Horrible experience installing Lion and at the apple store

[kim2272]

I don't know what to think anymore. When Lion first came out I decided to install it on my 27" Late 2009 iMac. Simple right? No. It kept saying that the file had been corrupted during the install. So I decided to do a clean install of snow leopard. When I tried to do that, it started giving me problems and I was no longer able to install anything anymore. I was stuck trying to download snow leopard because I wiped my hard drive.

I called Apple and the agent told me to test a couple of things and she said I have faulty ram. I made an appointment at the nearest apple store and waited almost an hour past my appointment time and finally was attended to. They ran some tests and said there was nothing wrong with the ram. They told me my LCD was faulty and that the OS was faulty. Okay. Almost two weeks later when I come in to pick up my "repaired" iMac, I bring it home and notice the vast amount of dust under the screen and the scratches and dents on the aluminum body.

I tried calling Apple but all they could do is set up an appointment with the store for them to take a look at it and replace the body. I figured I wouldn't waste my time going back there and decided to go ahead with installing Lion again. Guess what? Same error message comes up every time! I have googled for some answers and tried almost everything. I tried to do a software update in Snow Leopard and it says those files have been corrupted as well. There is obviously something wrong with my computer and know I am stuck with the same problem and a scratched/dented up computer. Wonderful. I am just tired of having to lug this giant paperweight back and forth and never seeing any results.

Sorry for the vent but this has been horrible! Any ideas on how I should proceed? Thanks for listening

 

[Mak47]

If you took your computer in for repairs and it came back with damage, you need to contact the manager of the store you took it to. Call the store directly and ask to speak to the store manager. Be patient, he or she is probably very busy.

Forget about the Lion upgrade until the damage is dealt with. Once your computer has been repaired appropriately, then ask to make an appointment at the store to have someone help you upgrade to Lion. Sure, you're probably fully capable of doing it yourself, but if there are still problems, you want the people there to see them firsthand. Just let them know you've had problems installing it twice before and would like some assistance.

 

[kim2272]

If you took your computer in for repairs and it came back with damage, you need to contact the manager of the store you took it to. Call the store directly and ask to speak to the store manager. Be patient, he or she is probably very busy.

Forget about the Lion upgrade until the damage is dealt with. Once your computer has been repaired appropriately, then ask to make an appointment at the store to have someone help you upgrade to Lion. Sure, you're probably fully capable of doing it yourself, but if there are still problems, you want the people there to see them firsthand. Just let them know you've had problems installing it twice before and would like some assistance.

This is what I am planning on doing. I have to set up an appointment tomorrow and I will try speaking to the manager beforehand. I'm just exhausted of lugging my computer back and forth and waiting just to have my computer back worse than it was before.

 

[dfine1966]

One little advice when you go tomorrow, is do not lose your cool, at all. Stay calm, and you should get what you want. Make sure they fix, replace what is wrong with the computer. Explain in a calm manner of what was wrong when you brought the iMac in originally, and what happened when you got it back. Let the manager talk and wait to see what he/she says about what the remedy is. Ask them to install Lion, since I assume you have already paid for it with you account.

Good luck tomorrow.

 

[kim2272]

One little advice when you go tomorrow, is do not lose your cool, at all. Stay calm, and you should get what you want. Make sure they fix, replace what is wrong with the computer. Explain in a calm manner of what was wrong when you brought the iMac in originally, and what happened when you got it back. Let the manager talk and wait to see what he/she says about what the remedy is. Ask them to install Lion, since I assume you have already paid for it with you account.

Good luck tomorrow.

Thanks for the positive advice. I definitely do tend to lose my cool when it comes to these things. I'm going to try to be as calm as possible and see what happens.

 

[THX1139]

You have to be persistent, firm, and polite. 9 out of 10 people probably accept the first answer they get and walk away unhappy.

A friend of mine took his 2009 Macbook Pro in for repairs under Applecare. When he got the computer back, he noticed it had scratches and a new dent. He took it home and the following day, it wouldn't boot up...so off to the store again. This time he spoke to a store manager and an hour later, he walked out with an apology and a brand new in the box 2011 quad Macbook Pro.

I once had a high-end graphics card swapped in a Mac Pro that was a year out of warranty. They couldn't confirm if was from a prior incident, so they went ahead and fixed it. I wouldn't have gotten that if I had backed down when the genius and his supervisor told me there was nothing that they could do about it. I just stared at them and said "what would you do if you were me?". The head genius guy looks at me and says, "I'll be right back". Ten minutes later he returns with a repair authorization. I had almost given up.

 

[kim2272]

You have to be persistent, firm, and polite. 9 out of 10 people probably accept the first answer they get and walk away unhappy.

