHaileLegobuilds]

No AC in a Texas building is freaking insane!

[@mikek9297]

Texas ! No AC is the summer. No power in the winter.

[@marcopollo366]

"PLEASE DONT BE CALLING ABOUT MY CAR WARRANTY!!!" "This is Hilton Hotels" 🤪😂🤫 Be careful what you ask for

[@Nirrrina]

I get that same damn call about the car warranty. I've never owned a car & I've never had a driver's license.

[@deadbzeus]

Some people make a living doing what they love, Louis deals with things he hates.

[@rossmanngroup]

I like making people happy by fixing their stuff, saving their data, and saving them money over what they would've paid at the genius bar.

[@WanderTheNomad]

Spite is a pretty common motivator.

[@Epic_Gamer_9000]

Some people live to improve everything. He started at laptops and now is working to improve social sentiment, awareness, and policy. Really just an inspirational dude.

[@iyeetsecurity922]

I have an authorized repair facility in the spare room of my house. I've been taking my electronics there for years. The guy working there's a bit odd but he gets the job done properly and on the cheap. *4/5 Stars*

[@jameswest848]

In the UK, on building sites at least, it's illegal to have less than one toilet available per 20 employees. This was an exam question on the building site safety certification I have to renew every few years.

[@leonro]

The problem is that even here they might have one toilet for every 20 employees, it's just that most of those toilets are only available to the high ranking guys. Either that or they are somehow evading the law by having the workers not actually "employed".

[@owensparks5013]

Can confirm similar laws regarding factories in the UK.

[@PacificNatureTV]

Remember this company is in texas which has decimated workers rights and doesnt care about their safety or health. It's called "being business friendly"

[@stusue9733]

I do wonder if its because they are working in a "warehouse". Sure it was built as a warehouse, then they rolled in 300 desks.

[@BigJProductions]

the bit you don't mention is the vast majority of workers on uk building sites are NOT employees. mostly sub-contractors. in my experience the only employees are the foreman and the labourer. .....soooo...2 employees=1toilet. 1 toilets used by 300 workers in total. uk is a joke.

[@eaglefalcon]

Might I recommend trying to get the car extended warranty people to extend the warranty on the Volvo VNL 780 Semi truck you totally have? Just make sure not to tell them it's an 18 wheeler so they get frustrated when they find out you gave the model number of a semi. That's how I got them to finally take me off their list.

[@rossmanngroup]

Paul asks them about his 1987 ford bronco and they hang up on him every time. Not even a goodbye...

[@throwaway692]

I tell them I have a 56 DeSoto and that I'd love to buy a warranty. I keep them on the phone for as long as I can and they are the ones that always end the call. And wouldn't you know it... those stupid assclowns still call.

[@eaglefalcon]

@@throwaway692 what I've learned is that you really need to piss them off. If you mention an old car, they just hang up and move to the next guy. With a modern semi, they have to put effort into finding out I'm screwing with them this becoming more than just white noise

[@---jj9lf]

@@eaglefalcon what would be the most expensive semi to tell them?

[@---jj9lf]

@@eaglefalcon even better, tell them a fake, but believable, vehicle so they wast their time searching.

[@CyReVolt]

Louis' daily rants on Apple 🧡

[@joedennehy386]

Thoroughly deserved " rants" evil bastards

[@ACOnetwork]

@@AppleReviews you know... other companies love copyi g apple stuff 🤔

[@StriKe_jk]

The ONLY benefit of these branded repairshop is that they have access to all parts and software tools. That is why they try to limit these at all costs. They would be blown out of the water in terms of quality and pricing of the repair if everyone had access to all hardware parts and software tools and documentations.

[@queazocotal]

I wonder how meaningfully true this is, and what level of repair they are doing.

[@queazocotal]

That is, what fraction of board level repairs are done for non-absolutely-trivial issues that are repairable with commodity parts, vs deeming stuff unrepairable for throughput reasons.

