Applecare Horror story

[robbie12345]

Hello All, I am writing this to offer all a word of advice about Applecare, and a question about Apple's policy.

Practically the story goes that I own a 2011 iMac 27 inch fully-loaded and customized at the time, bought brand new with Apple care for about 3500 dollars. About a few months ago, I saw a report on Macrumors about a graphics card recall (A report I am very glad I read), and then a few weeks later noticed my machine having some graphical glitches. It then got progressively worse, to a point where the entire screen wouldnt stop flashing, so I brought it into the apple store at a mall near me.

I called the Genius bar before hand, and they never let me know about the policy in which theyll carry the computer in for you. So I parked the car and had to lug a 50 pound machine to the other side and multiple story's upwards of an incredibly large mall. I got into the mall and had my Genius appointment, somehow the computer fixed its appearance just in time for the appointment. I told them it was broken very badly, and just the restart delayed the issue from reappearing. They ran every diagnostic test and firmly said it was not the graphics card. They then had me buy a 100 dollar hard drive because they said just in case the memory was lost, and I had to, not wanting the computer's memory to be lost. (Bear in mind the machine has an ssd and Hdd and the files were doubles on each I deemed it unlikely). So they took it in and I left

I told them it was and there was a recall on the exact card on the computer model I own, and he said no there is not. They then took it in for further testing, kept the computer for 3 weeks doing repairs and returned it declaring the computer fixed. I brought it home eager to use the computer after a month of troubles and found that about 20 minutes after starting it up the issue came back exactly as before. The apple 'Geniuses' had not only replaced the hard drive (not the SSD thankfully), but also the main logic board, and several other components, but not the GPU.

I then brought the computer to a different mall a few weeks later (I am very busy), where another Genius told me that there was no recall and insisted the computer was fine. I listened to the gentlemen and took the computer out, proceeding to write up my final reports (I am a student) and do hours upon hours of work on the machine. However, Alas, the computer shut down one day, and every time I proceeded to start it up it was a blank white screen, with not a single start up procedure or safety-mode able to help. And no way to access my files. (T upon launch and firewire did not work).

I then called apple Corporate and they proceeded to tell me there was no recall and that the computer should not be having the issues it is having, and possibly due to damage by myself. Finally, a few days ago (this started in february) I was finally able to visit the Apple store one last time, finally a real Genius who should be representing Apple was helping me. Within 5 minutes he identified a graphics card recall (just as I had said), and indicated that the machine only needed its graphic's card replaced. He prioritized the repair and got it back to me the next morning completely fixed. Really a great guy.

Now I dont know what to do. Customer service is offering to pay for the apple care plus 100 dollars, however they say that apple care only cost me 170 dollars. I'm pretty sure when I bought the machine Apple care was 300, and it has since come down (can someone clarify this for me). Moreso I dont think its fair as they made my computer unusable for 3 months, wiped my harddrive, forced me to buy an external harddrive, wasted my time and money for parking and the effort it took to visit the apple store 3 times.

Is it true that apple customer service has a policy to not give more than a 300 dollar credit? I find this unfair as it would force me to make another purchase at apple in which they are already making huge profit margins on, not to mention that I think i should be compensated more than the cost of apple Care. And did apple care cost more than 170$ in 2011?

Moral of the story, if you have a Genius who won't believe you and you are sure of a recall or issue, call over the manager and insist that you are right. Its unfortunate you have to be the one to diagnose the issue, but it will save you a lot of time effort and money. Thanks for the help.

 

[Saint.Icon]

Hello All, I am writing this to offer all a word of advice about Applecare, and a question about Apple's policy.

Practically the story goes that I own a 2011 iMac 27 inch fully-loaded and customized at the time, bought brand new with Apple care for about 3500 dollars. About a few months ago, I saw a report on Macrumors about a graphics card recall (A report I am very glad I read), and then a few weeks later noticed my machine having some graphical glitches. It then got progressively worse, to a point where the entire screen wouldnt stop flashing, so I brought it into the apple store at a mall near me.

I called the Genius bar before hand, and they never let me know about the policy in which theyll carry the computer in for you. So I parked the car and had to lug a 50 pound machine to the other side and multiple story's upwards of an incredibly large mall. I got into the mall and had my Genius appointment, somehow the computer fixed its appearance just in time for the appointment. I told them it was broken very badly, and just the restart delayed the issue from reappearing. They ran every diagnostic test and firmly said it was not the graphics card. They then had me buy a 100 dollar hard drive because they said just in case the memory was lost, and I had to, not wanting the computer's memory to be lost. (Bear in mind the machine has an ssd and Hdd and the files were doubles on each I deemed it unlikely). So they took it in and I left

I told them it was and there was a recall on the exact card on the computer model I own, and he said no there is not. They then took it in for further testing, kept the computer for 3 weeks doing repairs and returned it declaring the computer fixed. I brought it home eager to use the computer after a month of troubles and found that about 20 minutes after starting it up the issue came back exactly as before. The apple 'Geniuses' had not only replaced the hard drive (not the SSD thankfully), but also the main logic board, and several other components, but not the GPU.

I then brought the computer to a different mall a few weeks later (I am very busy), where another Genius told me that there was no recall and insisted the computer was fine. I listened to the gentlemen and took the computer out, proceeding to write up my final reports (I am a student) and do hours upon hours of work on the machine. However, Alas, the computer shut down one day, and every time I proceeded to start it up it was a blank white screen, with not a single start up procedure or safety-mode able to help. And no way to access my files. (T upon launch and firewire did not work).