A friend of mine took his 2009 Macbook Pro in for repairs under Applecare. When he got the computer back, he noticed it had scratches and a new dent. He took it home and the following day, it wouldn't boot up...so off to the store again. This time he spoke to a store manager and an hour later, he walked out with an apology and a brand new in the box 2011 quad Macbook Pro.

I once had a high-end graphics card swapped in a Mac Pro that was a year out of warranty. They couldn't confirm if was from a prior incident, so they went ahead and fixed it. I wouldn't have gotten that if I had backed down when the genius and his supervisor told me there was nothing that they could do about it. I just stared at them and said "what would you do if you were me?". The head genius guy looks at me and says, "I'll be right back". Ten minutes later he returns with a repair authorization. I had almost gave up.

That's all very true. You and your friend seem to have better experience than I do. Hopefully the manager will see that there is obviously something wrong with my machine and that the scratches were not caused by me. It would be easier if they could just replace the machine, who knows? I will let you all know what happens tomorrow.

 

[ProwlingTiger]

Also, you didn't specify if your LCD was covered under Applecare or not. If it wasn't covered under warranty and you paid for them to "repair" it, get your money back. Obviously that was not the issue.

 

[SawceBaws]

When you go in there, make it clear that you're NOT leaving without everything being in pristine condition. Check for dust, scratches etc, and boot it up to make sure everything is fine. Also, check if you have a Seagate to get that replaced too.

 

[kim2272]

Also, you didn't specify if your LCD was covered under Applecare or not. If it wasn't covered under warranty and you paid for them to "repair" it, get your money back. Obviously that was not the issue.

Oh, yeah I have Apple Care extended until 2012 so I assumed everything is covered? They didn't make me pay for anything.

 

[kim2272]

When you go in there, make it clear that you're NOT leaving without everything being in pristine condition. Check for dust, scratches etc, and boot it up to make sure everything is fine. Also, check if you have a Seagate to get that replaced too.

I entered the serial number on Apple's website and it said I don't have Seagate so I guess that's a plus? I would really prefer if they could just replace my computer on the spot because I really do need to use it before school starts.

 

[Texran]

Always, always check your computer before leaving the store.

 

[ProwlingTiger]

Oh, yeah I have Apple Care extended until 2012 so I assumed everything is covered? They didn't make me pay for anything.

That's good.

 

[bossxii]

I entered the serial number on Apple's website and it said I don't have Seagate so I guess that's a plus? I would really prefer if they could just replace my computer on the spot because I really do need to use it before school starts.

As mentioned above. Number one thing is remain calm and collected, but stay firm that you want your computer returned as it was brought in. Which was damage free. If they ask to keep it again, make sure you speak to a manager and explain to them you have already waited two weeks for the first repair and cannot wait another week or more without your machine.

Being polite and implying you have waited and done everything Apple has asked can lead to a replacement on the spot as in my few repair experiences, they put the customer first and swapped my 27" (7 month old) iMac with a faulty HDD because I could not go the 7 to 10 business days for them to order the part. They handed me a new iMac and out the door in less than 20 min.

I know the level of support varies store to store but the one I live near is excellent in terms of keeping the customer happy as their number one priority. Which I why I go back time and time again for all my Apple gear.

 

[kim2272]

As mentioned above. Number one thing is remain calm and collected, but stay firm that you want your computer returned as it was brought in. Which was damage free. If they ask to keep it again, make sure you speak to a manager and explain to them you have already waited two weeks for the first repair and cannot wait another week or more without your machine.

Being polite and implying you have waited and done everything Apple has asked can lead to a replacement on the spot as in my few repair experiences, they put the customer first and swapped my 27" (7 month old) iMac with a faulty HDD because I could not go the 7 to 10 business days for them to order the part. They handed me a new iMac and out the door in less than 20 min.

I know the level of support varies store to store but the one I live near is excellent in terms of keeping the customer happy as their number one priority. Which I why I go back time and time again for all my Apple gear.

That is what I am going to do. I hope the manager is there to speak with me. I love apple and have had great customer service but this store has always handled my products like this. They don't seem to care how they return the item. I am not trying to force them to give me a replacement but under the circumstances, I do need my iMac back in working condition ASAP. School is starting and I need to do a lot of things on the iMac that my 11" can't handle. I am going to explain all of this at the store today at 6:30 and I'll post back with the results.

 

[kim2272]

Just wanted to update you guys. Thanks for all the wonderful advice. I spoke to the manager and the genius and they decided to give me a new one because the repair costs and time would exceed the price of a new one. Overall, I was very pleased with the outcome. They were able to transfer my remaining AppleCare to my new iMac. They gave me the base 27" which is what I had before. Thanks again for the advice!