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Apple wants me to trade in my macpro 6-core 2010 for a quad new macpro?

C

compute

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jun 11, 2013
125
13
Hi guys,

I have a question, i have a MP 6-core 3.33 gHZ that i bought late 2010, i was having lots of problems with the computer all kinds of hardware problems (GPU and sound related mostly, but also losing power etc.)

After lots of repairs the problems always came back, when i contacted Apple again (i had Apple care witch is expired now) they forwarded me trough to a senior advisor, after explaining him everything and going trough all the details with him he offered me to just have my macpro replaced, but since i lived in Europe and they can no longer sell the MacPro in the form i had one he offered me to get my macpro replaced with the newest model when it was released (thet newest model just was announced a wekk before i think) i was stoked and ofcourse very happy that i finally would have a machine that worked.

A few days ago this person informed me by mail that the new macpro was released.

I contacted him with the question on what configuration i will be getting in return for my macpro, he replyed by saying that the base model quad core was the system that he would use to replace my 6-core.

I emailed him that i was absolutely not going to replace a six core with a quad core, plus that my six core coasted me around 1500$ more that the Quad configuration he's trying to replace it with.

What do you guys think and what would you recommend that i do in this case, isn't it normal that i'd like to have a six core replaced with a six core instead of a quad core, its not as if i bought a six core for no reasson...what if the senior advisor uses the "yeah but this is a newer model and thus better" excuse....do i hold my ground or what?
 
Although I understand you not wanting to lose cores, it's actually not a bad deal. The 4 core should be faster than your six core.
 
Giving you a new 6 core would be a big boost in performance. I think they are simply just trying to get you a machine with similar performance.

mac-pro-estimate-2013-2012-mc-thumb.png
 
compute said:
.what if the senior advisor uses the "yeah but this is a newer model and thus better" excuse....do i hold my ground or what?
Click to expand...

if it were me, i'd try the angle of taking his offer but paying $500 for the hex upgrade in the new mac.. or- basically seeing it as them offering you a $3000 credit towards a new mac.

it might not fly but worth a shot.
 
Just explain your technical rational behind it. Price is one of them.
Loosing money is never a good deal.
You paid for a Mac that never worked as intended, and having a working one is the minimum you deserve as a customer. The newer model will compensate the misery you went through dealing with a lemon Mac and all the time you had spent waiting.
Just mention why you need the 6 cores, what you do and always were planning to do needed 6 cores, and will always need them. You are going to code some great software that need the 6 cores, end of story…

:))
 
compute said:
Hi guys,

I have a question, i have a MP 6-core 3.33 gHZ that i bought late 2010, i was having lots of problems with the computer all kinds of hardware problems (GPU and sound related mostly, but also losing power etc.)

After lots of repairs the problems always came back, when i contacted Apple again (i had Apple care witch is expired now) they forwarded me trough to a senior advisor, after explaining him everything and going trough all the details with him he offered me to just have my macpro replaced, but since i lived in Europe and they can no longer sell the MacPro in the form i had one he offered me to get my macpro replaced with the newest model when it was released (thet newest model just was announced a wekk before i think) i was stoked and ofcourse very happy that i finally would have a machine that worked.

A few days ago this person informed me by mail that the new macpro was released.

I contacted him with the question on what configuration i will be getting in return for my macpro, he replyed by saying that the base model quad core was the system that he would use to replace my 6-core.

I emailed him that i was absolutely not going to replace a six core with a quad core, plus that my six core coasted me around 1500$ more that the Quad configuration he's trying to replace it with.

What do you guys think and what would you recommend that i do in this case, isn't it normal that i'd like to have a six core replaced with a six core instead of a quad core, its not as if i bought a six core for no reasson...what if the senior advisor uses the "yeah but this is a newer model and thus better" excuse....do i hold my ground or what?
Click to expand...

I went through something similar about 7 years ago. I found that they were willing to negotiate. We end up with me paying a bit extra and getting a more powerful version than they first offered. Their original offer was an improvement over what they were replacing and what I finally got was better still. I think you will find them willing to be flexible in what you get. It will be up to you to judge the fairness of the offer. I was happy with mine.
 