I then called apple Corporate and they proceeded to tell me there was no recall and that the computer should not be having the issues it is having, and possibly due to damage by myself. Finally, a few days ago (this started in february) I was finally able to visit the Apple store one last time, finally a real Genius who should be representing Apple was helping me. Within 5 minutes he identified a graphics card recall (just as I had said), and indicated that the machine only needed its graphic's card replaced. He prioritized the repair and got it back to me the next morning completely fixed. Really a great guy.

Now I dont know what to do. Customer service is offering to pay for the apple care plus 100 dollars, however they say that apple care only cost me 170 dollars. I'm pretty sure when I bought the machine Apple care was 300, and it has since come down (can someone clarify this for me). Moreso I dont think its fair as they made my computer unusable for 3 months, wiped my harddrive, forced me to buy an external harddrive, wasted my time and money for parking and the effort it took to visit the apple store 3 times.

Is it true that apple customer service has a policy to not give more than a 300 dollar credit? I find this unfair as it would force me to make another purchase at apple in which they are already making huge profit margins on, not to mention that I think i should be compensated more than the cost of apple Care. And did apple care cost more than 170$ in 2011?

Moral of the story, if you have a Genius who won't believe you and you are sure of a recall or issue, call over the manager and insist that you are right. Its unfortunate you have to be the one to diagnose the issue, but it will save you a lot of time effort and money. Thanks for the help.

So, let me get this straight.

-You got an entirely new logic board.
-You got an entirely new HDD.
-You got an entirely new graphics card.
-You're getting paid $270 for your troubles.

And yet, you're still whining because you had to carry your machine into a store yourself? Because repairs took time? Because you bought a hard drive?

What kind of self-entitled person are you? You essentially got all the major parts of your three year old computer replaced, for free, and yet you're still pissing and moaning, talking about your "horror story". I'm sure I'm not the only one that will tell you to stuff it.

You're ridiculous.

 

[shaunp]

My advice, take a video of the issue next time.

If you object to having to cart your computer back to a store then next time buy from a reseller who offers onsite support

 

[matty1551]

So, let me get this straight.

-You got an entirely new logic board.
-You got an entirely new HDD.
-You got an entirely new graphics card.
-You're getting paid $270 for your troubles.

And yet, you're still whining because you had to carry your machine into a store yourself? Because repairs took time? Because you bought a hard drive?

What kind of self-entitled person are you? You essentially got all the major parts of your three year old computer replaced, for free, and yet you're still pissing and moaning, talking about your "horror story". I'm sure I'm not the only one that will tell you to stuff it.

You're ridiculous.

I disagree with you to an extent. While the OP did in fact get all these things replaced. None of them needed to be replaced (aside from GFX card) and the time that Apple took replacing these things was time that he went without his computer, not to mention multiple trips to the Apple store and on the phone.

Also, if there was a recall, how could so many Apple people have missed that? I would think there would be a pretty unified process for such things making it hard to miss. I think that's the thing that bothers me about this story. If there was better communication between everyone on Apple's end, they would have known of the recall the first time he brought it in, saving both the consumer and apple time and money.

While I'd be very happy with the ultimate outcome of getting a partial credit plus a working computer back, I definitely think his experience warrants some unhappiness.

 

[robbie12345]

So, let me get this straight.

-You got an entirely new logic board.
-You got an entirely new HDD.
-You got an entirely new graphics card.
-You're getting paid $270 for your troubles.

And yet, you're still whining because you had to carry your machine into a store yourself? Because repairs took time? Because you bought a hard drive?

What kind of self-entitled person are you? You essentially got all the major parts of your three year old computer replaced, for free, and yet you're still pissing and moaning, talking about your "horror story". I'm sure I'm not the only one that will tell you to stuff it.

You're ridiculous.

Thanks for your help /sarcasm

The machine didn't NEED a new logic board
The Machine didn't NEED a new Hdd (and they replaced it i.e. WIPING it)
The machine needed a new graphics card which could have been replaced for 300 bucks the first time not requiring applecare
I wasted hours and hours of my time in the store, not to mention parking three times and gas (apple stores are far away), and they forced me to almost fail this year in school. So tell me how much they helped me.

They were incompetent and forced me to go into the store 3 times with the heavy computer, and wasted hours of my time and jepardized my grades while feeding me false information. Not to mention go calculate how much the machine depreciated in 3 months, I would assume no less than 100 bucks.

So if you could be kind you would just answer the questions I have and not defend apple when I am trying to show people that some times you have to just be confident in yourself as Apple is only as good as the people that work for it.

Please go rant at someone else.

----------

I disagree with you to an extent. While the OP did in fact get all these things replaced. None of them needed to be replaced (aside from GFX card) and the time that Apple took replacing these things was time that he went without his computer, not to mention multiple trips to the Apple store and on the phone.

Also, if there was a recall, how could so many Apple people have missed that? I would think there would be a pretty unified process for such things making it hard to miss. I think that's the thing that bothers me about this story. If there was better communication between everyone on Apple's end, they would have known of the recall the first time he brought it in, saving both the consumer and apple time and money.

While I'd be very happy with the ultimate outcome of getting a partial credit plus a working computer back, I definitely think his experience warrants some unhappiness.

