Apple support is amazing

[Clete2]

Yesterday, my iPhone 3GS started acting up. The battery would die really quickly. At 12:30, I called Apple support. I immediately got a representative (who was an American!!) and she had a new phone out to me within 5 minutes on the phone with her.

I am so impressed with the service I received. At NOON yesterday, I reported a problem. Today at noon, I received a new iPhone! I can't tell whether it's refurbished or not. It's perfectly new and without any flaws.

On the other hand, I've been having problems with my Dell laptop for over two months. First, it took them a month to get a replacement to my doorstep. Then, the specs on the laptop were less than that of the one I previously owned. Then, I argued with them on the phone for three hours in order to get a proper replacement out of them; and it's still not as good as my original.

The kicker is that the only problem with the original was that my graphics card fried -- and they refused to replace it! I still don't have my new laptop after two months.

I was extremely pleased with Apple's support. I just wish that AT&T and Dell could match it. I've also had my fair share of problems with "Off-Network Data Usage" overages with AT&T. :-/ Still isn't resolved after 4 months.

Guess what I'll be buying next spring? MBP.

 

[ihonda]

must have a cheapo dell laptop, i have a sxps 1340 and they've sent techs out within 2 days of problem, theyve replaced the laptop once already and are in the process of upgrading me to the 1645 free of charge because my lcd has developed dead pixels..

 

[icedmocha]

Supportis hit or miss. I went to the apple store Sunday, and my AppleCare is voided bc the water markers went off on my phone. They have nothing to do with the hairline crack on the screen but here ya go.

Another instance. On my MacBook it took a while on the phone for them to replace a defective power cord. They kept saying "you don't have AppleCare". The cord burnt me and nearly. Caused a fire! It was a hazard.

Dell: my family (other than me) uses Dell and they have had outstanding service, with techs doing housecalls etc. You have a nearly new 400 phone, apple is going to be on top of things.

 

[Clete2]

must have a cheapo dell laptop, i have a sxps 1340 and they've sent techs out within 2 days of problem, theyve replaced the laptop once already and are in the process of upgrading me to the 1645 free of charge because my lcd has developed dead pixels..

Oh yeah.. I didn't mention.. The support was decent, but having Indians to talk to is about the worst thing. I don't have anything against Indians, but they are the worst for English support.

Dell has been out to my house at least 8 times for parts replacements (about 4 new LCDs because all the ones gave me had at least 10 dead pixels) -- replacing almost everything in my PC.

The two months of dealing with them has worn me down. I've dealt with Apple's American support many times and I can say it's far superior.

 

[bmcgrath]

Apples customer care is fantastic. I struggle dealing with other vendors having to jump through hoops to get stuff sorted.
With Apple you call, state the problem, try a few things over the phone as per their request and if that fails they will go out of their way to help or replace the device.

 

[renewed]

Supportis hit or miss. I went to the apple store Sunday, and my AppleCare is voided bc the water markers went off on my phone. They have nothing to do with the hairline crack on the screen but here ya go.

The watermarkers went off which is a clear void of the warranty... nothing wrong here.. I almost laughed when I read this

Another instance. On my MacBook it took a while on the phone for them to replace a defective power cord. They kept saying "you don't have AppleCare". The cord burnt me and nearly. Caused a fire! It was a hazard.

In this instance, no warranty... again almost laughed.

In both instances your warranty was null so the complaints are irrelevant and the argument is void.

 

[TheMacBookPro]

In both instances your warranty was null so the complaints are irrelevant and the argument is void.

So if your powercord burnt you, you would still accept the 'you have no applecare' excuse? Wow.. you're a... for lack of a better word- weakling

 

[zhenya]

Last week I spoke to tech support to have the charger on my wife's macbook replaced, as the outer sheathing was coming apart near the magsafe adapter. Not more than 10 minutes on the phone (and they called me!), the tech was intelligent and helpful - he even gave me the number to call fedex to arrange pickup. The crazy thing was that I called at 10pm, and, I kid you not, the replacement part was at my door at 9am the next morning! We don't even live in a big city - in fact we are kind of out of the way. Incredible.

