CompUSA sold my friend a used PowerBook

[hcuar]

CompUsa is one of the worst stores to shop at. Their return policies are terrible. They could care less about their customers.

I purchased a motherboard and processor in Albuquerque NM. I specifically asked the clerk if I could bring it back if it didn't work for a 100 percent refund. I was informed i could. The clerk helped to identify a motherboard/processor combination that was compatible with old memory that I wished to use. It ended up being incompatible, and the jerk offs at CUSA refused to take it back and give me a refund. It took another clerk that happened to overhear the first clerk to tell the manager... Yup, that's what he said. He then proceeded to tell the manager, "I don't even know our return policy."

Avoid CUSA at all costs. It's ridiculous that they are trying to stomp out freedom of speech by requesting to shut down this thread. The truth hurts... Sorry CompUsa. Treat your customers better.

Bravo for Apple helping to remedy the situation.

 

[nylon]

I've posted this story on Digg and I hope Compusa get their comeupance.

Digg this story here: http://www.digg.com/apple/Compusa_sold_used_Powerbook_as_new_and_refused_to_take_it_back_upon_failure

 

[theBB]

There is a proper chain of command to follow when dealing with retail stores and resellers to get your issue resolved. Starting an online flame war and accusing the retailer and the managers involved in the situation is NOT going to get your situation fixed.

He actually started out by asking for advice.

You have a lot to learn about human nature. But I see from your profile that you are only 22 years old so this is par for the course.

Since when is being young a mistake?

As far as the computer being registered the Apple rep didn't tell you that they have a policy of automatically registering Apple Computers that sit on the shelves at their resellers after 90 days. To me it looks like this is more than likely the problem with the computer. For example, it was sold to CUSA in Sept, in Nov. the 90 days came up and Apple assumes that it was sold in Sept.

Did you actually read his posts? The machine was registered in August by a purchaser with a name and address, not an automatic system.

"... the CompUSA manager told her that it's sort of like buying a new car—that if you buy a new car and it has 25 or so miles on it are you going to complain because it's not new?"
The manager's response is so lame. It shows that the manager has acknowledged seling a used laptop as new. He obviously knows that they have done something fishy, but I guess he could not come up with a better excuse.

It seems like the post by "gryhound" is a very poorly disguised attempt by a compUSA employee to blame the victim. Actually PR disaster would be a better word. I am guessing this is somebody from the store responsible for the initial sale, not the corporate headquarters.

Fortunately, there are better places for me to spend my money, especially if it is a high priced purchase. I'll tell about the story about this PB along with other stories involving the printer, SLR etc to a lot of my friends to make sure they don't spend much money at CompUSA. There are enough retailers around who treat their customers much better. I think the post by "gryhound" is the clincher for me.

 

[Lucky736]

As far as the computer being registered the Apple rep didn't tell you that they have a policy of automatically registering Apple Computers that sit on the shelves at their resellers after 90 days. To me it looks like this is more than likely the problem with the computer. For example, it was sold to CUSA in Sept, in Nov. the 90 days came up and Apple assumes that it was sold in Sept.

Actually having been a manager at many retailers in the past, CompUSA included at one point this is incorrect. They do not do that and in fact actually have a policy that returned units must be checked for problems, and if none are found must call an 800 # by the tech doing the inspection to see if it has been registered and if it has Apple will in essence "redo the warranty" to start from the next registration on the unit.

 

[Chip NoVaMac]

Chip,

I've been told that they received your letter. A member of their staff is allegedly requesting that I delete this thread and apologize. I don't have any intention of doing so.

Even if Apple mistakenly registered the computer early, that doesn't excuse the managers' behavior. Besides why didn't someone form the store call Apple themselves?

The entire issue of Apple vs. CompUSA vs. my friend is unfortunate. Honestly, it would have been in CompUSA's best interest to just exchange the computer from the beginning.

In any case, Apple is taking care of the problem now, and she is ready to move on.