Thanks for your understanding. I am very glad that I got the computer back working, it just upsets me so much that 2 out of 3 geniuses not only didn't find the recall, but denied there being one, when I insisted it was the GPU.

Also, I called apple corporate about the issue after going to two apple stores and they also insisted there was no recall.

Its just upsetting that this could happen.

 

[oneMadRssn]

So, let me get this straight.

-You got an entirely new logic board.
-You got an entirely new HDD.
-You got an entirely new graphics card.
-You're getting paid $270 for your troubles.

And yet, you're still whining because you had to carry your machine into a store yourself? Because repairs took time? Because you bought a hard drive?

What kind of self-entitled person are you? You essentially got all the major parts of your three year old computer replaced, for free, and yet you're still pissing and moaning, talking about your "horror story". I'm sure I'm not the only one that will tell you to stuff it.

You're ridiculous.

I've had similar problems. It's not ridiculous to expect Apple to service your computer correctly the first time. I've had a my logic board replaced for "free" (not really free, AC costs money); when the part that was broken was was the SSD. Well, it turns out the "new" logic board they gave me was defective, so it needed to be replaced again. A completely unnecessary move by Apple wasted my time and theirs. I don't know how much their time is worth, but it required me to take a longer lunch break at work twice (once to drop off, once to pick up), which meant either I earned less that week or had to stay late at work with less time to do what I wanted. You're the one who is ridiculous for accepting this kind of nonsense as normal. I expect krap like that from Dell, not from Apple.

I sympathize with the OP. I've learned that some stores have better service staff than others; and I've learned not to let them talk me into things that sound ridiculous (like replacing one component when the error is clearly on a different and separate component). Most of all, I stopped buying AC. The same money can be spent on a 3rd party warranty, that usually covers more and will simply send you a check to cover the cost of repair at any shop of your choice. There are plenty of Apple certified local third party repair shops that deserve our business.

 

[robbie12345]

My advice, take a video of the issue next time.

If you object to having to cart your computer back to a store then next time buy from a reseller who offers onsite support

Thanks for the advice. I took a video of it after the first time and had it on my phone. Unfortunately I forgot my phone, but the person said to me whatever issues I was experiencing were temporary (or something) and it passed all tests and was completely 100% fine. For the third person I had the video but it wasn't required as the machine wouldn't boot past a white screen.

----------

I've had similar problems. It's not ridiculous to expect Apple to service your computer correctly the first time. I've had a my logic board replaced for "free" (not really free, AC costs money); when the part that was broken was was the SSD. Well, it turns out the "new" logic board they gave me was defective, so it needed to be replaced again. A completely unnecessary move by Apple wasted my time and theirs. I don't know how much their time is worth, but it required me to take a longer lunch break at work twice (once to drop off, once to pick up), which meant either I earned less that week or had to stay late at work with less time to do what I wanted. You're the one who is ridiculous for accepting this kind of nonsense as normal. I expect krap like that from Dell, not from Apple.

I sympathize with the OP. I've learned that some stores have better service staff than others; and I've learned not to let them talk me into things that sound ridiculous (like replacing one component when the error is clearly on a different and separate component). Most of all, I stopped buying AC. The same money can be spent on a 3rd party warranty, that usually covers more and will simply send you a check to cover the cost of repair at any shop of your choice. There are plenty of Apple certified local third party repair shops that deserve our business.

Thank you, That's exactly what I told them. I said I paid hundreds of dollars more because when I used to have pc's they broke on me, and macs were supposed to be better. I told them that when i bought the mac I expected the price came with better customer service, saying that I would expect this kind of treatment from Dell because its factored into the price and quality, but not from Apple.

Also does anyone know the price of Apple care in 2011 for Imac 27inches? They offered to refund Apple care, but i think they're using today's prices which I think have come down.

Also about what i said above, I shouldn't have even needed apple care for this repair. It was just the graphics card which is a factory issue which was covered under the recall. So in fact, all Apple care did was save the thousands of dollars of useless repairs they did for me, which shouldn't have happened anyway.

 

[Steve121178]

So, let me get this straight.

-You got an entirely new logic board.
-You got an entirely new HDD.
-You got an entirely new graphics card.
-You're getting paid $270 for your troubles.

And yet, you're still whining because you had to carry your machine into a store yourself? Because repairs took time? Because you bought a hard drive?

What kind of self-entitled person are you? You essentially got all the major parts of your three year old computer replaced, for free, and yet you're still pissing and moaning, talking about your "horror story". I'm sure I'm not the only one that will tell you to stuff it.

You're ridiculous.

He gave a very detailed account of what the issue was (graphics card issue & recall) and Apple messed him around.

As said above, he didn't need the new logic board, HDD etc. All Apple did was waste his time and avoided fixing the problem that he was having. This is simply bad service and he has every right to feel unhappy at the service he experienced, especially as he told them about the recall at the very beginning!

You are ridiculous for not being able to read his post properly.

 

[Saint.Icon]

He gave a very detailed account of what the issue was (graphics card issue & recall) and Apple messed him around.

As said above, he didn't need the new logic board, HDD etc. All Apple did was waste his time and avoided fixing the problem that he was having. This is simply bad service and he has every right to feel unhappy at the service he experienced, especially as he told them about the recall at the very beginning!

You are ridiculous for not being able to read his post properly.