[@testaccount4191]

i wonder if those parts go walk about sometimes

[@xys007]

The only miss one piece from your jigsaw puzzle. A stuff that do care.

[@adamcarter7826]

@@testaccount4191 One company that I worked for years ago had metal detectors, every single employee had to go pass them at the end of the day... and they only made CD/DVD's... Can't have Jay-Z's new album hitting the streets a few weeks early. Once the album was released, employees could buy it for $1

[@port_of_dandong]

Fun fact: Mac computers taken in for service at the Genius Bar are only sent to Depot for Apple Stores based in the US. In Canada and pretty much every other country, units are repaired directly AT THE STORE, and the people working the Genius Bar are VERY well compensated, with very good working conditions.

[@insertnamehere8121]

" *Take it to the authorized repair center, they're going to do it properly* " Aka Once you receive Apple approval, you are suddenly bestowed with a level of human accuracy that the ordinary human is not. Many of these people would literally tell you that the exact same repair performed under Apple approval is better for what amounts to "because Apple bestowed its blessing". Apple has done a great job of creating a cult mentality around that logo, and I'm an Apple user btw

[@AstonGryffynn]

Word. In an Apple user too, but I would never deal with them directly.

[@chaddts]

Apple uses you.

[@miscl_anon]

>suddenly bestowed it's less that, and more apple's reputation. apple's customers expect that apple's high standards for quality extend to repairs, and so the places that are authorized to do them must be the best of the best. not so, quite evidently

[@Bri-bn5kt]

Authorized Repair = "We signed a contract and paid a fee so we could slap a badge on our website to attract customers and look like we know what we're doing". That's it. That's all there is to "authorized repair".

[@ZontarDow]

As someone who lives in a place where having an understanding of the language is required to immigrate, I'm constantly baffled by how there can be not just individuals but entire communities in the US that don't speak English.

[@BeardGrizzly]

Apple is in the business of "as cheap as possible" which translates to "paid as little as possible." It's not good for them, says the investors.

[@carlangelo653]

For such a large and wealthy company their devices are repaired and built at extremely low prices in appalling conditions. Which is fucked since they already try to earn as much as possible from their consumers, yet they still feel the need to make even more money from the people who build their overpriced garbage. Apple really is the embodiment of GREED.

[@lvsluggo007]

Thats how Apple can reach that trillion+ market cap... You don't want Tim Cook to not be able to afford another yacht or jet, do you?

[@BlindMango]

"Here's a 50 cent raise after 3 years" lmfao that's an insult - how would that not encourage her EVEN MORE to leave?

[@boeingceo]

I love how Louis' voice immediately changes to that of Lord Farquaad

[@r.b.ratieta6111]

All the dislikes on this video are from Hilton executives.

[@exalented]

OMEGALAWL

[@retrogametech1626]

Best Buy stole my passwords and sold them when I went to get new battery. I’m glad Best Buy is almost outta business cause I spread the word not to shop or get repair there

[@KhalilBigtas]

Explanation on how people end up shitting on the toilet seat: Toilet seat is disgusting and unsanitary enough that people refuse to sit properly on it. So some of them will squat on the toilet or prop themselves up in an awkward position so their asses don't line up properly with the bowl. I used to live in a crappy dormitory where some people would do this. It's horrible and it makes the problem a lot worse, mainly because janitors become much more intimidated about cleaning the bowls than before.

[@ezwtwrziehag1736]

lol

[@GregInHouston2]

No AC??? In Houston!!!! That is nuts. I'm glad I live in the Southeast and not the Northwest.

[@game_master_rukia]

why didn't you do a macbook repair in front of all those lawmakers to show them how your shop does things

[@ra7orblade]

Some Asians don't sit on the toilet, they squat after standing on top of it - that's how you get it on the seat. Its so bad, some building sites here in Australia have "Do not squat over the toilet" signs and icons in the dunnies.

