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Apple Store gave me brand new 2012 27in iMac Free of Charge!

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deconstruct60 said:
No it isn't. If this had been a customer that needed to run 10.6.8 due to some specific business critical need, a new iMac is not a positive outcome.

It is "OK" and "acceptable" customer service to make good on mistakes. But the mistake basically removes it from the "great" / "fantastic" status. Giving away something for "free" in this case ( and back handed passing along the costs to other customers ) is far more misdirection away from what would have been great. Minimally should have been precise and confessed up. "We blew it. We will make you whole".

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My problem is far more with the "amazing" / "great" / "fantasic" histronics here. It is acceptable but not amazing.

Apple's realtively standard policy is to trade up customers. It doesn't happen all the time but it happens enough. They don't put alot of effort into improving some parts of their support operations. The cover for this by doing periodic "give always" like this and buying broader goodwill with the stories that leak out. The same higher than necessary fault rates continue without improvement.

It continues to draw folks in because folks think they have a chance to hit the lotto far more than the service quality if far above average.
Click to expand...

Then they would have *asked* if that was the case, and you could always say "no".

The guy *asked* for a new iMac, and they replaced it for him. They could've quite easily ordered him a new LCD - the LCD was still functioning fine (so he could have used it whilst , and they're not on back-order so even if they state that, it will normally be in in 2-3 days.

So instead, they took his 3 year old Mac, and replaced it with a brand new better machine. Completely free of charge. That is more than acceptable to me. That is pretty damn awesome.

And as for them not confessing up - that's exactly what they did??? The scratch could have come from 2 places - the factory, or the genius doing the repair (those LCDs are damn easy to scratch). It's not like they said the scratch wasn't there.
 
If only this trick worked elsewhere. :rolleyes:

The norm wait time is really 1 month for the rest of the world.
 
When Apple knows that they've made an error they act quickly and intelligently to make sure that the customer walks away more than happy. I've seen this several times over the years with friends and colleagues experiences.
 
Wow. When my 2009 maxed out 27 was in for repairs 5 times in 1 year they just threw me under the bus. I guess your genius had just gotten laid or was having a good day because everyone I dealt with was very unapologetic about me being without my computer for over a month in total.
 
Thank you all!:)

I actually stopped in today and they let me upgrade to the i7, fusion, 680MX today for only $450 out out pocket (from the 3.2 i5 they swapped for me free of charge)! Today the manager knocked ANOTHER $200 off the iMac i just traded up for!

So I ended up with the top tier iMac for $450 out of pocket...I personally thanked the manager for his unbelievable customer service!...
 
flavr said:
Thank you all!:)

I actually stopped in today and they let me upgrade to the i7, fusion, 680MX today for only $450 out out pocket (from the 3.2 i5 they swapped for me free of charge)! Today the manager knocked ANOTHER $200 off the iMac i just traded up for!

So I ended up with the top tier iMac for $450 out of pocket...I personally thanked the manager for his unbelievable customer service!...
Click to expand...

Maybe he finds you attractive ;) lol. Nice deal regardless!
 
What I like about this whole story is that the OP wasn't greedy or over dramatically demanding. He took his in for a normal Apple Care issue, got it back with a new issue (mistakes happen) and was willing to trade it in, and buy a new one. He didn't demand anything, or start fishing for freebies like so many on these forums did back in December. I like to see reasonable people doing reasonable things. Good for both the OP and the Apple reps.

----------
flavr said:
Thank you all!:)

I actually stopped in today and they let me upgrade to the i7, fusion, 680MX today for only $450 out out pocket (from the 3.2 i5 they swapped for me free of charge)! Today the manager knocked ANOTHER $200 off the iMac i just traded up for!

So I ended up with the top tier iMac for $450 out of pocket...I personally thanked the manager for his unbelievable customer service!...
Click to expand...

Wait, what, you didn't demand a free superdrive and trackpad when you went back, then complain that there was a 1mm cosmetic flaw on the bottom of the stand?!? Clearly there is something wrong with you! :D Kidding. Nice deal on a sweet machine. That's the kind I bought.
 
mellofello said:
Wow. When my 2009 maxed out 27 was in for repairs 5 times in 1 year they just threw me under the bus. I guess your genius had just gotten laid or was having a good day because everyone I dealt with was very unapologetic about me being without my computer for over a month in total.
Click to expand...

