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Horrible Apple Store Experience

M

mastershakess

macrumors 6502
Original poster
May 14, 2008
498
3
Bel Air, MD
So my iMac had the high fan speed issue and it would randomly restart.
I take it into the Apple Store, she takes a look at it and tells me it needs to be fix ( I could have told them that!)

I was told 5-7 days possible!!!!! WoW 3week old computer and now I have to wait a week.

I call them a few days later to see how it is going, "Part is allocated out but not replaced yet" I was told. I call them a week after I told it in, same response, guess they are reading the same repair report. I am then told it could take another week before its fixed:mad:

I'm sorry a 3 week computer should be replaced if it can not be fixed quickly, imo.

Anyone else have long waits for service? Bad experiences?
 
ya...... you really shouldnt expect much help today. theyre busy with the phone......
 
mastershakess said:
I understand but all I want is a few minutes of their time to talk to me
I'm still a paying customer :confused:
Click to expand...

They are VERY busy with the iPhone. He probably doesn't have a few seconds, let alone minutes.

You should have demanded a replacement outright. I never take repairs unless I've had the computer for 2+ months. They'll always just give me a new one if I ask if its in the first 45 days or so.
 
taylorwilsdon said:
They are VERY busy with the iPhone. He probably doesn't have a few seconds, let alone minutes.

You should have demanded a replacement outright. I never take repairs unless I've had the computer for 2+ months. They'll always just give me a new one if I ask if its in the first 45 days or so.
Click to expand...

I tried but the manager told me that was not Apple's Policy.
Their policy is 14 days for a repair I was told, so after that I'm guaranteed a new iMac but 2 weeks seems like a long time for in house repairs :(
 
mastershakess said:
I tried but the manager told me that was not Apple's Policy.
Their policy is 14 days for a repair I was told, so after that I'm guaranteed a new iMac but 2 weeks seems like a long time for in house repairs :(
Click to expand...

You are not the only customer they have, don't get me wrong I'm a huge Apple fan and user but its pretty sad that we have become so attached to our electronic items that we will call to check up on them like a dying cancer patient in Intensive care. Relax champ you will get your Mac back its not the end of the world go out and have some fun maybe talk to someone face to face instead of chatting online or sending email.
 
I remember when I was having trouble with an iMac, I took it to the local Apple retailer and they told me I should have it back within a week and it didn't quite turn out that way. Suddenly one week was looking like a month and I was being fobbed off with excuses.

In the end I contacted Apple Support and explained the problem to them, to cut a long story short they arranged for a new iMac to be sent to me and some compensation.

Apple products are expensive, one of the reasons is the FANTASTIC customer support they offer MOST of the time. In my experience with the problems I had with the iMacs the people on the other end of the phone seemed to go out of their way to make me as an Apple customer satisfied (Bet they didn't think that of me in real life lol) as long as the problem is genuine.

I'm quite certain if, when you get your machine back you wrote a letter explaining your inconvenience and your experience with your Apple machine and Apple store, to Apple Customer Relations someone will contact you.

I completely agree if you buy a new machine and there is a problem, it is totally unacceptable to have to wait weeks for the machine to be fixed. Notice I say NEW machine :p
 
dwl017 said:
You are not the only customer they have, don't get me wrong I'm a huge Apple fan and user but its pretty sad that we have become so attached to our electronic items that we will call to check up on them like a dying cancer patient in Intensive care. Relax champ you will get your Mac back its not the end of the world go out and have some fun maybe talk to someone face to face instead of chatting online or sending email.
Click to expand...

You have the wrong view of this. I sell alot of things on ebay and this imac is my only computer so it messes with my "business" :mad: I do not chat online or send emails lol

Thank you Nordichund for your post. The problem is that the computer is new and $1200 is alot of money for someone just out of college and now I have nothing to show for it
 
No new consumer product comes with a 100% uptime guarantee, or a guarantee of turnaround time on repair. If it did, it would have to be twice as expensive. Check out how much server computers cost that have redundant systems and 24/7 onsite service plans -- about 10x - 20x the price of your Mac.

Read your warranty and terms and conditions of sale. You did not buy the right to have an instant repair or a loaner machine. Sucks, but that's the way it is for your $1200 purchase.