Thanks again to the enormous support to those in this forum.

Funny that I never heard from CompUSA about my comments.

Apple does funny things, but with our store selling Mac's in the past - we never have heard of this 90 day stock registration.

Right you are about how CompUSA should have handled this. Just imagine if they did the right thing, just how impressed we would have been.

 

[masterhiggins]

Sorry CompUSA I don't want to have you screw me over. I'll visit the local MicroCenter instead.

Everytime I've been to microcenter, I've had pathetic service. good luck.

 

[jimN]

I see that there are multiple problems with .... letting CUSA resolve the issue.

edited for simplicity

Whoever wanted an official response then there it is. I like the way they repeatedly missed the point and turned the whole thing round to make your friend and yourself the people at fault whilst the near saintly sales staff at CUSA did their best to sell allegedly (a word that perhaps needs to be used more in here to avoid the ire of legal departments) nearly new macs whilst also trying to save the world. I thought that your friend didn't know a manager but rather a member of the sales team who had done their best to use the established relationship to vouch for the recent purchase inspite of missing barcodes but had been dismissed by the manager - but maybe i misunderstood. At any rate I doubt that gryhound speaks formally for CUSA but rather feels a peculiar compulsion to defend his company on-line, i wonder if he'll return to the thread or perhaps he's too busy peddling used goods and telling lies!

 

[Chip NoVaMac]

Everytime I've been to microcenter, I've had pathetic service. good luck.

I used to work for Micro Center in Fairfax. And now live right behind them. Maybe it is that they know me from when I worked there; but my experiences and those in front of me in the CS line tells a different story.

Quite honestly it is about ones expectations. Having worked in retail for most of my life, I know what is possible at the store level. The horror stories that I could tell, like the customer that had a warranty issue 10 months from the date of purchase. They felt that they should get a new unit before a tech had a chance to see what was needed.

Big Box stores are IMO the worst place to seek customer service. Smaller local dealers have more to lose or gain through their customer service practices.

 

[SurfinSHELL23]

Well, the CompUSA manager told her that it's sort of like buying a new car—that if you buy a new car and it has 25 or so miles on it are you going to complain because it's not new?

Wow that's a horrible analogy. At least in the State of New Jersey, when you buy a new car at the dealership they make you sign off on whatever is on the odometer at that time. I believe when we bought our last Saturns you even got a few cents per mile back - or maybe this was only if it was over a certain number, like 250 miles or something.

I'll try to avoid CUSA. Seems like they haven't had any good sales lately anyway.

 

[upperblue79]

There appears to be some misinformation going on here. The customer purchased a sealed powerbook Dec 16 at compusa. Today she confirmed that the original round apple seal was broken by her.
The problems she first had when she got the notebook were a result of something that happened to mail.app when she performed the firewire transfer during setup and apple helped her resolve that over the phone.
When she called compusa to say her hard drive had failed she was asked if she had her original UPC and she said yes, so it was immediately decided the notebook would be exchanged with a brand new one. This decision was made solely on the bad hard drive, nothing was mentioned about this computer being registered when this decision was made. This was also almost 2 months after the purchase was made which compusa policy states is 21 day return or exchange. http://www.compusa.com/terms.asp#returns Compusa was going beyond policy on this to satisfy the customer.
When she showed up it was learned that the UPC had been mailed for a rebate. It was explained to her that the UPC with the serial number on it was the proof of purchase and that it is required to return. At that point the customer stated she was ok with shipping it to apple to get the hard drive fixed. It was decided to let her ship it because apple would get a box to her faster than they would for compusa and this would get her notebook back to her faster. The original apple seal was broken by the customer.
It is hard to find many major retailers that would continue to exchange merchandise after the return period has passed. It is also hard to find many major retailers who would take a product back without the UPC. Also, apple does have a policy that thier computers should be sold within a certain time period. It is up to the retailer to make sure to get the older macs out first and if not they can instate the warranty. As to if this is why they claim the computer to be registered I do not know.
The manager talking about used cars is taken out of context. It was not an explanation on her computer but instead describing why they would sell an open unit, but open units are not sold in that compusa without the customer knowing it is and what happened to it.
The customer also stated she did not ask or know her friend was posting this and she is fine with the situation and understands that since she broke the seal something must have happened to the computer before compusa recieved it. She first got him involved because he was also a mac user and she wanted some help getting her mail program to work.
Also, gryhound is not employed by compusa.