Well your post doesn't actually say much. We don't know what the nature of your repairs were, how your demeanor as a customer was towards the store (which can make a huge difference). We don't know the real truth of how the store treated you, I've never head anyone say that Apple threw them under the bus after 5 repairs during the warranty period. I've known Apple to do take care of out-of-warranty repairs free of charge. They replaced my 2009 iMac i7 with the top of the line 2011 model after 4 repairs. Your story isn't quite adding up.
 
flavr said:
Thank you all!:)

I actually stopped in today and they let me upgrade to the i7, fusion, 680MX today for only $450 out out pocket (from the 3.2 i5 they swapped for me free of charge)! Today the manager knocked ANOTHER $200 off the iMac i just traded up for!

So I ended up with the top tier iMac for $450 out of pocket...I personally thanked the manager for his unbelievable customer service!...
Click to expand...

Dude! What a score.

Man, I am very happy for you. You must be ecstatic.
 
flavr said:
On tuesday my local Apple Store replaced my 2009 iMac for brand new 2012 free of charge!

I brought my 2009 iMac in for the the hard drive replacement program and mentioned the screen looked yellow and should be replaced while in. They agreed and did the repairs. When I picked it up and turned it on in there was a scratch on the new LCD panel. The genius mentioned it was a special order part and would be over a month to get another in. I do Art Direction for a bunch of national brands and need a pristine screen to work my creative magic. Anyway I asked if given the circumstances could I trade out my old one for a brand new in stock iMac. He agreed! then he passed me to a sales guy and I walked out with a brand new 27inch i5 3.2 iMac for NO CHARGE!

Manager came over and said it not something they normally do and it was because of the wait for the part and because I had Apple Care...Amazing customer service!

I thought about adding some of my own $$$ and getting a built to order with i7 or 680XM but this iMac is FAST and FREE and will last a few good years. Id rather save the extra $500...I have a feeling two years from now we will be seeing retina and some touch capabilities on the iMacs and Im going to def want one of those...
Click to expand...

This is the reason so many of us are more than Happy to pay The Apple Tax Premium ! Customer Service 2nd to none !
 
They done the same for me 2 weeks ago my 2009 iMac went in for a new hard drive and screen but something went wrong with the new screen

this is what they give me for free

3.4 GHz Intel Core i7
8 GB 1600 MHz DDR3
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680MX 2048 MB
1TB drive
 
virginblue4 said:
that's not true. Everyone makes mistake. Even you. They made a mistake, they then made up for it. That's fantastic customer service.

I've had problems with acer laptops, where it was sent off for a repair, came back faulty (they admitted the new fault was due to them) so i had to send it back to them and wait 6 weeks for something that was their fault. That's crap customer service.
Click to expand...

amen!
 
HenryDJP said:
Well your post doesn't actually say much. We don't know what the nature of your repairs were, how your demeanor as a customer was towards the store (which can make a huge difference). We don't know the real truth of how the store treated you, I've never head anyone say that Apple threw them under the bus after 5 repairs during the warranty period. I've known Apple to do take care of out-of-warranty repairs free of charge. They replaced my 2009 iMac i7 with the top of the line 2011 model after 4 repairs. Your story isn't quite adding up.
Click to expand...


https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1544949/

2010 imac on 3rd catastrophic failure in one year. Is this normal?

This was my recent post. After this the video card also failed. I cut my losses and sold the computer on Craigslist for $1000 and grudgingly ordered another 2012 imac for $2000. I couldnt in good conscience sell the computer without a warranty, and was scared that the computer would soon explode into a million pieces when apple care expired. Yes they threw me under the bus. Yhis thread makes me even less satisfied with apple as I had a long history of trouble, and was only offered a $50 discount on a new machine.

I spent my formative years in a customer service job, and then years in a technical job trouble shooting. I always treat people exactly as I would like to be treated. I was cordial as I posdibly could be. In retrospect I feel like I should have pressed them harder for a new machine. I would be $1000 richer right now.
 
mellofello said:
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1544949/

2010 imac on 3rd catastrophic failure in one year. Is this normal?

This was my recent post. After this the video card also failed. I cut my losses and sold the computer on Craigslist for $1000 and grudgingly ordered another 2012 imac for $2000. I couldnt in good conscience sell the computer without a warranty, and was scared that the computer would soon explode into a million pieces when apple care expired. Yes they threw me under the bus. Yhis thread makes me even less satisfied with apple as I had a long history of trouble, and was only offered a $50 discount on a new machine.

