Apple Customer Service Experience

[nortonandreev]

Hey guys. I wanted to share with you what my experience with Apple has been lately. I was wondering what your thoughts would be on that and if someone else has had the same problems.

So I have been an Apple user for several years now. Pretty much all the hardware defects I have been getting were related to the iPhone batteries getting swollen and etc. Unfortunately, last year, two weeks after the warranty of my MacBook Pro 2017 expired, the display became defective. Apple refused to fix it and wanted £600 for display replacement. Instead of this, I decided to go for MacBook Pro 2018. Four months later, the same display issue occurred and I left it in Apple store in the USA to get it repaired. They’ve replaced the screen and told me they had found a defect with the touchpad, but could not fix it, as I was travelling back home the next day. Two months after the display was replaced, I got the same issue with it. Apart from the display, the battery got swollen. So I left it with authorised Apple service provider on 30th of June and since then everything’s been a mess. They have got the new parts last Wednesday but could not make them work for some reason. They thought the replacement parts might be defective as well, so they reordered them. The problem was not with the parts and they have been told to change the logic board. They’ve done this and we’re still having issues. I have spoken with senior Apple care advisers and they say nothing can be done. Yesterday the service has asked Apple if they should give me a replacement unit instead and today they were told to continue replacing parts. So, by now, the display has been replaced 3 times, top case twice, Logic board once and some other stuff will get replaced next week. It seems like Apple is just refusing to provide a new one even if they see that the MacBook is defective. I don’t think that’s service Apple customers should be getting for the prices we pay. Not to mention that I need my MacBook for work, so every day without it is a big inconvenience for me.

Because of that I plan to stop upgrading my Apple products every year, as I just can not justify paying that much money and receiving faulty products and no customer support.

Apart from that, my AirPods 2 needed to be replaced just two weeks after I got them and some other small issues has occurred with other products I own as well. I am not sure if I’m unlucky or the quality control is too low.

Any thoughts on the situation?

 

[jagolden]

Hey guys. I wanted to share with you what my experience with Apple has been lately. I was wondering what your thoughts would be on that and if someone else has had the same problems.

So I have been an Apple user for several years now. Pretty much all the hardware defects I have been getting were related to the iPhone batteries getting swollen and etc. Unfortunately, last year, two weeks after the warranty of my MacBook Pro 2017 expired, the display became defective. Apple refused to fix it and wanted £600 for display replacement. Instead of this, I decided to go for MacBook Pro 2018. Four months later, the same display issue occurred and I left it in Apple store in the USA to get it repaired. They’ve replaced the screen and told me they had found a defect with the touchpad, but could not fix it, as I was travelling back home the next day. Two months after the display was replaced, I got the same issue with it. Apart from the display, the battery got swollen. So I left it with authorised Apple service provider on 30th of June and since then everything’s been a mess. They have got the new parts last Wednesday but could not make them work for some reason. They thought the replacement parts might be defective as well, so they reordered them. The problem was not with the parts and they have been told to change the logic board. They’ve done this and we’re still having issues. I have spoken with senior Apple care advisers and they say nothing can be done. Yesterday the service has asked Apple if they should give me a replacement unit instead and today they were told to continue replacing parts. So, by now, the display has been replaced 3 times, top case twice, Logic board once and some other stuff will get replaced next week. It seems like Apple is just refusing to provide a new one even if they see that the MacBook is defective. I don’t think that’s service Apple customers should be getting for the prices we pay. Not to mention that I need my MacBook for work, so every day without it is a big inconvenience for me.

Because of that I plan to stop upgrading my Apple products every year, as I just can not justify paying that much money and receiving faulty products and no customer support.

Apart from that, my AirPods 2 needed to be replaced just two weeks after I got them and some other small issues has occurred with other products I own as well. I am not sure if I’m unlucky or the quality control is too low.

Any thoughts on the situation?

It all seems to be luck of the draw.

I continue to receive perfect products and great cutomer service (from TC right down to the local Genius Bar and telephone).
Others though seem to get some poor products and results.
IDK.