 

[Clix Pix]

Reading all of this only reaffirms my personal beliefs and practices: when buying something specialized, go to a source which is knowledgeable and which will provide appropriate service to its clientele. Sure, I'll run into Microcenter now and then, as it's not that far from where I live -- but not to buy camera gear or Apple gear. It's fine for buying a new printer or cartridges for that printer or printer paper..... and back in the days when I was still using PCs, it was my source for a standard off-the-shelf PC and monitor. The people who work there at Microcenter at least seem to have SOME knowledge of what they're selling, unlike CompUSA.

I've never forgotten the time I had stopped in at CompUSA to grab some printer paper or something and having a little time to kill was just casually browsing around, looking at the newest PCs on offer. I paused to more closely examine the specs on one machine and right next to me there was a man who was clearly interested in buying something. He kept asking the salesman who was with him questions -- questions which were either ignored, answered by "um....I'm not sure," or totally, blatantly incorrectly answered. I was horrified, because what this man was asking were fairly simple questions, not something high-tech or requiring a degree in computer engineering. The man asked something about RAM and the sales guy fumbled with his response. I soooo wanted to jump in there and give the poor customer some decent answers, but realized that this probably would be viewed as inappropriate and interfering. I kept my mouth shut and decided it was time to move on to another section of the store before I lost my cool. At Microcenter, the people there at least appear to know about computers and about individual products.

When I want to buy an Apple product, I head to the local Apple store or I order BTO online from Apple. But, yeah, I'll admit that one of the reasons I was finally convinced that a Mac was right for me was because I was able to spend an uninterrupted hour or so at Microcenter playing around with the Macs they had on display.... As much as I love the Apple store, sometimes their personnel can be a little TOO attentive. I like to putter around by myself with a new machine or new software and when there is someone hovering over me, all too eager to show me everything, that can interfere with making the crucial decision if this is right for me. So after two or three times in the Apple store and that nice long time communing with the Macs at Microcenter, I was ready to buy, and of course went right back to the Apple store.

Same with camera gear. When I'm ready to buy a new camera body or lens, I sure as heck am not going to CompUSA or Microcenter! Or Best Buy, either.... This is again a purchase which in my opinion, is best done in a store which specializes in such equipment. One reason, of course, is that the personnel in the store are going to be knowledgeable about the cameras and lenses that they sell and will be able to answer the consumer's questions and offer guidance as to what will best meet the person's needs. In addition to that, of course, there is the "aftercare" piece of this: a problem arises with that new camera or lens, well, a professional camera dealer will be able to work with that, whereas at Big Box stores or places which try to sell a lot of everything while knowing little about any of it aren't going to be able to offer much in the way of after-purchase support.

Whatever..... It is truly very unfortunate that your friend has had this experience with CompUSA and I am glad that Apple is doing its part to remedy the situation from its end.

 

[clayj]

Also, gryhound is not employed by compusa.

How do you know that? Just wondering.

 

[jaw04005]

There appears to be some misinformation going on here. The customer purchased a sealed powerbook Dec 16 at compusa. Today she confirmed that the original round apple seal was broken by her.

The customer thinks the original seal was broken by her. However, it's easy to reseal something, and a novice customer would not know the difference.

The problems she first had when she got the notebook were a result of something that happened to mail.app when she performed the firewire transfer during setup and apple helped her resolve that over the phone.

