Apple really messed up order and maybe my credit

[b0nehead]

The whole buying process of my first Apple started off well, but just when things were looking like smooth sailing, Apple screwed it up. I talked to a customer service rep about a week ago about ordering a 12" PB that was supposed to be billed on or after Dec. 20th. This month I’ve put ALOT of money on my credit card and didn't want to get in any credit troubles, so I wanted to put it on my next pay period. At the time, the customer service rep ensured me that my credit card would be billed on or after the 20th, the start of my next credit card period. I must have stressed this 15 times during our conversation. Apple processes the credit card transaction right before the product is shipped. Time went past and I was curious to see how the whole process was going, so I called them today. It appears that it is in the shipping process! The new customer rep told me that he could do nothing about it. So after I stressed to Apple that I wanted it billed on or after Dec. 20th, they go on and ship it before that date. And since my product is custom configured, I cannot return it. In the end, this could end up giving me horrible credit. I feel that I should deserve something from Apple for their mistake. What do you think?

[Sun Baked]

Some people would say that the customer service rep did tell you that it would be billed when it shipped, "Apple processes the credit card transaction right before the product is shipped."

The customer service rep can do nothing about changing the billing day and/or usually cannot change Apple's current billing policy, execpt to tell you to call back after December 20th to place your order.

[b0nehead]

I was assured by my customer rep that I WOULD NOT BE BILLED before the 20th. She stated that the building process charges $1 to my credit card, and then the rest is processed when it's shipped.

[Kwyjibo]

I'm sorry to hear this but I doubt u will get anything... your credit is ruined andi 'm surprised they let u spend that much over your limit... the day my ibook got processed, they called to check my dads card to make sure it was an approved purchase

[b0nehead]

I didn't go over my limit. I just don't have the cash for this month's pay period for my credit card since doing lots of holiday shopping. That's why I wanted it on my next period for my credit card. I will be able to pay it off then.

[e-coli]

time to call the pay-rents. Maybe they can bail you out this one time.

Anywho, if you have one late payment, it doesn't really matter all that much in the grand scheme of things. Unless you're planning on buying a house in the next 3 months.

[b0nehead]

e-coli, ya true. Luckily I think my parents are going to help me out on this one, but I am just pissed about being lied to by the customer service rep.

[Sun Baked]

Originally posted by b0nehead
e-coli, ya true. Luckily I think my parents are going to help me out on this one, but I am just pissed about being lied to by the customer service rep. Don't worry car salesmen are much more honest with their customers and clients. http://forums.macrumors.com/attachment.php?postid=380969

[mashoutposse05]

As long as you make your minimum payment for the month, all you have to worry about are the finance charges (interest -- should be around 1-2% of the balance if carried over for a single month). You will not be considered 'late.'

BTW, being late even once IS a big deal. Stay away from even the most minor deliquencies. Firstly, you retain the confidence that comes with truly 'perfect' credit. Secondly, and most importantly, you will stay in the very top percentile as far as credit worthiness is concerned. Then, one day you'll get an invitation to put this piece of plastic in your wallet (you can't apply for it; it's invite-only):


http://photo.thetechzone.com/data//500/1951amex-black.jpg?3223

http://www.101-creditcards.com/amex-black.htm

[Rower_CPU]

I would have waited until the next billing cycle to place the order. You have it in your power to dictate when you get billed by not ordering until you know you have the money.

[b0nehead]

Yes, but I reached an agreement with the sales rep that the payment would be processed ON or AFTER the 20th. That is where the problem lies.

[Rower_CPU]

Again, you turned over control of when the payment would go through to someone who most likely had no control of when it would go through once they entered it into the system.

They probably had no business making the promise, and a verbal agreement over the phone doesn't carry much weight. Good luck getting it resolved and consider it a lesson for the future.

[b0nehead]

Who at Apple defines where the control lies? As a customer, I only have the opportunity to speak to a customer sales rep. Who else can I put my faith in? This is who the company assigns to deal with customers. They should know what is feasible and what is not.

[grafikat]

Having no idea if this is even a possibility (posted for the next person how may want to order in advance) Perhaps a visit to the local apple store, see a person, and get a document in writing might help? (I imagine that due to the custom build you wanted to get the order rolling during a busy holiday time?) Of course, this only works if you're within spitting distance of an Apple store....

[b0nehead]

"I imagine that due to the custom build you wanted to get the order rolling during a busy holiday time"

Exactly.

[Kwyjibo]

You know how many people on this board would have wished their mac shipped early? I know you made an agreement and whatnot but still for a general rule earlier is better.