I can read just fine. He got all new parts, including the one needed. It took longer than it should have, and he has a right to be annoyed.

But after it all? His three year old Mac is now essentially brand new.

I get the frustration, as I actually went through something similar with the Genius Bar with a 2009 iMac. It was ridiculous, and instead of letting them jerk me around, I called AppleCare and explained my issue, as well as the fact that the Genius Bar was jerking me around, and I had a replacement iMac within 24 hours.

Ranting and raving about it doesn't help anyone. Especially when your big complaints are having to backup your files and carry your own computer.

 

[Gypsy36]

I can tell you I paid $379 for a Macbook in 2012.

 

[Mr Rabbit]

A few points...

• iMac AppleCare has been $169 for several years now (at least 7) as far as I can remember.
  
  
  
• Every Apple store will help you bring your Mac in should you require help, or even if you just don't want to do it yourself. Head inside, tell a concierge (person at the front greeting people or standing near the back of the store) that you'd like someone to bring our iMac in, they'll tell you where to pull your car to and someone will meet you with a cart within a few minutes. This isn't something that's advertised but is something I'd chalk up to "you never know if you don't ask", hence why I try to ask if things are available even if there's a good chance they aren't. Similar to buying a car. You'll never get that $10,000 car for $8,500 if you don't ask.
  
  
  
• The "recall" you mention isn't a recall at all. It's a repair extension program outlined in this KB article. The main difference between a recall and a repair extension program, or REP, is that there is no danger involved and the number of affected units isn't widespread across the units sold. It is however enough machines that may have had a faulty something or another in likely a small time frame of manufacturing. The two phrases mean different things legally and as such Apple is wise to respond with "no, there is no recall on this model", however I'd expect most Genius' to know what you meant and acknowledge it while correcting you. Then again, they are usually pressed for time and don't get much of an opportunity to check recent news through the AppleCare network, where this REP would have been first published. Apple hasn't had any recalls in recent years, the last one I can recall is the PowerBook/iBook battery recall that was part of the larger Sony battery (they provided the battery technology for Apple) recall back in the mid-2000's. A word to the wise, always refer to KB article numbers if you're asking AppleCare (or a Genius) about a "recall" or REP, they are easy for them to search and could have quickly ended your ordeal.
  
  
  
• AppleCare for iMac includes on-site coverage at no additional charge. AppleCare doesn't always offer this service without you asking (similar to Apple stores carrying in your Mac) but it's certainly available and is stated so on their AppleCare webpage. With this AppleCare will contact someone in their provider network (likely a local Apple Authorized Service Provider), who will then contact you and arrange for a technician (ACMT certified, same as Apple's Genius') to come out within 24-48 hours to perform the repair at your location. The only thing that might prevent this being available is if you're over 200 miles from a service provider, though that's somewhat hard to do in the US.

Source - worked as a Genius for several years and as an onsite technician for an AASP for a few years.

It sounds like you just had some lazy or new contacts with your dealings at Apple. That's definitely unfortunate but it happens everywhere. Sadly what I said about the Genius not having time to catch up on recent REP's is likely very true. They are often overworked, having to juggle multiple queues, multiple appointments, repair upwards of 10-12 Macs each night, skip breaks, etc. It definitely drains you. Glad to hear you finally found a competent Genius who identified the REP and was able to get your video card swapped out quickly.

edit:
I missed the question about the $300 credit limit through AppleCare. See my first bullet point, AppleCare for iMac has been $169 for about as long as I can remember. The only different price I've seen is educational discounts and a bit higher for large educational contracts. The $300 limit you speak of doesn't exist. I've only seen them refund AppleCare a handful of times (usually legal got involved) for very strange circumstances but they certainly refunded $350 for 15" and 17" MacBook Pros. I've also heard of them issuing upwards of $400 credit for other odd circumstances though I never worked with those cases directly.

AppleCare will almost always bend over backwards trying to help you find a reasonable resolution. The key is to be educated (point out the REP article numbers if they aren't familiar with them), calm but firm and reasonable in your requests. Don't demand a new MacBook Pro when your hard drive failed after 6 months, no part of that makes sense. Don't demand compensation for time/work lost, that puts you into legal litigation territory and is ultimately your fault for not having a proper backup solution in place for work that is important enough for you to sue over. etc... None of that is aimed at you OP, just general advice.

 

[robbie12345]

A few points...

• iMac AppleCare has been $169 for several years now (at least 7) as far as I can remember.
  
  
  
• Every Apple store will help you bring your Mac in should you require help, or even if you just don't want to do it yourself. Head inside, tell a concierge (person at the front greeting people or standing near the back of the store) that you'd like someone to bring our iMac in, they'll tell you where to pull your car to and someone will meet you with a cart within a few minutes. This isn't something that's advertised but is something I'd chalk up to "you never know if you don't ask", hence why I try to ask if things are available even if there's a good chance they aren't. Similar to buying a car. You'll never get that $10,000 car for $8,500 if you don't ask.
  