Not quite true. Apple initially tried to help the customer, however the settings entered to Mail.app and Entourage.app would never "stick." This was most likely due to the failing hard drive. We reinstalled 10.4 over three times on the computer in question.

When she called compusa to say her hard drive had failed she was asked if she had her original UPC and she said yes, so it was immediately decided the notebook would be exchanged with a brand new one. This decision was made solely on the bad hard drive, nothing was mentioned about this computer being registered when this decision was made. This was also almost 2 months after the purchase was made which compusa policy states is 21 day return or exchange. http://www.compusa.com/terms.asp#returns Compusa was going beyond policy on this to satisfy the customer.

This is completely true. However, the customer did not know that the computer had been registered until she called Apple after she got home from the store (this time). The Apple representative told her that the computer was manufactured in July and registered in August by another person. This along with the failing hard drive and the slight bend on the left side of the PowerBook would make anyone suspicious. The Apple representative firmly stood by the registration claim and insisted that she take it back to CompUSA for a return despite the computer being a month old.

When she showed up it was learned that the UPC had been mailed for a rebate. It was explained to her that the UPC with the serial number on it was the proof of purchase and that it is required to return.

This is also true. Initially, your store offered to exchange her machine. However, that really doesn't matter seeing that because of the rebate requirement (missing UPC code) it couldn't happen.

At that point the customer stated she was ok with shipping it to apple to get the hard drive fixed. It was decided to let her ship it because apple would get a box to her faster than they would for compusa and this would get her notebook back to her faster.

She agreed to that because she felt intimated by your manager and staff. She felt like that was her only option. A better option would have been for someone at the store to actually contact Apple and discuss the registration. However, this failed to happen. She was never "okay" with anything. If anything she was very mad and disappointed in your customer service.

Also, apple does have a policy that thier computers should be sold within a certain time period. It is up to the retailer to make sure to get the older macs out first and if not they can instate the warranty. As to if this is why they claim the computer to be registered I do not know.

This is something that was not explained to her at either CompUSA or Apple. Apple strongly insisted that the computer had been previously registered and implied it might have been return/display model.

The manager talking about used cars is taken out of context. It was not an explanation on her computer but instead describing why they would sell an open unit, but open units are not sold in that compusa without the customer knowing it is and what happened to it.

The manager should never have even slightly compared a new computer purchase to a used/program car. She may have misunderstood the context of the comparison. However, you must keep in mind that at this point Apple is telling her that she has a registered computer that was manufactured in July.

The customer also stated she did not ask or know her friend was posting this and she is fine with the situation and understands that since she broke the seal something must have happened to the computer before compusa recieved it.

The customer did not know at the time that I posted this thread. This thread was a source of frustration and more of a seeking advice. Look, you have CompUSA telling the customer that the computer was not used or a display model. Then, you have Apple telling the customer that the computer has been registered, was manufactured in July and implying that it might be a store return. Who are you to believe?

 

[jaw04005]

Not to mention you have a PowerBook that cost $1399 that has never worked right from the beginning, has a slight bend in the aluminum casing and now is having to be sent off for a 5 to 7 day repair after less than two months usage. I think she has a right to be upset with both CompUSA and Apple.

There are so many possibilities (Apple could have screwed up the registration, Apple could have shipped CompUSA a previously registered unit, a customer could have purchased the computer and returned it, it could have been a demo unit). But in the end, she purchased the computer at CompUSA and she expected more out of your customer service. The very least you could have done was called your Apple representative and spoke to them about the registration issue in-store.

If it is true and Apple made the mistake (although they seem to deny it), than I am truly sorry that your store had to be bothered by my friend or this thread in particular. However, we will never know.

She is content now (although still mad) and is happy to have her PowerBook off to be repaired by Apple.

In NO way was this thread directed at the salesperson that helped her pick out her PowerBook (I know he reads this). If anything, I think he has been the only one that has really tried to help her out.

 

[upperblue79]

Look, you have CompUSA telling the customer that the computer was not used or a display model. Then, you have Apple telling the customer that the computer has been registered, was manufactured in July and implying that it might be a store return. Who are you to believe?