Now, if only they'd offer next day on-site support on Applecare warranties we might consider moving some of our business users to Macbooks...

 

[Clete2]

So if your powercord burnt you, you would still accept the 'you have no applecare' excuse? Wow.. you're a... for lack of a better word- weakling

And you're flaming him.

He is in the right. You're wrong. A power cord burning out is just like any other part going out -- if you're out of warranty, too bad.

@ihonda: My Dell laptop was not cheap in the least. It was around $3,000.

 

[icedmocha]

In both instances your warranty was null so the complaints are irrelevant and the argument is void.

The watermarkers do make the produc out of warranty, but it is a lame excuse. It had nothing to do with the problem. Poor warranty coverage. The cord burning me was a safety issue. The warranty has nothing to do with it. Again, both poor excuses by apple. I'm in the market for a new computer-I won't be looking at apple products.

 

[icedmocha]

And you're flaming him.

He is in the right. You're wrong. A power cord burning out is just like any other part going out -- if you're out of warranty, too bad.

@ihonda: My Dell laptop was not cheap in the least. It was around $3,000.

Negative. A product not working is a product not working. A product that is a safety issue is something else entirely.

 

[zhenya]

Another instance. On my MacBook it took a while on the phone for them to replace a defective power cord. They kept saying "you don't have AppleCare". The cord burnt me and nearly. Caused a fire! It was a hazard.

The watermarkers do make the produc out of warranty, but it is a lame excuse. It had nothing to do with the problem. Poor warranty coverage. The cord burning me was a safety issue. The warranty has nothing to do with it. Again, both poor excuses by apple. I'm in the market for a new computer-I won't be looking at apple products.

So wait, they DID replace the cord on your Macbook? Why are you complaining? Of course they should give you a hard time about it - power cords tend to get abused, and, as they are carrying current it is completely possible for ANY power cord to become damaged to the point where it could shock someone or spark. If the problem was caused by misuse (quite likely - if it was a widespread problem they'd issue a recall regardless of warranty status) then they'd be in the right to deny you.

If your attitude on the phone and in the stores is anything like it is here, it's no wonder you're having a hard time. Believe me, you won't have any easier time with any other manufacturer's warranty department.

 

[Scooterman1]

Yes, same here. GPS not receiving on iPhone that would still be in warranty. One water detector showing pink. WOULD NOT REPLACE the phone. I guess my wife opened the phone, dipped the bottom part of the phone in water (the bottom detector was pink), rendering the GPS circuitry ONLY, shorted.....then reassembled it. And she is really skilled because the rest of the phone works great! And she did all this just to get a new phone after 9 months. And they call them Genuis'????? Yes, I know, he just didn't want to lose his job. It's not his policy.

 

[-aggie-]

I'm getting a refurb MBP soon. They ship them to you for those that don't know. Does anyone know what the procedure is if there's a problem with it? Can I just take it to the Apple Store to get a replacement? How was your support experience?

 

[icedmocha]

So wait, they DID replace the cord on your Macbook? Why are you complaining? Of course they should give you a hard time about it - power cords tend to get abused, and, as they are carrying current it is completely possible for ANY power cord to become damaged to the point where it could shock someone or spark. If the problem was caused by misuse (quite likely - if it was a widespread problem they'd issue a recall regardless of warranty status) then they'd be in the right to deny you.

If your attitude on the phone and in the stores is anything like it is here, it's no wonder you're having a hard time. Believe me, you won't have any easier time with any other manufacturer's warranty department.

First, I'm not sure how you can gauge atitude, or why you feel it's relevant. Second, a defective piece that burns people is a problem, and one that should be taken care of. The ops post is about good service, and this was not. I should mention that the attitudes of the apple reps was poor. I have received grea service from some companies (the guy who sold me my MacBook wasn't the best) and not from others. As stated ymmv. A lot of peole have positive experiences with apple. Thus far I have not. Again, you don't know my attitude or any other metrics. This was my experience.

 

[aristobrat]

The watermarkers do make the produc out of warranty, but it is a lame excuse. It had nothing to do with the problem.