[@williefleete]

The person crapping on the seat is probably a “hover-er”

[@REIDAE]

Well, would you want to touch a toilet seat used by hundreds of people?

[@yepme6484]

Louis you're right you have a passion to do a great job

[@mikedavison4313]

When they say "complies with federal laws" it means they provide the bare minimum, or push the boundaries of interpreting those laws to an even lower level.

[@rohithiyyattil8519]

Louis, I am a 90's kid with just 1 genre of apple product, the classic ipods... I agree with you totally when you convey your opinions, and ipods are one of the most easiest things to repair... From that level of customer concern to this? Yes I did learn not to sell my kidneys (because I'm an Indian and it costs us more than 130,000 Rs more than what selling 2 kidneys in the black market would fetch me and it is almost as expensive as my daily commuter bike a Royal Enfield Classic 350,) for a product they have put in as much care as a lousy drunk surgeon operating on a person's brain... Thank you so much for bringing this out here, now I have the ammunition to spread the word, brother... Thank you so much for your efforts regarding the right to repair and unmasking of self-made smartphone monopoly, Apple Inc. I wish I was in New York supporting your cause, but I can never be there... Thank you so much brother...

[@quadsnipershot]

Should open a shop in Houston and be next the repair place lol

[@quartzofcourse]

You’re telling me I get to hear someone read this article to me, get around their insider pay wall, and have commentary from Louis all in one video? What a deal!

[@6581punk]

So basically if a garage repaired your car like Apple repairs laptops they would replace the engine if it wouldn't start.

[@drwombat]

Hey Louis, seems like R2R is causing some heads to turn and it appears your message is being heard by loads of new listeners. Really glad for you.

[@stuartpenman6387]

it's like taking your car to the dealership for repair - costs more and done by - by the book robots

[@marxmaiale9981]

At least the dealership repair people, repair the car. Instead of sending it to a sweatshop. Its still at least a 500$ markup.

[@ieatvirgins]

What's the best way to find a good local repair shop for my car?

[@stuartpenman6387]

@@ieatvirgins honestly, word of mouth and goggle but for me what works best to talk to the owner and then say ok am going to shop around as money as tight,the good ones offer alternatives and advice

[@TheCod3r]

Wow Louis Rossmann is mad, and I love it. Authorised repair can suck my... I constantly get repairs which have come direct from Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft etc where they've deemed it unrepairable and the "only repair option is to replace"! REPLACEMENT IS NOT REPAIR!!!

[@zrtgvbnjkop]

@Louis Rossmann When you said ”why?!!” @0:02 I could hear the Seinfeld bass starting to play.

[@Sivertsen3]

The branded repair shop is working exactly as intended. It's extracting as much profits out of the repairs as possible with the minimum possible pay, minimum effort spent on worker conditions, and of course minimum effort repairs with prices for them as high as possible. Independent repair is a threat to this business model, as it takes away business from the profit machine that is branded repair. You have to understand, the trillion dollar companies didn't become trillion dollar companies by being nice to employees or customers, or producing the best products. Pulling out profits wherever possible, while keeping the appearance of being the nice guy plays a major role in the strategy.

[@reedriker4772]

Unbelievable. Absolutely insane they are still trying to frame us as the ones unsuited for repair. The condition of the CSAT work environment makes me sick; if only we had worker unions in this country to prevent mistreatment of employees and stand up to misconduct and this heinous behavior.

[@MessyPointedBlob]

That's exactly why CSAT doesn't directly hire the employees but instead recontract the labor. If the sub-contractor suddenly has unionizing employees, they can drop them like a rock. Many companies from big tech to legacy multinationals do the same thing.

[@silverhawkscape2677]

Amd once we get Unions, they'll start abusing their power and screwing us over instead. :( We can't have nice things anymore.

[@AnthonyGoodley]

Working in NYC with no AC is one thing. But down in Houston TX with its stifling almost always very high humidity? Hell to the fuckin no. That should be illegal as it could literally kill a person who isn't cut out for it. Very inhumane work conditions.

