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Apple exchange/return policy question

sofianito

sofianito

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Jan 14, 2011
1,207
2
Spain
Last week, I bought a maxed MBA i7 1.7GHz/8GB/512GB in a US Apple store. Now that I am back to Spain, I am not sure if I am going to get used to the US Qwerty physical keyboard layout. Since I am within the 14 days return/exchange period, I am wondering if I could exchange it with the same model but with a Western Spanish Qwerty keyboard layout at my local Apple store?

Thanks.
 
That is tough because I don't think the US warranty applies to Spain. Best chance you have is to call your local Apple store and ask.
 
GoCubsGo said:
That is tough because I don't think the US warranty applies to Spain. Best chance you have is to call your local Apple store and ask.
Click to expand...

I purchased the 3 years Apple care and I have been told it is an international warranty by the US apple store. I am not sure if AC is related to the 14 return period though.

Here is what I found regarding the exchange police :

Exchange an item
If you purchased your item from Apple in the U.S., you can take it to any U.S. Apple Retail Store for an exchange. Item exchanges are, of course, subject to in-store product availability. It's a good idea to check in-stock availability by calling the Apple Retail Store, or by viewing the product on the Apple Online Store to see if the item is available for pick up locally. Personalized items and custom-configured Macs may not be eligible for exchange at an Apple Retail Store.

Items ordered on the U.S. Apple Online Store that arrived damaged or are incorrect can be returned to any U.S. Apple Retail Store, or by contacting Customer Service at 1-800-676-2775.

EDIT: I found the following on Apple Sales and Refund Policy:

Returns
We fundamentally believe you will be thrilled with the products you purchase from the Apple Store. That’s because we go out of our way to ensure that they’re designed and built to be just what you need. We understand, however, that sometimes a product may not be what you expected it to be. In that unlikely event, we invite you to review the following terms related to returning a product.

For iPhone returns, you may return your undamaged iPhone with its included accessories within 30 days of purchase for a full refund. Here’s the important part: returning your iPhone may not automatically cancel or reset your wireless account; you are responsible for your wireless service agreement and for any applicable fees associated with your wireless account. Please contact your provider for more information.

For any other product, simply return it with the original receipt (or gift receipt) and original packaging within 14 days of the date you receive the product. If the item is returned within this timeframe, we’ll exchange it or offer a refund based upon the original payment method. For returns to an Apple Retail Store for cash, cash equivalent, and check transactions over $250, Apple will mail a refund check to you within 10 business days. Please note the following:

Products can be returned only in the country in which they were originally purchased.
The following products are not eligible for return: electronic software downloads, subscriptions to the Software-Up-To-Date program, Apple Store Gift Cards, and any Apple Developer Connection products.
In the case of items returned with a gift receipt, Apple will offer you an Apple Store Gift Card equal to the purchase price of the gift, including tax and any other fees.
Opened software cannot be returned if it contained a seal with the software license on the outside of the package and you could read the software license before opening its packaging. As an exception, you may return Apple-branded software if you do not agree to the licensing terms; however, you may not retain or otherwise use any copies of returned software. It’s not legal . . . and it’s not nice.
For complete details on how to return a product purchased at the Apple Store please visit the Returns & Refunds page.

Does it mean I have to travel back to US to exchange it? :eek:
 
Last edited:
sofianito said:
Products can be returned only in the country in which they were originally purchased.

Does it mean I have to travel back to US to exchange it? :eek:
Click to expand...

Absolutely.

There is basically a fairly good reason why you should buy from your home country and that is because of this reason. You were told by some kid in a t-shirt that the warranty is international? If that is the case then great, but I would definitely want to be certain of this before I purchased. Did you buy in the US because it was cheaper? This is usually the primary reason why people will buy in the US while visiting. If you search these forums you'll find threads where people are asking about their visit to the states and where to buy an Apple product. It's common, but when things like this happen, it's difficult to do anything about it.
 
Forget about the warranty. That covers manufacturing defects. It doesn't matter if it's international or not: this is not a defect. What matters is returns. And I can see no reason why an Apple store will accept a product specification they don't and can't sell as a return.
 
You should call up Apple and check how mcuh they would charge you to replace the keyboard to your local layout. That will be cheaper (if not free) than flying back to the US. ;)
 
Regarding warranties, not sure what it's like now, but when I worked for a reseller the laptops had worldwide coverage but the desktops were country specific. Then again, this is ten years ago.

I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe one of (if not the main) reasons you can't exchange an Apple product in a different country is because officially they may be separate companies, at least in name.

The costs and legalese involved probably cost too much to make an international exchange realistic.

All things considered, this 14 day return policy is way better than what we used to have. No returns on BTOs (bought and paid for at the store) and there was a restocking fee for any returns. If there was something wrong with it, it went to service for repair and in those days before Apple Stores the turnaround time was much longer. Two weeks wasn't unheard of for waiting on a repair.

Not that I like Apple Stores much, but they're definitely been an improvement in how customers are handled.
 
GoCubsGo said:
You were told by some kid in a t-shirt that the warranty is international? If that is the case then great, but I would definitely want to be certain of this before I purchased.
Click to expand...

AppleCare is indeed international. Aside from the anecdotal accounts, here is the page on AppleCare.

http://www.apple.com/support/products/mac.html said:
Every Mac and Apple display comes with a one-year limited warranty and up to 90 days of complimentary telephone technical support. Extend your coverage to three years from your hardware product’s original purchase date with the AppleCare Protection Plan. You get direct, one-stop access to Apple’s award-winning telephone technical support for questions about Apple hardware, OS X, and Apple applications such as iLife and iWork. And you get global repair coverage for your Mac and Apple display through convenient service options.
Click to expand...

Returns, not so much.
 
I bought my first Macbook pro (Late 2007 maxed 17" Santa Rosa) six years ago at the same US Apple store and it has a US Qwerty keyboard. I am used somehow to it and it is similar to Western Spanish Qwerty but it lacks of vowel accents. I have to use cmd + opt + key to type them on a US Qwerty. FWIW, it has been repaired for "free" here in Spain some months ago although it was out of 3 years AC warranty.

To be honest, I am very happy with my purchase. I got a great deal through EPP, tax back, and € to $ conversion rate. I wanted the Western Spanish keyboard to increase its resell value if I ever sell it in Spain in a couple of years...

As a workaround when I'm at home, I use it as a desktop replacement with a Apple wired Spanish Western keyboard and an external display...

--------

robbieduncan said:
Forget about the warranty. That covers manufacturing defects. It doesn't matter if it's international or not: this is not a defect. What matters is returns. And I can see no reason why an Apple store will accept a product specification they don't and can't sell as a return.
Click to expand...

FWIW, both US and Spanish online stores allow to order a laptop with either a Western Spanish or US keyboard layout. This means I can actually order here in Spain a laptop with US keyboard and return it for a full refund or exchange it within the 14 days period. So, I don't understand why a MBA purchased in US cannot be exchanged within the 14 days period here in Spain with the same model and configuration but with the Western Spanish keyboard. Even a full refund should be allowed since they only need to convert the total amount in $ to € based on the currency conversion rate of the day of purchase...

Lessons learned: Next time, if I ever want to purchase a laptop in US with a non US keyboard, I'll order it online around two weeks before flying there and pick it at the Apple store...
 
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