New iMac 27" - Terrible Applecare and Fusion drive problems

[toddbe]

Originally Posted by JimWPVB

Received new 27" iMac last week. Setup was straightforward and without incident (it was a clean install, not using Migration Assistant, etc). Set up 100GB VMWare Fusion Win 7 virtual machine. No problems.

Great machine, and super fast. 1 TB Fusion Drive, i5 processor.

Apple walked me brought transferring 30K of emails (about 16GB) from MbA to new iMac, without incident. Knowledgeable guys on the other end.

Perhaps clean installs work best?

Maybe a clean install works best, but that is not the issue. Very poor technical and customer support is the issue!

[oililymad]

Originally Posted by toddbe

Maybe a clean install works best, but that is not the issue. Very poor technical and customer support is the issue!

Just wondered if Apple had sorted it out yet?

[toddbe]

Originally Posted by oililymad

Just wondered if Apple had sorted it out yet?

They have not sorted it out yet. I sent an email to Tim Cook and received a phone and email from an assistant on Friday. Supposedly on Tuesday ("all heck breaks loose here on Monday" - from the assistant) I will get an update as to when my IMAC will be replaced. No one at Apple has ever called me back after the initial friendly "I feel your pain" phone call.

[oililymad]

Originally Posted by toddbe

They have not sorted it out yet. I sent an email to Tim Cook and received a phone and email from an assistant on Friday. Supposedly on Tuesday ("all heck breaks loose here on Monday" - from the assistant) I will get an update as to when my IMAC will be replaced. No one at Apple has ever called me back after the initial friendly "I feel your pain" phone call.

Wonders what's happening at Apple HQ on Monday.

Keep us updated? I'm quite horrified at the customer service you've received.

Good luck and I hope they sort it

[JamietheMac]

I don't know what this technician was thinking but the advice to cancel the repartition at 75% is crazy ( sometime you need to go with your gut instinct and you were correct you Shouldn't of canceled, I guess cause the guy has a fancy job title people think he knows best, case in point He didn't)


You know the old saying if its not broken don't fix it.

Im not sure how it works in the States but if you paid for the thing over here in the UK with a credit card , your insured.

[toddbe]

Originally Posted by JamietheMac

I don't know what this technician was thinking but the advice to cancel the repartition at 75% is crazy ( sometime you need to go with your gut instinct and you were correct you Shouldn't of canceled, I guess cause the guy has a fancy job title people think he knows best, case in point He didn't)


You know the old saying if its not broken don't fix it.

Im not sure how it works in the States but if you paid for the thing over here in the UK with a credit card , your insured.

I am getting close to the point of asking for a refund via my credit card. The only reason I hesitant is I still need a 27" IMAC and the lead-time is 3-4 weeks for a custom machine.

[FreemanW]

Originally Posted by toddbe

I am getting close to the point of asking for a refund via my credit card. The only reason I hesitant is I still need a 27" IMAC and the lead-time is 3-4 weeks for a custom machine.

I believe that your CC customer service will want to know that you had already attempted to return the merchandise to the vendor for a refund.

Time is everything here. Decide what you're going to do and do it now. Do Not Miss a time envelope for returning this unit!

I'll say again from my previous post, place your iMac back in the packaging and return it to the Apple Store for a complete refund on hardware, AppleCare, tax, and shipping. You may want to open a Dispute Case Number with your CC prior to the return, but your first move should be to return the unit to your nearest Apple Store.

You may find that the store has a 27" iMac in stock and ready for sale when you arrive.

Man, I am so sorry you've had such a miserable experience with this.

[oililymad]

Originally Posted by toddbe

I am getting close to the point of asking for a refund via my credit card. The only reason I hesitant is I still need a 27" IMAC and the lead-time is 3-4 weeks for a custom machine.

I would hope that Mr Cook's assistants will sort it out on Tuesday. Personally I would give them the chance to. They cannot reasonably deny its their cock up beginning to end. Apple, in my experience make things right

[toddbe]

Originally Posted by oililymad

I would hope that Mr Cook's assistants will sort it out on Tuesday. Personally I would give them the chance to. They cannot reasonably deny its their cock up beginning to end. Apple, in my experience make things right

Hello Chris,

I know you said you would contact me on Tuesday, but it has been ten days that I have been dealing with a defective IMAC and I still do not have a replacement date. After eight plus hours on the phone, plus trips to the Apple store, and many emails I am still no closer to having this resolved!

I understand Monday's are busy days at Apple, however what about me the customer??? Apple has about $3,000 of my money, and I have an expensive paperweight!