[@HeadsetHistorian]

Apple authorized repair could be the best in the world but it wouldn't change the fact that a lot of the repairs they do are either unnecessary or shouldn't have been an issue in the first place. Genius.

[@Dragon_Screamer]

Clover Wireless ex-employee here. I worked both as a repair technician and one of their main IT technicians. Clover Wireless was an authorized Apple repair warehouse here in Mexico. The exact same conditions CSAT Solutions keep their employees in, applied here. Employees were kept in two outsourcing companies and never were truly contracted by the parent company itself. We often got visits from Apple representatives, that looked at us like pieces of meat that should kneel to them. The wage was miserable, the conditions were repulsive. The exact same problems, and the exact same excuses CSAT gave, were given by Clover Wireless representatives to act the way they do. I am completely, and utterly sure Apple KNOWS about all this.

[@Kitsunary]

I hope Framework's laptops work out. An easy to fix modular laptop is the only way to counter bs.

[@Dark_Daedalus]

Got a buddy working at a transformer assembly plant, some type of electrical grid system for Amazon and the like. All his employees work out in the warehouse and he just recently got bumped up to an office manager, though 7-9 hours of his 12 hour day is running around the uncooled warehouse. In Houston. It’s absurd.

[@deilusi]

9:00 "we take allegations seriously", next day all of those workers will have an unpaid standup meeting with managers on a hall that will be set twice as hot as usual, and will probably stand there unless 5 people will say that they are the ones who talked to press.

[@zachanikwano]

We need more people like you in this world Louis. Thank you for being you -- honest, hardworking and funny among other amazing attributes -- and especially for taking a stand for what's ethical regarding business and spreading awareness. Also the cats. 💯👌🏽

[@brianwillis3892]

Alleged: "feces on the toilet seat" Louis: ~short circuits~

[@denisdespins1127]

Man Luis, I'm glad you read the whole stinking thing. I can see the mess spread right before me. CRAZY, it's horible for these poor folks. They SHOULD start their own business like you did. They are already doing the work.

[@alcedob.5850]

Yeah, few steps of outsourcing are surely safer in terms of privacy...

[@skaardd]

Lewis, you asked how someone could possibly get crap on a toilet seat. There's a thing called "hovering" and its when you try to take a crap without actually sitting on the seat due to sanitary concerns. its easy to miss. love your work, keep fighting the good fight.

[@tylern6420]

Because toilet paper is overrated

[@insertnamehere8121]

How can Apple be the end-point authority on construction and repair of Apple devices, when those devices are assembled by Chinese manufacturers ? See how that works ?

[@jame3shook]

they cant...Apple is an assembler (term borrowed from automotive industry) of parts.

[@user-eq8ww1gr6v]

You brought the receipts. You would make my old college professors (Cite your sources!) very happy,

[@pronoob6927]

Glad to see u did not lose ur ballz after this mornings bike ride.

[@pixxel17]

This made me sick. It’s awful to think that people are really treated like this. I feel bad that I got my iPhone’s back repaired, knowing someone went through hell and back for my phone. Amazing article, amazing research, more people need to know what’s behind the scenes.

[@ZeddPl]

Louis, did you see that modular laptop from Framework, that Linus featured in recent video? Great example that laptops *can* be done repairable.

[@Nick-Lab]

When I was a teenager, my 1st job was at walmart. There, the cart boys had to maintain the bathrooms too. The way u get poo on the seat is when the toilets are filthy to begin with, people try to hover while they do their business. Clearly, when your knees start shaking, your aim goes out the door.

[@hellowaves]

I hate Apple, but after watching your channel, I truly despise them and banned their products in our house.