A customer with an iPhone that has case cracks is given another iPhone, and their old iPhone is refurbished (and in turn, given to another customer that's having iPhone problems).

Your iPhone was exposed to liquid at some point, so it can't be refurbished.

So even though liquid exposure and case crackings aren't directly related, in the bigger scheme of things, they very much do have to do with each other.

 

[renewed]

I'm getting a refurb MBP soon. They ship them to you for those that don't know. Does anyone know what the procedure is if there's a problem with it? Can I just take it to the Apple Store to get a replacement? How was your support experience?

Covered by Apple's One Year Warranty

I have a refurbished 4GB iPhone and it was taken care of just like a new one, any troubles could be taken care of in store like a new product. And of course you can buy extended AppleCare for it.

 

[icedmocha]

A customer with an iPhone that has case cracks is given another iPhone, and their old iPhone is refurbished (and in turn, given to another customer that's having iPhone problems).

Your iPhone was exposed to liquid at some point, so it can't be refurbished.

So even though liquid exposure and case crackings aren't directly related, in the bigger scheme of things, they very much do have to do with each other.

Apples profit margin isn't my problem. Ifi brought my Honda in for warranty work, say a blown headgasket, and they said no deal, you spilled a drink on your seat, I'd have a problem. So too with this.

 

[zhenya]

First, I'm not sure how you can gauge atitude, or why you feel it's relevant. Second, a defective piece that burns people is a problem, and one that should be taken care of. The ops post is about good service, and this was not. I should mention that the attitudes of the apple reps was poor. I have received grea service from some companies (the guy who sold me my MacBook wasn't the best) and not from others. As stated ymmv. A lot of peole have positive experiences with apple. Thus far I have not. Again, you don't know my attitude or any other metrics. This was my experience.

Having been on forums and newsgroups like this since the dawn of usenet, I can tell you that an awful lot comes out in the relatively few words of a forum post. Chalk it up to the magical power of the written word. In your case it's even easier, as you are describing your own behavior; you want something for nothing, and are stomping around when you don't get it, despite your inability to see the bigger picture behind their reasoning.

Furthermore, attitude is hugely relevant when dealing with customer service folks - especially when you are in the positions you describe; you want them to bend the rules for you! If your attitude is off-putting, why should they bother to help you?

Lastly, you still haven't stated how your power cord was 'defective'. In all likelihood it was damaged. Guess what - I can go roll my office chair over my Thinkpad's power cord a few times and probably get it in a state where it could shock me. I would not, however, try to call that a defect.

 

[-aggie-]

Covered by Apple's One Year Warranty

I have a refurbished 4GB iPhone and it was taken care of just like a new one, any troubles could be taken care of in store like a new product. And of course you can buy extended AppleCare for it.

That's your experience with a phone. I assume it's the same for a MBP that you buy as a refurb, but that's what I was asking about. I've returned a phone before. This is different in that it is shipped to me and not bought in the store, so I wanted to make sure I'd be able to treat it like any other product and not have to ship it back to Apple.

EDIT: CAN WE KEEP this topic on Apple Support and not digress into the same old argument about water sensors??

 

[renewed]

That's your experience with a phone. I assume it's the same for a MBP that you buy as a refurb, but that's what I was asking about. I've returned a phone before. This is different in that it is shipped to me and not bought in the store, so I wanted to make sure I'd be able to treat it like any other product and not have to ship it back to Apple.

1. The phone was shipped to me.

2. The link I so kindly provided for you states the information for ALL refurbished Apple products.

3. You have AppleCare for one year. That in itself should be self explanatory.

I mentioned the iPhone because I had experience with it, not because I thought MBP meant iPhone.

 

[wacky4alanis]

The water sensor policies are ridiculous. If the ONLY thing wrong with the phone obviously has NOTHING to do with water damage, then Apple shouldn't void the warranty based on a water sensor. It's just common sense. So what if they can't turn around and give your phone to somebody else?? They should still honor the warranty.

Personally, I have been treated very poorly by the "geniuses" at the Apple Store.

