Tell the truth or lie? Applecare...

Moshe1010 · Mar 8, 2015

So my rMBP fell down the table yesterday and now it works only with power - it doesn't recognize the battery anymore. There were 2 bolts at the back panel that fell down as well. I can put the bolts back and other then that I can't see any external damage.

Now I do have Applecare but I know it doesn't cover physical damage. The question is should I tell them the truth or play it dumb and say "I don't know why it doesn't work"....? Can they tell somehow that it fell down if there is no external damage?

Blackstick · Mar 8, 2015

Just play dumb. Speaking as a former Genius, you could sometimes find evidence of a drop internally, but less so with retinas- so if there's no visible damage externally, just say "it woke up today and decided it wouldn't work right."

BrettApple · Mar 8, 2015

My only question is, why is this a question? And if you aren't aware already, this thread is pretty much set up to get blown up.

That being said. MacRumors as a collective is not your moral authority. But if you want my opinion on it. Don't lie.

Let them know what happened, and perhaps they can help you. They should at least open it up to check connections and such to give a diagnosis.

cairene2011 · Mar 8, 2015

Honesty goes a long way! I think they'd be able to tell if the battery connecters dislocated because of a violent impact and they might be less inclined to help you once they've realised you weren't honest.

maflynn · Mar 9, 2015

Personally, I'd not look to lie, I think it would be better if you were honest then if the genius thought it was damaged via a drop and confronted you with it.

Blackstick · Mar 9, 2015

I worked the bar for many years. The rule is, we go by what the customer says. Honest, good customers would tell me truthful facts, *many* times, and I'd pretend not to hear it. Why? To keep them in warranty and avoid paying hundreds of dollars in repair costs.

I had many co-workers who would hear the same honest story, and maybe they were having a bad day for whatever reason, or wanted to stick hard to company policy... So would consider it an out-of-warranty repair because the customer told them they dropped something or it fell in liquid, or they left it in a hot car causing the LCD to crack.

Look, it's a business. If it looks perfect inside and there's no visible external signs of impacts, dents, dings, warping, etc... Just say it stopped charging. If you say "hey I dropped it..." Then it's possible you get a cool, calm tech like I was who says "gonna pretend I didn't hear that and push this through warranty..." Of, you get my buddy, nice guy outside of work, but he followed corp policy to a T, as if every dollar was his responsibility to get for the richest company on earth "ok you say the machine was dropped, as it turns out, your AppleCare coverage doesn't apply in that case, repair cost will be tier 2 repair, $655 plus tax for a 15"

Trust me, if it's cosmetically perfect outside, just tell em it stopped charging. Most likely, the battery connector is unseated and it'll be a quick repair anyways.

Apple_Robert · Mar 9, 2015

Moshe1010 said:
So my rMBP fell down the table yesterday and now it works only with power - it doesn't recognize the battery anymore. There were 2 bolts at the back panel that fell down as well. I can put the bolts back and other then that I can't see any external damage.

Now I do have Applecare but I know it doesn't cover physical damage. The question is should I tell them the truth or play it dumb and say "I don't know why it doesn't work"....? Can they tell somehow that it fell down if there is no external damage?

How would you feel, if you were a buyer and a seller tried to scam you?

How would you feel, if you were a business owner, and customers were constantly coming in trying to scam you, (read: lie to you) in order to get products or service they weren't rightfully entitled to?

Be honest with Apple.

Mac32 · Mar 9, 2015

Honesty. Do the right thing, because it is the right thing to do. With more moral and honest people around, the world would be a much better place.

TechZeke · Mar 9, 2015

This is why I love AppleCare, but hate it at the same time.

You spend $2000 on the Mac, $200-300 on AppleCare. Then you legitimately accidently drop it the next day, boom $600 repair. I hate that about AppleCare.

At the same time, if for example, your hinge is creaking but display works fine, they will happily replace the entire display anyway. Or, you may drop it, and the Genius replaces it for free anyway out of kindness. I love this about AppleCare

This is why I have separate accidental insurance outside of AppleCare.

Hieveryone · Mar 9, 2015

OMG I have never seen so many moral people in my life. Maybe MacRumors is MacMorals but in real life, people aren't honest.

I'll be straight with you and not fake...

Lie, lie, lie. If they say it's been dropped, call them out on it. Start raising your voice in the store. Threaten to call the manager. Threaten to email Tim Cook. Accuse of them of trying to cheat you of your hard earned money and that THEY'RE lying telling you that you dropped it just to get out of giving you service.