I am not trying to say who to believe or not believe nor am I trying to point any fingers. I feel it is just fair that everyone reading know that this post was out of your own frustration and that might have caused you to make it appear that compusa was not trying to help when in fact they were going beyond based on the knowledge they were recieving from the customer. As I said and you admitted compusa was not informed that she was told it was registered and was also not informed about any damage to the case, and had this been mentioned compusa could have taken an alternate route to fix the situation. There was no attempt to pressure anyone into doing something to help out compusa. The solution to send it to apple was made with compusa thinking it was a sealed unit at purchase which puts any liabilty on a defective unit in apples hands. Let's say the computer was returned and the previous owner did in fact reseal it, that still holds true that compusa was not trying to stick her with an open box unit. As I stated earlier it is this compusa's policy to inform customers of open box units. I ask that in the future when you want to help someone out by asking for advice you get all the facts for both parties in your description of the situation so people can better understand what different parties were thinking in the incident.

 

[jaw04005]

As I said and you admitted compusa was not informed that she was told it was registered and was also not informed about any damage to the case, and had this been mentioned compusa could have taken an alternate route to fix the situation.

CompUSA was informed that Apple was claiming the computer was registered. That's why you offered the customer free 512MB of Ram. This was her second trip to CompUSA (the one that came after you told her to call Apple). The trip that you mentioned the car analogy.

 

[jaw04005]

As I stated earlier it is this compusa's policy to inform customers of open box units. I ask that in the future when you want to help someone out by asking for advice you get all the facts for both parties in your description of the situation so people can better understand what different parties were thinking in the incident.

There's a lot to be said for policies and if the store actually follows them. I know I purchased a printer from the same exact store a year earlier and got home only to realize that the printer had been opened and returned. The printer was sold to me as new.

Honestly, would you not be suspicious if the manufacturer of a product you purchased was claiming the computer had been registered months earlier and implying that it may be a return? I would and she had a right to be. She thinks you sold her a USED PowerBook, and that's what the representative at Apple implied. Whether that's the case or not, we'll never know. Accidents and screw ups do happen. She was not informed about Apple's auto-registration policy, and the Apple Customer Relations rep that I spoke with confirmed that the computer was registered "in my area."

Needless to say, Apple is going to fix it. The issue will hopefully get resolved, and everyone involved can move on.

 

[theBB]

It is nice to see that the issue is being resolved to some extent. I don't want to be nitpicking here, but upperblue79's post does not really cut it. No real names or titles to show any affiliation with compUSA even though the person seems knowledgable about the particulars. Very unprofessional and open to later denial through official channels if need be.

Also, apple does have a policy that thier computers should be sold within a certain time period. It is up to the retailer to make sure to get the older macs out first and if not they can instate the warranty.

Well, it is more likely that Apple asks the retailer to make payment within a certain time, whether it is actually sold or not. This makes sense to prevent retailers from ordering too much and then returning to manufacturers. Sounds like a standard "Accounts Payable" stuff. This would not lead Apple to register products under particular names and addresses.

As to if this is why they claim the computer to be registered I do not know.

Considering there are other posts claiming similar sales of "used" items under "new" claims, a responsible company would investigate and try to get to the bottom of it. Shrugging shoulders indicates that the company does not really care. It could be argued that the corporation would prefer not to know and turn a blind eye.

The manager talking about used cars is taken out of context.

Maybe, but that quote is the most damning piece of evidence of the manager acknowledging that this was a "slightly used" product. Therefore, it cannot be explained away by "out of context" comment. You sound so sure of yourself, were you there during this conversation? How do you know it was taken out of context? (Personally, it seems hard to take this quote out of context, it sounds pretty clear to me.) If you seriously believe your claim, please explain what actually transpired.

Also, gryhound is not employed by compusa.

You could be right, but how do you know?