Now if you have built a business around a single point of failure, whether that's a computer, or a key employee, or a single source supplier, then that's your mistake, not Apple's. If you have a critical requirement, you have to have backup and contingency plans, simple as that. You need a computer, go and rent one for the week. It's your lookout, not Apple's.
 
I encountered a bad apple store before in New Zealand, they never got it right fixed and it broke etc...

Eventually I email the head office !! so I guess for you to do is to call the head office in your region or country, tell them the shop you bought it from and then they will help you ASAP.

That was what I did, my 2 months old iMac got replaced with a brand new one so I am happy !!!
 
Instead of calling to check up, if you can, go to the store and deal with them directly. Yesterday was a mad house, but today should be better. Be polite, but assertive, and if they won't help you, go up the chain until you find someone who will.

When you've hit the wall with one person, simply say, "Thank you for your help. May I speak to your supervisor." If they tell you they're the one in charge, simply reply, "Wow, Mr. Jobs, this is an honor."

And I have to point out, I was at the Apple Store in Otay Ranch yesterday, and even thought they were slammed, the personnel were courteous and patient, and I saw them helping people with problems that had nothing to do with the phone. The manager personally hooked them up with employees to help them solve their problems.
 
Thank you for all the replies.

Best decision ever was to call Apple Customer Support Line. The gentleman was much nicer and more understanding than anyone at my Apple Store. He calls me back when I leave him a message and follows through with what he says, unlike the management at my store.

Still no computer and this Saturday will be 14days and their policy is to replace anything that can not be fixed in 14days.

Store does not know what is wrong with my computer but they continue to delay the process.

Just some advice, the Customer Support through the phone is great and give them a call if you ever need help.
 
OP, I totally sympathize! I am a Power Seller on ebay, and depend on my computer to make my living. I've had nightmares with my imac(s) :eek:. See my original post.

I agree that the best service comes through applecare. When I was having trouble with my brand new 20", I politely insisted on onsite service and got it! In my case, it didn't solve my problem, but I did appreciate their effort. And, as AC said, just keep asking for a supervisor. On my last call, I was transferred to a manager at Corp.

We now own a backup imac because of the lost income we've experienced. I am currently waiting for a replacement. I sent my SECOND failed imac back yesterday. This time, I'm going with a MBP. (Sigh) Maybe the third time's the charm. :cool:
 
To be honest, I've never met any apple store employee who:
1. Genuienly knows what they're talking about when it come to anything slightly technical
2. Doesn't make me feel like I'm a burden or bugging them.
3. Doesn't make me feel like I'm in a shady Car lot with a bunch of sharks for salesman.

Of course this is just my experiences with the stores, not to say someone else can't go in there and have a great time. I just know that after maybe 3 visits, I will never do any apple shopping if it's not online.

And one more thing that bugs me when I go in there, there's always a room full of scene teens refreshing their myspace over and over waiting for a comment lol.
 
Hmm... I've never had an apple store experience like that. Seriously you must either have found a really crummy store (which you need to report to the apple company, seriously), or you just have really bad luck...

You should have walked out of that store same day with 1. a repaired comp or 2. a brand new comp. Your choice. (If only 3 weeks old and not too many programs and things downloaded i would have gone for a new comp).

Really, file a report with apple about the service. Even if they are doing their best and it wasnt their fault or something, apple could still help them get things going better.... Cant expect the stores to be good unless we hold them accountable.

Ryan
 
The Final Result!

After waiting more than 2 weeks and calling the store several times and calling Applecare, I finally got a new computer.

They called me after the 14days to tell me the computer was fixed but after 14days I was told I'd have a new computer. I spent 2 hours at the store talking to service reps and finally a manager. I tried to be as nice as I could, even though I was very angry at the situation.

They did not want to give me a new computer but I kept with it and finally got them to replace the 3 week old iMac. They gave me a huge fit about replacing it and taking my own ram out of the old computer.

New computer works great but I should have had it 3 weeks ago when the first one had problems.

BTW they replaced the two internal fans and the inverter $370 worth of work.

Thank you to everyone for the information and support!
 
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