I spent my formative years in a customer service job, and then years in a technical job trouble shooting. I always treat people exactly as I would like to be treated. I was cordial as I posdibly could be. In retrospect I feel like I should have pressed them harder for a new machine. I would be $1000 richer right now.
Click to expand...

I read your OP and the following posts. You said after the hard drive failed you asked them for a replacement and they said no. You never said why they said no. They don't just say no. The procedure for replacement is 4 times in service and the 5th time usually is a new computer. You should've spoken directly to Customer Relations if the store gave you no good reason to get a replacement. You would've saved yourself $2000. If they said no with a reason behind it please share that with us.
 
Wow... some people are NEVER happy....

Look ... it's ALWAYS a positive outcome if a 3 year old (almost fully depreciated by many accounting standards) machine is swapped out as an even exchange for a brand NEW one!

If you've got some fringe reason you need the old, outdated version? Fine... Just turn around and resell that brand new Mac to someone who'd be happy to buy it for FAR more than the resale value of your 2009 model, and buy another '09 someplace. You'll come out way ahead.

It really IS excellent/great/amazing customer service to do a swap-out like this. If you think not, you must not have a lot of experience buying computer hardware from other vendors. I can *guarantee* you this almost never happens with HP or Dell, or any machine purchased at Best Buy, Micro Center or other such retailers!

The initial complaint of the scratched screen after the repair is NOT such a great thing, but it's an industry-wide issue with the quality of the SERVICE CENTERS doing the work. The repair work isn't a very pleasant or easy job, especially as machines get more compact -- and yet the technicians really aren't paid all that well. The "certifications" they often require (like an A+) are so basic, they don't indicate much about the technician's actual proficiency either.



deconstruct60 said:
No it isn't. If this had been a customer that needed to run 10.6.8 due to some specific business critical need, a new iMac is not a positive outcome.

It is "OK" and "acceptable" customer service to make good on mistakes. But the mistake basically removes it from the "great" / "fantastic" status. Giving away something for "free" in this case ( and back handed passing along the costs to other customers ) is far more misdirection away from what would have been great. Minimally should have been precise and confessed up. "We blew it. We will make you whole".

----------

My problem is far more with the "amazing" / "great" / "fantasic" histronics here. It is acceptable but not amazing.

Apple's realtively standard policy is to trade up customers. It doesn't happen all the time but it happens enough. They don't put alot of effort into improving some parts of their support operations. The cover for this by doing periodic "give always" like this and buying broader goodwill with the stories that leak out. The same higher than necessary fault rates continue without improvement.

It continues to draw folks in because folks think they have a chance to hit the lotto far more than the service quality if far above average.
Click to expand...
 
deconstruct60 said:
Perhaps more precisely

"it was because we scratched your screen and the wait to cover for our screw up and because we can use Apple Care to make up for it ...."

Brand new iMac.

Fantastic customers services would to be not have jacked up your screen while they repaired something else. It is a nice outcome, but giving away freebies to cover up mistakes is not great customer service. It is not making the mistakes in the first place.

Overall, higher than expected Apple Care costs will be passed along to all users including you in the future.
Click to expand...

You're right, people are just having too much fun in general. If you're free tomorrow, we could go to a hospital, tell terminally ill people to stop wasting our money already, and then beat up some homeless people and newborns.
 
HenryDJP said:
I read your OP and the following posts. You said after the hard drive failed you asked them for a replacement and they said no. You never said why they said no. They don't just say no. The procedure for replacement is 4 times in service and the 5th time usually is a new computer. You should've spoken directly to Customer Relations if the store gave you no good reason to get a replacement. You would've saved yourself $2000. If they said no with a reason behind it please share that with us.
Click to expand...

I will give you a idea of the history.

Purchase imac late 2010.

First sign of trouble in mid 2011. Bad power supply. Lug imac bac and forth.

Few months later. 1st hard drive failure.
Lug it down. Lug it back.

Things go ok for a while.

Then go ok for a while then the motherboard blows. At this point I have installed a vesa mount and most of my stuff is in storage including the stand. I very nevously lug it down. They try to not even take it in because I have the vesa adapter on.

At this point I start to just ask for a entirely new refurbished replacement. I dont need a new one but have lost confidence in the machine. Geniuses say no.

Then a few months later hard drive dies again. I again ask for another. Nope.

Final straw was this year when the motherboard and graphics card blow. I am told 1 week to repair it which turns into 2. I call the apple care line and get the cold shoulder.