 

[trillionaire]

Sounds to me like a combination of both - unlucky and poor customer support. I'm sure this is not the customer support experience most people have so in that sense you are unlucky. That said, you are not receiving proper support with a problem that is clearly a product issue, not a fault of yours.

The product should have been fully replaced when they realized the initial replacement parts don't fix the problem. It's not your problem and you shouldn't be made to wait until they find a solution, that should be handled internally and you should be happily working on a new MacBook.

Maybe some other people can shed light on horror stories they've had that are similar to yours.

 

[jeyf]

lots of products in a "market" all have the same issues, just with Apple the products are more expen$ive.

Apple just fired their engineering lead. Scrapping the super upper end peeps into a side car called "LoveFrom Inc"

 

[nortonandreev]

lots of products in a "market" all have the same issues, just with Apple the products are more expen$ive.

I’ve never said that other products are perfect, I’m well aware that all have issues. My major problem is how Apple has been handling the issue, not that the issue exists. But it seems to be also a trend newer Apple products to be faultier than before. We’ve seen a lot of cases now, so my point about the quality control is still valid I guess.
[doublepost=1562950647][/doublepost]

Sounds to me like a combination of both - unlucky and poor customer support. I'm sure this is not the customer support experience most people have so in that sense you are unlucky. That said, you are not receiving proper support with a problem that is clearly a product issue, not a fault of yours.

The product should have been fully replaced when they realized the initial replacement parts don't fix the problem. It's not your problem and you shouldn't be made to wait until they find a solution, that should be handled internally and you should be happily working on a new MacBook.

Maybe some other people can shed light on horror stories they've had that are similar to yours.

Yes, I agree. I am also a software engineering student and intern, so I really need my laptop, not only for entertainment. But doesn’t matter, like nobody should be going trough all that. I’ve been talking with them everyday and they say they can’t do anything and don’t have any estimate about when it should be with me. They say the aim is to have the devices repaired between 4 - 6 business days which are well over now and still they don’t have any estimate.

 

[jeyf]

Apple Inc is caught up in a continuous lie. Just a bet is their customer support is in that type of loop too.

 

[Trey M]

In reading the forums over the years, AASP generally have a much less ‘magic’ experience than Apple retail stores in terms of replacements, repairs etc.

It’s good to always deal with Apple stores directly if at all possible because in cases of escalation, you’ll get a replacement much more quickly. Generally getting Senior Apple Care advisors involved (via phone) is your best bet in combo with a manager at an Apple Store.

Sounds like your Senior Apple Care rep may have their hands tied as all repairs were not thru Apple retail.

 

[ondrejz]

I've never had an issue with people in the stores. Back in the day they'd throw in a charger or new battery when getting a simple fix. Always made sure to make an appointment and be on time.

Replaced my MBP 2014 battery a while back, they were cool and quick (did it there because I had a 3rd party SSD), but the case had apparently been refreshed, and the keyboard is now totally messed up - keys super shallow, and my fingers constantly hit the aluminum between the keys. I type like crap now.

Not their fault. The suits are making the **** calls - releasing sub-par hardware, poorly-designed components, etc. Went out and bought a badass 17" MSI. Only thing I miss on it is OS X and that sweet, sweet touchpad. Hopefully enough people are doing this, dropping out of a cycle or two, and will get Apple's attention. But it looks like they're wanting to cripple the OS next, so it may be lost on them.

 

[DougFNJ]

I purchased the new 2019 with 2TB a month ago using my employee discount, I saved some money. Last week, Apple lowered the price of the SSD upgrades past my 14 day return period.

I called the one rep, he said he couldn't credit the difference because it was bought with the discount, and referred me to the department that could do it for me. I emailed that department, they said it was past the 14 day period, and apologized that he couldn't help me. I replied to that rep explaining the first guy was going to do it, but said he couldn't because of the department he was in. The rep said that department holds strong on the 14 day period.

I called Apple back and explained the situation. That rep didn't understand what the discount reps problem is, said he would be happy to help me, credited my account the difference on the spot, apologized for the inconvenience, and we were all good.

