Completely outraged...**Update**

[queshy]

I agree - that was pretty over-the-top.

I'm not sure about that. If you read through some of my posts, the head genius told me that he would only sell me a macbook pro and not a macbook. I told him that I didn't have the $ to buy the pro now. So, on the phone, I told this to customer relations. When they were talking to me about compensation, I figured it was a conservative request given that the head genius told me personally t hat he would only sell me a macbook pro.

The person who I spoke to on the phone told me that he was taking action to ensure that there is better service at the store, and he promised me it would never happen again. He also told me, (sorry for being repetitious) that it's good I brought this to his attention and persisted because otherwise, without customer feedback, there's no way to know what's going on in their stores.

I personally think that by persisting like this and keeping my cool the whole time, Apple is taking more steps to improve the retail experience for all of you guys.
I also believe that most people who don't have time to do what I did would have just accepted the refund and boughten it elsewhere. But why let them win? I'm sure they deal with a lot of customers who genuinely are out to get the store - but I'm not one of them. My course of action was reasonable, I never raised my voice and I certainly did no whining.

I hope that any future apple store customers get excellent treatment - because that's the way it should be.

On the phone, he seemed very concerned about my 'embarrassment' that I told him about - what people think of a big company is important. If I would have kept my feelings to myself and not mentioned how I really felt, they wouldn't have called me back. Because to apple - it's something that they could have easily fixed (i.e. offer me discount). I think that they contacted me by phone because the "embarrassment" is something that's much harder to brush off.

 

[queshy]

You are all right. I agree bad behavior should be brought to Apple's attention, and there are channels for that.

The sjobs emails address is an unofficial, yet valuable resource for us. It should be used with restraint. I feel bad for queshy. I've also had bad experiences with Apple myself. But once Apple has resolved the problem, apologized, and made good otherwise, it's time to let it rest and not push for written apologies, extra discounts, etc. There comes the point of diminishing returns.

Why ask for a formal written apology, you may ask?

Firstly, I thought it would help make my sister feel better - she had a really, really negative impression of apple after what happened, and I wanted to show her they're in fact a great company.

But also, I think it is this request that made them take my complaint more seriously. Would a company as big as this ever send out a formal apology to a customer? Definitely not. Why would they ever admit they were wrong about this? Think of the press if I were to post that apology letter from apple on this website. It would gather a lot of interest. I know deep down that they wouldn't offer me a letter of apology, but it was worth asking for.

I wasn't asking for extra discounts or free stuff. That's just what I call "taking advantage of a bad situation". The mbp upgrade I asked for was not "free stuff" I was pushing for - I was just saying that because the genius told me to he would only sell me a macbook pro, they ought to pay the difference for it at this point.

I was not abusing the system. I'm sure other members here have sent their e-mail more than once because they didn't get a response. I also apologized to him on the phone for sending it to three different e-mail addresses because I wasn't sure which one to send it to. He was 100% understanding of this and wasn't annoyed at all.

My main goal with all of this was to create awareness down at apple about what happened so that they can improve their retail stores. When you're not persistent, it's hard to get them to listen to you just because they're such a big company.

 

[phalewhale]

i was surprised that you asked for the mbp for the same price as the mb.

I agree - that was pretty over-the-top.

Why was it over the top? I purchased a MacBook just after the refresh earlier this year and I had audio problems with 2 of them. I had to make a round trip of over 200 miles each time to return them. Because of this, the store manager actually offered to upgrade me to a MBP free of charge. The store manager obviously thought it was ample compensation to take away the bitter taste. I thought this was an amazing gesture and excellent customer service. It's a pity Queshy and his sister hadn't received such service.

If you don't ask, you don't get. Besides, in Queshy's earlier posts, the "GENIUS" had banned him from purchasing MB's, but not MBP's.

 

[queshy]

Why was it over the top? I purchased a MacBook just after the refresh earlier this year and I had audio problems with 2 of them. I had to make a round trip of over 200 miles each time to return them. Because of this, the store manager actually offered to upgrade me to a MBP free of charge. The store manager obviously thought it was ample compensation to take away the bitter taste. I thought this was an amazing gesture and excellent customer service. It's a pity Queshy and his sister hadn't received such service.

If you don't ask, you don't get. Besides, in Queshy's earlier posts, the "GENIUS" had banned him from purchasing MB's, but not MBP's.