My six core is still faster than the quad base model isn't it. plus i'll only get 256gb whilst now i have 2TB hdd.

Doesn't sound like that good of a deal to me. And why should i settle for a machine that costs 1500$ less than what i payed for it...you could argue that i used the computer for almost 4 years but its not my fault that i have a macpro thats not working the way it should even after different repairs.:confused:
 
compute said:
My six core is still faster than the quad base model isn't it. plus i'll only get 256gb whilst now i have 2TB hdd.
Click to expand...

They probably won't be bothered if you keep your 2TB HDD. Go an negotiate. Make you case, but keep it friendly. Ask for options. Get the other party involved. The more you can get him to be helpful, the more likely you will get a result you like. This is almost certainly not a take-it-or-leave-it situation.
 
soon as i saw the email where he said he would replace it with a Quad core i was kind of pissed and replyed that i want a six core instead of a quad core since i had a six core.

Maybe it was a stupid thing to just demand a replacement with the six core and nothing less but i kind of had it by now, this entire macpro soap is really getting me frustrated, numerous times i had it fixed with no result, i had to buy a replacement cheap computer in june since they had nothing to replace my macpro with (unless i was willing to replace for an imac) i had to work on a used computer that i payed 300€ for whilst all this time thinking that i will get a good working computer later so when he today said it would be a Quad core i just got really frustrated. This entire macpro thing is actually coasting me money on top of the actual price i bought it for and i already payed extra for Apple care....now they offer me a Quad core that is around 1500$ less than the 6 core i have now...i'm feeling completely ripped off by Apple, :mad:
 
compute said:
soon as i saw the email where he said he would replace it with a Quad core i was kind of pissed and replyed that i want a six core instead of a quad core since i had a six core.

Maybe it was a stupid thing to just demand a replacement with the six core and nothing less but i kind of had it by now, this entire macpro soap is really getting me frustrated,
Click to expand...

Negotiating is an art. My wife can show a lot of frustration without pissing off the other party. She often gets a very good deal that way.

I'm not so good at that. When I vent my frustration I often upset the other party to the point that they no longer want to help. For me, the best course is sweet reason and a lot of persistence. I just won't give up. If (and only if) if feel I've exhausted my possibilities at one level I ask to promote the issue to the next higher level. You've got to be careful about this. You need to show you really tried at level one or level two will just try to get rid of you. However, the higher you go the greater the range of choices open to the other party. They can often say yes to a deal level one is not permitted to consider.

There is no one right way to negotiate. Different people find different paths work best for them. Not trying to negotiate is almost a guarantee of unhappiness. Don't let yourself or the other party shift to a take-it-or-leave-it position.

One last thought (and I've done this in the past) say thank you if you get a decent deal. If you go through multiple parties, say thank you to the lower levels. This will cost you next to nothing. It might help you if you ever have a similar problem. More important, it might help the next person with a similar problem.
 
I would dig my heels in for the 6 core or at least a peppercorn amount to pay to upgrade to it. If you've had constant problems regardless of its performance you have paid a certain amount and would like it exchanged for something of equivalent price. Factoring in all the trips for repair, days lost without it you frankly deserve a hex core can :D
 
Fight for the hex-core. This isn't an issue of performance. This is about getting the correct monetary compensation for your existing model under warranty. You should get whatever current model costs roughly the same as your old one did, minus maybe a little bit.
 
compute said:
And why should i settle for a machine that costs 1500$ less than what i payed for it...you could argue that i used the computer for almost 4 years but its not my fault that i have a macpro thats not working the way it should even after different repairs.:confused:
Click to expand...

Honestly, if I were him that's exactly what I would argue. While it may not be your fault, the fact you're getting a much newer machine that's going to perform probably quite similarly is a pretty good deal.

Doesn't hurt to see what you can talk him into, you could also always see if you can use that as a credit and upgrade to the six core yourself.
 
compute said:
Hi guys,

I have a question, i have a MP 6-core 3.33 gHZ that i bought late 2010, i was having lots of problems with the computer all kinds of hardware problems (GPU and sound related mostly, but also losing power etc.)