[@jamesdallas1493]

I agree with you. No Apple products in my house

[@christianrichert5197]

I love your work! Showing people how to do something properly is so important, and as you say, whether you know how to repair something or not is not related to whether you are approved by the OEM. This becomes really apparent in cars, it really doesn't make a difference if you go to a brand contracted garage or a free one, you always have a 50/50 chance to get skreewed over. There is a great german channel (Die Autodoktoren) who are doing basically what you are doing but with cars. In terms of advocating that free garages are also good. Again, your work is very important. Keep it up!

[@excitedbox5705]

Interesting that apple values the people pushing the brand image 2x as high as the people doing repairs.

[@OGThinkster]

12:10. A long time ago, I worked at a repair center that did component level repairs for a large consumer electronics retailer. We got payed a base rate, but in addition to that, each unit we repaired had to be categorized as easy, moderate or complex and each of those had a bonus dollar amount associated with them that would be added to our base rate. This meant, the more "complex" repairs you did per hour, the more money you would make. The problem with this was that workers would lie and put down that repair was complex when really it was easy and sometimes replace parts that didn't need replacing. If this was an out of warranty repair, then the consumer would be charged the higher amount! Repairs that were "easy" were typically gone through as quickly as possible without thoroughness so just the main reported problem was addressed and other obvious potential issues were ignored. I think the hourly model is better at keeping employees more honest!

[@9madness9]

Lets hope for company like Framework to out sell apple soon as the idea is awesome

[@emretheripper3649]

Why is that some of it is the opposite here in Germany I went to a couple of Small Repair Shops in my city, and all of them told me to just buy a new phone, when all just my screen's glass was cracked (it could easily be fixed either by separating the display from the cracked glass and gluing another glass on top of it or replacing the whole display) (My Google Pixel 4a's glass is cracked) and the Authorized Repair Centers here suck too, one time I wrote to Samsung (about my Galaxy Fold) to buy a genuine AMOLED display, but they straight up refused to sell me one because I wasn't a Repair Center and all they told me to send it in which case they would wipe my data, but I don't want that. Now either I have to take a gamble with purchasing a screen from AliExpress or eBay (in which the quality would be lackluster) or overpay Samsung to fix it...

[@tylerward6723]

Apple does. This has always been one of the problems with Apple.

[@rossmanngroup]

She spent 3+ months researching this piece... 3 months. I had two other journalists reach out to me who were interested in this story in 2019, but I never heard back from them. Doing cursory investigation was probably too much work, and god forbid they piss off a company that's a major advertiser. This was good stuff. Say thanks. twitter.com/rrpre/status/1420049932854218757 Good journalism necessitates appreciation so we get more of it.

[@AexisRai]

The third post in Rachel's short thread is interesting to me: ".@munster_gene says that Apple must have a repair process that works "flawlessly" - no shipping delays or faulty service That puts the pressure on the contract workers who work up to 13 hours a day fixing your MacBooks" That word "flawlessly" sure is interesting in the context of Apple repair practices! Sure, perhaps it *does* "flawlessly" perform the specific wasteful process it was designed to perform!

[@DT-Nicky]

If you want a data only plan Tello is an option.

[@Steel0079]

It's a complex supply chain, Louis

[@Bill_DeBerry]

hey Louis, have you seen Linus's new video about the framework laptop? If not i recommend checking it out, it could provide some ammo for the next time you're speaking out for right to repair.

[@METALmurdererOG]

Good journalism doesn't get done these days. Doesn't generate enough rage clicks, sadly. Props to the writer of this piece, glad to see there are still a few actual *journalists* out there instead of morons trying to spin news to their personal politics.

[@RemainIndoors]

I worked for Genco maybe 15 years ago refurbishing/repairing Dell laptops and PCs, and the working conditions were only slightly better than this. idle chit chat was definitely snapped at, no cell phones, giant warehouse with no natural light, 10 hour days 5-6 days a week, bathrooms were pretty gross, and you had to get permission to go because leaving the line meant people were waiting on you to get back. but, I was making 15 dollars an hour in 2008, which wasn't terrible for having no formal education. at least where I live. I originally got that job through staffmark, which I can't really say anything positive about. They started us out at 9.50/hour when we actually worked for Dell building PCs, but the warehouse I worked in got sold to Genco to handle repairs. I don't look back on those days fondly, but it did keep me afloat for several years.