The point is, as with many companies, unfortunately not all Apple reps are the same. Sometimes I get the help I'm looking for on the first call, sometimes I don't, and I call back and get a rep that is happy to help. If they have your computer that long, get others involved. I am in the same scenario, this MacBook serves my business and personal life. Telling me defective parts came in, and that they cannot give you an ETA on when it could be complete long after the projected time, get a manager involved, and if they can't help, I know it sounds silly, but email Tim Cook. I've done this knowing Tim Cook is not personally reading it, but someone high up does, and they do reach out to you to get the issue resolved.

Good luck!!!

 

[Clockworkz]

I purchased the new 2019 with 2TB a month ago using my employee discount, I saved some money. Last week, Apple lowered the price of the SSD upgrades past my 14 day return period.

I called the one rep, he said he couldn't credit the difference because it was bought with the discount, and referred me to the department that could do it for me. I emailed that department, they said it was past the 14 day period, and apologized that he couldn't help me. I replied to that rep explaining the first guy was going to do it, but said he couldn't because of the department he was in. The rep said that department holds strong on the 14 day period.

I called Apple back and explained the situation. That rep didn't understand what the discount reps problem is, said he would be happy to help me, credited my account the difference on the spot, apologized for the inconvenience, and we were all good.

The point is, as with many companies, unfortunately not all Apple reps are the same. Sometimes I get the help I'm looking for on the first call, sometimes I don't, and I call back and get a rep that is happy to help. If they have your computer that long, get others involved. I am in the same scenario, this MacBook serves my business and personal life. Telling me defective parts came in, and that they cannot give you an ETA on when it could be complete long after the projected time, get a manager involved, and if they can't help, I know it sounds silly, but email Tim Cook. I've done this knowing Tim Cook is not personally reading it, but someone high up does, and they do reach out to you to get the issue resolved.

Good luck!!!

I had the same issue almost, I bought my MBA 7 hours too early if I bought it the next day they would honor the refund but they say no because I bought it the day before. to be qualified for a return so I could get the refund to buy it at the cheaper price (200$ less) and get the free beats. I called to see if I could get the difference refunded and was told no, called again and was told no so I escalated it further to see if I could get somewhere (waiting for call back now).

Hopefully I can get a refund also since we’re talking a difference of 7 hours...

 

[nortonandreev]

Thanks everyone for the replies. Generally, I have had good experience with Apple, until the problems with my MacBook 2017 and 2018 occurred. Let’s say the 2017 was out of warranty but I have seen a lot of cases where Apple fix the product if just a few days out of warranty. But how Apple has been handling the latest case is unacceptable. I have already spoken to with several senior apple care advisers, as well as Apple store in a nearby city. I also had a chat with Customer Relations today. Pretty much they all say nothing can be made. The service still hasn’t returned my MacBook to me and I’m not sure I want to use it, as it breaks second time and they have changed so many parts already, it’s just ridiculous. The worst part is that nobody cares and they all tell me nothing can be done. I am really sad that I left it with the Authorised Service Provider (which is Western Computer, by the way, and I wouldn’t recommend them), but I wanted to have the issue solved as soon as possible. Especially as it was second time it broke, in two months, I was expecting timely and long-lasting resolution of the issue, but instead I received totally unprofessional service. Now I feel forced to by the 2-year additional warranty for £320, as chances of it breaking again seem to be pretty high.

 

[pshufd]

I have had good experiences with Apple fixing defective products. That said, my MacBook Pros are currently of 2014 and 2015 vintage because of QA concerns with current products. I think that most of them are fine but there seem to be enough people with problems that I don't feel like rolling the dice at this point.

The last time I was in for service is when they recalled my iPhone 6 for a free battery replacement. Worked for me.

 

[DougFNJ]

I had the same issue almost, I bought my MBA 7 hours too early if I bought it the next day they would honor the refund but they say no because I bought it the day before. to be qualified for a return so I could get the refund to buy it at the cheaper price (200$ less) and get the free beats. I called to see if I could get the difference refunded and was told no, called again and was told no so I escalated it further to see if I could get somewhere (waiting for call back now).

Hopefully I can get a refund also since we’re talking a difference of 7 hours...

Im surprised they are giving you so much pushback on this. Are you calling 1-800-MYAPPLE ?