I really would like a machine that works. Please update me as soon as you can! I would look forward to resolving this tomorrow (Monday). This episode really affected my relationship with Apple in a severe way. This had been unfortunate as I have been a loyal customer since my purchase of a Apple 512k.

Thanks,

[The Monkey]

Too nice.

[oililymad]

Originally Posted by The Monkey

Too nice.

Nice? He's being polite. Why shouldn't he be? Simply he's asking for help rather than making demands. I generally find this works best as an approach to try to get people to resolve a situation. Being reasonable and explaining the situation is better than getting all angry.

[The Monkey]

In general, I agree. But nice and polite hasn't worked so far. So a change in tactics is warranted. Also, one doesn't have to be angry to get one's point across. IMO keeping the polite tone is fine, but give some bite to the ask, as in it would be a shame to have to contact consumer affairs/BBB or otherwise escalate what seems to be a very easy fix. Have a nice day!

[Nuke61]

Have you tried booting off of an external drive and then looking at the Fusion disk using Terminal? Maybe you could start the partition process again by using that process. Here's an article that discusses using Terminal to make a DIY Fusion drive, but it may be applicable to you.

http://macs.about.com/od/diyguidespr...rent-Mac_3.htm

[FreemanW]

I am puzzled as to why this non-functioning unit has not been returned for a complete refund.

This iMac and post-sale support debacle has the stank of fail all over it and so far . . . . . .

. . . . . Apple (Customer Support, Technical Support, post sales relations, etc.) has been one steaming pile of abject failure.

About the only way that Apple could have handled this in a worse manner would be if they had told the customer to go fornicate himself.

. . . . and you could actually make a very calm and well reasoned argument that Apple has (through its actions) indeed told this purchaser to go fornicate himself.

If this iMac wasn't so pricy and this had happened to me, I would consider lighting the thing on fire and burning it in effigy on the front lawn of the Apple Campus.

Everyone that works at Apple that has had any contact with this case ought to be looking for their next job--with complete shame.

Wow, just wow.

[harcosparky]

never mind!

[Mike in Kansas]

Originally Posted by FreemanW

I am puzzled as to why this non-functioning unit has not been returned for a complete refund.

This iMac and post-sale support debacle has the stank of fail all over it and so far . . . . . .

. . . . . Apple (Customer Support, Technical Support, post sales relations, etc.) has been one steaming pile of abject failure.

About the only way that Apple could have handled this in a worse manner would be if they had told the customer to go fornicate himself.

. . . . and you could actually make a very calm and well reasoned argument that Apple has (through its actions) indeed told this purchaser to go fornicate himself.

If this iMac wasn't so pricy and this had happened to me, I would consider lighting the thing on fire and burning it in effigy on the front lawn of the Apple Campus.

Everyone that works at Apple that has had any contact with this case ought to be looking for their next job--with complete shame.

Wow, just wow.

The OP has stated multiple times that since there is no inventory of the model he wants, he doesn't want to wait until they become available. He has also stated that it's inconvenient for him to go to a local Apple Store as it is (I believe) 3 hours away; plus it's uncertain that they have the parts for him.

And therein lies the issue. The OP has decided that the 2 best solutions are not in consideration, so he is only availing himself to a third, sub-optimal solution - work with AppleCare over the phone. While in a perfect world this would be fine, I think we all have our own first-hand experiences with dealing with over-the-phone tech support, especially on a new product AND one that the OP is not too familiar with.

The best solution would be to bite the bullet and send the whole darn thing back and wait for a new one. The next best solution would be to suck it up, make a Genius Bar appointment and drive for 3 hours after the part comes in. Looking back now, I'm sure the OP would have given up a full day in order to get something fixed that will now extend out for weeks. Hindsight IS 20/20. Unfortunately no matter how high up the Apple ladder this goes will he not get resolution unless someone decides to give him an iMac that is slated for someone else.

[hfg]

Originally Posted by Nuke61

Have you tried booting off of an external drive and then looking at the Fusion disk using Terminal? Maybe you could start the partition process again by using that process. Here's an article that discusses using Terminal to make a DIY Fusion drive, but it may be applicable to you.

http://macs.about.com/od/diyguidespr...rent-Mac_3.htm

Right ... I seriously doubt there is anything physically wrong with this iMac. The disk format is screwed up due to the terrible advice given him by the Apple Care Tech, but that can be fixed without returning the unit. Unfortunately, the Apple Store Genius techs have no clue how to re-format these drives ... they need some training ASAP. Using 3rd party Disk Repair Tools probably wasn't good either as they probably don't understand Fusion technology yet and need to be updated.

