I'm just going to quote Linus (Tech Tips) from his experience just trying to purchase parts for an iMac Pro:
> "…So if an authorized service provider fails to return a defective part during the exchange for any reason, they get dinged for the price of the replacement part in what is a clear effort to prevent any spare parts from making their way out into the wild. … This is far from the only punitive measure that Apple appears to be willing to inflict upon its ‘partners’. From talking to them, we were struck by the culture of fear that Apple cultivates among its authorized service providers. They explicitly prevent them from ordering replacement parts for the sake of having them on hand. So what that means is that they require a work order to be placed before the part will even be shipped, which creates massive delays of potentially weeks, for something as simple as a freaking RAM swap. Which makes the AASP look bad in comparison to Apple’s own service centers. But that’s Apple’s policy. To make matters worse, if an AASP attempts to order a part that they don’t yet have the certification for, Apple will send them a fine instead of the parts they ordered. And this is all for the privilege of having access to Apple’s supply chain. Oh and the best part is anyone caught talking about any of this to anybody outside of Apple; for them this is grounds for severe retaliation: Revocation of AASP status or certifications, fines or even potential legal actions … By comparison, Samsung has a web portal that you can log into and order any replacement phone parts that you could want…"
I've worked at an AASP and managed Apple Self Service programs at two companies so I have a bit more information to what you posted.
Apple is very strict when it comes to service repairs because the supply chain and processes for receiving parts is essentially the same between AASP repairs and those done at stores and at depot centers. Nowadays, AASP repairs represent a tiny fraction of all repairs and Apple grandfathering old AASPs and allowing companies to participate in Self Service repairs is more of a courtesy than anything else.
- AASPs can order spare parts under an "exchange" option or as "new". New parts are typically ordered when a customer has lost an item (keycap, charger, apple remote). Everything else usually gets processed as an exchange repair. Apple learns a lot from the defective parts it receives during a repair. They also don't want defective/broken parts floating around eBay so it provides AASPs a monetary incentive to send back KBBs.
- AASPs can keep parts on-hand. These parts can be purchased on a credit line and the AASP will receive a refund on the cost of these parts after the repair is done and the KBB (known bad board/part) is sent to Apple. Plus they will receive compensation if the product is under warranty in the amount of 75-100 bucks for doing the repair right.
- I would agree that not everything in GSX should be kept highly confidential. Apple's takeapart guides are really awesome and I wish they were published freely. Within GSX is the coveted VIG (visual inspection guides) which determine which classes of repairs on an iPhone or iPad are covered under warranty. For example, a scratched camera lens on an iPhone 4S warranted a whole unit replacement back then even though no formal repair extension program was announced to customers. Maybe this was a serious problem or maybe Apple was giving customers a courtesy repair on this type of issue. But surely publishing this document would cause some people with 4Ss to intentionally scratch their camera lens to get a free replacement device.
- And of course, if you aren't certified on a product line Apple doesn't want you opening repairs or ordering parts for that line. In my experience, you can't even open repairs on certain products unless you've passed an online qualification exam (for $100). I think this is pretty reasonable. I've never received parts only to be later charged for not being certified on the defective product.
> "…So if an authorized service provider fails to return a defective part during the exchange for any reason, they get dinged for the price of the replacement part in what is a clear effort to prevent any spare parts from making their way out into the wild. … This is far from the only punitive measure that Apple appears to be willing to inflict upon its ‘partners’. From talking to them, we were struck by the culture of fear that Apple cultivates among its authorized service providers. They explicitly prevent them from ordering replacement parts for the sake of having them on hand. So what that means is that they require a work order to be placed before the part will even be shipped, which creates massive delays of potentially weeks, for something as simple as a freaking RAM swap. Which makes the AASP look bad in comparison to Apple’s own service centers. But that’s Apple’s policy. To make matters worse, if an AASP attempts to order a part that they don’t yet have the certification for, Apple will send them a fine instead of the parts they ordered. And this is all for the privilege of having access to Apple’s supply chain. Oh and the best part is anyone caught talking about any of this to anybody outside of Apple; for them this is grounds for severe retaliation: Revocation of AASP status or certifications, fines or even potential legal actions … By comparison, Samsung has a web portal that you can log into and order any replacement phone parts that you could want…"
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwEInwvFbwk
(I had original transcribed it here: https://penguindreams.org/blog/i-paid-180-for-headphones-tha...)