You hit the nail on the head...
I think it might be time to let this thread die...so I will stop posting. I want to thank (for the most part) everyone for supporting me! Thank you all for reading, too. I hope this thread has taught people to know their rights as customers, and not to settle for anything less than they were expecting from their local Apple store. I also think it's important to be firm, persistent, but never rude, obnoxious, or any of that stuff. Also, it's important not to just e-mail Steve Jobs when you are dissatisfied. Try going back to the store and talk to the salesman first. Then the genius bar, then the manager, etc. If that doesn't work, call apple, speak to tech support, then customer relations, etc. It's important to follow Apple's "flow" and not to just try and jump to the top, because perhaps a lower level can assist you. My local apple store has certainly lost a customer for now, but Apple, Inc. hasn't

 

[carcus]

Grab a tissue, grab a napkin

Use the tissue to dry your eyes, use the napkin to fix your macbook.


Analysis: Inadequate shock mounting of hard drive is causing resonance of hard drive through the battery (removal of battery eliminates vibration).

Solution: Insulate battery from hard drive vibration by placing cushioning material inbetween battery spring clip and metal tab on L shaped RAM door.

1. Shut down, unplug computer
2. Open battery bay
3. Fold approx 1”x1” piece of napkin over a few times.
4. Place piece of folded napkin in between battery and case where the metal battery spring clip is located. Use enough napkin material to insulate the clip from the round tab but not so much that it causes excess pressure to lock the battery back into place.
5. Razor off excess napkin material so it doesn’t look like your macbook walked out of the bathroom with toilet paper on its shoe.
6. Enjoy a more pleasant physical relationship with your macbook.

Probably not the elegant solution that you were looking for, or how a “genius” would solve the problem, but whatever works, right? Maybe somebody else can think of a better material than the napkin.

 

[Tosser]

Use the tissue to dry your eyes, use the napkin to fix your macbook.


Analysis: Inadequate shock mounting of hard drive is causing resonance of hard drive through the battery (removal of battery eliminates vibration).

Solution: Insulate battery from hard drive vibration by placing cushioning material inbetween battery spring clip and metal tab on L shaped RAM door.

1. Shut down, unplug computer
2. Open battery bay
3. Fold approx 1”x1” piece of napkin over a few times.
4. Place piece of folded napkin in between battery and case where the metal battery spring clip is located. Use enough napkin material to insulate the clip from the round tab but not so much that it causes excess pressure to lock the battery back into place.
5. Razor off excess napkin material so it doesn’t look like your macbook walked out of the bathroom with toilet paper on its shoe.
6. Enjoy a more pleasant physical relationship with your macbook.

Probably not the elegant solution that you were looking for, or how a “genius” would solve the problem, but whatever works, right? Maybe somebody else can think of a better material than the napkin.

Any other ideas to fix apple sub-par design? Duct tape is always useful, I gather.

(ie. none of that ought to be necessary. Not at all).

 

[desistyle]

Hey Carcus, can you post a video or something of how this should work? Or pics?

 

[carcus]

I only do professional repairs. I don't use duct tape. I use colored duct tape to match the job. I'm a fan of bailing wire as well, but it's hard to find an application for bailing wire on laptops.


Desistyle, I could post some pictures, but then I'd have to take the pictures, figure out how to get them up on the sight, edit the instructions, etc... etc.... Ok, I'm lazy. If enough people really want to see this I guess I could put it up. But really, all you're trying to do with the fix is get some cushioning material (any kind of cushioning material) in between the spring battery clip and the little round metal tab it rests on. There's probably a better fix than a McDonald's napkin. It's just what I had handy.

 

[Tosser]

I only do professional repairs. I don't use duct tape. I use colored duct tape to match the job. I'm a fan of bailing wire as well, but it's hard to find an application for bailing wire on laptops.

Haha, very true. I guess you could go with cyanoacrylate instead. It might stop all the creaking although the gap filling qualities are a bit of a letdown.

Add:
Come to think of it. The standard duct tape might actually fit very well indeed. I _knew_ there was a reason for the MBPs and Airbooks to be silver.

 

[jlchee]

Completely Satisfied

I purchased a MacBook in mid November and I used it for about a week all the while noting that when I typed I was missing a lot of the letter A and the delete key was not reacting to my touch. I could actually duplicate the problem and took the computer back to the Apple Store and the genius took it into the back room and came back out telling me my settings were incorrect. So I meekly took the computer thinking it was my typing skills at fault. But after another week or two of the same and speaking with other MB owners, I took the computer back to another store in another state and they took it right in and gave me another one immediately. I could not have been more pleased as the new keyboard was 100% better than the first MB. Vibrations, never had any. You can only get vibrations from something spinning. What spins in a computer, hard drive, cd unit.