There is a good chance that Disk Utility (the one shipped with the new Macs) might even fix it automatically, if he could just get into the Disk Utiliy program (I believe the iMac is non-bootable at this point). Otherwise, a simple DIY Fusion re-create would probably restore it to working order in a matter of minutes.

If the OP can still access the recovery partition (command-r) on boot, this would give him access to both Disk Utility and Terminal to attempt to restore the original Fusion drive. Otherwise, either a net-boot or external bootable OS X (if he has one) would do as well. The hidden recovery partition on a Fusion drive is located on the hard disk, and thus may have been damaged as well with the aborted re-partition attempt.

It is unfortunate the OP has been put through all this grief and stress as the Apple Store should have simply known how to do this for him ... but they didn't.

A simple exchange would have also been prudent, but there aren't any available at this time, and replacement orders are lengthy, but improving.

I would have tried this simple restore process a long time ago and avoided all the hours dealing with it.

[oililymad]

I have to say the thought of getting refunded and having to start all over again ( current delivery dates on new orders are into march) would make me at least try the approach the OP is.

He was offered a replacement I believe. But a wait of 4 weeks given the circumstances is unacceptable. I believe Apple should admit the mess-up and send the OP the first available machine that matches or exceeds the specs he ordered.

Not all machines even BTO's are going to customers - some are going to stores.

It absolutely is NOT the case that he would be taking a machine that would be earmarked for another

[The Monkey]

According to the various sources, production should also start ramping up more at this point. Still a major PITA.

[FreemanW]

Originally Posted by Mike in Kansas

The OP has stated multiple times that since there is no inventory of the model he wants, he doesn't want to wait until they become available. He has also stated that it's inconvenient for him to go to a local Apple Store as it is (I believe) 3 hours away; plus it's uncertain that they have the parts for him.

And therein lies the issue. The OP has decided that the 2 best solutions are not in consideration, so he is only availing himself to a third, sub-optimal solution - work with AppleCare over the phone. While in a perfect world this would be fine, I think we all have our own first-hand experiences with dealing with over-the-phone tech support, especially on a new product AND one that the OP is not too familiar with.

The best solution would be to bite the bullet and send the whole darn thing back and wait for a new one. The next best solution would be to suck it up, make a Genius Bar appointment and drive for 3 hours after the part comes in. Looking back now, I'm sure the OP would have given up a full day in order to get something fixed that will now extend out for weeks. Hindsight IS 20/20. Unfortunately no matter how high up the Apple ladder this goes will he not get resolution unless someone decides to give him an iMac that is slated for someone else.

I live (Mt Shasta) more than 200 miles away from any Apple (company) Store.

If I had encountered this level of FAIL with my perfect and beautiful iMac, I would have escalated my last telephone call as high as possible, then stated in concise english that Apple should prepare a service visit to resolve the issue while I waited. Apple can install working components and install ML on those replacement components, and they could do that while the OP waits.

A scenario that this OP has suffered through with Apple, I would become Apple's very own Paul Lazzaro (from Slaughterhouse Five).

The actions and subsequent assistance Apple has furnished this customer are inexcusable, stories such as this one are the stuff legends are made of.

But then, having just made the transition to Mac, I had been planning my iMac purchase for close to three years. I am not the type of person to spend over $3k and settle for the type of behavior Apple has dispensed upon this unfortunate person.

Now make no mistake, NOTHING is the OP's fault or doing here, this entire case falls squarely at the feet of Tim Cook et al.

But I would be up in their grill until they did the right thing.

The world is not big enough for any of them to hide from me.

[Brian Y]

Originally Posted by FreemanW

I live (Mt Shasta) more than 200 miles away from any Apple (company) Store.

If I had encountered this level of FAIL with my perfect and beautiful iMac, I would have escalated my last telephone call as high as possible, then stated in concise english that Apple should prepare a service visit to resolve the issue while I waited. Apple can install working components and install ML on those replacement components, and they could do that while the OP waits.

A scenario that this OP has suffered through with Apple, I would become Apple's very own Paul Lazzaro (from Slaughterhouse Five).

The actions and subsequent assistance Apple has furnished this customer are inexcusable, stories such as this one are the stuff legends are made of.

But then, having just made the transition to Mac, I had been planning my iMac purchase for close to three years. I am not the type of person to spend over $3k and settle for the type of behavior Apple has dispensed upon this unfortunate person.

