The rules may vary by country, but when purchasing our Apple Watch Series 6 met Solo band (see review) we got the wrong size home. There was only a size 8 in stock at the time, while size 6 or 7 would have been better. The employee at the Apple Store told us that it was possible to exchange only the strap once the correct size is back in stock. However, that is a verbal statement by an employee and does not necessarily mean that it is Apple’s official policy. In other countries it appears to be different. Some users who were stuck with the wrong size strap need their complete Apple Watch return. And that means that they sometimes have to wait until November for a new one.
What can you do?
We are not yet about to return the purchased Apple Watch and the correct strap is also not yet in stock, but the best thing to do is contact Apple Discuss support and your options. As soon as we know more about the official working method, we will of course let you know.
One solution is to wait as long as possible before returning a strap that does not fit properly. If you purchased something from the Apple Store, you have 14 days to return your purchase. It will then be the beginning of October and hopefully delivery times will have improved slightly. However, it is a gamble whether there will be more stock and you have to walk around with a loosely dangling watch for two weeks.
Better: just change the strap
It makes more sense, cheaper and more environmentally friendly if only the strap can be replaced. Apple’s packaging of the Apple Watch now includes the watch case and strap, packed separately. This makes it easy to change just the strap. However, Eli Hodapp, of the website Toucharcade.com, had to return his complete Apple Watch. “My options are to learn to live with the wrong size watch strap, or to return the complete package (watch and strap) and order a new one in a smaller size. However, it will not arrive until the end of November, ”complains Hodapp. He added, “I would like to know why the Apple experience becomes a complete nightmare when you need support.”
At least the Apple support person agrees with me. pic.twitter.com/WRn8NtDmue
— Eli Hodapp (@hodapp) September 21, 2020
Also other users had the same experience, but it turns out to be variable. There are also people who could only exchange the strap when the right size was in stock. That does not go really smoothly, because there are currently delivery problems with almost all Solo bands and Braided solo bands.
The Solobands are new in 2020. They have no closure and fit exactly. There are 12 different sizes available, so you should check your size beforehand. Apple has made a fitting aid that you can print with the printer, so you can take your size in advance. Yet that does not always appear to be true. Especially if you fall in between sizes, it may be that the ordered size is not quite right.
It is possible to try on in the store in advance, but the capacity is limited and not everyone lives near an Apple Store. With APRs such as Amac the new straps are not available. When we came to fit in the Apple Store, there was no demo band in size 6 available, but in sizes 5 and 7. On that basis it turned out that a size in between would fit best. Still we got a (wrong ordered) Apple Watch with a size 8 home. With products ordered online, it is a bit more difficult to change only the strap, but you may succeed if you contact Apple Support.
Apple now runs the risk that many products will be returned and have to be recycled, whereby the watches can no longer simply be sold to a new customer.
Read in our review of the Solobandje about experiences with the standard version, made of stretchable silicone rubber.