Lie, fight, yell, that's the only way. You MUST be cut throat. If you're going to go in there like a mouse and be like "I dropped my mac will you fix it for free" you can bet they'll kick your

Give them hell, and do it until you get what you came for. No mercy.

AR86 · Mar 9, 2015

Unfortunately honesty will not fix your mac, the chance of you having to pay extra outside of the extra you've already payed for applecare is too high and there is absolutly no way i'd tell them I dropped it (aslong as the outercase doesn't show any signs of a drop) no doubt it's morally questionable to do such a thing and maybe you'll feel a bit guilty about it all but it's better than running the risk of a hefty repair cost because you thought apple cares about your upstanding character.

David58117 · Mar 9, 2015

Hieveryone said:
OMG I have never seen so many moral people in my life. Maybe MacRumors is MacMorals but in real life, people aren't honest.

I'll be straight with you and not fake...

Lie, lie, lie. If they say it's been dropped, call them out on it. Start raising your voice in the store. Threaten to call the manager. Threaten to email Tim Cook. Accuse of them of trying to cheat you of your hard earned money and that THEY'RE lying telling you that you dropped it just to get out of giving you service.

Lie, fight, yell, that's the only way. You MUST be cut throat. If you're going to go in there like a mouse and be like "I dropped my mac will you fix it for free" you can bet they'll kick your

Give them hell, and do it until you get what you came for. No mercy.

LOL - I never worked at an Apple store, but I have worked returns at another department store.

..and the people who would yell/scream and throw tantrums, are the ones who are totally transparent and the ones I would never go out of my way to help.

By trying to bully them, all you're going to do is throw them on the defensive and make them even less likely to feel sympathy and try and help you.

DO NOT yell/scream at them or "call them out," (this isn't high school), and always treat them with respect..

Having said that - either tell the truth completely, or omit the part about dropping it. Say you went to use it and now it's acting that way. If they bring up damage/dropping it - if you have a spouse/sibling living with you - you can leave open the possibility that one of them must of done it and didn't tell you. But you certainly didn't and have no idea what's happening..

But act sympathetic, be very nice, and be someone they want to help (since people generally like to help others).

Hieveryone · Mar 9, 2015

David58117 said:
LOL - I never worked at an Apple store, but I have worked returns at another department store.

..and the people who would yell/scream and throw tantrums, are the ones who are totally transparent and the ones I would never go out of my way to help.

By trying to bully them, all you're going to do is throw them on the defensive and make them even less likely to feel sympathy and try and help you.

DO NOT yell/scream at them or "call them out," (this isn't high school), and always treat them with respect..

Having said that - either tell the truth completely, or omit the part about dropping it. Say you went to use it and now it's acting that way. If they bring up damage/dropping it - if you have a spouse/sibling living with you - you can leave open the possibility that one of them must of done it and didn't tell you. But you certainly didn't and have no idea what's happening..

But act sympathetic, be very nice, and be someone they want to help (since people generally like to help others).

Yeah just wait till I call your manager or email the district manager and tell them how rude, unhelpful, and unpleasant you are. I'll get your name and report you make no mistake. I'll do everything in my power to get you fired. Then we'll see how unwilling you are to help.

Works every time.

David58117 · Mar 9, 2015

Hieveryone said:
Yeah just wait till I call your manager or email the district manager and tell them how rude, unhelpful, and unpleasant you are. I'll get your name and report you make no mistake. I'll do everything in my power to get you fired. Then we'll see how unwilling you are to help.

Works every time.

"Sorry Sir, his computer had obvious damage and when I asked him about it, he started yelling at me and calling me names and making threats. We tried to help him, but he kept making threats and calling us liars, in front of other customers. When he refused our attempts for a rational conversation, we not only feared for our own safety, but the safety of other customers. So we were forced to call the police. After the police took him, we further evaluated his computer and found conclusive evidence it was dropped. Would you like for us to send him the bill for repairs in jail, sir, or wait until he gets out?"

AllergyDoc · Mar 9, 2015

Just go in and tell them it quit running on battery power. If there is no visual damage, they won't ask if something happened and you won't have to tell a fib. This same thing happened to my daughter and her iPhone C. It got knocked out of her hand at school, then kicked off a 2nd-story walkway onto a concrete walkway below. The screen no longer lit up but because it was in a sturdy case, there was no visual damage. I just told the Genius guy it stopped working one day. He never asked if anything happened so I never told him.

daflake · Mar 9, 2015

Nope, I couldn't lie either because it would be against my own morals. Bottom line is that I damaged it and because of that, I have to pay. That being said, I have come clean with Apple a few times on some case damage and they stepped up and covered it even though I told them it was my fault. That is the way I approach it... If I broke it, then I man up and own it.