 

[Tosser]

You can only get vibrations from something spinning. What spins in a computer, hard drive, cd unit.

And fans.

 

[queshy]

Use the tissue to dry your eyes, use the napkin to fix your macbook.


Analysis: Inadequate shock mounting of hard drive is causing resonance of hard drive through the battery (removal of battery eliminates vibration).

Solution: Insulate battery from hard drive vibration by placing cushioning material inbetween battery spring clip and metal tab on L shaped RAM door.

1. Shut down, unplug computer
2. Open battery bay
3. Fold approx 1”x1” piece of napkin over a few times.
4. Place piece of folded napkin in between battery and case where the metal battery spring clip is located. Use enough napkin material to insulate the clip from the round tab but not so much that it causes excess pressure to lock the battery back into place.
5. Razor off excess napkin material so it doesn’t look like your macbook walked out of the bathroom with toilet paper on its shoe.
6. Enjoy a more pleasant physical relationship with your macbook.

Probably not the elegant solution that you were looking for, or how a “genius” would solve the problem, but whatever works, right? Maybe somebody else can think of a better material than the napkin.

But the computer was brand new - does it say you need to follow that procedure on the box? No. It's not supposed to vibrate, and the customer shouldn't be required to find a fix for it him/herself. It's Apple's fault, here.

 

[carcus]

Queshy,

Your not going to get an argument from me on that. I was originally so P.O.'d at apple that I threw the macbook in a file cabinet and let it sit there for a month. I had been to the apple store and noted the same vibration on the display models and figured it was going to be a long and possibly fruitless battle with the apple store 45 minutes of crosstown traffic away (even though they had given me a case number for the repair). I'm just saying if you want to fix the problem . . . then there you go. If you want apple to fix it . . . . good luck.
Probably, apple needs to redesign the hard drive mount or the battery spring clip, or both, in order to have it right, out of the factory.

 

[Stridder44]

Well some of your facts don't add up but in the end looks like you got what you wanted. Good job to you.

Who gives a crap if a few details didn't line up, no customer should be treated like this. If something's defective, you replace it (assuming you brought it in within 30 days or whatnot). No questions asked. He didn't just get what he wanted, he got what he deserved. At least the Manager was a sensible person and took care of everything.

I would say I hate geniuses now, but I can't. I've had too many replace my old iPod even when it was out of warranty, which is very kind of them. I guess you really did just come across a bad set of employees. Congrats on getting it all settled!

i was thinking the same thing, but hey queshy if this is really happening to you, i feel for you, if you're making it up just to get attention (cause you sure have gotten a lot of it) damn you

btw i give you the benefit of the doubt because you are a long time member, and pretty high up as far as member rankings go

Yes, he made it all up. HA! GOT YOU!

Seriously, who are you people? Why would he lie about this kind of thing? But hey, it got sorted out. The idiots who made all the problems in the first place are going the bottom levels of tech hell, the store manager was cool about everything, so yeah. Problem resolved. But I understand where the OP is coming from.

 

[147798]

Sorry for all the trouble. Mac laptops are a huge target for scammers and theives right now because they are small and hold their value very well in re-selling, so the store manager is paranoid.

Having said that, I've found the Apple stores to be cool -- in terms of going in and seeing all the toys -- but terrible on service (both getting help and getting GOOD help). Apple tech is fantastic, but I think they are going to hurt their reputation with the kind of clerks they have there. I would think they'd pick up a lot more market share, if the help was more "newbie" friendly, like with your sister.

 

[queshy]

The idiots who made all the problems in the first place are going the bottom levels of tech hell, the store manager was cool about everything, so yeah. Problem resolved. But I understand where the OP is coming from.

Well, the store managers weren't cool at the beginning...they one became "cool" after I called corporate. It seems as though they and the apple geniuses are on a huge power trip...the computer was noticeably vibrating, and that's not normal, and especially at that price, you shouldn't have to open it up and remove components to "fix" the issue.

I hope that from this thread people have learnt not to accept what they're "told" at stores in general. If something isn't right, you have to take matters into your own hands. Never accept mediocrity when it comes to purchasing something as expensive as a laptop.