  
  
• The "recall" you mention isn't a recall at all. It's a repair extension program outlined in this KB article. The main difference between a recall and a repair extension program, or REP, is that there is no danger involved and the number of affected units isn't widespread across the units sold. It is however enough machines that may have had a faulty something or another in likely a small time frame of manufacturing. The two phrases mean different things legally and as such Apple is wise to respond with "no, there is no recall on this model", however I'd expect most Genius' to know what you meant and acknowledge it while correcting you. Then again, they are usually pressed for time and don't get much of an opportunity to check recent news through the AppleCare network, where this REP would have been first published. Apple hasn't had any recalls in recent years, the last one I can recall is the PowerBook/iBook battery recall that was part of the larger Sony battery (they provided the battery technology for Apple) recall back in the mid-2000's. A word to the wise, always refer to KB article numbers if you're asking AppleCare (or a Genius) about a "recall" or REP, they are easy for them to search and could have quickly ended your ordeal.
  
  
  
• AppleCare for iMac includes on-site coverage at no additional charge. AppleCare doesn't always offer this service without you asking (similar to Apple stores carrying in your Mac) but it's certainly available and is stated so on their AppleCare webpage. With this AppleCare will contact someone in their provider network (likely a local Apple Authorized Service Provider), who will then contact you and arrange for a technician (ACMT certified, same as Apple's Genius') to come out within 24-48 hours to perform the repair at your location. The only thing that might prevent this being available is if you're over 200 miles from a service provider, though that's somewhat hard to do in the US.

Source - worked as a Genius for several years and as an onsite technician for an AASP for a few years.

First of all THANK YOU so much for the help and advice. Really thank you so much.

Next time when I call apple I'll look up the rep, and speak to them directly about it. Also, when I called apple corporate I asked them to send someone to my house to pick up the computer and bring it to the store as bringing it myself is an incredibly long task and annoying. They responded about the technician program but said they didn't offer it to people who were within 50 miles of an apple store (I'm much closer than that and go figure why they spoke about something I couldnt have haha). They told me I had to just bring it into the apple store again, but again denied there being a recall or apple released statements about graphics cards failing in my computer model.

Also about the monetary compensation, they told me I could have a wireless harddrive (airport extreme I think) that it sold for 300 dollars on their website, or something of equivalent value. I don't need a wireless hard drive so I asked for 300 dollars refunded to my credit card on another purchase, which is much more valuable to me. The woman said she would get back to me tomorrow.

Can they refund 300 dollars? And also, if not I asked them originally for a 4g ipad mini, as it would allow me to have a productivity device if my imac were to fail again, but they said it wouldn't be possible. Do you think I should just ask to speak to a supervisor as it is probably a much more rare and worse problem than they are usually accustomed to. However, she said that the maximum they could compensate is 300, so should I just ask for 400 in apple credit?

Im sorry for being longwinded and again thanks so much for the help and advice. Thanks again, Robbie

 

[Mr Rabbit]

First of all THANK YOU so much for the help and advice. Really thank you so much.

Next time when I call apple I'll look up the rep, and speak to them directly about it. Also, when I called apple corporate I asked them to send someone to my house to pick up the computer and bring it to the store as bringing it myself is an incredibly long task and annoying. They responded about the technician program but said they didn't offer it to people who were within 50 miles of an apple store (I'm much closer than that and go figure why they spoke about something I couldnt have haha). They told me I had to just bring it into the apple store again, but again denied there being a recall or apple released statements about graphics cards failing in my computer model.

Also about the monetary compensation, they told me I could have a wireless harddrive (airport extreme I think) that it sold for 300 dollars on their website, or something of equivalent value. I don't need a wireless hard drive so I asked for 300 dollars refunded to my credit card on another purchase, which is much more valuable to me. The woman said she would get back to me tomorrow.

Can they refund 300 dollars? And also, if not I asked them originally for a 4g ipad mini, as it would allow me to have a productivity device if my imac were to fail again, but they said it wouldn't be possible. Do you think I should just ask to speak to a supervisor as it is probably a much more rare and worse problem than they are usually accustomed to. However, she said that the maximum they could compensate is 300, so should I just ask for 400 in apple credit?

Im sorry for being longwinded and again thanks so much for the help and advice. Thanks again, Robbie

I'd probably ask for a supervisor. If they are offering a Time Capsule (the wireless hard drive) as compensation then I'd think they'd be prepared to offer something of similar value as well, like an iPad or whatnot. Whenever I've heard of people getting cash back it's been a result of talks with legal, they are basically settling before going into legal proceedings. Maybe they could meet you halfway and issue you a $300 store credit that you could use towards an iPad.

I've heard the 50 mile limitation before as well but I know there are ways around it. To be honest I'm not sure what it takes for that to happen though. I just know that I've serviced several Macs in house, for AppleCare issues, well within a 50 mile radius of our Apple store. Heck, one Mac Pro couldn't have been more than 5 miles away. That's something I'd push next time if you really prefer to avoid bringing it into an actual store.

 

[robbie12345]

I'd probably ask for a supervisor. If they are offering a Time Capsule (the wireless hard drive) as compensation then I'd think they'd be prepared to offer something of similar value as well, like an iPad or whatnot. Whenever I've heard of people getting cash back it's been a result of talks with legal, they are basically settling before going into legal proceedings. Maybe they could meet you halfway and issue you a $300 store credit that you could use towards an iPad.

I've heard the 50 mile limitation before as well but I know there are ways around it. To be honest I'm not sure what it takes for that to happen though. I just know that I've serviced several Macs in house, for AppleCare issues, well within a 50 mile radius of our Apple store. Heck, one Mac Pro couldn't have been more than 5 miles away. That's something I'd push next time if you really prefer to avoid bringing it into an actual store.