As for the cost of repair, check with your homeowners or renters insurance. Most of the time they will cover it if the repair cost is to high. Accidents happen, but it is not Apple's fault you broke your computer and those costs eventually get pushed back on to the rest of us.

Apple_Robert · Mar 9, 2015

Hieveryone said:
OMG I have never seen so many moral people in my life. Maybe MacRumors is MacMorals but in real life, people aren't honest.

I'll be straight with you and not fake...

Lie, lie, lie. If they say it's been dropped, call them out on it. Start raising your voice in the store. Threaten to call the manager. Threaten to email Tim Cook. Accuse of them of trying to cheat you of your hard earned money and that THEY'RE lying telling you that you dropped it just to get out of giving you service.

Lie, fight, yell, that's the only way. You MUST be cut throat. If you're going to go in there like a mouse and be like "I dropped my mac will you fix it for free" you can bet they'll kick your

Give them hell, and do it until you get what you came for. No mercy.

It seems it is all fun and games (to lie and cheat) with people like yourself, until you are truly in need through no fault of your own, and have to rely on the company to uphold their part of the agreement. People like yourself would expect honesty and attention with the company. However, you don't seem to realize or care that it is no different (at least it isn't supposed to be) on the customer side of the equation.

Entitlement mentality does not make good business or good customers. And your post here shows bad attitude full of entitlement mentality.

Hieveryone · Mar 9, 2015

David58117 said:
"Sorry Sir, his computer had obvious damage and when I asked him about it, he started yelling at me and calling me names and making threats. We tried to help him, but he kept making threats and calling us liars, in front of other customers. When he refused our attempts for a rational conversation, we not only feared for our own safety, but the safety of other customers. So we were forced to call the police. After the police took him, we further evaluated his computer and found conclusive evidence it was dropped. Would you like for us to send him the bill for repairs in jail, sir, or wait until he gets out?"

That's never ever how it goes.

You want to know why?

The customer has the money. You're replaceable. They can replace you in an instant. If they're paying you, AND you're causing them trouble, they'll just get someone else.

The customer on the other hand, he holds the money. The one with the money ALWAYS wins.

I'm about 100-0 when it comes to getting what I want with customer service.

And it's THIS technique I outlined that has made me so successful.

----------

BasicGreatGuy said:
It seems it is all fun and games (to lie and cheat) with people like yourself, until you are truly in need through no fault of your own, and have to rely on the company to uphold their part of the agreement. People like yourself would expect honesty and attention with the company. However, you don't seem to realize or care that it is no different (at least it isn't supposed to be) on the customer side of the equation.

Entitlement mentality does not make good business or good customers. And your post here shows bad attitude full of entitlement mentality.

Hogwash. Take the money and run.

ABC5S · Mar 9, 2015

Those that advocate theft, I wish the moderator would ban you. No place here for those that lie.

Mojo1 · Mar 9, 2015

What Goes Around Comes Around...

Hieveryone said:
Yeah just wait till I call your manager or email the district manager and tell them how rude, unhelpful, and unpleasant you are. I'll get your name and report you make no mistake. I'll do everything in my power to get you fired. Then we'll see how unwilling you are to help.

Works every time.

You are an a$$. Glad I don't know you or have to do business with you...

Karma is real and sooner or later it will come back to bite you... In your case it will likely bite you HARD. My only regret is that I won't be around to see it happen!

DiCaprioAngel · Mar 9, 2015

Hieveryone said:
That's never ever how it goes.

You want to know why?

The customer has the money. You're replaceable. They can replace you in an instant. If they're paying you, AND you're causing them trouble, they'll just get someone else.

The customer on the other hand, he holds the money. The one with the money ALWAYS wins.

I'm about 100-0 when it comes to getting what I want with customer service.

And it's THIS technique I outlined that has made me so successful..

