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Apple's Customer Service Stinks!

Time to reset your expectations

"When the parts arrived, they were either the wrong parts or didn't work at all". Come on now, how reasonable is it to believe that Apple Computer shipped you a set of parts for the wrong computer, and they a second set that didn't even work? Further, some of your statements such as the one about your father missing out on thousands of dollars in job opportunities and, as you state, that he does this high priced design on an iMac's 15" low res screen are just plain shocking. Good thing this post is in a rumors forum.

We have all had customer service experiences that we would like to have come out 100% in our favor, but can you settle for 95% as Apple has offered you?
 
re: dell

i was a dell warranty tech before i became a tech for myself and though dell has good service, apple machines are better

but don't blame dell for the blue screen of death

blame microsoft,,,it's a software issue most likely that makes the blue screen of death pop up and the odds of hardware issues making it pop up more than once on different machines is virtually impossible

btw,,,did you have windows me?

if so, that is your problem right there

being a windows user, one gets used to that the way a mac user gets used to having to buy more ram all the time, esp for os x, it's just the imperfect and fast nature of the IT field

one day, machines will be almost problem free and i will be out of a job
 
wtf?

ok Kela. Just where do u get off? I do live in the middle of nowhere but why does that make u think im a f***in moron? are u prejudice against people who dont live in a city? kiss my ass because u have no idea what ur talking about.
 
amichalo

my dad was hired for these jobs because where i live not too many people give a s*** about computers. that imac was the best computer in town for about a year until it broke. everybody else out here are pc users with computers so ****** it makes a performa look like a supercomputer. the imac worked beautifully for what we used it for and thats all we needed. we arent gonna go blow $10000 on a kickass g4 because we dont need it and it is a waste of $7500. if you're telling me that an imac cant do 2d animation, then you obviously have never tried to. make sense?
 
My Bad Dell

I have to say that Dell’s techs were (for the most part) very helpful – courteous – etc. Especially after logging hours and hours of support calls, the techs I spoke to seemed almost too nice. Probably out of pity more than anything else…

What really burned me about the experience was that a couple of really cool -not to mention brave- Dell techs hinted at the true source of my problem… bad RAM. Saying very little (but enough for me to understand), they mentioned that they were getting lots of calls about my particular configuration and the low-end RAM they offered for their new P4 (yeah, I know, my fault for trying to save a little money on RAM). So, with this little bit of ammunition I was able to get a full refund almost 90 days after purchase date.

Jef, you know Dell. So you know there’s no way they would have given me my $2,000 back after 30 days unless they knew they goofed big-time (which they did).

The positive thing about this whole experience happened when, a week later, I walked into CompUSA to take a look at this Macintosh thing that always seemed more like a toy or piece of candy than a real computer that could do everything Dell could do (but better*). I fell in love with my G4, got them to take $300 off the price, and haven’t looked back since.

BTW – I remember a thread about the CompUSA Apple salespeople and I just wanted to chime in. The day I bought my machine was their first day in the San Francisco CompUSA and they were great. I think they closed the deal for Apple. I’m not so sure that the regular staff loafers would have done the job. I might be running Windows XP on my Dimension POS is it wasn’t for Apple putting those guys in…
 
I love Dell

I have to confess - I love Dell. They make great kit, lots of configuration options, and a great service.

Apple is really cool - Mac OS X is my favourite OS, but there's still plenty that Apple could learn from Dell.

I agree with Jef - Apple have got better recently in the area of customer service and support, but there's still a way further for them to go in this area.
 
re: imacs as pro machines

those people who say that the imac can't do this or that don't realize that the curent imac (or even one from 1999) blows away my top of the line $5,000 mac clone from 1996

powercomputing machines were used in the movie industry in the mid 90s due to their intense computing power compared to pcs and most apple macs

one of the largest graphic design accounts in my area which works in the agriculture field in central california still uses the powercomputing machines

blair witch project postproduction was done on a powercomputing mac and an imac

and last i heard, the movie still sits on top of the heap in sales as one of the highest grossing movies of late

the same people who criticise the imac now will consider their g4s doorstops in another 2 years and be screaming for a 10 ghz machine from apple because they can't do anything with their old machines
 
my first Mac

My first Mac was a Motorola Starmax 3000/160 clone...

The thing with the clones was that they were pre-G3....all either 603 or 604 processors with slower bus speeds...

I'm not sure what u can upgrade an iMac to now, much less what u can do with a first generation iMac, but they aren't completely outdated...

definitely a piece of history as well...
 
also

the makers of blair witch trusted their $20,000 dollar movie industry software program on their imac and those two guys made more money than all of us posters put together times ten

so if you want to do something with an imac, do it already
 
Cutting through the BS

Let’s focus on the facts. What happened before Apple offered him a replacement iMac is of NO MATTER. The simple fact is that they offered him one, and they can’t take it back.

Now, I think he’s being very reasonable by accepting the demo iMac. If it were me, I wouldn’t even let them suggest it. The simple fact that Apple is offering another machine instead of repairing the existing one tells me that they truly believe that this is the only solution possible. It’s really very easy logic.

