Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

I can't believe Apple would screw me like this.

L

ljump12

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jun 10, 2006
254
0
philadelphia
I took my macbook (about 2.5 years old) into the local Apple store. The optical drive has not been properly functioning for about a year, so i finally decided to take it in. I showed it to the genius guy, and he said they were going to send it in to the applecare.

Two days later I get a call from applecare, stating that they found water damage (About 2 years ago, i spilled some water on it... but it has worked fine ever since.) They wanted $755 to fix it, so I declined figuring I could live without my cd drive for $755. Fast forward to today, the Apple store calls me saying that my computer was back. Went in and picked it up, brought it home, and it would not start up. At ALL. It was as if I wasn't even pressing the power button -- no response.

I called the Apple store back, and they said I would have to call the applecare support line. I called them, explained the whole story. The guy on the line completely understood, that I just wanted my computer back to the state that I sent it in as. He called "Dispatch" as he called it, and came back with the answer that Applecare basically states, if there's water damage it's no longer their responsibility.

I understand that they could not fix my computer, but they sent me back a BROKEN computer.

They have to admit to one of three things.
1. It worked fine for two years, and then on the one weekend it was in apple's hands it just Stopped working.
or 2. When they took it apart they failed to correctly put it back together.
3. When they took it apart, they broke something.

Which seems most likely to you?

I don't want anything "fixed", i just want it back to the working state that I sent it in as. I can live without a cd/dvd drive - I just want my computer to turn on.

It's really just a frustrating situation - Can anyone point me in the right direction for me to get some kind of remedy to this. Is there anyone that will help me? I own an iPhone, 3 iPods, and I loveeee apple, but this is so disheartening.
Please help me if you can!

-Brian
 
dukebound85 said:
ouch id be mad too

remember, being polite gets you a lot further than being mad

i think the addage "you attract more flies with hunny than vingear applies" here
Click to expand...

You have no idea how polite i was, i wasn't angry -- i was pleading. I just said -- "Look man, you have to understand where i'm coming from. I just want my computer to work." I would say things like this, and it would take the applecare guy 10 seconds to formulate a reply, because he was so sympathetic to my situation, but it seemed as if he couldnt do anything. It was almost as if my story was hurting him.

I'm just lost - and don't know what to do. I feel personally hurt by Apple.
 
I would take it back to the apple store and stand in front of the genius that accepted it for repairs (knowing that he started it up and 'played' with it) before sending it in...until he does the magic to make it right. Be patient but persistent.
 
Nukemkb said:
I would take it back to the apple store and stand in front of the genius that accepted it for repairs (knowing that he started it up and 'played' with it) before sending it in...until he does the magic to make it right. Be patient but persistent.
Click to expand...

Maybe I'll try that tommorow..
 
I think the real lesson here is never take an electronics item that you have brought in for repair away from the store without thorough testing first. As soon as they hand it back to you fire it up and make sure everything is working. If not then you can be polite and confused as to why it's not working. "Hey guys, I understand you couldn't fix the drive, but when I dropped it off here X number of days ago it was working fine in every other way." When this type of thing happens in the store where other customers can see it play out then you should have the upper hand. It makes it look like they did something wrong and management is more likely to jump on the issue. Always handle stuff like this in person. I would go back to the store as has been suggested and speak with the manager. Feel him out on the issue and see what happens. If he doesn't budge, then maybe ask him to do a conference call to Applecare with you. Take it from someone who works on the phone for a living, it's a lot harder for people to tell you no to your face! But, you have to be the nice guy here. As others have said, don't get angry or ever raise your voice. Be humble yet firm and if need be mention that you are a long time Apple supporter with multiple Apple products. If they just flat out refuse to fix it then maybe you can get them to at least do a new diagnostic and determine the exact problem that is preventing the machine from operating. Then you can make an educated decision on what to do next. It does sound like a new issue or complication. Sorry to hear about your trouble. :( I hope it works out for you.
 
ljump12 said:
I took my macbook (about 2.5 years old) into the local Apple store. The optical drive has not been properly functioning for about a year, so i finally decided to take it in. I showed it to the genius guy, and he said they were going to send it in to the applecare.

