Furious at Apple..

[michaelsviews]

I worked for an Apple store for almost 3 years and I think its possible to have all those issues especially with the rMBP as the first one was kinda plagued with issues (especially ghosting) and I myself went through 4 until I got Samsung screen that was perfect.
The reason why people not believe you here is your attitude. Your very first post was full of "bad manners" and questionable behaviour that put people on the wrong side of the fence. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if all the issues were there except the dent and you were just trying to get one without it but I can't prove that so I will assume positive intent and will say that all issues were Apple's fault which is very plausible.
There are few things though that I find questionable myself - every purchase is followed by personal setup or at least the offer of it and in your case I don't see the scenario of them being busy and rejecting you to do that. I worked in one of the prominent stores and we were pretty much busy all the time and we would never denied something like that. In the worst possible scenario I would ask the customer to check the machine whilst I help someone else and then I would come back and check if it was indeed all good.

However, as before, I will assume positive intent and say that maybe you dealt with someone in a bad mood or someone who didn't care and he/she wanted to just get rid off you for the fact that maybe you were not pleasant. (maybe?)
If you have expressed an attitude like you did here in your very first post then its possible that the employee could feel intimidated by your but I wasn't there so I will stay out of it.

Yes, Applecare or Apple corporate will in most cases like this try to justify the situation so they will not call you a liar or anything like that as they want to repair the relationship so unless you are asking for something completely out of line or unreasonable then they will align with you, apologise for the "horrible" experience and then they will rectify the situation the best possible way to make the customer happy. In a sense the perfect customer service, right?

Yes, we all wish to have nice experience or great customer service but even at Apple people abuse the system. You have no idea how many people lied to me or tried the most horrible scenarios just to get away with stuff. People would lie to you EVERY day just to get out of paying. I've even witnessed a mom that was shouting at us that she never dropped her phone into water or anything as we refused to service her iPhone for free cause of the liquid sensors were triggered and therefore we would replace it only for a charge. She was furious and lied until at one point her little child that was probably 4 or so said this when she said for the 10th time that she never dropped it into water - "But mummy, you dropped it into the sink". I mean, bless that little innocent child for telling the truth. It was one of those priceless moments you just laugh inside but can't show it to the customer. Result? The woman didn't even have the decency to apologise for lying or "trying" and she stormed off the store.
I've seen a lot of stuff going on. People lying and then calling applecare which would eventually give in and gave it to them for free. We all knew the person was lying, the store manager knew it. The store refused to replace it free of charge but the person took it to Applecare and lied his way up to eventually get it fixed.
Yes, its better solution in the end for the company and for the customer so everyone wins but its sad that people have this attitude these days.

Regardless, I'm not saying you are lying. I'm must saying that some things you mention didn't make sense and on top of that saying that applecare sided with you means almost nothing.

My suggestion for next time though. Start off nicer, be firm but polite and you will do much better. Not only at Apple or here but everywhere. You have caused people questioning you just because you started the way you did. Let that be a lesson for you )

Anyway, enjoy your machine now and do something more productive than just complaining about Apple's QC!

Unbelievable reply, allot of questionability

 

[Freida]

Unbelievable reply, allot of questionability

? What do you mean?

 

[Quu]

OP, it sure sounds very questionable about this thread. Statistically it seems unlikely to receive 5 defective MacBook Pro's in a row.

It can happen. Here is my order history. I went through five machines. I still don't have one, have been unable to get one that is defect free after five tries. That's 1 Main order, 3 replacements then 1 new order. So 5 machines total, all with defects to the screen and other problems.

 

[shadow82x]

Clearly there isn't enough proof there that I'm not the only person running into these "unique quality problems"

 

[Felasco]

If you are paying for a $2600 you should actually receive a perfect device. Am I out of line by saying that?

No, you are not! That's perfectly true, and you should accept no less.

If we buy a $400 five year old used laptop, then sure, one has to expect and accept various imperfections. But NOT if you are buying a BRAND NEW machine for $2600 bucks, which is a lot of cash. You could buy a frigging car with $2600.

shadow82x, please don't listen to all those on forums who will try to shift the burden of blame on to you. Just ignore them.

