I recently had a hard drive crash on my mac book and I took it in to get it fixed. No problems getting it fixed, however, Apple refused to give me back my old hard drive so that I could try and recover the files. Now I am trying to find a way to get all my itunes purchases back because I spent a lot of money on things that are now gone. I am fully aware that I should have had backups of my files, but I also feel like because this was a problem that wouldn't have happened had Apple made a better product, that I should be compensated somehow. Maybe some free downloads? Anything? If anyone can give me some advice on how I can get some compensation for my losses, it would be much appreciated. Right now i'm pretty pissed with Apple. Their "protection plan" should be called: partial/not really protection plan.
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Any way around Apple Care's insufficiency?
- Thread starter Garjon
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I would second this recommendation. Apple has been known to allow you to redownload purchased items in cases like this.
Duff-Man says....as has been said many times before - it's not a matter of if your hard drive will crash or fail, but a matter of when. They all do eventually. For the record - don't blame Apple for not making a "better product" as they didn't make the hard drive. You learned a lesson, unfortunately the hard way....oh yeah!
It's something called "personal responsibility" and sadly, it's becoming more rare. Anyone using any computer made by any company should be wise enough to make backups! Backups have been SOP since computers were invented. This is not AppleCare's or Apple's fault. It's the user's fault.
What do you want from us?
You come here looking to blame Apple specifically for something that isn't their fault because you failed to backup.
That said. I have had success in redownloading two seasons of 24 that got destroyed accidentally. All you can do is ask, but I doubt they will let you redownload your entire library.
Unfortunate, but seems to be true these days.
We used to have articles talking about how loud the drives were "sounds like an unbalance washing machine full of hard objects". But at least the drives are quiet, even if they no longer last as long.
AppleCare replaced the drive, it is all a reasonable person can expect. It can be a hard lesson to learn to do backups. On my G4 iBook, I only backup my home directory and I do that in two different places. If the iBook dies, it's no big deal to recover my data. On my iMac I have two different backups also.
My main concern would be why wouldn't Apple return his old hard drive back to him?? I would think he should be entitled to have it back to see if any important files could be recovered from the old hard drive. I think that should be the main issue of his question not who is to blame for a bad hard drive! That's how I see it.
My guess would be that Apple gets some kind of credit for returning the defective drive to the manufacturer. You don't get to keep any other defective part they've replaced, do you?
Apple would claim on its corporate insurance for the drive and the insurance company theyve the contract with would want to inspect it so they dont have to pay out basically.
Or that, either way, my point is valid. When they replace any part, they don't let you walk away with the defective one.
Apple doesn't build their hard drive besides all hard drives are going to die eventually and like other had said..It's a matter of when. Don't blame Apple for not having better products. Well you learn your lesson but don't get offended of this I'm only saying the facts...
Thats right.
However I do think Apple should push the need to back up your hard drive a bit more, perhaps reduce the price of the Time Capsule.
Thats right.
However I do think Apple should push the need to back up your hard drive a bit more, perhaps reduce the price of the Time Capsule.
They push it a lot harder than any other computer maker - with Time Machine built-in.
The point is this guy didnt back up, and now he's stuffed. Yeah i guess if they put loads of backup notifications and warnings in OS X would become another Vista but still all hard drives fail, and theyre usually the first things to break when a laptops damaged, dropped etc and people should know about more it.
Despite what you think, OP -- It is no fault but your own. If the drive failed, it failed.
All HDDs fail, eventually. You can backup your files or you can lose them forever.
iTunes (Music) and Photos are the most important to backup as they're always changing, so you need updated. Other files (word files, ical, whatever else) can also be important depending on how much you use the programs and how important they are to your daily activities.
Using an External HDD is a quick and easy way, however it too is a hard drive, and can eventually fail. It is rare that both would somehow fail at once, but you never know. Power surges or some other thing could possibly take out both simultaneously.
I use DVDs for hard backups. The data on DVDs stays there, no power requirements needed, no risk of data failure over time (if kept safe from scratches/extreme heat).
I create a DVD for my iTunes library files, and 6 DVDs holding the artist folders which contain my music. I burn the artist folders to keep the file/folder structure intact as iTunes has it. To replace it, I simply create an "iTunes" directory (if none exists), create a "iTunes Music" folder inside that, and copy all my artist folders back. I then copy the library files into the "iTunes" directory -- done. No re-adding files, organizing, getting artwork, making playlists -- the entire library remains intact.
I recently burned DVDs holding my movie files ripped from handbrake. I know external HDDs can fail, and if this one does fail -- I'm prepared.
