How to get my trade in back because new phone is defective?

No, it is not possible to get your trade in back. How did you contact Apple, by phone? If you haven’t taken the phone to an Apple store, try that. If the store personnel can see the issue, I’m sure they’ll honor the warranty.

Hello Cherken9086, we know how important it is for the camera to work on your new phone.

We're unable to return the original trade-in, but you can exchange the device if you're within the 14-day return period.

If you signed up for device protection, you can also file an insurance claim to receive a replacement device after you pay the deductible.

Let us know if there's anything else we can help you with.

Kristin, AT&T Community Specialist

@sandblaster 

Thank you for your advice. It was an hour & 1/2 chat. The Apple associate did diagnostics, had me take photos and videos on specific modes and agreed there was something wrong. But she said since “diagnostics” came back clear she couldn’t write it up as having any problems. So there is a ticket number associated with my phone which says diagnostics are clear of problems. There is no Apple Store in my city.

I’ve read comments on Apple from many other ppl with this issue and they don’t get any help when they go to an authorized dealer (Best Buy is one near me) if there are diagnostics attached to it that say it’s fine. I‘m disabled and cannot get out in the winter easily at all. So I don’t want to take a chance that a visit to am authorized dealer will be a waste of time and more stress.

@ATTHelp 

The day I discovered the camera was defective was the day after the 14 day period which was mid Dec ‘2022. I’ve been trying to resolve this for 5 weeks now. As I mentioned to the other commenter I’m disabled and have been very sick this winter. I thought I had tried the phone out to be sure everything worked well. But when I tried to take a few Christmas pictures I saw that they weren’t in focus. There’s nothing that can be done so I’ll just pay it off and get rid of it. If it’s this much hassle that tells me it’s time to forget having an Apple device. Thank you for your reply. 

Thank you for the response, @Cherken9086.

We appreciate you giving us an update. If you need further assistance in the future, please feel free to reach back out. 

Thank you for contacting AT&T Community Forums. We hope you have a great rest of your day. 

Clarissa, AT&T Community Specialist 

@Cherken9086  I find it hard to believe that Apple won't honor an AppleCare+ agreement. Unfortunately you'll probably have to go into an Apple Store, explain the issue and have them take some pics and run diagnostics in-store. Don't tell them there is a problem ticket already generated. If the diagnostics still indicate there is nothing wrong with the phone, and the pics are fine, there's nothing else that can be done. If it is defective, you should be able to reproduce it and have it sent in for repairs. 

There's nothing that AT&T can do as they don't repair devices. Same for Best Buy. 

Unfortunately AT&T is prohibited from warranting the device. And unless you have insurance through asurion, AT&T can't use Insurance to replace it. Clearly Apple has proved the devices defective, so I'm baffled 

I would suggest filing a Better Business Bureau complaint against Apple. I would imagine it works the same way as if you filed one against AT&T. Apple will get a copy of the complaint and they will contact you. I don't know why they're giving you a hard time when they know the devices faulty they even admit it

It's too bad you don't have an Apple store near you because that would be the quickest way to get the device replaced.

@formerlyknownas 

That was my next step - BBB. Just thought I’d try here also so I can say I tried everything I can think of. 🙂

@Otto 

Thank you. Best Buy is listed as an authorized Apple Care+ repair place since we don’t have an Apple Store  closer than 2 hrs away. 

Something is not quite right. The few times over the years that I've had an issue with my iPhone(s) there has never been any problems getting it fixed or replaced under AppleCare. A road trip to an Apple Store is really your only option.

EDIT: just saw your response after I posted. Go to Best Buy then and see if they can fix your phone under your AppleCare+ agreement. My guess is that they send it out if it's not a simple fix.