Such critics probably sincerely feel that they are being supportive of Apple, but the opposite is closer to the truth.

Apple has a well known long history of rushing products out the door before they're ready, and using it's customers as a free quality control department. Sad but true. Being creative geniuses does not automatically equal being a reliable merchant.

This pattern continues because of a seemingly incurable part of Mac culture that often feels the Holy Mother Ship can do no wrong, and it's always must the user's fault, whatever the problem might be.

This diseased part of Mac culture actually undermines Apple's reason for existence, it's primary brand, as the quality alternative to other computer manufactures.

So when critics of complaints proclaim the Holy Mother Ship can do no wrong, they are actually enabling Apple's sloppiness and arrogance, undermining Apple's main claim to fame, and helping Apple become the next Microsoft. Such enabling is in no way helpful to Apple.

In their defense, my sense is that most such critics don't see this big picture, and honestly think they are helping Apple by discouraging complaints.

Yes, I've purchased a $2000 lemon from Apple before too, and it's taken me over a dozen years to get over it and consider buying new from Apple again. And it may take longer yet, as I've not yet decided whether to give Apple another chance.

shadow82x, I'm with you. Fight for your rights, get your money's worth, and if you don't, kiss Apple goodbye. You'll be helping Apple by doing so, especially if you let them know what you are doing and why.

If you don't need cutting edge latest greatest features, you might consider buying used macs instead, as they are a much better bargain. Buying used Macs is also much more reliable, as you can buy 3 or more used macs for the price of a new one.

If one used mac dies, set it aside and power up the next one. Down time 2 minutes, no repair bill or hassles. A nice feature!

Many new Macs are great! And some of them suck. If you grow weary of playing the quality control lottery, buy used.

Anyway, ranting aside, good luck with your situation!

 

[Felasco]

I wonder why people bash on the OP so bad and cannot seem to comprehend that there may be something wrong with Apple's quality control.

Agreed. A constructive thread would recognize this longstanding fact of Apple's business model, and seek to address it.

We need to 1) state a clear willingness to pay for better quality control, and also 2) make it clear we simply won't accept lemons requiring multiple returns etc.

At the least, Apple should compensate us for any time we have to invest in diagnosing and repairing a brand new Apple product, just as they would fairly compensate employees working in their quality control department. We need to stop providing this service to Apple for free.

Until Mac culture as a whole does this, we are all playing the quality control lottery, and none of us will ever really know what is going to happen after we click the order button on Apple's site. That's bad for us, and bad for Apple too.

A BIG weakness in Mac culture is that we try to solve these problems one by one by one as each user comes forward with their particular complaint.

It would be much more efficient and effective to direct our focus to the source of all the failed products, Apple itself. Such a focus can be constructive in tone, but it does have to be serious and sustained.

 

[HowEver]

I hope that was only a lukewarm coffee!

When I got there, the manager was actually waiting outside the door and recognized me by the bandaged left hand. They got me right in, changed out the laptop for a brand new machine which was actually higher specs because the refresh occurred just a week or so earlier, moved everything over, ran diagnostics on it to ensure the thermals were working and even got me a coffee while I waited. I was out with the new laptop in 45 minutes.

 

[Benguitar]

Oh your one of those people.

+1 for this comment, holy crap that made me laugh.

Ok, now on a serious note.

Here are your options.

1. Get a PC
2. Get a Surface (lol)
3. Stop complaining
4. Get another Macintosh, from www.apple.com
5. Stop complaining, and seeking attention

Seriously though, if a computer is that important in your everyday lifestyle, I would suggest having more than one machine. I learned this lesson last year when my 15" MacBook Pro took a dump on me and went into repair status for over a week, where in the meantime I had to get on an airplane the very next day.

I tried a Microsoft Surface Pro, didn't work out for me, so I got a mid-grade 11" MacBook Air, and I absolutely love it.

The point is, you can't expect technology to be perfect. Not even from Apple.