Two days later I get a call from applecare, stating that they found water damage (About 2 years ago, i spilled some water on it... but it has worked fine ever since.) They wanted $755 to fix it, so I declined figuring I could live without my cd drive for $755. Fast forward to today, the Apple store calls me saying that my computer was back. Went in and picked it up, brought it home, and it would not start up. At ALL. It was as if I wasn't even pressing the power button -- no response.

I called the Apple store back, and they said I would have to call the applecare support line. I called them, explained the whole story. The guy on the line completely understood, that I just wanted my computer back to the state that I sent it in as. He called "Dispatch" as he called it, and came back with the answer that Applecare basically states, if there's water damage it's no longer their responsibility.

I understand that they could not fix my computer, but they sent me back a BROKEN computer.

They have to admit to one of three things.
1. It worked fine for two years, and then on the one weekend it was in apple's hands it just Stopped working.
or 2. When they took it apart they failed to correctly put it back together.
3. When they took it apart, they broke something.

Which seems most likely to you?

I don't want anything "fixed", i just want it back to the working state that I sent it in as. I can live without a cd/dvd drive - I just want my computer to turn on.

It's really just a frustrating situation - Can anyone point me in the right direction for me to get some kind of remedy to this. Is there anyone that will help me? I own an iPhone, 3 iPods, and I loveeee apple, but this is so disheartening.
Please help me if you can!

-Brian
Click to expand...


If you have another store in your area go there.. sounds like you just got a jerky person
 
ljump12 said:
Maybe I'll try that tommorow..
Click to expand...

Only thing about doing this is that, sorry to say, the Genius might not remember you. As with any retail job, the customer remembers the employee -- but rarely the other way around. The Genius probably sees almost 100 customers per day.

So in the case he/she doesn't remember you, don't get mad. Just try your best to explain the situation.
 
You need to talk to a higher tier support person. I would try calling Apple Customer Relations directly.

800-767-2775
 
ziggyonice said:
Only thing about doing this is that, sorry to say, the Genius might not remember you. As with any retail job, the customer remembers the employee -- but rarely the other way around. The Genius probably sees almost 100 customers per day.

So in the case he/she doesn't remember you, don't get mad. Just try your best to explain the situation.
Click to expand...

I have a feeling he will remember me. I'm a computer science major at the local college and we had a conversation about Linux that was on my computer and other computer science stuff, it was more than a typical conversation. But I'll cross my fingers.
 
If you can prove it was working before you sent it in then you should have no problem because they would have to accept your evidence,trouble is how can that be done ?-if you could get the genius to 'admit' the machine was working that would be good ..... If they do ,have them call Apple care whilst your in the store to clarify the issue[ also get the store manager involved ]..Applecare and Apple retail are totally separate departments and it sometimes can be frustrating dealing with comapnys who operate this way, I know. , .. I wish you luck .
If that fails, Customer relations.
 
If that doesn't work, I'd be mailing my case to the Attorney General. It sounds like they deliberately tried to break your machine so you'd be forced to pay $755. Companies always love it when you call them on scam charges and I'd explain that to the manager should the problem escalate.
 
Well, hopefully the genius will be reasonable and accept it was working when I sent it in. I mean, if he wrote that the cd drive was broken, one should assume he tried to turn the computer on and check it out. And if it would not turn on at all, he would have made that an issue too when he sent it in.
 
Given that you are in the Philadelphia area as well which Apple store did you go to? I will make sure I don't go there and let us know how it turns out
 
Bbb

If it really comes down to brass taxes I would file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau which can be done right online through thier website. They had to lay the smack down on TMobile for me and got the job done very quickly...