Now make no mistake, NOTHING is the OP's fault or doing here, this entire case falls squarely at the feet of Tim Cook et al.

But I would be up in their grill until they did the right thing.

The world is not big enough for any of them to hide from me.

There is a massive sense of entitlement in this thread.

Legally, Apple has to do none of that. He didn't buy it from them. They, therefore, have no legal obligation to help him whatsoever.

So, you spent $3k on a mass-produced computer, and you think that entitles you to a service Apple doesn't provide? The op has several choices:

a) Take it to an Apple store - which is "too far away"
b) Send it to Apple to have them repair it - "too long"
c) Have Apple replace the machine - "too long to wait"
d) Take it back to where you bought it from for a refund.

All of those 4 are reasonable options.

[FreemanW]

Originally Posted by Brian Y

There is a massive sense of entitlement in this thread.

Legally, Apple has to do none of that. He didn't buy it from them. They, therefore, have no legal obligation to help him whatsoever.

So, you spent $3k on a mass-produced computer, and you think that entitles you to a service Apple doesn't provide? The op has several choices:

a) Take it to an Apple store - which is "too far away"
b) Send it to Apple to have them repair it - "too long"
c) Have Apple replace the machine - "too long to wait"
d) Take it back to where you bought it from for a refund.

All of those 4 are reasonable options.

I wouldn't call it "sense of entitlement" . . . but you are absolutely correct with your "A" thru "4" list. And I would have been all over any one of those by this point in this clusterf*$#.

At this point in time, the OP has a lovely sculpture that was very expensive.

I am really at a loss as to the OP limiting his resolution options and ruling out any that will work.

[KrasHr]

The other night, I decided to repartition the 3TB Fusion drive on my 27" iMac, and I did the most stupid thing ever. I stopped the partition process because it was taking too long. I was able to boot into my Mac OS, but there was 2.1 TB missing from the drive. Disk utility showed errors and repairing wouldn't work. The main partition was shown as having 800GB, but the second partition was missing. When in the partition part of disk utility, the 3.1TB drive was seen, but it showed 24KB free so I was unable to try a repartition. My partition table was totally screwed.

I called Apple care and after 2 hours on the phone, my issue wasn't resolved. Even after asking at the beginning of the call "is there a way via terminal to rebuild or refresh the partition table", they were unable to resolve my issue. I was asked if I could take it to a Genius bar and lucky for me there is an Apple store 15 minutes away, but unfortunately they were booked out for the next few weeks. They also suggested an Apple Authorised repairer, but I've dealt with them before and they were hopeless.

In the end I stumbled upon an article, via the apple discussion forums, on setting up a bootcamp on a 3TB Fusion drive and a few simple terminal commands solved my issue. I used the 3 below

-bash-3.2# diskutil coreStorage list (To get the Logical Volume Group GUID numbers etc)

-bash-3.2# diskutil coreStorage deleteVolume <Logical Volume> (Can't remember if this one was effective, but did it anyways)

-bash-3.2# diskutil coreStorage delete <Logical Volume Group GUID> (this solved my issue)

Even though I wasn't partitioning the drive for bootcamp, those bash command lines saved me, refreshing the partition table. I was able to repartition the drive via Disk Utility in internet recovery and installed from a time machine backup. Fusion drive working as I want it to. Just to note, my recovery partition was safe and was always showing up in disk utility.

The article:
http://dice.neko-san.net/2012/12/how...ion-drive-mac/

[lali]

Originally Posted by KrasHr

The other night, I decided to repartition the 3TB Fusion drive on my 27" iMac, and I did the most stupid thing ever. I stopped the partition process because it was taking too long. I was able to boot into my Mac OS, but there was 2.1 TB missing from the drive. Disk utility showed errors and repairing wouldn't work. The main partition was shown as having 800GB, but the second partition was missing. When in the partition part of disk utility, the 3.1TB drive was seen, but it showed 24KB free so I was unable to try a repartition. My partition table was totally screwed.

The article:
http://dice.neko-san.net/2012/12/how...ion-drive-mac/

Out of curiosity, do you think you had more issues with this due to Fusion, or it's the same as any other disk? Thanks

[mushroomtip]

Originally Posted by toddbe

Got my new 27" IMAC after ordering on Nov. 27th from Expercom.

since you purchased the unit from Expercom ,is Apple even responsible to give you a refund ? I understand fixing or replacing but Im not sure they would be responsible to refund you. I guess they would have to give Expercom the ok for the refund but I don't think Apple itself is responsible for the refund .