$50 off of a brand new machine give me your credit card right now this is a limited time offer. I want to consider my options and ok it with my better half. So the person at apple care gives me a direct line. I call back and leave a message and he never called me back. I call again to the main line and am told no again.

Im just so sick of dealing with it that I just pay full edu msrp for new imac.

They repeatedly told me it is not their policy to replace the entire machine no matter how many breakdowns they will just continue to put bandaids on it.

I didnt want a new skinny imac. I would have been perfectly happy with a refurb 2009.

Excuse me if I'm bitter but someone waltzing into the apple store for their first trouble and walking out with a new machine really alienates me.
 
mellofello said:
I will give you a idea of the history.

Purchase imac late 2010.

First sign of trouble in mid 2011. Bad power supply. Lug imac bac and forth.

Few months later. 1st hard drive failure.
Lug it down. Lug it back.

Things go ok for a while.

Then go ok for a while then the motherboard blows. At this point I have installed a vesa mount and most of my stuff is in storage including the stand. I very nevously lug it down. They try to not even take it in because I have the vesa adapter on.

At this point I start to just ask for a entirely new refurbished replacement. I dont need a new one but have lost confidence in the machine. Geniuses say no.

Then a few months later hard drive dies again. I again ask for another. Nope.

Final straw was this year when the motherboard and graphics card blow. I am told 1 week to repair it which turns into 2. I call the apple care line and get the cold shoulder.

$50 off of a brand new machine give me your credit card right now this is a limited time offer. I want to consider my options and ok it with my better half. So the person at apple care gives me a direct line. I call back and leave a message and he never called me back. I call again to the main line and am told no again.

Im just so sick of dealing with it that I just pay full edu msrp for new imac.

They repeatedly told me it is not their policy to replace the entire machine no matter how many breakdowns they will just continue to put bandaids on it.

I didnt want a new skinny imac. I would have been perfectly happy with a refurb 2009.

Excuse me if I'm bitter but someone waltzing into the apple store for their first trouble and walking out with a new machine really alienates me.
Click to expand...

Well Apple's TOC does in fact state "at their option" they will replace.... I understand your situation and your frustration. Won't ask you to go into it any further (even though you still never answered my question :eek:) but keep in mind that it's best to take everything you read on the internet with a grain of salt. Everybody's situation is different, not everything is as cut and dry as it seems and even though it may seem like someone got a better deal or treated better, while it's possible that true, they may not tell the entire story of how their good fortune came about.

Here's an excellent example for you. My 2007 24" iMac had a few problems, actually only 2 that I was counting but there were 3 repairs. One was was the hard drive and the other was the screen. I didn't want to deal with the store anymore so I called customer relations and explained my issue. I told them I wasn't happy with this machine and I felt it was a lemon. The supervisor immediately said, "Based on your repair history being 6 repairs we would like to offer you a brand new 2009 27" replacement. I didn't know they would count replacing the mouse and keyboard as "service". They did. Done.

That machine lasted me for 2 years but this time I had 4 issues with it and the guy at customer relations tried very hard to get me to get it fixed 5 times. I agreed and they offered In-Home Service. The repair man never showed up. I called and told them to give me a new machine. Had to wait until the supervisor called me back, she did and authorized my replacement and now I'm typing this on my 2011 27" iMac which has been flawless.

So the point of my story is the first iMac had technically less repairs than the second one but Apple was very quick to offer me replacement. The second iMac had more repairs and the company was still reluctant to replace it, but they did. I would've never given them another $2000 as you did. If would've taken it much higher. Apple wants customers like you who throw in the towel. Some people win the lottery while most don't. Everybody gets their day of good fortune. You have. You can't deny that.
Keep in mind, if you have anymore problems with your iMac make sure to call Apple first and ask them if they have an authorized repair center within 50 miles of your residence. If so, they will send the guy/gal right to your house and fix it. No more lugging.
 
I had a similar good service experience. Last year I tripped on my macbook pro cord. when i tripped it ripped out the wire from the magnet instead of detaching. (it was the old L type adapter) so i brought it to the apple store and told them i tripped. the guy said the magnet should have disengaged and that isnt right. so he handed me a new ac adapter free of charge. I was impressed because I was ready to pay the 75 bucks or whatever for an adapter. Great service imho.

I think its incredible what they did for you. Ive heard of it happening before. Its the best kind of PR they can buy imho.
 
I'll honest here, I love Apple/Mac user for life but Reliability hasn't been the greatest.

Thank God for amazing Customer Service.


Congrats OP.
 
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