Derek
 
mscriv said:
I think the real lesson here is never take an electronics item that you have brought in for repair away from the store without thorough testing first. As soon as they hand it back to you fire it up and make sure everything is working. If not then you can be polite and confused as to why it's not working. "Hey guys, I understand you couldn't fix the drive, but when I dropped it off here X number of days ago it was working fine in every other way." When this type of thing happens in the store where other customers can see it play out then you should have the upper hand. It makes it look like they did something wrong and management is more likely to jump on the issue. Always handle stuff like this in person. I would go back to the store as has been suggested and speak with the manager. Feel him out on the issue and see what happens. If he doesn't budge, then maybe ask him to do a conference call to Applecare with you. Take it from someone who works on the phone for a living, it's a lot harder for people to tell you no to your face! But, you have to be the nice guy here. As others have said, don't get angry or ever raise your voice. Be humble yet firm and if need be mention that you are a long time Apple supporter with multiple Apple products. If they just flat out refuse to fix it then maybe you can get them to at least do a new diagnostic and determine the exact problem that is preventing the machine from operating. Then you can make an educated decision on what to do next. It does sound like a new issue or complication. Sorry to hear about your trouble. :( I hope it works out for you.
Click to expand...

That's the best advice here. There's a difference between demanding something to make you happy & explaining your predicament and seeing what they can do to help you in this situation and make things right.

One additional thing to consider is your papertrail. When I've dropped off my machine at the genius bar, I was always given a sheet that detailed my issue and what the genius did. It should say on that paper if the genius verified the issue. It would have needed to be powered on in order to verify your claim, correct? Just something to think about.
 
man, I'd be in jail for breaking everyone's neck that wouldn't acknowledge that Apple was responsible for the machine no longer working....:cool:
 
What really sucks the most about this situation is the fact that you have admitted to spilling water on the machine. Apple is not liable for any computer/iPod if it has been exposed to accidental damage, even if it is in their hands.

And even if you say it was working fine for 2.5 years they will probably say something like "Apple does not test the longevity of a product after it has been exposed to water."

You really are at the mercy of Apple at this point. I'd skip calling AppleCare and go straight to the Genius Bar. If you call AppleCare they will use my previous points and deny you all day. If you go to the Genius Bar and just say that you brought your computer in to be repaired and now it does not power on. They will run some diagnostics and at least tell you what actually is not functioning. Maybe even repair it if they have parts on hand.

If worst comes to worst go to an authorized service provider, maybe they can quote you for the repair and it might be cheaper than Apple's.
 
well, crisis averted.

After much conversation with the genius, and a call to apple customer care, they finally agreed to take the computer in and look and make sure everything was connected right etc. So they did, and apparently once they reseated the cables it worked.

I'm happy they fixed it - but it was really disappointing that it took so much to get them to admit their mistake. Which obviously it was.

Thanks for the support all!
 
Water damage or not, that gives no right to Apple to break the machine. That's like them taking the machine apart, finding water damage, and not putting it back together "Here's the parts you sent us." They are not responsible for fixing water damage. They are obligated, however, to return the machine in the condition that it was sent.

EDIT: Glad to hear it's back to working again.
 
That's unfortunate that this happened but I wouldn't have even sent it in w/o warranty. I took apart a used Macbook last week, installed a new HD & Superdrive. It was the first time took apart a Macbook and had owned it only for a couple days. I bought a used Superdrive on CL and it worked great. The $200 or whatever they try to charge is ridiculous for a DVDRW. It takes 30 minutes to put a new DVD drive in. I'm surprised how simple it is to swap out the parts on the Macbook. Now I want to buy a new Macbook.
 
What's really sad is I'm sure no one at Apple was really trying to 'screw' you. You were getting it unfairly, but you've got to imagine how many people will lie to their faces saying, "Look, it worked before I came in!" And unfortunately, the honest people get nailed.

Just search these forums for people asking how to hide water damage from Apple to get their repairs done, or how they can trick Geniuses into replacing whatever_product_here.

It's like this everywhere. Years ago I saved for 6 months to get my first iPod, which I bought at Best Buy, and came home to open a box that had had it's new ipod swapped with a previous generation used/broken iPod. Yeah, and imagine my horror in thinking that I'd have to go back and say, "uh... it came this way!."

You see it at every store. Doing maintenance work a few years ago I found myself constantly having to return products to Home Depot or Lowe's because someone had bought a product, taken parts they needed for a repair from it, and returned it.

Ask your friends that work valet how many people come in with broken car parts or scratches and then try to claim it was caused by the hotel and they need to fix it. That's the main purpose why they have cameras on valet drop offs.

And the people that don't try and screw others over suffer.

Glad it worked out for you, though.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back