[@rijaja]

I knew Apple was full of shit, but not to the point of having a higher profit percentage on their repairs than on their overpriced products.

[@Zeldon567]

19:35 Worked at Walmart as maintenance. Still a mystery to me how so much shit ends up outside of the bowl.

[@EarlHare]

"If he worked his butt off." They are being literal here.

[@scottmc2626]

Two bathroom stalls for hundreds of workers: That tells me they were using warehouse space (which costs a fraction per square foot of office space) for am office use. In a warehouse there are usually a dozen employees with most of the space being taken up by "wares" (hence the name). When they converted this space to a use it wasn't designed for, they apparently did nothing to adapt it to the new use, such as add more bathrooms and 400 BTU per body of A/C. This all tracks because the workers also complained about the A/C. In addition to what was in place for a warehouse, if there were 250 more people working there than anticipated by the design, an additional 250*400 = 100,000 BTU of A/C is necessary, which they obviously also neglected, making the whole place LITERALLY a sweatshop.

[@purplerunner1715]

When the toilet is dirty, I guess you would stand on the seat with your shoes on and then crutch down and aim the best you can. It's a common thing in drug addict living locations in this country years ago. But I guess it's a common thing for American workers as well, when companies are allowed to have no shame and plenty of greed.

[@OmniscientWarrior]

A lot of the same issues that exist with Amazon, which is actually why I stopped using Amazon; which kinda sucked because some of the things I buy regularly is only available in my area through Amazon.

[@EdyBraun]

Feces on toilet seats... When you're waiting for 10 minutes to use the toilet as your gut is about to bust open from that burrito you engulfed over your brief lunch so you can squeeze in a few more fixes, and you don't have time to properly position yourself and take proper aim...

[@TechX1320]

I worked for a place in Westlake Ohio that was good pay, but they wanted speed over efficiency and good work. They started displaying every one's repair numbers publically and tried to make it a competition, which didn't make any sense because everyone worked on different things. On top of that, i noticed over my bosses shoulder that an email went to all managers to stop employees from chit chatting during repairs because "they might try to unionize" Getting laid off because of covid was the best thing that happened to me because i could actually job hunt instead of working monday-friday. most places near me in my electronics field don't do interviews on saturday. We'd get yelled at if we used our sick days because managers had no ideas of scheduling

[@eugenet453]

"Thank you for choosing Hilton hotel"

[@BronxProject]

"fuuuck youu"

[@HitBit_Gaming]

I worked at a repair shop once on minimum wage repairing branded phones that are under warranty or insurance cases. The people the hired are untrained and only teached a bit by people surrounding them and most of didn't even have any experience with electronics or any idea on how to measure things. The repair time we had for each phone repair was about 15 minutes to reach your target. And that includes ordering parts, take pictures if required, check warranty, repairing, flash software to latest version, test the device and logging every step. So basicly people there would rush and replace some random parts and hopefully it tested ok after that. But if you had an intermittent issue it was very hard to under those conditions and ended up being just flashed and returned in the end. I don't work there anymore. And this is is happening in the Netherlands, and the only difference was that at least the toilets are clean.

[@DannyPhix]

“And god damn you if you’re calling me about my car’s extended warranty, I’ll F you up so bad”. This is me everyday day. Lmfao

[@MichaelJantzen42]

This article reminded me of life at a call center tbh - around the same pay, and the same conditions (except we had more toilets and air conditioning).

[@RadDadisRad]

As an Apple consumer I really want someone other than Apple to be able to repair my devices. Apple customer service SUCKS!!!!!!!

