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Apple shows early adopter love

M

msavwah

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Apr 5, 2010
394
1
Oahu
I have been on the fence about upgrading to a 3G from a wifi only. After my experience at my nearest Apple retail store I am all in.

I preordered my 64gb wifi only iPad 5 mins after the preorders went live and had mine at my door at 9am Apr 3rd.

After trying my options by getting a Clear Spot portable wifi router + Clear 4g USB modem for keeping my wifi only iPad online while out and about, and after a few days of real world testing, I have decided that
1- the gps isn't quite there as I know it is on the 3G iPad, though it is surprisingly good except for the shortcoming in my 2nd reason
2- in my neck of the woods AT&T 3G is more reliable, my Clear reception has been spotty and the speeds haven't been all that great either

So to get true real time gps I need a 3G model. I have a sweet setup In my Jeep!

So here's the deal. Since I'm a first day early adopter my iPad is more than double past the 14day return policy. However out of curiosity I went to the Apple store to inquire about reserving a 3G iPad.

They are gonna hook me up. I have it reserved. When I get my email saying my new iPad is ready to be picked up I'll bring my wifi only 64gb iPad purchased from the online store, pay the 10% restock fee of around $70 plus the additional $129 difference for the 64gb 3G model for a total of about $200.

Considering I have enjoyed my iPad since day one, I bought if from the online store, oh and I told them I didn't get a receipt (I just found it but they don't know yet) and I am way outside of the 14 day return policy I consider this to be a fantastic deal and above and beyond the call of duty by one really awesome specialist and her manager.

I certainly would not have been one to complain if they did not do this for me. Would have just went another route.

So I'll be returning my Clear hardware and getting up to $300 back to cover my upgrade costs at the Apple store.

Now I can't wait to see how my Bestbuy experience compares. I am still within the 7 day return for Clear service and hardware so I don't expect too much trouble but Bestbuy is not Apple so we shall see how this goes.

From what I understand the Apple store manager has the authority to make this call so if anyone is interested in doing the same give em a call or stop by. Both stores I contacted made the offer for me.

So yay for me and good luck to you!

This is another reason why Apple is so great, their customer service and support is top notch.

Btw, the last time I had an awesome support experience was when I lost a few hundred dollars worth of iTunes content due to a glitch. I hadn't made backup DVDs but I did have a backup each on my AppleTv, iPod classic in addition to my external hard drive. Somehow a bad sync wiped all three of a selection of tv shows I had. They allowed me to redownload hundreds of dollars of my content again by posting it all back to my iTunes store account, which is outside of their download once burn to DVD policy.

Retailers have much to learn from Apple. I'm a super happy customer and looking forward to bringing home my shiny new 3G iPad in a few days.
Love :apple::D
 
So lemme get this straight. You are being charged the restocking fee but you feel like this is special treatment?

I love Apple, but sometimes they get too much credit for doing what should be normal.

It's like rewarding kids for not skipping school. Hello?!
 
Haha

CarboysDesire said:
So lemme get this straight. You are being charged the restocking fee but you feel like this is special treatment?

I love Apple, but sometimes they get too much credit for doing what should be normal.

It's like rewarding kids for not skipping school. Hello?!
Click to expand...

Apple can be generous as well. They replaced my 2007 macbook pro SR. They can also be a little stingy with their fees though.
 
Wow, glad to hear that. I would love to exchange my wifi iPad for a 3g iPad. Since 14day policy is expired, i didn't even consider this as an option. Thank you for posting this info.
 
Ya because they don't have to do this past 14 days, and I'm at like 32 days already with however many more days it takes for my 3G to be ready for pickup. The restock fee is their policy, and it's perfectly reasonable to me anyway. The fact that they are allowing a return and upgrade outside their own policy makes it a sweet deal. No hassle of reselling or waiting for a buyer.
It's convenient and more than they are required to do. So ya, it's kinda special. I don't have to go for a minute without an iPad which is also great because I'm in love with the thing.
 
CarboysDesire said:
So lemme get this straight. You are being charged the restocking fee but you feel like this is special treatment?

I love Apple, but sometimes they get too much credit for doing what should be normal.

It's like rewarding kids for not skipping school. Hello?!
Click to expand...

So I'm interested what other company is buying their product back after a month usage? With or without any restocking fee?
 
Ehh... you're not getting a deal here. If they waived the restocking fee THEN it would be nice.
 
Real confused about the deal here but it's good to see you can return the iPad after 32 days of use.
 
Actually they really give 30 days if you ask nicely. I've had this happen a couple time during the past few years. Also the title is misleading because being charged a restocking fee is not my idea of being shown love ha
 
CarboysDesire said:
So lemme get this straight. You are being charged the restocking fee but you feel like this is special treatment?

I love Apple, but sometimes they get too much credit for doing what should be normal.

It's like rewarding kids for not skipping school. Hello?!
Click to expand...

I see. And you know another company that would allow a return of an open electronics item past the return period? Just wondering how what Apple offered is merely "normal." (With exception to "preferred customer" plans like BB's Silver Rewards.)

Apple has to resell that iPad he is returning as a discounted refurb. Should Apple take the financial "hit" b/c of the OP's indecisiveness? What if even a quarter of the original 300K WiFi early adopters wanted to do the same -- with no restock fee. You think that would have a negative effect on Apple's bottom line?

It seems like Apple's gesture was pretty consumer friendly.
 
