Apple Repair - Customer Service

[sa gringo]

Not sure if this is the right topic area but :

I bought an iMac on March 9th.

Last Saturday (March 21st) it had a major system failure, would not boot and had vertical line across the screen, and I took it to the Apple store. They said it was either a HD, LED, or video card problem. The "genius" said I should have it back in 3-5 days.

So today is either day 5 (business days) or day 7 (calendar days) I called them yesterday and they said it was the video controller and no ETA on when it will be ready but they will call me when it is ready.

My question is : Is it me or is this a little ridiculous customer service for a 13 day old iMac? Would I be a little out of line going to the store and either demanding a "new" iMac or my iMac today ? A broken video card should take about a day or two to get back to the customer in my opinion...

Thoughts ?

 

[p.luik]

Do you have applecare on it? If so, call applecare and ask about a replacement. If not, call apple and ask to speak to customer service.
I have done the applecare way and had my powerbook replaced with a macbook pro due to an overheating problem.

 

[scienide09]

I don't know about "demanding" a new Mac. I bet you'd get a lot further politely explaining the situation.

Also, keep in mind that Apple is within their rights to fix your machine. Otherwise, they'll have to sell it as refurbished, and be out the new machine they give you.

 

[sa gringo]

I guess demand is maybe the wrong choice of words. I switched to mac first with iPhones in December (2 of them)...then bought the iMac and a macbook this month. I also picked up a couple of accessories and have really enjoyed their products but from what I have read I was expecting a little different attitude for such a young computer.

I just have the warranty that came with the Macs for now because wouldn't I have the same service for the first 90 days anyway ?

 

[p.luik]

I guess demand is maybe the wrong choice of words. I switched to mac first with iPhones in December (2 of them)...then bought the iMac and a macbook this month. I also picked up a couple of accessories and have really enjoyed their products but from what I have read I was expecting a little different attitude for such a young computer.

I just have the warranty that came with the Macs for now because wouldn't I have the same service for the first 90 days anyway ?

Yes, this was just to direct you to who to call.

 

[peskaa]

13 days? Apple give you a 14 day, no questions asked, returns/replacement window. You should have had a new machine as soon as you showed it wouldn't start.

 

[JediMeister]

Yeah its a 14 day return policy. However, if the computer worked fine for almost 2 weeks, then its not really a "out of the box" issue. If he CTO'd the computer, i.e. tweaked the specs before getting it, how can Apple replace the computer with exactly the same specs on the same day he reports the issue? Replacements are a bit of a finicky business, especially if its the first repair the unit has undergone. If it was like 3+ or more to address the same issue, yeah, i could see how a case could be made for a replacement. I definitely would have expected them to keep you a little more up-to-date on the repair status though, and not establish any contact with you for 5 days after they took in the unit is a bit careless IMO.

 

[peskaa]

My experience has always been that if there is an issue within 14 days, you get a replacement. Simply because you could just return it, then buy another.

CTO is tricky, as a store generally won't stock. Then you have to call Apple and log the issue within the 14 days, and generally get another mailed.


Look at all the people with MBP "issues" (ie: dust, poor screens) and they all return within 14 days and get a different machine.

 

[bjb.butler]

I had a faulty MBP, and returned it the next day. It was freezing, and couldnt get past the welcome screen. They politely exchanged it with another (after going through the trouble shooting ).