 

[clayj]

You could be right, but how do you know?

I asked that same question above. Conveniently, it has not been answered.

 

[upperblue79]

CompUSA was informed that Apple was claiming the computer was registered. That's why you offered the customer free 512MB of Ram. This was her second trip to CompUSA (the one that came after you told her to call Apple).

I do not know what was discussed in this conversation, but from what I can tell by reading your post is that compusa knowing it can reset the purchase date to dec 16 and fix the situation offered the free memory for compensation for the incident.

Honestly, would you not be suspicious if the manufacturer of a product you purchased was claiming the computer had been registered months earlier and implying that it may be a return? I would and she had a right to be. She thinks you sold her a USED PowerBook, and that's what Apple told her. Whether that's the case or not, we'll never know. Accidents and screw ups do happen. She was not informed about Apple's auto-registration policy, and the Apple Customer Relations rep that I spoke with confirmed that the computer was registered "in my area."

As I stated earlier I am not trying to say who is right or wrong. I just feel compusa was misrepresented in the situation and that events did not happen in the order you made them appear in your initial posts. Compusa did not seek out to do the customer wrong and was trying to help based on the information received in the order and time frame it was received which was not all at once which is the way your post has seemed to be interpreted as by some readers of this thread. And yes many people would be upset in this situation but that is no excuse to respond to it the way it has happened. A store/retail chain has been accused of wrong doing but not all facts are being presented and if anything this is starting to seem as it may just be a misinformation/miscommunication issue on all parties and not compusa doing bad business.

As far as your printer is concerned there are a number of situations that could have resulted in that... ex: customers returns open printer that they reseal and claim to be new, a returned printer mistakingly put back on the floor for sale, etc, but as you stated the store was very prompt in giving you a refund.

 

[upperblue79]

You could be right, but how do you know?

To respect gryhounds privacy I do not want to say anything more than he is not employed by compusa. His reply is his personal view.

 

[iGary]

I can't believe I just read the whole thread.

This is why I always buy directly from Apple or pick it up from the store.

Always.

 

[upperblue79]

I can't believe I just read the whole thread.

This is why I always buy directly from Apple or pick it up from the store.

Always.

Which it is your right to believe that that is the best option for you, but there are people who don't have the ability to do that and if you start looking you will find people who think they were done wrong by an Apple store and will tell you to never shop at them again. We all know there are people who feel that way about Best Buy. The thing to keep in mind is that there are people who also have great experiences with the apple store and at best buy and those are the experiences we don't hear about as much. Because something goes wrong in a location of a major retail chain is no reason to assume all the locations have that problem, if we were to do that no one would shop at any retail location. The major ones that come to mind are wal-mart, best buy, compusa, fry's, apple, etc etc. Anyone can find someone who has had a bad experience, but being human, no matter if we are right or wrong, if we feel we are right we will bad mouth the offender. I am not trying to say that anyone should just let bad customer service slide, take the appropriate measures to correct it and these companies can try to learn from that incident. In the end we are all human and mistakes can happen, but as a society it has been seen over and over again, that in many cases things like this can boil down to miscommunication and can probably be settled by talking with the company rather than throwing accusations.

 

[GoCubsGo]

To respect gryhounds privacy I do not want to say anything more than he is not employed by compusa. His reply is his personal view.

You disrespected his privacy when you first posted about his employment status with CompUSA. Basically you jumped off the bridge and realized halfway down that you made a mistake. Not to mention, it's quite obvious that you are employed by CompUSA.

We all have to hand it to CompUSA though. For a minimum wage job, they sure produce loyal employees.

 

[OnceUGoMac]

You disrespected his privacy when you first posted about his employment status with CompUSA. Basically you jumped off the bridge and realized halfway down that you made a mistake. Not to mention, it's quite obvious that you are employed by CompUSA.

We all have to hand it to CompUSA though. For a minimum wage job, they sure produce loyal employees.

Oh, no she didn't. *snap, snap, snap*