The holiday comments are correct, every company receives a bit of why isn't this under my tree complaints and unsatisfied mac users so they do their best to fill every order for the holidays.

[b0nehead]

My steps were reasonable. I simply tried to avoid the rush. If the rep would have told me that my special order process was not possible, then I would have waited until the 20th to order.

[manitoubalck]

It's cold, It's hard. cn you guess what it is:confused:

It's CASH, Someone very wise once told me only spend money that you can see. As yet I have had no trubles following that line.

[b0nehead]

I know very few people who pay for computers in cold hard cash...

[Soma_Addict]

Originally posted by manitoubalck
Someone very wise once told me only spend money that you can see. As yet I have had no trubles following that line.

I have always paid in cash for everything that I have ever purchased. But recently I have discovered the importance of having good credit. Even if you are very well off and can afford to pay all of your expenses with money you currently own, having good credit is still very important.

Credit is basically financial trustworthiness. You might want to consider paying off a long term credit purchase inorder to build some credit. It doesn't happen over night and you don't want to be stuck with no credit when you really need it.

[cubist]

Originally posted by manitoubalck
... Someone very wise once told me only spend money that you can see. As yet I have had no trubles following that line.

Agreed, that is very wise. I've heard this said: "Debt is the enemy of wealth." If you wish to be wealthy, you cannot have even minor debts.

I like the convenience of credit cards, but I pay them off completely every month. Even so, the siren song of debt can be hard to withstand. "Go ahead, buy that Athlon64 Shuttle! And the G5 iMac too!" Don't do it, Batman, it's a trap!

[Moxiemike]

Originally posted by Rower_CPU
Again, you turned over control of when the payment would go through to someone who most likely had no control of when it would go through once they entered it into the system.

They probably had no business making the promise, and a verbal agreement over the phone doesn't carry much weight. Good luck getting it resolved and consider it a lesson for the future.

Rower... I'm guessing they didn't even MAKE the promise. b0nehead's screen name is fitting for a reason:

* He wants the laptop billed after 12.20

* He calls apple and asks when the laptop will ship. They tell him X days, which when he checks his calendar, shows, say, 12.21

* He asks "how the billing process works" to which the sales rep replies "we bill a dollar to initiate the order and the rest on shipment"

* He parrots this, plus the quoted delivery date back to the rep a few times, and asks if this is correct. Sales rep says "Yes".

That's where, in his mind, the "promise" in made. She promised that the delivery would be after 12.20 and that he wouldn't be billed until after the machine was shipped.

Only thing... b0ney didn't realize that sometimes, in the spirit of xmas magic, even Apple can deliver a machine early.

Unfortunately, b0ney took the plunge and now his "credit is ruined". He could've taken many steps to prevent this.

* Apple Loan. Could have had his purchase on a completely separate account.

* Understanding his current account. He should know that even if his bill is $3000, he can probably pay anywhere from $10 to the full amount, with no ill affect. Pay of the Xmas gifts that you have $$ for, leave the laptop on the bill.

* My personal favorite, PATIENCE. I wanted a 12" the day they came out, but the specs were underwhelming compared to my rev b. tibook. I waited until the 1 gHz machines were released, waited until they were in stock so I could play with one, and by that time, I have enough "cold hard cash" that I could pay in full (actually, got a compusa card and paid the balance off five days later. I still don't know why...)

If b0ney were patient, he would have avoided his 12.20 non dilemma, might have a 1.33 G4 12 inch (if he waited until the next year...) and might even have paid less, as maybe his Xmas kitty would have included some 'cold hard cash" that he could have applied to his laptop purchase.

That said, b0ney is TRULY a b0nehead in many ways except one: he's perfectly fit into the role of a model American consumer, overspending his budgets for fabricated holiday traditions and getting himself into credit trouble.

Combine that with a lack of knowledge about the way credit cards work, and b0ney has shown us why, if there were millions more like him in America, we might not be in a recession now. That is, if you believe the republicans. But that's a whole other story.

Sorry b0ney, enjoy the powerbook, and use it to set up an online account with your cardholder's bank, to deduct the minimum amount from your bank account so you NEVER fall prey to late payments.

Oh. And thank god you have parents gullible enough to bail you out of credit trouble. Kind of sad that in America, the banks prey on dumb young kids to start the trend of ammassing debt (as if college weren't enough) as such early ages.

Ah, the power of..... buying power.