I have had multiple occasions of upgrades or discounts right outside that return window, the discount guy was the single one time I was told no.

Thanks everyone for the replies. Generally, I have had good experience with Apple, until the problems with my MacBook 2017 and 2018 occurred. Let’s say the 2017 was out of warranty but I have seen a lot of cases where Apple fix the product if just a few days out of warranty. But how Apple has been handling the latest case is unacceptable. I have already spoken to with several senior apple care advisers, as well as Apple store in a nearby city. I also had a chat with Customer Relations today. Pretty much they all say nothing can be made. The service still hasn’t returned my MacBook to me and I’m not sure I want to use it, as it breaks second time and they have changed so many parts already, it’s just ridiculous. The worst part is that nobody cares and they all tell me nothing can be done. I am really sad that I left it with the Authorised Service Provider (which is Western Computer, by the way, and I wouldn’t recommend them), but I wanted to have the issue solved as soon as possible. Especially as it was second time it broke, in two months, I was expecting timely and long-lasting resolution of the issue, but instead I received totally unprofessional service. Now I feel forced to by the 2-year additional warranty for £320, as chances of it breaking again seem to be pretty high.

Augh!!! Dumb question, is it possible the pushback is because it was an Authorized provider and not direct?

 

[Clockworkz]

Im surprised they are giving you so much pushback on this. Are you calling 1-800-MYAPPLE ?

I have had multiple occasions of upgrades or discounts right outside that return window, the discount guy was the single one time I was told no.



Augh!!! Dumb question, is it possible the pushback is because it was an Authorized provider and not direct?

Yeah I’m calling the 1800 number it’s really frustrating to talk to these people because it’s literally being denied by a matter of a few hours and I hear stories from people like yourself who get it no issues.

 

[nortonandreev]

Im surprised they are giving you so much pushback on this. Are you calling 1-800-MYAPPLE ?

I have had multiple occasions of upgrades or discounts right outside that return window, the discount guy was the single one time I was told no.



Augh!!! Dumb question, is it possible the pushback is because it was an Authorized provider and not direct?

I feel like that’s the reason. On the other hand, I have spoken with Apple store where I could have taken it, and they told me it would go trough the same procedures.
On the other hand, the service has broken parts during the repair, so this has made the process even slower. I got it back today. Hopefully it won’t break again in two months.

 

[rtr1985]

It was easier and quicker when Apple just sent it to the depot repair. I dropped 2018 MBP at Apple Store for a keyboard top case replacement on 7/20. Got a call today that it was damaged during repair and now also needs new logic board and Touch ID module. And it will be another 7 days.

 

[nortonandreev]

Unfortunately, the issue is back. It seems that the screen breaks every 2 months. I have an appointment with Apple next Friday, prepared to wait another month to have it replaced. It's just ridiculous.

 

[nortonandreev]

So I had my screen replaced at the beginning of November. Unfortunately, a week after I got it back from Apple, it became faulty again and it wouldn’t turn on. I took it to Apple store again and, as this is the fourth time it’s breaking, they said they will replace it. Unfortunately, they refused to give me a newer model, even if it seems that they usually do that and also they made me wait 2 weeks. This means that in 11 months time, since it’s been bought, 2 months it was in servicing. I’ve spoken with so many Apple employees and nobody cares, they’re all so impolite and all they tell you is to keep on waiting and nobody provides any resolution for the problems. It’s ridiculous, without a doubt the worst experience I’ve ever had to date.

 

[pshufd]

So I had my screen replaced at the beginning of November. Unfortunately, a week after I got it back from Apple, it became faulty again and it wouldn’t turn on. I took it to Apple store again and, as this is the fourth time it’s breaking, they said they will replace it. Unfortunately, they refused to give me a newer model, even if it seems that they usually do that and also they made me wait 2 weeks. This means that in 11 months time, since it’s been bought, 2 months it was in servicing. I’ve spoken with so many Apple employees and nobody cares, they’re all so impolite and all they tell you is to keep on waiting and nobody provides any resolution for the problems. It’s ridiculous, without a doubt the worst experience I’ve ever had to date.

If you're in the US, I'd write up a summary of your experience and Tweet it to Tim Cook.