Yeh it would have been helpful haha, so would you recommend threatening legal with them over refusing to abide to their REP (corporate and 2 geniuses told me it was nonexistent and not binding) and asking for forcing me to not use my investment for months?

What I would really like to get out of this would be an ipad 32 gb with 4g, and would settle for a retina mini 32gb 4g. I know its a lot but they have to realize they basically refused to fix my 3000 dollar computer three times, and basically did nothing for it when I told them the issue.

Also, do you think the manager or supervisor would be able to issue a value of larger than 300 dollars apple credit. Thanks

 

[Mr Rabbit]

Yeh it would have been helpful haha, so would you recommend threatening legal with them over refusing to abide to their REP (corporate and 2 geniuses told me it was nonexistent and not binding) and asking for forcing me to not use my investment for months?

What I would really like to get out of this would be an ipad 32 gb with 4g, and would settle for a retina mini 32gb 4g. I know its a lot but they have to realize they basically refused to fix my 3000 dollar computer three times, and basically did nothing for it when I told them the issue.

Also, do you think the manager or supervisor would be able to issue a value of larger than 300 dollars apple credit. Thanks

I absolutely wouldn't mention any sort of legal action. At that point customer service stops talking, only saying something to the effect of "we'll put you in touch with our legal department". I had to say just that 3 separate times when customers were unruly and started talking about suing Apple for whatever reasons. Trust me, you're much less likely to get a pleasant outcome when that occurs. Future calls to AppleCare will immediately become unresponsive once they view your case history, the Genius Bar will have to notify managers, who will politely ask you to speak to legal rather than coming in the store, if they view your case history, etc. Absolutely not worth it unless you have documented loss of income greater than any legal fees that would come about from proceedings. Basically, if you lost over $15,000 in documented income because of Apple's actions then go ahead and try your luck. If you're just trying to score a free iPad as compensation then I absolutely wouldn't push further than speaking to a supervisor or possibly emailing customer relations. That's kind of a rule in general, not just with Apple, as most all large companies have strict policies in place concerning legal matters.

Aside from that, if you were mentioning a recall then they weren't in the wrong by saying "no, there are no recalls on this model". It sounds extremely pedantic but that's what would hold up in court. They DID try to fix it with a logic board and whatnot and eventually fixed it once you found a Genius in the know regarding the open REP.

It would be one thing if they had brushed you off and refused to acknowledge any issue by refusing to repair it. Sure, then I'd push pretty hard for some sort of compensation. However, with them acknowledging the issue (just not the "recall" or REP) and attempting to fix it a couple of times they did ok. I really would just chalk this up to some unfortunate misunderstandings and a lack of communication on Apple's part to their Genius teams.

With that said, definitely push with AppleCare and a supervisor. They're main goal is to appease you. A larger capacity iPad is pushing it in my opinion but a store credit to cover half it's cost would be something I'd consider fair.

 

[Saint.Icon]

Yeh it would have been helpful haha, so would you recommend threatening legal with them over refusing to abide to their REP (corporate and 2 geniuses told me it was nonexistent and not binding) and asking for forcing me to not use my investment for months?

What I would really like to get out of this would be an ipad 32 gb with 4g, and would settle for a retina mini 32gb 4g. I know its a lot but they have to realize they basically refused to fix my 3000 dollar computer three times, and basically did nothing for it when I told them the issue.

Also, do you think the manager or supervisor would be able to issue a value of larger than 300 dollars apple credit. Thanks

You told them there was a recall. There wasn't. They weren't mistaken in telling you that there was no recall. It obviously wouldn't be binding because it is, in fact, nonexistent.

Who in the hell are you to sit and demand that kind of compensation? Your time is worth nothing. You're a student putting up a tantrum. When your time is of no value to anyone but you, you can't be compensated for it. Further, to sit and demand a $750 iPad or else you're going to try to sue? Good luck with that.

You allowed them to keep your machine for that amount of time. Plain and simple. You consented to repair and timeframes when you signed that work order. They didn't refuse to fix your computer. They clearly did everything possible to repair it, and eventually found the issue. It wasn't in the timeframe you wanted, but you consented to it, and signed a work order to do so.

What this boils down to is an insufferable, whining prick trying to get something for nothing because he made a bad call and tolerated a lengthy repair. I sincerely hope they give you nothing but a merciless whipping in court. Your greed is sickening.

I'm all for customer service, but people like you who sit and think they can extort a company for something with threats of a lawsuit deserve nothing but ruin. And I truly hope yours finds you quickly.

 

[robbie12345]

I absolutely wouldn't mention any sort of legal action. At that point customer service stops talking, only saying something to the effect of "we'll put you in touch with our legal department". I had to say just that 3 separate times when customers were unruly and started talking about suing Apple for whatever reasons. Trust me, you're much less likely to get a pleasant outcome when that occurs. Future calls to AppleCare will immediately become unresponsive once they view your case history, the Genius Bar will have to notify managers, who will politely ask you to speak to legal rather than coming in the store, if they view your case history, etc. Absolutely not worth it unless you have documented loss of income greater than any legal fees that would come about from proceedings. Basically, if you lost over $15,000 in documented income because of Apple's actions then go ahead and try your luck. If you're just trying to score a free iPad as compensation then I absolutely wouldn't push further than speaking to a supervisor or possibly emailing customer relations. That's kind of a rule in general, not just with Apple, as most all large companies have strict policies in place concerning legal matters.