[scat999999]

However he (she) may not of lied to you either. When I worked at Dell's call center, the computer would give us a build time for the order. Sometimes, especially at the end of a quarter (or in this case year end), the order would get buiilt and shipped within a day instead of the 5-7 days we told the customer. The sales rep may have been giving you the best information they had and you got "lucky" getting your order shipped early.


Originally posted by b0nehead
Yes, but I reached an agreement with the sales rep that the payment would be processed ON or AFTER the 20th. That is where the problem lies.

[dongmin]

Originally posted by b0nehead
My steps were reasonable. I simply tried to avoid the rush. If the rep would have told me that my special order process was not possible, then I would have waited until the 20th to order. I hate to break it to you but it's not typical for a company like Apple to let their sales reps take discretion on when the orders is shipped, when the payment is made, etc. (except for large institutional purchasers maybe). I agree that if the sales rep made such a promise, then this rep is MORE at fault, but you shouldn't have been so believing in the first place. This rep made a promise that shouldn't have been made.

Essentially what you wanted them to do for you is to hold a computer for you until you were reay to pay. You couldn't 'pay' your purchase right now, but you didn't want to wait until you could actually make the payment. Can you imagine if someone pulled a stunt like this when the G5s were just announced? "Yeah I didn't have the money right then but I knew there would be a long wait so I placed my order anyways the moment they started taking orders and told them to 'hold' my order until I had enough change." People would be screaming bloody murder.

[Daveman Deluxe]

b0nehead:

Do not worry about your credit rating. During the time your credit card carries a balance, your credit rating will be slightly lower, but the instant you no longer carry a balance, your credit will be spotless.

The only way you can totally screw yourself over is by not making a payment entirely on your credit card.

Part of your credit score, however, is the amount of credit you have available to you compared to the amount of debt you currently have outstanding. That's why I say that your credit rating will be lower until you pay off the card. However, that rating is not something that stays with you for a long time, like missing a payment or filing bankruptcy does.

In short, don't sweat it.

It's CASH, Someone very wise once told me only spend money that you can see. As yet I have had no trubles following that line.

I can think of one very good reason to purchase something expensive such as a computer on a credit card: purchase protection. If you are not satisfied with a product and the store refuses to take it back, you can dispute the charge with the credit card company and get most or all of your money back.

Of course, if you can't see the money at the time of the purchase, you probably shouldn't be putting it on your credit card either.

IMO, a credit card is a great thing if you use it just like cash. I put all of my gasoline on my credit card and pay it off in full every month. It builds up a great credit rating, which will come in handy when I buy a house someday.

[Kwyjibo]

i'm sure some people ordered g5's when they knew they wouldn't be able to pay for them until the following month because they knew they would no be billed but thats a seperate issue.

[jxyama]

i think the advice about cash wasn't necessarily referring to "cash" as in bills and coins. (even if he said cold and hard...) it's "cash" as opposed to "credit" - the money you have and can see, as the poster said later. he wasn't really suggesting that we go to the apple store with 100 $20 bills... even if he was, the wise saying is to spend what you have.

regardless, i sort of feel for you for being misled, perhaps, but i also agree with some others that what you were doing was trying to get the best of both worlds - get the machine fast but pay later.

btw, either you are getting a big chunk of money for christmas or you make a lot (but spends most of it!) of money to be able to afford a computer after 12/20 but not before!

pay as much as you can. you will incur some finance charges, but your credit rating will not be harmed permanently.

[rainman::|:|]

i'll probably be flamed for saying it, but the only thing apple did wrong here was that their idiot rep told you it wouldn't be billed till after the 20th. aside from his (i would imagine) guesswork, it's not up to Apple to ship according to your pay schedule... if you place an order, you had better have the ability to pay. This is nothing more than floating a check, IMHO. if i floated a check, and the cashier *promised* that it wouldn't be deposited for 3 more days, and it hit early and bounced, i'd still have floated a check, it's still my fault.

the rep is an idiot. but apple themselves acted in good faith-- you give them a credit card number and point to the 'book you want, they ship it. it's not walmart and there's no layaway.

paul

[jxyama]

Originally posted by paulwhannel
i'll probably be flamed for saying it...

probably... but i think what you said is right.

i know this is not a forum to tell others what to do with their money, but i hope you (the original poster) don't cut *this* close in other aspects of your financial life.

just as an example, when i write a check of any amount, i make sure to transfer enough money to cover that check first. this is basic, i know, but even if i know that it will take a few days for the mail and the check to reach the destination and several days more for that check to be deposited and funds withdrawn from my account - i know all this - but i still make sure to transfer the money first. who knows, i may forget to transfer later. the point is, it's more about the attitude than the practicality or logicalness of it... it's just a good practice.