[@pookatim]

Having clean and pleasant working conditions is not a major expense. This is especially true in a large open space like a warehouse. A company can create whatever kind of space inside that large cavern with minor effort since there is little if anything in the way. Proper design of the work area would also mitigate the need to air condition the entire space, particularly, the area high above the work area. As a young man, I worked in a warehouse owned by Sanyo. It was the cleanest, neatest and most comfortable warehouse I ever saw. Bathroom facilities outnumbered the employees using them. (Japanese know how to work efficiently). The lunchroom provided hot meal choices as well as regular fare. (including Japanese dishes). All that was being done in this warehouse was the normal in and out process of shipping and receiving. This warehouse was so large that bicycles were provided to travel back and forth inside the long aisles. This was back in the late 1970's early 1980's in Secaucus New Jersey. By the way, the turnover of employees was extremely low. People just never quit. Oh yeah, I almost forgot the free coffee all the time.

[@skenzyme81]

Is this article some kind of weird gambit to discredit repair in general? Many readers won’t get the nuance about this being an “authorized” repair operation.

[@SluggishSlooge]

It would be cheaper for me to take a few days off work and drive from Tennessee to New York, and get my stuff repaired by Rossmann, than it would be to send my stuff to Apple to get it rpaired. Great excuse for a road trip.

[@monara97]

even with the right to repair people with such a stupid mindset could still go for authorized repair. but still, some are not happy 😂

[@surpriseraisin5892]

Fantastic article, good job Rachel

[@kellcd]

The guy who shit on the toilet seat probably didn't want to sit down bc the seat was dirty, so he did it standing up and missed. Yeah... I speak from experience.

[@FatelDarkAssassins]

old squat shot :(

[@oswaldjh]

Some people squat on the toilet seat. I found this out when I walked into a bathroom stall at an electronics assembly plant and saw foot prints on the seat.

[@thatampguy]

In my industry, the ARC tends to blame the most expensive part to replace-which is also the one part that typically doesn’t fail. Half the time it’s ignorance. Half the time it’s malice.

[@Not_The_FBI_1992]

I did not plan on watching this entire video, but when you said, "Who is calling me? If this is about my vehicles extended warranty, I'm going to fuck you up!"..... at that moment I was hooked. The FCC has dropped the ball with all these robo-calls we all get nowadays. If I were ever to run for President, that would be my only platform.... I would dismantle the FCC and stop ALL robo-calls!

[@kattz753]

I can attest to the work of these "authorized repair centres." Years ago I bought a Galaxy Note II from my carrier. It was a lemon from the word go. I returned it to the carrier several times and it just came back worse. Finally, the warranty was running out so I drove to Samsung in Toronto. They called me to the counter and told me that they weren't going to cover it because I had brutalized it. I had to return home and fax the paperwork before they would cover it. It finally worked but I had to use a $75 Windows Phone for a year instead of my very expensive Samsung.

[@randyneves9701]

Your repair videos are great for having background noise while studying

[@David-bz7pi]

I believe the workers in this story, and don't doubt their story. I used to work for a company in a very similar setup as the workers stating here. I worked in a warehouse, from a company they contacted out to who hired me. While there, I made minimum wage. I was not to have a cell phone. I had to wait in lines to go on my breaks (which ended up wasting the entire break). It also didn't have AC, either. I got no sick time, no vacation time, etc. It was a horrible job. I was working my way through college, so it was okay - but I was by far one of the youngest people there. A lot of people were making their livelihoods from this type of job, and contracted in a similar situation. I remember the anti-union messages all over, as well. When a policy, even a good one, was made by the company, I was told it didn't apply to me because I was contracted in through another company. I was there for only 6-8 months or so. I hope I'll never have to work at a place like that again.

[@mkelusky]

Loved the "flummoxed Louis" cold open. Great stuff.

[@AdjutorMusic]

This channel is just great man🙏

[@mikael3095]

Going to an authorised repair shops for your car, where I live, is one of the biggest mistakes you can make.