So, again, I ask: If the solution is replacing the computer, why isn’t Apple offering a new one? And if they insist on passing along a worn-and-torn demo, why are they quibbling about the warranty? I think he’s being all to kind to take a misused and abused floor model, why not give him a year of protection against whatever scrapes and bruises are lurking under the hood…?

I’ve become a very big fan of Apple and it’s because of the thought and quality control that goes into each and every component of each and every system. I think it would be a shame to let this (obviously loyal) customer fall between the cracks. He isn’t even asking to be reimbursed for the hundreds of dollars he spent needlessly shipping his existing computer to and fro (all on GOOD FAITH that Apple would deliver it back in working order).

We all love Apple’s machines, but it’s also up to us as customers to keep them in check. Even the most feel-good corporations mistreat the little guy every now and again.
 
i agree with you

does apple replace an imac with a newer model with different stats?

i have never owned an imac so i don't know

every time i turn my head, there is a different imac around and would apple even have a replacement mac that was new a year or two later?

i think apple tried, but maybe not their best
 
Re: also

Originally posted by jefhatfield
the makers of blair witch trusted their $20,000 dollar movie industry software program on their imac and those two guys made more money than all of us posters put together times ten

so if you want to do something with an imac, do it already
Click to expand...


good point...
 
Re: amichalo

Originally posted by elfin buddy
my dad was hired for these jobs because where i live not too many people give a s*** about computers. that imac was the best computer in town for about a year until it broke. everybody else out here are pc users with computers so ****** it makes a performa look like a supercomputer. the imac worked beautifully for what we used it for and thats all we needed. we arent gonna go blow $10000 on a kickass g4 because we dont need it and it is a waste of $7500. if you're telling me that an imac cant do 2d animation, then you obviously have never tried to. make sense?
Click to expand...

Well you certainly know your corner of the world better than I. Still, I hold to my belief that an iMac with a 15" built in CRT is not an appropriate solution for a graphic design artist. Surely one CAN perform many graphic design tasks using an iMac rather than a suitable G4 workstation, just as one CAN build a house using a screwdriver rather than a professional powerdriver.

And don't use reductio ad absurdum on me - I never suggested a $10,000 system. Just go to the Apple store and TRY to configure a system for that price. Hard isn't it?

Hold to whatever belief you want. Belive Apple owes you new hardware with a new warranty. I will believe otherwise.
 
when i was a youugster in my schooling years, i thought that a professional graphic designer was the one who pushed the computer's envelope and would always need apple's very top machine

now that i am married to a graphic designer who worked for many of the top fortune 500 in nyc, i found out a professional graphic designer is one who gets paid, and the cutting edge photoshop or bryce artist who does not make a dime is still a high end hobbyist

so many professionals use g4s, but some use ibooks and imacs, and as a tech who has worked with thousands, i have even seen professional graphic designers on the corporate level using windows 98 on a compaq or hp machine...sounds frightening but there is the world of the dreamer and then there is the world of real graphic designers who get paid for a living who will often have to be flexible enough to get the job done with whatever computers the company has...even if the ceo decided it should all be pcs

one of my first clients was a multibillion dollar transportation company and the boss said to the catalog department, "the next time we rent new computers, they will all be pcs and we are going to return the macs to them, and get your staff retrained and have then hit the ground running when that happens"

in real life, when those catalogs need to get out the the tens of thousands of locations it is destined for, will the average customer care if that throwaway catalog was made on a g4?

no, he will just want the darn thing in his mailbox each month come rain or shine

the real IT world sucks, people! ...and money is a major factor in today's strapped corporations and dell has taken advantage of this so by the time many of you kids get into the real world, your highly rewarded graphics may be done on a dell or other pc...but at least you will learn photoshop, illustrator, and pagemaker better than the schools can teach you and it is a blessing that adobe makes their major titles in pc format too
 
Jefhatfield speaks the truth!

Sad though it may be, money is definately what makes someone a graphics professional.

My girlfriend works for an ad agency in San Francisco. They do branding and advertising for Print, Web, and TV. They are all using G3 Blue and White Towers or iMacs - even the print department.

It takes some serious cash to get rid of 30 G3s and guy new G4s, especially in this economy with layoffs, salary reductions, etc...

Incidentally, they are not even considering moving to OS X. Let the rest of us suckers work out the kinks in the OS and lack of programs for the next couple of years before the true professionals, working in large groups, relying on their hardware and software to earn cash, decide to make the switch.
 
thanks for the heads up

nice to see you again on macrumors

my wife's company, second or third largest educational publishing company in america, will not consider renting os x boxes until 2004, according to the head of the Mac IT department

and that's because the beige and blue and white g3s do the job very well and the rent on these machines every month is much cheaper than a g4 box, of which they have in only a third of the departments (certainly still less than half)

the IT guy could not imagine renting all new desktops with only os x on it, especially since photoshop is not on the shelves yet

but for a home user who surfs the internet, os x is just fine
 
amichalo

you must be either really rich, really stupid, or really extravagant. as i said before, i am not rich so i dont spend money on unneeded luxuries, such as a g4. i have no need for the power of a g4 so i dont invest in one. simple. i understand that many graphics professionals buy g4s because they have tight deadlines to meet and they need speed. the college here has been very loose with deadlines and is organized enough to let us know when it needs something, without making it a rush job. in that sense, an imac is perfectly adequate for the job. it gives exactly what is needed and nothing more. its design keeps people who work on it inspired. that is all we need so that is all we buy. i dont care if u need a g4 for work. i dont.

btw, in canadian dollars, a fully loaded g4 with cinema display and the like will cost about $20000 after taxes and shipping. a stripped down, low end g4 with a 15" display costs about $5000. the imac we bought cost $2500. why pay more when u arent going to use it?
 