Aside from that, if you were mentioning a recall then they weren't in the wrong by saying "no, there are no recalls on this model". It sounds extremely pedantic but that's what would hold up in court. They DID try to fix it with a logic board and whatnot and eventually fixed it once you found a Genius in the know regarding the open REP.

It would be one thing if they had brushed you off and refused to acknowledge any issue by refusing to repair it. Sure, then I'd push pretty hard for some sort of compensation. However, with them acknowledging the issue (just not the "recall" or REP) and attempting to fix it a couple of times they did ok. I really would just chalk this up to some unfortunate misunderstandings and a lack of communication on Apple's part to their Genius teams.

With that said, definitely push with AppleCare and a supervisor. They're main goal is to appease you. A larger capacity iPad is pushing it in my opinion but a store credit to cover half it's cost would be something I'd consider fair.

Thanks for the advice again. I don't want to pursue in court at all, in fact I don't really like even yelling at people or asking for stuff haha, I must have misunderstood you before I thought you meant it would be better to do so.

Yeh thats what I was wondering, I assume that a larger ipad is pushing it. The reason Im not really all too content with 300 is because its really apple making another sale, that they will probably still make a minor profit on.

The thing is is that I would like my apple care refunded ($200) and also the price of parking refunded. Then the many hours they lost me, the erasing of my hard drive, and all the hours I lost, not to mention the many hours I would have lost in work would have been obscene if I didn't buy an additional 500 dollar ssd at the time I bought the computer.

Also not to mention the time I didn't have the computer and the constant lack of information not having the comp, and also them not listening to me in the first place.

Thats just the reason I want the ipad, which I think is fair (not necessarily an upgraded one lol, but maybe a basic one will do).

And thanks for the advice again!

----------

You told them there was a recall. There wasn't. They weren't mistaken in telling you that there was no recall. It obviously wouldn't be binding because it is, in fact, nonexistent.

Who in the hell are you to sit and demand that kind of compensation? Your time is worth nothing. You're a student putting up a tantrum. When your time is of no value to anyone but you, you can't be compensated for it. Further, to sit and demand a $750 iPad or else you're going to try to sue? Good luck with that.

You allowed them to keep your machine for that amount of time. Plain and simple. You consented to repair and timeframes when you signed that work order. They didn't refuse to fix your computer. They clearly did everything possible to repair it, and eventually found the issue. It wasn't in the timeframe you wanted, but you consented to it, and signed a work order to do so.

What this boils down to is an insufferable, whining prick trying to get something for nothing because he made a bad call and tolerated a lengthy repair. I sincerely hope they give you nothing but a merciless whipping in court. Your greed is sickening.

I'm all for customer service, but people like you who sit and think they can extort a company for something with threats of a lawsuit deserve nothing but ruin. And I truly hope yours finds you quickly.

Moderator or admin please just remove this person's posts from my thread. I am asking for advice and several other members are helping me incredibly. This user is offending me and will not stop.

Also note to the user please just go harass someone else.

 

[Peace]

The 2011 27" iMac weigh 30 lbs. not 50 lbs.

just saying.....

 

[Saint.Icon]

Thanks for the advice again. I don't want to pursue in court at all, in fact I don't really like even yelling at people or asking for stuff haha, I must have misunderstood you before I thought you meant it would be better to do so.

Yeh thats what I was wondering, I assume that a larger ipad is pushing it. The reason Im not really all too content with 300 is because its really apple making another sale, that they will probably still make a minor profit on.

The thing is is that I would like my apple care refunded ($200) and also the price of parking refunded. Then the many hours they lost me, the erasing of my hard drive, and all the hours I lost, not to mention the many hours I would have lost in work would have been obscene if I didn't buy an additional 500 dollar ssd at the time I bought the computer.

Also not to mention the time I didn't have the computer and the constant lack of information not having the comp, and also them not listening to me in the first place.

Thats just the reason I want the ipad, which I think is fair (not necessarily an upgraded one lol, but maybe a basic one will do).

And thanks for the advice again!

----------



Moderator or admin please just remove this person's posts from my thread. I am asking for advice and several other members are helping me incredibly. This user is offending me and will not stop.

Also note to the user please just go harass someone else.

I'm not harassing you, I'm not insulting you, and I'm not violating the TOS. I assume if I actually were you'd threaten a lawsuit unless I give you an iPad.

You're just upset because I'm pointing you out as what you are. There's no reason at all that they're obligated to compensate you for your own stupidity in leaving your computer somewhere for an extended period of time, willingly.

You keep touting your erased hard drive, yet mention your files being backed up.

You also keep referencing things that *could* have happened, yet didn't. You see, those aren't valid things. As they're not real life. You *could* have failed. But didn't. You *could* have lost work, but didn't. I *could* be winning the lottery right now, but instead I'm replying to you. Does that mean I get to threaten you into giving me an iPad? How about my time lost replying to this thread? By your standards I most definitely deserve compensation from you.

You're just looking for a freebie, and you certainly don't deserve one. If you don't like the replies you're getting, by all means - go elsewhere and find someone who will indulge your flawed morals and "I'm the victim" personality.

 

[matty1551]

I get you being bothered by how long it took them to get your iMac fixed but you are definitely pushing it asking for a fully loaded iPad. You should take the credit they offer you and run. So what if they don't refund the full amount you paid for applecare.