 

[Joelist]

I hope that was only a lukewarm coffee!

I used my right hand to drink it. The left hand has kind of out of business bein burned and bandaged and all.

Good coffee too. Gloria Jean's Coffee Bean.

 

[HowEver]

And they have a great site, Gloria Jean's Coffee Bean. Tempting.
https://www.gloriajeans.com

I used my right hand to drink it. The left hand has kind of out of business bein burned and bandaged and all.

Good coffee too. Gloria Jean's Coffee Bean.

 

[shadow82x]

Stop complaining

If you read this topic my issue was actually resolved. I think its fair to complain about apples quality control, sure every company has issues but from my personal experience apple's is far worse. Not even taking into account how much more money you spend for apple products.

Get a Surface

The surface really has no purpose. My friend bought one and couldn't find a use for it, even for taking notes in class.

 

[Benguitar]

If you read this topic my issue was actually resolved. I think its fair to complain about apples quality control, sure every company has issues but from my personal experience apple's is far worse. Not even taking into account how much more money you spend for apple products.


The surface really has no purpose. My friend bought one and couldn't find a use for it, even for taking notes in class.

I like how you edited out my "lol" which was meant to portray that suggestion as a joke, of which obviously went over your head.

I owned a Surface Pro for a little bit, because it didn't fit my needs I returned it. But it worked as a device, however I'm not sure what purpose it was intended for.

 

[john123]

If we buy a $400 five year old used laptop, then sure, one has to expect and accept various imperfections. But NOT if you are buying a BRAND NEW machine for $2600 bucks, which is a lot of cash.

This is an opinion, not a statement of fact. I think that tends to get lost in the banter back and forth, and that's unfortunate because this isn't an issue of semantics. There are plenty of people who (A) don't see $2600 as "a lot of cash," and/or (B) accept small imperfections that don't seriously impair functionality. There are also people like you and the OP who won't accept those problems.

Fortunately, Apple's return, repair, and replacement policies indulge perfectionism because doing so is imperative to their brand. But the notion that spending X dollars entitles users to be picky is merely an opinion. You can spend 10-20 times that amount on a brand new car, and a whole bunch of mechanical and cosmetic issues won't be covered by your warranty when you drive it off the lot.

Apple users tend to be perfectionists, and that's fine. But let's not act like those tendencies and opinions are anything but that.

----------

We need to 1) state a clear willingness to pay for better quality control, and also 2) make it clear we simply won't accept lemons requiring multiple returns etc.

I—and lots of others—have absolutely no interest in paying an even larger price premium just to address the perfectionistic tendencies of a minority of people. If something bothers me about a machine, I'll take it in and get it repaired or replaced. The notion that there's some groundswell of people itching to pay even more for "better quality control" not only has no empirical support, but it also defies common sense and basic economics.

 

[shadow82x]

This is an opinion, not a statement of fact. I think that tends to get lost in the banter back and forth, and that's unfortunate because this isn't an issue of semantics. There are plenty of people who (A) don't see $2600 as "a lot of cash," and/or (B) accept small imperfections that don't seriously impair functionality. There are also people like you and the OP who won't accept those problems.

Fortunately, Apple's return, repair, and replacement policies indulge perfectionism because doing so is imperative to their brand. But the notion that spending X dollars entitles users to be picky is merely an opinion. You can spend 10-20 times that amount on a brand new car, and a whole bunch of mechanical and cosmetic issues won't be covered by your warranty when you drive it off the lot.

Apple users tend to be perfectionists, and that's fine. But let's not act like those tendencies and opinions are anything but that.

----------



I—and lots of others—have absolutely no interest in paying an even larger price premium just to address the perfectionistic tendencies of a minority of people. If something bothers me about a machine, I'll take it in and get it repaired or replaced. The notion that there's some groundswell of people itching to pay even more for "better quality control" not only has no empirical support, but it also defies common sense and basic economics.

It's amazing how many people here don't read the topic. My issues were a bit more than imperfections. A failed logic board, for one instance, is me being a perfectionist for wanting to return it? For something like screen discoloration...okay *most* people can live with that, but I'm a web designer, I'd prefer to not see a random tint in colors when I'm working.