You should be happy you got what you got.

First of all, the biggest mistake you made was you didn't buy AppleCare. If you had bought AppleCare, in addition to getting 3 year warranty, you get ONSITE service. you would not have paid the shipping charges at all. And once you get the unit repaired, in warranty or not, there is a 90 day warranty on the parts. So if the unit goes out of warranty before the 90 days goes out, you can still get the unit repaired. I am really suprised that you were even offered a replacement, even if it was a demo unit on an OUT OF WARRANTY computer. Once you hit that out of warranty stage, you should have been offered nothing. The fact that they repaired it several times out of warranty, shows that Apple went beyond what the manufacturers warranty says it will do. Not to sound heartless to your plight, but for an iMac, AppleCare is only $149. How many times did you pay for shipping? 'nuff said.
 
will wonders never cease?

for everyone interested, apple just today gave in and agreed to a new (not demo, NEW) computer! this was totally unexpected by me and my family. although we would have been happy with a demo, they have went above and beyond and sent us a new low end imac, whos specs top the lemon imac! i have no idea why they would just drop it and give us a new computer, but i expect it being something concerning upcoming imacs and trying to clear the channel. if we had ended up suing apple, the lawsuit would certainly go on until after the upcoming expo. if they were to announce an lcd imac at this expo and lose the lawsuit, i believe the courts would have made them give us an lcd imac or something (just trying to cut their losses or being nice?). i am very pleased about this and withdraw my statment about apple's poor customer service. even though it took a year to come around, i think apple definately deserves a standing ovation for this one =) KUDOS TO APPLE! thanks to everyone who posted on this thread! this is gonna be my last post on this thread so ciao!
 
One must understand that with hundreds of thousands of machine's out there it is almost impossible for everyone to be satisfied. There are those that i've talked to who want a new machine because they think they're fan on their tower is too loud and damaged, or that they need a new power book because one pixel in the very top left hand corner is out. PLEEEEASE. While I'll agree that owning a mac can be an obsessive compulsive's nightmare when it comes to cases etc...the majority of people that have problems are just freaking out. Apple has in the past and still to this day has been able to forge its existance on doing everything for its customers. Apple is no Wintel company, to succeed they need to do everything they can to earn trust and have happy customers. Plus apple care which is the best investment one can get is out there. I had power book screen ( old wallstreet) that had a strach on the screen upon opening...no questions asked they sent me a new one. I mean come on thats trust! I mean how do they now that I didn't "accidently" stratch it. We are a culture lets promote it not talk S#$% about it.

 
re: new imac replacement

congrats on new imac, and it's so cool that they sent you an updated imac with newer and better specifications!
 
I can tell you that..

If you would have went ahead and went through with a lawsuit, you would have lost. Apple was not in the wrong. People think that by mentioning "legal action" that its gonna help them out. what it does, it completely shuts you off from the resolution process, because after that, the only people you will be talking to is apple lawyers. you should be happy that you came out clean, and I trust that you will buy applecare so that you dont run into this problem again.
 
In the UK we have a legal expression "fit for the purpose for which it was sold." Any legal judgement in this area would have be be based upon whether a reasonable person would believe that the item sold was fit for the purpose - since you purchased the machine from a reseller rather than Apple Inc, your issue would be with them.

If the machine did not start up at all after less than a year of normal use, and the machine has not sustained any damage that you were directly or indirectly responsible for, this would clearly not be resonable, and you should not required "Applecare" to get a satisfactory resolution to the problem.

Surely this is not so different in the States?
 
Re: I can tell you that..

Pay attention! I hate to sound like a laywer myself, but some people don't seem to have a very strong grasp of the facts.

Remember Funkatation, the problem with his iMac (for which the computer was never really fixed) surfaced at 10 months. This is exactly 2 months BEFORE his original warranty had expired. AppleCare is not required until after this year.
And let's even say hypothetically that his warranty had expired. Apple offered him a replacement. When a company offers something they should do it all the way and not half-assed.

I'm happy to see that Apple has finally figured it out.

BTW - I agree with Funk on two counts:

1. BUY AppleCare. It shouldn't have mattered in your case, but I agree that the purchasers of extended warranties seem to get preferential treatment with support and repairs. It's like being on the guest list at a club as opposed to waiting in line.

2. A law suit would have gotten you nothing but frustration. It's much better to state your case in a calm and diplomatic manner with the company iteslf. Most times when you bring up the courts, you'll immedately get the silent treatment from that company. I'd take up my case with the BBB (I don't know if you've got that in the U.K.) before talking to any lawyers.
 
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