You will STILL have AppleCare after your credit right? And at a fraction of the cost? Or am I misunderstanding? You want them to pay you for parking too??? How much was that? $3.50?? You must not value your time much if you are still wasting your time trying to get a few more dollars out of this.

I'd encourage you to rethink your stance on this. Take what they are offering you and graciously thank them for trying to do right by you.

Most companies would tell you to shove it and just be happy that you have a working computer again.

In fact I'd laugh if you push too far and then you get nothing in compensation.

 

[jaxhunter]

A few things to add here, also from a former Genius’s perspective. Apple never ever ever issues recalls and a Genius will never admit to one. As a previous user stated they are "Repair Extension Programs." These programs have very specific rules and very specific conditions and Genii must follow these rules in order for the problem to be covered. I remember on a number of occasions having to get a manager to authorize a customer service exception to cover a repair I knew was caused by a defective part but for some reason it did not meet the required criteria. I also remember Apple taking away even that ability and making it clear that there were to be no exceptions for REPs. The primary reason for that is that the manufacturer of the defective part has to pay Apple for each repair under the REP and they will only do so if the conditions are met. Sometimes the terms of the REPs are expanded, as in the case, for example, of the Seagate hard drive REP that started out with a handful of machines and then was eventually expanded to like two or three model years. This REP also included a provision to conduct data transfers at no charge to the customer, which is exclusively against Apple policy (they charge you to back up your computer to encourage you to do it yourself).

That being said... I don't understand why they didn't just replace your graphics card under warranty, except that perhaps it simply never displayed the issue that you reported while in repair. It happened a number of times for me when trying to fix a machine. Also, the primary tool for diagnostics (ASD - Apple Service Diagnostics) may have identified the root cause of the issue and failed to identify a part damaged further down the failure chain, i.e. a bad temperature sensor on the logic board allowing the GPU to overheat. ASD will find the bad sensor but it may not find the GPU damage.

When you call AppleCare you are basically calling Apple customer service and as with all customer service groups worth anything they will offer you a small token of compensation if you make the case and they agree that you have indeed been wronged. They can offer you anything they want but there are limits to what will be authorized. It is important to remember that this is a token apology, not an attempt to make you whole again.

Finally, most Apple store will send someone to meet you curbside and cart your computer in for you. You just need to arrive slightly early for the appointment (or call the store beforehand) and inquire as to how this is done. They will even hold the machine for awhile if you wish to do some shopping before and/or after your appointment.

 

[Hugh]

I have a really dumb question. Isn't the GPU on the motherboard? So when they replaced the motherboard the first time, it should have fixed the computer, but didn't.

 

[lordboogie]

I have a really dumb question. Isn't the GPU on the motherboard? So when they replaced the motherboard the first time, it should have fixed the computer, but didn't.

The 2011 models have discrete graphics connected via MXM board.

 

[Mr Rabbit]

A few things to add here, also from a former Genius’s perspective. Apple never ever ever issues recalls and a Genius will never admit to one. As a previous user stated they are "Repair Extension Programs." These programs have very specific rules and very specific conditions and Genii must follow these rules in order for the problem to be covered. I remember on a number of occasions having to get a manager to authorize a customer service exception to cover a repair I knew was caused by a defective part but for some reason it did not meet the required criteria. I also remember Apple taking away even that ability and making it clear that there were to be no exceptions for REPs.

Well.... Apple HAS issued a couple of recalls but they are very few and very far between. Like I said, the last I can think of was the iBook/PowerBook battery recall back around 2004-2005. That was part of a larger Sony battery recall though, as Sony was the supplier for the battery technology. REPs though are definitely more common but sadly are just as misunderstood as they are here. Whenever a customer came in and said "I done saw on the TV that Apple done recalled this here MacBook cuz its keyboard done cracked" I didn't even argue, just nod and try to get them in and out as quick as possible, tossing a 0-30 in to help our stats. Some Genius' though, which I suspect are the type this guy encountered, would either correct them or argue that there wasn't a recall while still not addressing their concern. Some battles are worth fighting for, this often wasn't the case

It made me furious when they removed the ability for Genius' to issue CS codes in situations like this. I somewhat understand why they did it but even with managers overriding it we saw satisfaction scores start to drop. I left before they removed the capability completely but several of my friends who stayed said that it was killing their Netpromoter scores, which were already suffering due to long wait times as a result of double/triple queues per Genius and headcount issues. I'm going to stop there, that's definitely a subject that I could rant about for days...

The thing is is that I would like my apple care refunded ($200) and also the price of parking refunded.

That seems close to reasonable although AppleCare was $169. Only way you could have paid more is if it was part of a large (couple thousand) volume purchase with an extended (4 year+) AppleCare contract. Like I said before, it's been $169 for at least 7 years although I think much longer.

 

[wordsworth]

I've read the posts on this thread and what strikes me is that the OP is quite entitled to feel disgruntled about the customer service he received. The fact that he used the term 'recall' mistakenly isn't a criminal offence. Many people have a lack of knowledge about all sorts of aspects of computer terminology. The key words, however, were 'graphics card' and he got that reference right.

Saint.Icon could benefit from a few classes in social interaction, so that he might tone down the attitude. (You've only been on these boards a matter of days and you're already pissing people off.)