 

[RoastingPig]

sounds like your buying from those fake Chinese apple stores

 

[john123]

It's amazing how many people here don't read the topic. My issues were a bit more than imperfections. A failed logic board, for one instance, is me being a perfectionist for wanting to return it? For something like screen discoloration...okay *most* people can live with that, but I'm a web designer, I'd prefer to not see a random tint in colors when I'm working.

You'll note that the post to which I responded was not yours.

There are a lot of people who return their machines for very small issues. I made no comment on your particular circumstances. Some people have been jerky to you in this thread and accused you of various things. I was not among them.

For your own mental health, you might want to step back and stop taking things personally, especially when they aren't directed at you. Or at least not (ironically) accuse others of not reading when that's exactly what you're doing.

 

[shadow82x]

sounds like your buying from those fake Chinese apple stores

No, I'm from U.S on the east coast, none of those around here lol

 

[Serelus]

I'm hoping that's the case. I'm a bit disappointed though I have to say. I do have a *perfect* screen right now and apparently in order to replace that rubber gasket around it, it requires a new screen. Could potentially bring more issues.

My other fear is if they claim the dents were my own personal damage even though it wasn't. -.- Hoping they'll just quickly swap the bottom plate to fix that.

On an off-topic note when they "repair" these screens, is the aluminum on the top also replaced?

Honestly though? You're just very very unlucky. You're probably that one in a few 100 million case having this many bad units in a row.

 

[Sodner]

Oh your one of those people.

Amen. I've owned so much Apple equipment that its frightening to add up the total of what I've spent, and I have NEVER not once had to return an Apple product for any defect ever.

 

[Jerz]

Amen. I've owned so much Apple equipment that its frightening to add up the total of what I've spent, and I have NEVER not once had to return an Apple product for any defect ever.

Are you actually proud of this?

"Hey I just bought a $3000 rMBP but the screen doesn't work. But hey, I've never returned ANY Apple products with defect so let me keep up my reputation for that and not return it."

 

[Sodner]

Are you actually proud of this?

"Hey I just bought a $3000 rMBP but the screen doesn't work. But hey, I've never returned ANY Apple products with defect so let me keep up my reputation for that and not return it."

No. I'm saying that one person having 5 bad laptops in a row while others have had zero problems point to an issue with the person, not the laptops.

 

[shadow82x]

No. I'm saying that one person having 5 bad laptops in a row while others have had zero problems point to an issue with the person, not the laptops.

Consider yourself lucky then. I sound like a broken record tape here..if you actually read the topic you'd know its not just me. But yet again..facepalm.

Surely there are macbooks without defects..like the one im on now. But seeing as I had to go through 5 shows there is a quality issue...apple admitted it themselves to me.

 

[Felasco]

No. I'm saying that one person having 5 bad laptops in a row while others have had zero problems point to an issue with the person, not the laptops.

This is the "the user is always wrong" mentality which has infected Apple culture. We aren't being supportive of Apple by encouraging this mindset, as it is a cancer which will eventually turn Apple in to the next Microsoft, paving the way for their demise and replacement by a younger hungrier supplier.

Time and again, over and over for years, we've seen stories of buyers who discover major problems with their new Mac from day one. This tells us that quality control at Apple is weak, or the quality control department would have found the obvious problem before the customer did.

The solution is not for Mac users to blame each other, but for Apple to upgrade it's quality control and take it's advertisements as seriously as it wishes us to do. That's the path that keeps users happy, and Apple on top.

 

[Apple_Robert]

No. I'm saying that one person having 5 bad laptops in a row while others have had zero problems point to an issue with the person, not the laptops.

What you are saying may sound good, but it is a logical fallacy just the same.

----------

Just because many people on here receive products without any problems, that doesn't necessarily mean that others don't have the kind of problems the OP spoke of.

And in my opinion, it is rather sad that so many chose to lash out at the OP, all in the name of defending Apple. Apple can take care of itself.