[Counterfit]

flamed by who paul? Just about everyone here agrees with you...

[Moxiemike]

Originally posted by paulwhannel
i'll probably be flamed for saying it, but the only thing apple did wrong here was that their idiot rep told you it wouldn't be billed till after the 20th. aside from his (i would imagine) guesswork, it's not up to Apple to ship according to your pay schedule... if you place an order, you had better have the ability to pay. This is nothing more than floating a check, IMHO. if i floated a check, and the cashier *promised* that it wouldn't be deposited for 3 more days, and it hit early and bounced, i'd still have floated a check, it's still my fault.

the rep is an idiot. but apple themselves acted in good faith-- you give them a credit card number and point to the 'book you want, they ship it. it's not walmart and there's no layaway.

paul

Paul. How DARE you say someone is wrong when they completely are! ;)

[Raid]

Originally posted by b0nehead
In the end, this could end up giving me horrible credit. I feel that I should deserve something from Apple for their mistake. What do you think?

Well yes apple did make a mistake, but this shouldn't affect your credit rating at all. First you stated you didn't go over your credit card limit, and second it sounds like you have every intention of paying off your balance before getting the computer. It also sounds like you will have the cash to pay off the computer on the 20th right?
This type of behavior will not ruin your credit rating. What ruins a credit rating is late or missed payments, bankruptcy, and things of that ilk. Going over your limit may be annoying to the card company, but if you only do it occasionally, and don't have anyproblems paying off the debt, then they might ask to see if your limit should be increased.

So my advice is to take it easy, yes the rep at Apple did cause you some anxious moments, but you're in a good position and should be in the clear when this is all settled.

[manitoubalck]

Originally posted by b0nehead
I know very few people who pay for computers in cold hard cash...

You can add one more to the samll list. $2100AUD in cash for my computer, + $300 on RAM etc since.

[manitoubalck]

Originally posted by Daveman Deluxe
1: Of course, if you can't see the money at the time of the purchase, you probably shouldn't be putting it on your credit card either.

2: IMO, a credit card is a great thing if you use it just like cash. I put all of my gasoline on my credit card and pay it off in full every month. It builds up a great credit rating, which will come in handy when I buy a house someday.

1: That's more of the point, only spend money you have in your account.

2: I don't have a credit rating since I don't have a credit card, contract phone or car/house loan repayments. One day the time will come, but I'm staying away from the whole debt ring.
"Nothing makes you go into debt faster, than trying to keep up with people who already are." (I like that one)

[jeremy.king]

Originally posted by Raid
Well yes apple did make a mistake, but this shouldn't affect your credit rating at all.

Actually it does. Part of the credit score algorithms the agencies use includes a balance to limit ratio (percent) and if you are higher than 50% (usually) on revolving accounts (i.e. credit cards) it can have a negative impact on your score.

Example: $5000 limit, balance of say $2000. Add another $2000 and you balance to limit is 80%. Credit agencies don't like to see this on revolving accounts.

His ideal situation: $5000 limit, balance of $2000. Pay off Dec 19. Charge $2000 for computer Dec 20th...balance to limit never exceeded 40%. This is better and may be more like what Bonehead wanted...but blaming Apple is ridiculous.

HOWEVER, This by NO MEANS will not even come close to ruining your credit or credit score and if it was his intention to pay it off come January statement, then you are actually just as well off as before because you demonstrate your ability to pay a larger balance off in two payments and your balance is back to zero.

Bonehead, you just need to exercise restraint with purchases and learn more about how credit can work for you when it comes to buying a new car or home.

[Daveman Deluxe]

Originally posted by manitoubalck
2: I don't have a credit rating since I don't have a credit card, contract phone or car/house loan repayments. One day the time will come, but I'm staying away from the whole debt ring.
"Nothing makes you go into debt faster, than trying to keep up with people who already are." (I like that one)

Well, here's one thing I know about credit ratings: if you have a credit card that you charge a little bit to each month and then pay it in full each month, that looks really good on the credit report. Building good credit the smart way (not the way credit card companies tell you to) is a good idea if you ever plan on buying a house because then you can get really great loan rates. The other thing is that without any credit history, it's VERY hard to get a loan large enough to cover a house.

Long story short, getting a credit card is a good idea. Even if you cut it in two the instant it arrives in the mail, it's going to make it MUCH simpler to get a loan on a house someday.