After lots of repairs the problems always came back, when i contacted Apple again (i had Apple care witch is expired now) they forwarded me trough to a senior advisor, after explaining him everything and going trough all the details with him he offered me to just have my macpro replaced, but since i lived in Europe and they can no longer sell the MacPro in the form i had one he offered me to get my macpro replaced with the newest model when it was released (thet newest model just was announced a wekk before i think) i was stoked and ofcourse very happy that i finally would have a machine that worked.

A few days ago this person informed me by mail that the new macpro was released.

I contacted him with the question on what configuration i will be getting in return for my macpro, he replyed by saying that the base model quad core was the system that he would use to replace my 6-core.

I emailed him that i was absolutely not going to replace a six core with a quad core, plus that my six core coasted me around 1500$ more that the Quad configuration he's trying to replace it with.

What do you guys think and what would you recommend that i do in this case, isn't it normal that i'd like to have a six core replaced with a six core instead of a quad core, its not as if i bought a six core for no reasson...what if the senior advisor uses the "yeah but this is a newer model and thus better" excuse....do i hold my ground or what?
Click to expand...

What are your primary uses? I'd take that 3.7 over the 4 year old 3.33 any day. Will be faster at almost anything unless you use a lot of apps that are multithreaded.

Although I personally would still prefer the older style, if Apple is willing to give you a brand new updated Mac, I would take it.
 
On the principle of the matter, you have a point that you deserve the equivalent model. On the other hand, it sounds like you are out of warranty, and aren't technically 'owed' anything. I agree with the others. Negotiate a bit. If you need the faster machine, offer a small amount of cash for the upgrade.

From what the reviews sound like, the real world performance of the new models sound like they will run faster than their benchmark scores tabulate due to RAM and PCIe hard drive performance.
 
The paltry performance lost in apps that make use of all 6 cores will be worth the benefits you gain in other areas.

I'd put the 2TB in a USB3 enclosure and hook it up to the new machine. The onboard SSD will be blazing fast compared to the 2TB.

It's a great deal. I wouldn't pass it up.
 
Agreed on the swap.

If someone offered me the 6,1 quad to replace my 4,1->5,1 hex, I'd take it. I'd naturally strip all my HDDs out (stick them in an external enclosure ) and put the 4870 HD back in, sell the parts I did to do my upgrades, and move on.

I'd probably take the deal

Might want to negotiate for the higher end Videocards if that's important for what you do with the system. For me, it's all about single core performance for what I do, with a close second being Videocard OpenGL performance.
 
compute said:
My six core is still faster than the quad base model isn't it. plus i'll only get 256gb whilst now i have 2TB hdd.

Doesn't sound like that good of a deal to me. And why should i settle for a machine that costs 1500$ less than what i payed for it...you could argue that i used the computer for almost 4 years but its not my fault that i have a macpro thats not working the way it should even after different repairs.:confused:
Click to expand...

Sort of silly to replace a mid level machine with updated CPU and GPU, with a base machine.

Usually I thought Apple at least took purchase price into account to make sure people got the newest comparable replacement. Base with Base, Mid with Mid, etc.

So even if you didn't have a mid, replacing a CTO machine with a base unit, might strike some as odd.

However, since the machine is out of warranty, replacing a non functioning unit with a base machine can be considered a "take it and run" deal.

So I'd say on the lack of warranty, take it if they'd toss in Apple Care, and even if they don't.

As far as the 2tb HD goes, ask them if you can keep it so you can easily transition to the new machine, since you cannot fit all the data on the smaller drive. And a case for the drive will be really cheap.
 
At the time the person made me the offer to have my macpro replaced it was still under warranty...the new macpro was yet to be released so he told me to wait until the new macpro was actually available. He confirmed this by email, so technically this replacement still falls in the warranty period as the agreement/offer dates back to it.

For the last few months i had to buy a used computer just so i could continue my work, until the nmp arrives, this entire macpro adventure is actually costing me money on top of the price that i payed for it all because i have a machine that doesn't work.

My wife tells me to ask some sort of compensation for all these troubles but i don't know...i'll be happy if i get a fair deal and a computer that works
 
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