I really have to wonder...
While I don't dispute your claim, I really have to wonder why you went about it the way you did. Honestly you say nothing about the product or the symptoms, much less how you went about troubleshooting it.
Apple service has several levels of phone support based on a number of factors. Your first call is usually to a "Tier 1" support tech; usually simple diagnostics leading to a recommendation to visit the Genius Bar at your nearest store if they can't help you. At this point you can request a Tier 2 support tech; much more knowledgeable and will walk you through in-depth troubleshooting if possible. This is the tech who could have ordered your replacement power brick if he determines that as the cause of the problem. On the other hand, if he couldn't fully diagnose the issue, he would have either recommended taking the unit to the Apple Store or shipping it direct to Apple for repair or replacement. Of course, this assumes that the unit was still under warranty as you claim. If, however, Apple's records for the unit say otherwise, they would have either recommended purchasing the AppleCare extended warranty or a simple outright purchase of your part.
In most cases, they will NOT insist on you going to the store unless you express a willingness or the store is within a certain radius of your home. 60 miles seems a bit far to insist on a store visit if you consider it that much out of your way. Of course, where I live I have 2 stores within 60 miles and at least 5 within 100. Such a drive is hardly an issue unless I'm driving it during rush hour.
In my own case, before we got our local Apple store (only 15 miles away) I had an iMac (one of the CRT 'bubble' iMacs) die out of the box. A simple phone call where the Tier 2 tech recognized immediately what the problem was had me cross-shipping mine back for a brand-new replacement, the new one arriving the day after I shipped mine out.
Apple has earned its reputation for service and works hard to maintain it. Admittedly no product is going to be 100% perfect in all samples; but Apple has excelled in making the percentage of failures lower than their competitors' and even now proves that they will go out of their way (individual techs aside) to give you the best product for your money.
While I don't dispute your claim, I really have to wonder why you went about it the way you did. Honestly you say nothing about the product or the symptoms, much less how you went about troubleshooting it.
Apple service has several levels of phone support based on a number of factors. Your first call is usually to a "Tier 1" support tech; usually simple diagnostics leading to a recommendation to visit the Genius Bar at your nearest store if they can't help you. At this point you can request a Tier 2 support tech; much more knowledgeable and will walk you through in-depth troubleshooting if possible. This is the tech who could have ordered your replacement power brick if he determines that as the cause of the problem. On the other hand, if he couldn't fully diagnose the issue, he would have either recommended taking the unit to the Apple Store or shipping it direct to Apple for repair or replacement. Of course, this assumes that the unit was still under warranty as you claim. If, however, Apple's records for the unit say otherwise, they would have either recommended purchasing the AppleCare extended warranty or a simple outright purchase of your part.
In most cases, they will NOT insist on you going to the store unless you express a willingness or the store is within a certain radius of your home. 60 miles seems a bit far to insist on a store visit if you consider it that much out of your way. Of course, where I live I have 2 stores within 60 miles and at least 5 within 100. Such a drive is hardly an issue unless I'm driving it during rush hour.
In my own case, before we got our local Apple store (only 15 miles away) I had an iMac (one of the CRT 'bubble' iMacs) die out of the box. A simple phone call where the Tier 2 tech recognized immediately what the problem was had me cross-shipping mine back for a brand-new replacement, the new one arriving the day after I shipped mine out.
Apple has earned its reputation for service and works hard to maintain it. Admittedly no product is going to be 100% perfect in all samples; but Apple has excelled in making the percentage of failures lower than their competitors' and even now proves that they will go out of their way (individual techs aside) to give you the best product for your money.