 

[-aggie-]

1. The phone was shipped to me.

2. The link I so kindly provided for you states the information for ALL refurbished Apple products.

3. You have AppleCare for one year. That in itself should be self explanatory.

I mentioned the iPhone because I had experience with it, not because I thought MBP meant iPhone.

I don't know why you're getting all snippy. I didn't have an attitude with you. Lose yours, unless I'm misinterpreting.

You didn't mention that you had it shipped to you.

I already know about that link, my issue was whether I could just take it to the Apple Store like anything else.

Anyway, this thread is denigrating to the same old arguments about water sensors.

 

[icedmocha]

Having been on forums and newsgroups like this since the dawn of usenet, I can tell you that an awful lot comes out in the relatively few words of a forum post. Chalk it up to the magical power of the written word. In your case it's even easier, as you are describing your own behavior; you want something for nothing, and are stomping around when you don't get it, despite your inability to see the bigger picture behind their reasoning.

Furthermore, attitude is hugely relevant when dealing with customer service folks - especially when you are in the positions you describe; you want them to bend the rules for you! If your attitude is off-putting, why should they bother to help you?

Lastly, you still haven't stated how your power cord was 'defective'. In all likelihood it was damaged. Guess what - I can go roll my office chair over my Thinkpad's power cord a few times and probably get it in a state where it could shock me. I would not, however, try to call that a defect.

You've been on forums and user groups fo a while-your qualifications speak for themselves! You assume far to much. I don't "expect something for nothing". What I do expect is reasonable service and politeness. Nowehere di I state that they should bend rules for me (I mentioned company policies) and nowhere did I state my affect or attitude. Again, you made assumptions that fit you preconceived ideas of what someone who did not receive the service they expect must be like. This is apple afterall! As an aside: you probably shouldn't identify your self worth and person based upon a company and product. You don't have the knowledge or ability to parse from what I've written above my attitude or demeanor toward CS reps.
In regards to then cord- I stated that it is defective. It's that simple. It was plugged into my computer, melted, and nearly caught fire and burnt my leg. Again, you made assumptions that fit your bias. You never questioned the ops Dell experience; they aren't apple and they do have poor service (everyone knows that right?). Once more-don't identify your value as a person based upon a company or product.
Finally, my qualifications. Formerly I was CS for a dew different companies for a few years. Not a whole lot, but enough to know what is expected. No, I wasn't rude to the apple CS people. In regards to my recent visit I assumed tthat since they were busy (always busy according to the fellow) he just didn't have muCh time(he typed away on his computer while talking to me). If anythig I am overly friendly. I've been their and I understand their position. Again, this was my experience and no, I have not given every minute detail. As stated various companies give various cs experiences depending on who you get. Don't make assumptions, it's impolite and your not very good at it.

 

[zhenya]

Nowehere di I state that they should bend rules for me (I mentioned company policies) and nowhere did I state my affect or attitude.

You're right - I don't know what your attitude is towards CS reps. That's why I said 'if your attitude is anything like...' However, that's a little bit easier to imagine when you are telling us that you wanted special treatment.

The watermarkers do make the produc out of warranty, but it is a lame excuse.

Another instance. On my MacBook it took a while on the phone for them to replace a defective power cord. They kept saying "you don't have AppleCare".

You were out of warranty, yet you were insistent that they replace a damaged or defective part. (Which they apparently did, yet you're still complaining about it). From the Apple warranty:

Apple, as defined in the table below, warrants this Apple-branded hardware product against defects in
materials and workmanship under normal use for a period of ONE (1) YEAR from the date of retail
purchase by the original end-user purchaser

You wanted them to bend the rules, end of story. I'm not saying that I wouldn't have wanted the same thing, just that acting entitled isn't usually the easiest method of getting what you want. My position on this issue has nothing to do with some imagined allegiance to Apple - I tell people who mod their cars or take them out on the track the same thing, and I'd have the same position if it was Dell or Lenovo we are talking about.

(For what it's worth, I generally agree about the water sensor - I know mine are tripped, and it's never been wet other than a normal humid summer environment.)