What's good about the movie backups is I don't need to keep doing it -- I have them on DVD, I don't need to re-burn them. It's not like iTunes where new things are added and changed, where I need to re-burn everything to maintain an updated library structure.
All HDDs fail, eventually. You can backup your files or you can lose them forever.
iTunes (Music) and Photos are the most important to backup as they're always changing, so you need updated. Other files (word files, ical, whatever else) can also be important depending on how much you use the programs and how important they are to your daily activities.
Using an External HDD is a quick and easy way, however it too is a hard drive, and can eventually fail. It is rare that both would somehow fail at once, but you never know. Power surges or some other thing could possibly take out both simultaneously.
I use DVDs for hard backups. The data on DVDs stays there, no power requirements needed, no risk of data failure over time (if kept safe from scratches/extreme heat).
I create a DVD for my iTunes library files, and 6 DVDs holding the artist folders which contain my music. I burn the artist folders to keep the file/folder structure intact as iTunes has it. To replace it, I simply create an "iTunes" directory (if none exists), create a "iTunes Music" folder inside that, and copy all my artist folders back. I then copy the library files into the "iTunes" directory -- done. No re-adding files, organizing, getting artwork, making playlists -- the entire library remains intact.
I recently burned DVDs holding my movie files ripped from handbrake. I know external HDDs can fail, and if this one does fail -- I'm prepared.
What's good about the movie backups is I don't need to keep doing it -- I have them on DVD, I don't need to re-burn them. It's not like iTunes where new things are added and changed, where I need to re-burn everything to maintain an updated library structure.
Apple doesn't give you your broken crap back because they have to send that part back to someplace else to get some sort of credit for it. Once they swap your part, that part that came out of your mac is GONE, in most cases very quickly. It doesn't stay in the store very long.
Bottom line:
You wanted you keep your old, dead, drive to try to get data off it, you should have tried to do that first.
All hard disks will eventually die. If it takes 100 hours of use or 100,000 hours of use, they will eventually crap out. It's the nature of a mechanical device.
Do not blame a great company with the best service in the industry (I'm not just saying that, many publications agree, including consumer reports) because you didn't plan appropriately for failure of a mechanical device.
Bottom line:
You wanted you keep your old, dead, drive to try to get data off it, you should have tried to do that first.
All hard disks will eventually die. If it takes 100 hours of use or 100,000 hours of use, they will eventually crap out. It's the nature of a mechanical device.
Do not blame a great company with the best service in the industry (I'm not just saying that, many publications agree, including consumer reports) because you didn't plan appropriately for failure of a mechanical device.
Really, really untrue. DVD/CD discs are not fail safe by any means. Better than a mechanical device, but not fail safe.
The dye based CD/DVDs tend to have a short life compared to a WORM drive or a magneto optical drive.
But the MO drive is slow and hasn't had a lot of money spent on it for R&D which let it fall way behind, and the WORM doesn't have the capacity.
Technically it depends on what part they replace. If it is a major part, they do send it back to possibly get refurbished by the manufacturer or recycled. Other, smaller parts like cables or similar things, generally get tossed or are not required to be returned in any way, however you still don't get them back (unless maybe from a nice person at the Store).
Apple can and should let you redownload purchased items from their iTunes store. However, due to physical limitations of time and space, you can not re-download anything that they do not offer at the iTunes store anymore. So if that album you downloaded years ago is not being sold at the iTunes store then you can not get it back.
Apple, as with all computer/hard drive manufacturers recommend performing backups. Just look through any of their manuals or at any major system update Apple has released and it will tell you as much. There is nothing else you can do at this point, and as with all major parts replaced under warranty (by Apple, if not most companies replacing similar items), you do not, nor have you ever been able to retrieve it after the fact for any use.
As with others here, you have unfortunately learned this the hard way. Always perform a backup if you want to keep your data.
As an added bonus for rereading that last part of the OP's comment:
Their "protection" plan prevents you from being charged for anything that goes wrong with "their" machines during the warranty period. Any subsequent data you place on it is "yours" and therefor "your" responsibility and should be regarded as such.
If you miss work because your car gets a flat tire, the car manufacturer can not reimburse you for missed time. Or better yet, if your building gets burnt down, no one can help you get your files back unless you had an offsite backup. Even if it was a negligent worker who shorted a wire and caused it.
Hard drives are also hard to repair - unless it's the external electronics, it probably goes straight to their recycle plant at the mfgr. the platters are sealed. Usually it's not worth the time/money to diagnose/fix; it just gets junked.