Put yourself in their shoes for a second. With the wifi ipad, you get a customer's initial payment. Then You get a % of any apps they get. That's it (keeping this simple). With the 3G ipad, you get a $130 markup, plus the possibility of the customer paying $30 a month for the life of the ipad. Plus the app %.

Given a time frame of a year and a half, you are potentially worth about $500 MORE to them with a 3G ipad, than you are with a wifi version.

Still in their shoes right? Now who do you think got hooked up?
 
Heh, let's see, if I'm Apple then I'm thinking: Fine, this guy will pay the restocking fee, which is roughly equal to the discount we'll slap on this as a Refurb. Then he'll buy a more expensive 3G model where we make a larger margin.

Sounds like Apple should be thanking you.
 
ob81 said:
Put yourself in their shoes for a second. With the wifi ipad, you get a customer's initial payment. Then You get a % of any apps they get. That's it (keeping this simple). With the 3G ipad, you get a $130 markup, plus the possibility of the customer paying $30 a month for the life of the ipad. Plus the app %.

Given a time frame of a year and a half, you are potentially worth about $500 MORE to them with a 3G ipad, than you are with a wifi version.

Still in their shoes right? Now who do you think got hooked up?
Click to expand...

When did Apple buy AT&T? :confused:
 
Man...some of you folks must have absolutely miserable lives. ;)

I mean come on....as long as the OP is happy with his Apple product and the customer service why do we need to bring him down?

Retailing 101....good customer service isn't really about what the retailer does for the customer. It's about the customer's perception of what was done for them. At the end of the day Apple probably has themselves another loyal customer who will be there on day one when the 2nd gen ipad is released.
 
ob81 said:
With the 3G ipad, you get a $130 markup
Click to expand...

Markup? Err...

A) that little 3G radio might be inexpensive, but it's not free, so Apple isn't getting $130 markup anyway you compute it. Not to mention other expenses producing the 3G model such as additional engineering, FCC testing, etc. Sure Apple is probably getting a higher markup on the 3G, but it's not $130 and likely no where even near.
 
ippikiokami said:
Really? According to past breakdowns a 3g radio and gps cost about 6$
Click to expand...

Haven't checked so I can't comment on whether that is truly accurate. However, There is more cost involved than simply the price of individual electronic pieces. As stated earlier, R&D, assembly, procurement are just a few of the extras.

Anyway, I don't really understand the idea of a 14 day return policy on iPads. The smaller return window w/ restocking fee at Apple seemed likely to help protect against the constant change in computer prices. I don't see this being an issue with the iPad,as there probably won't be a price change or hardware revision for another year. Returns are a cost of doing business, and included in Apple's pricing policy. However, at Apple it's also LARGELY subsidized with their crappy restocking fees. Apple charges restocking fees on everything, and they DON'T have good prices to compensate. Did you see their $3,070,000,000.00 profit last quarter, and it's only going to get larger.

In my opinion, they did NOT do you a solid or go above and beyond. They did their job by making YOU think they did, though. As for your happiness, that's all that matters where you're concerned. Shouldn't matter what anyone else thinks. But since you posted all of this on public message board, it should be expected people will comment on it.
 
How hard is it to understand that it's nice of this manager to take back the item way past the 14 day return policy? Some people are just Debbie downers.
 
Instead of returning it and taking a 10% hit on your original purchase, why not sell it on Amazon and make your money back (if not a little more)?
 
jerkstore99 said:
Instead of returning it and taking a 10% hit on your original purchase, why not sell it on Amazon and make your money back (if not a little more)?
Click to expand...

Depends on what your job is and how much your time is worth. If you are a professional billing at $200-400 an hour, it's more economical to just take the $70 hit.
 
MigsVuitton said:
How hard is it to understand that it's nice of this manager to take back the item way past the 14 day return policy? Some people are just Debbie downers.
Click to expand...

Why would he not take it back? The OP paid him and bought another iPad. Wow what a nice manager?
 
Chupa Chupa said:
Depends on what your job is and how much your time is worth. If you are a professional billing at $200-400 an hour, it's more economical to just take the $70 hit.
Click to expand...

What are you talking about? It takes literally 30 seconds to list something on Amazon, and putting an address on a box and taking it to the post office takes what? 10 minutes? I don't care what your job is, it is just silly to take a $70 hit to save such a small amount of work.
 
There is nothing wrong with it being a good deal for Apple, it's a good deal for me too. I'm really happy about it. I'm not concerned about making a profit in reselling and the restock fee is perfectly reasonable. I'm also not going a minute without it.
The point here is that you can upgrade your wifi to a 3G outside of the 14 day return policy. Its not too late, you are not stuck, even though it is written, they are waiving it. They are not charging extra for this. The restock fee is a given, as well as the price difference between the two models.
My primary reason for posting this is to let others know they can do the same. As the replies show, it has been worth it for me and for them.
 
OllyW said:
When did Apple buy AT&T? :confused:
Click to expand...

Since the start of the iPhone, it has been known that apple gets a cut of iPhone subscription dough from AT&T. This is what kept other companies away. We can agree on that point right?

Now, is it safe to assume that apple may have some stake in ipad subsciptions?

I implied that I wanted to keep things simple, but with facts like the lack of tethering on AT&T, One has to wonder if tethering wasn't supported as to spur ipad 3g sales.

We can only go off of what we already know.
 
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