Apple/Mac: Disappointed So Far

[sunsnewmac]

yes
for the last time please, I'm not going to BB for support OK?
and I actually did call Apple and got right through but like I said they can't help me because the S/N was registered to someone else and BB needs to fax them the bill to show that I just bought it the other day and to renew my AppleCare free 90 days phone support.
If BB can't fix this soon I will have to return the MB.

 

[jsfpa]

Take a peek at this.



https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/54704/

 

[failsafe1]

Wow instead of expecting a wave of assaults from the Mac folk you will actually experience a wave of support and compassion from us. Sorry for your trouble. The only real problem you have had so far is a lack of support from the people you purchased the machine from. Best Buy. Post your specific troubles and perhaps we can help. If you really don't like the machine then no troubles needed. Simply return it and move on.

 

[TraceyS/FL]

The Ops Manager is the one that has to deal with it more than likely, and the person that handles it at Apple might not be there until Monday. This kind of stuff was never as easy as anyone would like to think (DirecTV issues where so much fun - not).

I take it you didn't buy Apple Care (which extends the phone service past 90 days).

That said, their should be a Manager willing to call Apple and see what can be done NOW. The Ops Manager would have been in the store today - it's payroll day.

How much of a deal was the open box?

 

[sunsnewmac]

Hi
Yeah I actually linked to that awesome thread in my first post on MacRumors
(in other words, been there done that )

 

[sunsnewmac]

I do appreciate all the support from this forum
Yes I do know that BBG is responsible for this SN problem which is why the department supervisor is (attempting to) deal directly with Apple to take care of that. In any case it looks like Apple will require them to fax my bill, so there is nothing I can do.
No I didn't purchase the extra AppleCare because I was supposed to get the 90 days free. As a rule I don't purchase extra tech support (that's why you gus are for )
So my goal from BB is to get them to renew my SN with Apple and if that fails I will have to get another MB from somewhere else down the road
The open box wasn't a huge savings, but it was good enough for me to jump at the opportunity. It was $999 Canadian for the MacBook white 2 Ghz coreduo w/ superdrive etc (MA255 model I believe). Less than $200 off. For all these hassles I'd have preferred purchasing direct from Apple!

 

[TraceyS/FL]

The Apple Care is more than phone support though - translate that same used to work at BB - to always buy a service plan on an open box deal. You don't know what the heck the person did to it while they had it.

The department Supervisor can get it done - but they have to stay on the floor which is probably why it's not happening at a great speed.

I hope they get that sorted out soon for you, it's frustrating to deal with it.

 

[emac82]

The only thing Best Buy needs to do for you is to fill out an Apple Warranty Reset Form and fax it to Apple, and it will reset the warranty so you can register. They shouldn't have to call, unless of course they aren't aware of the procedure.

I work for an Apple reseller in Canada (not an Apple Store) and we provide our customers with great service and most of our staff is very knowledgeable when it comes to Macs. If they are a new employee who hasn't used Apple computers, sometimes it takes a little for them to get used to it.

Future Shop (who is now owned by Best Buy) recently started selling macs and they are doing a terrible job at it. I get so some complaints it's not even funny. They don't want to sell them, they don't want to learn them, it's sad because these people are forking out big dollars and they aren't even getting great service.

I had a customer in today who bought an iMac from us back in September, and she had bought a Canon DVDCAM from Future Shop, and she told them she was using a mac. They told her it would work "No Problem"..Well, this model doesn't have firewire, or even USB, so she has no way to sync it with iMovie (she has to buy an external box now, which is about $200CAD to get it to connect to her Mac)..They should have sold her a Firewire model, because even USB doesn't work with iMovie..But no, because of their lack of Apple knowledge, instead of selling her a comparable model for about the same price, she's screwed..She bought it at Christmas time and only got around to trying to edit it now..I feel bad for her..

 

[sunsnewmac]

wow that's too bad

I am learning my lesson. If I have to get a new Mac (if Best Buy doesn't come through for me) I will buy it from a real Mac place/Mac store online
The BB supervisor did say something about faxing but I guess he wants to talk to someone first? Who knows. I am thinking of calling Apple again to see if they woudl be satisfied if I faxed a copy of the bill myself to get the process rolling.

 

[emac82]

Yeah, usually if you can provide a proof of purchase to Apple they have no problem registering the warranty to you.

 

[sunsnewmac]

do you know what Apple number I need to phone/fax?

 

[emac82]

do you know what Apple number I need to phone/fax?