 

[Altemose]

Consider yourself lucky then. I sound like a broken record tape here..if you actually read the topic you'd know its not just me. But yet again..facepalm.

Surely there are macbooks without defects..like the one im on now. But seeing as I had to go through 5 shows there is a quality issue...apple admitted it themselves to me.

Another thing is that people at the stores can be idiots. I am going to share my story and so people can see that it can happen.

I have a mid-2012 MBP. I was beginning in a new situation and needed OS X 10.7 (Lion) installed. My USB stick had 10.7.2 I believe, and this MBP required 10.7.4. I only bought the stick for reimaging another Mac earlier that year and up to that point, never had access to the Mac App Store. So rather than trying to either download a newer copy from the net which I greatly oppose or trying to Target Disk Mode to a white MacBook here, I took it to the Genius Bar at Christiana Mall, Delaware.

Met a Genius who appeared to be friendly, but I quickly found was not. He met with me and I explained what I needed and he agreed. I offered to pay the cost of a Lion license since it shipped with ML ($29.00 at the time), but he covered it under AppleCare. He was astonished how great my MacBook looked and signed "Like New" on the repair authorization form. He said he needed to check the serial number so he placed the top part of the display assembly onto the Genius Bar, and tilted the bottom part up to about a 45 degree angle. He grabbed the two clips and snapped the case right in half off the bottom. A loud crack could be heard and I immediately glance right up from the iPad and stare dazed. He tried to then offer a 99% discount on a new Speck case at the store. I politely returned stating that Apple will cover this fully since their Genius broke it.

Meanwhile I sign the forms without assessing the damage, as he rushed me away from my MacBook as he checked it. He then brought it to the back for the "technician" to install the new copy of OS X. We returned at about 8:50 P.M and he returns with the MacBook. I have a look, and there is something really wrong. The display doesn't line up with the body, the hinge has a lot of play, and there is a giant deep gash in the bottom. It almost looked like they were setting it on the bar and ran the corner along the bottom. I brought this up and he says plastic cannot scratch metal, which in many cases it can't. So I point out the fact that the only time this MacBook has been out of its case was for every other week cleanings and in the Genius Bar's possession. He claimed he doubted it could happen. I bring up the hinge issues and he admits it happened because of the force from the drop. The store was closing and he said bring it back within 90 days for the repairs.

I contacted AppleCare and reported the store for this incident. I brought it back when I had a chance and they rang it up as a bottom case assembly, labor, and a new Speck case. The new case was falling off the machine with the clips broken from cleaning. This never would have happened with my old case. Another thing was that my old case was black, and they only had pink, turquoise, and clear. They refused to order me one, so I accepted the clear. They replaced the clear case and fixed or replaced the hinge.

Came back to have the repair done three days later after the parts were ordered. They repair it and by gut feeling I flip it over. There is no serial number! I raise hell because the first thing anyone does at the bar is flip it over and check the serial number. He says they serialize the inside of it since there is no way Apple could machine me a new bottom case. I said I want my Mac restored to the way it was before the damage and that includes a serial number. I later found out that Sharpie marker was written in the bottom case for the "serialization".

We sign and he reminds us of a charge, we said it was covered under AppleCare. Now he goes and finds a manager and he rings it out while leaving a balance on it. We don't care since Apple is dealing with it.

Fast forward to December. The new case is falling apart, cracking and warping. I want a new case and the Store won't replace it stating since I don't have a receipt I can swap it. I show the Work Authorization form and they decline. I call Customer Affairs and they decline and offer me one at full price. I reply I want my original case back, my serial number laser etched back onto the bottom case, and a modicum of apology. I never ONCE received an apology for this absolute disrespect for my equipment.

I email Tim Cook and don't get an answer. I chalk it up that he doesn't care. Flat out doesn't care. Apple is not perfect, and a simple software restore is all that it took to ruin the taste in my mouth.

Don't flame the OP for thinking Apple is all that in a bag of chips. They have their faults. Will I and the OP still buy Apple products? Absolutely, but this taste left in our mouthes is never going to vanish.