Oh, please. If I had a customer that went off on me because I'm doing MY job and supporting the company's policy which they PAY me for, they're not going to get very far. Call my manager? Go ahead. They'll just restate whatever I say. I'm the supervisor at my job and I know exactly what the owners of my store wants in terms of customer service. I am always very polite and try to help in every way that I can, but because at times I can't give what the customer wants, they get mad and start throwing a tantrum and then security is called and they escort them out of the store. There are better ways to get what you want, but yelling and causing a scene is definitely not a good way. Especially not where I come from. I've been doing retail for 4 years and all customers that act like how you say is best to get your way never end up getting their way. Besides, one person's money is not what makes the company successful. It's the loyal customers who come back consistently that make the company money. Just because one person refuses to shop at any store doesn't mean the company is going to go out of business. There are always going to be new customers to replenish the sales, one way or another. I've seen it happen for over 4 years.

brentsg · Mar 9, 2015

I had a lady crash into me with her car while I sat at a stop light. Both she and her insurance company lied up one side and down the other. I hate people like that. You should tell the truth.

I can only hope what comes around goes around.

Hieveryone · Mar 9, 2015

DiCaprioAngel said:
Oh, please. If I had a customer that went off on me because I'm doing MY job and supporting the company's policy which they PAY me for, they're not going to get very far. Call my manager? Go ahead. They'll just restate whatever I say. I'm the supervisor at my job and I know exactly what the owners of my store wants in terms of customer service. I am always very polite and try to help in every way that I can, but because at times I can't give what the customer wants, they get mad and start throwing a tantrum and then security is called and they escort them out of the store. There are better ways to get what you want, but yelling and causing a scene is definitely not a good way. Especially not where I come from. I've been doing retail for 4 years and all customers that act like how you say is best to get your way never end up getting their way. Besides, one person's money is not what makes the company successful. It's the loyal customers who come back consistently that make the company money. Just because one person refuses to shop at any store doesn't mean the company is going to go out of business. There are always going to be new customers to replenish the sales, one way or another. I've seen it happen for over 4 years.

Well if that's how you run business you're doing it wrong. The reason why those customers weren't successful is because they DIDNT follow my lead as outlined in my earlier post.

There is always someone higher than you, willing to listen, waiting to get you in trouble.

I've talked to a supervisor and been shut down. Want to know what I did?

Emailed the board of directors from my company email.

Next thing you know the supervisor is on his knees treating me like KING.

You're only great until your boss hears from me (the customer).

There's a reason why I have always gotten my way. It's because I understand that unless you twist people's arms, they won't do what they're supposed to.

I've filed lawsuits, then gotten my way. Most of the time I warn them that I WILL file, and they run scared and do whatever I tell them.

Like I said earlier, no mercy. None.

2984839 · Mar 9, 2015

Tell the truth. The world has enough dishonesty and selfishness in it.

cairene2011 · Mar 9, 2015

I don't understand the attitude of Hieveryone and the others, who advocate for lying and making a scene. Not because I'm holier than thou and lying is immoral (that's only my personal opinion and I respect that others play differently), but because for the self-serving reasoning that a Genius has LESS REASON to go out of his way to help you, if he catches you lying or if you treat him like crap.

I have previously been given a fresh battery for my 3 year old Macbook Air, 1 week before my extended Apple Care expired, because I was friendly and calmly explained that, yes indeed, I probably caused the battery to blow up by constantly recharging and draining the battery (had some 3000+ cycles), but that I also did that because I made the honest mistake of believing that this was the most sensible way of treating a battery. The battery of my old Sony Vaio laptop from 2005 died after only half a year, because I kept it constantly plugged in and never let the battery drain and I took that to heart and thought I'd be very good with never letting my MBA "overcharge" like this. Little did I know, that this was in fact the worst thing I could have done to its battery. Yet, I explained that calmly, said I was sorry for my stupidity. Of course it helped my argument that from day 1 my MBA never reached the advertised 5 hrs of battery life (2 hrs on a good day), so I didn't have much choice other than to frequently recharge, but still it was my mainly my fault for recharging, draining, recharging, draining... like 5 times a day when the battery eventually blew up.

Before I had elaborated on why I had recharged so often, the Genius was adamant that a battery was consumable and not covered by Apple Care, especially not after 3 years way past 3000 cycles. After I had calmly and friendly explained why I had recharged so often, he very kindly gave me the battery replacement for free.

So don't think honesty is only for weak-ass Green Tea drinking moral people, who get steamrolled in life. It's actually a powerful tool for getting people to like you and help you out when you messed up.

.............

EDIT: We have a proverb in Austria "Talking gets people on the same side". I always found that I was more successful in pulling others on my side than beating them in an argument, but I know others, who can win any verbal fight and therefor always choose this approach. I suppose in the end, the right strategy depends on the OP's personality: Are you generally more successful in a confrontation where you pressure people to do as you wish, or are you more successful in connecting with people on a friendly level where they end up wanting to help you out?

Tell the truth or lie? Applecare...

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