This is why Tim Cook as CEO has failed. Good customer service applies to ALL levels within a company, from the low paid 1st level reps way up to the executive level. The problem is when it comes to the executive level because the next level above them is the CEO and this is where situations can show either the CEO is complacent and ignorant of the behavior of the executive branch or the CEO is cognitive of ALL branches within the company and employees behavior, especially at the executive level.
The Apple employee at the executive level who handled your case should either be fired or go through extensive training on how to properly behave and respond to customer complaints/issues. But who is going to tell Tim Cook about that executive employee's appalling behavior towards you? The employee is certainly not going to tell on themselves.
Another thing, reading back my post, your issue should have never got to the executive level in the first place if the person on the lower level had acted in the way they should have done as described in my post. The fact they did not is why you had to push it to the executive level and even then the person at that level treated you with distain.
100% agree. It's pretty telling that someone is so desperate to get their money back after being shut down by senior management in a one sentence email that they have to email the CEO in a last ditch effort.