Try calling 1-800-MY-APPLE

 

[sunsnewmac]

The Canadian tech support just shut down for the weekend so i'll have to wait.
In case I do have to return it to BB, does anyone know any Vancouver/Canadian dealers who might have the MA255, which is the 2 Ghz processor with 512 RAM & SuperDrive? The newer ones are exactly the same but with 1 GB of RAM. They are $1499 and that's more than I can spend. This discontinued open box model was $999, and the $500 is what makes putting up with BB worthwhile. Or is it? Can you believe they've had 3 days to fax my info to Apple and still haven't done it? Sheesh

 

[emac82]

The Canadian tech support just shut down for the weekend so i'll have to wait.
In case I do have to return it to BB, does anyone know any Vancouver/Canadian dealers who might have the MA255, which is the 2 Ghz processor with 512 RAM & SuperDrive? The newer ones are exactly the same but with 1 GB of RAM. They are $1499 and that's more than I can spend. This discontinued open box model was $999, and the $500 is what makes putting up with BB worthwhile. Or is it? Can you believe they've had 3 days to fax my info to Apple and still haven't done it? Sheesh

Here are some CompuSmart's in BC

http://www.compusmart.com/OurStores.aspx

The new C2D MacBook with SuperDrive is $1449.99 not $1499.99

That's a good deal though, for $999.99...I'm sure if you keep hounding them it'll get done, I guess you will just have to be patient.

 

[failsafe1]

I would think 500 is worth the trouble that has occurred. I think the thread should go with unsatisfied with Apple to putting up with BB

 

[sunsnewmac]

I would think 500 is worth the trouble that has occurred. I think the thread should go with unsatisfied with Apple to putting up with BB

The thread is heading in that direction, definately
But I'm still spooked about the networking issue

I also need to correct what I said earlier. There are 3 semi-significant differences between the MA255 I got and the newer model of white MB. First, I believe the MA255 has a 2 Ghz Core Duo, not the Core2Duo like the newer model. I also think the SuperDrive on the new one supports double-layer. And the newer one has an 80 GB HD, not a 60 GB. So it's not just the RAM!

Is it still worth the $500 savings?

 

[johnmartin78]

People should stop shopping at Best Buy all together.Or most big electronics retailers for that matter.9/10 of their employees are pretty much the noobest people you're going to find.When you ask them anything halfway advanced you can see that.I 100% prefer to pay a tad bit more at a locally owned computer/electronics shop and get better service from a person that actually knows what he/she is doing.

 

[emac82]

The thread is heading in that direction, definately
But I'm still spooked about the networking issue

I also need to correct what I said earlier. There are 3 semi-significant differences between the MA255 I got and the newer model of white MB. First, I believe the MA255 has a 2 Ghz Core Duo, not the Core2Duo like the newer model. I also think the SuperDrive on the new one supports double-layer. And the newer one has an 80 GB HD, not a 60 GB. So it's not just the RAM!

Is it still worth the $500 savings?

Well, the processor is faster and there are less known issues with the C2D's over the CD. To upgrade the ram from 512MB to 1GB would cost about....$130+ CAD. Hard Drive upgrade is worth about $125+...I wouldn't be so concerned about the dual layer....You will likely upgrade the ram, but if 60GB is enough for you then I would keep it.

 

[sunsnewmac]

Well, the processor is faster and there are less known issues with the C2D's over the CD.

Pray tell, what are the "known issues"?

20 GB of extra HD space is nothing as far as I'm concerned. I already have a large external drive. The extra RAM I think I can get a deal on in the future (not from BestBuy )

 

[emac82]

Pray tell, what are the "known issues"?

20 GB of extra HD space is nothing as far as I'm concerned. I already have a large external drive. The extra RAM I think I can get a deal on in the future (not from BestBuy )

They had random shutdown issues, which were corrected with firmware updates, that was the most common one. Also, they run a little hotter than the C2D, plus the C2D's are 64-bit, so it's more future proof...

 

[sunsnewmac]

UPDATE: The Compromise

Best Buy finally called Apple!

The bad news is that Apple will not renew the S/N on this product That means I cannot go through Apple directly unless I want to pay for AppleCare, which I don't.

The good news is that Best Buy offered me some financial compensation to make up for the lapsed Apple warranty. It is a decent enough amount to make me not want to return it. Best Buy will still cover me for 1 year of free tech support.

Everybody's happy (sort of) .

 

[Gee]

UPDATE: The Compromise

Best Buy finally called Apple!

The bad news is that Apple will not renew the S/N on this product That means I cannot go through Apple directly unless I want to pay for AppleCare, which I don't.

The good news is that Best Buy offered me some financial compensation to make up for the lapsed Apple warranty. It is a decent enough amount to make me not want to return it. Best Buy will still cover me for 1 year of free tech support.

Everybody's happy (sort of) .

But you still didn't sort your networking issues, right?

 

[sunsnewmac]

no--networking issues remain unsolved

 

[TraceyS/FL]

OK, but see - i'd want to know WHY they won't cover it. That seems really really odd to me.....

I'd really suggest Apple Care - there has to be something that Apple knows. Will they tell you why they won't renew it?!

 

[sunsnewmac]

I can't deal directly with the Department that works with resellers like Best Buy. I can only call Apple tech support. They don't know about things like vendors renewing date of sale, resetting warranty, or clearing the S/N. So I can't really get a straight answer other than what the BB guy told me, which is that Apple said too much time had lapsed from when the S/N was first registered.