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Originally posted by bitfactory
if your computer isn't working - drag it into the Apple Store, set it down on the counter and DEMAND they fix it or swap it. easy as that. they will fix it or swap it - they have no choice.

I have had:
> faulty Zip250mb Drive
1. faulty DVD Drive,
1. faulty Floppy disk drive,
2. faulty fire wire cards &
2. faulty TV/FM radio cards

As Bitfactory has pointed out a personal apperence is the best way to get te problem solved. All of these items were replaced on the spot after a 10 test to see that I wasn't lieing.

No apple care, no help desk, no phone call, just a ride on my bike to the computer store and a clean swap. Except for the zip drive which I bought from a software store, where they sent it to iomega. Iomega sent a new one to the shop 2days later with a signed letter to say they were sorry for the inconvinence.

Also never say 'might be broken' it's always "irepairable and needs a replacement."
 
Take it to a Apple Store and get them to fix it or swap it your still under warranty and they should fix it no matter what.

As for Dell when I was in military just few months ago we got 10 towers and out of the 10, 5 were duds wouldn't even bootup. When we called Dell they gave the ARMY the run around for few weeks saying because we got a mil. discount they didn't have to replace it just maybe fix it IF it wasn't over some amount.

We had problems with Panasonic Toughbooks which had 20 bad screens out of 50 laptops. They wouldn't take them back they only would send parts and said they know about the problem but they had no REAL current fix for it.

I got sick of working on Dells and Panasonics in the Mil. Pieces of crap and I not only had to fix their computers my friends would bring over their Dell laptops because it died or something. To me Dell, Panasonic should be shot which is what we did to some Dell computers to get rid of them.

I know not all products are perfect but I draw the line when I see that many bad apples, no pun implied.
 
Originally posted by madamimadam
I just don't like how crowded it is with the default theme. Yes, you can change the theme but most people like things to work well out of the box

There's something to be said about XP's themeing engine though. :)

Yes yes yes I know blasphemy. :p

This'll have to hold me until a G5 PowerBook :\
 

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As for the main problem with Apple customer service. There's a trick to getting the best service possible. Be considerate, charming. Remember the guy on the other end of the line most likely gets some big ***holes from time to time. Getting in their face about it won't solve the problem and won't want to make them fix your problem. Also at this point I think its time to get a hold of a manager. In a perfect world a manager at an Apple store. As someone stated physically showing up at a place with a defective system is the best way of getting results.
Finally as a person who has dealt with customer service from IBM, Dell, and Toshiba I can say that PC support is no better. Honestly. It all depends on who you get on the phone. I have run across some of the biggest brain dead techs on the planet through Dell. I'm not joking. I've had to correct them in their troubleshooting approach because whatever script they are reading from its messed up. Heck there have been more then a few times I couldn't even understand the person on the other end. :rolleyes: Thanks for exporting tech outside the country guys.
 
Re: G5 Is an Engineering Nightmare

Originally posted by Jetson
I don't blame Daniel one bit. trying to deal with Apple Computer from a customer standpoint can still be frustrating. Forget talking to them on the phone. If you don't fit into one of their little scripted cubby holes, then you're placed on permanent hold. Their customer service and warranty policies still stink BIG TIME. I've had better luck going to an Apple store - but they still make you wait a very long time at the "Genius" counter before helping you out.

That's why you don't deal with the underlings too much...If you've got real problems that can't be solved, call Apple Headquarters. Call the CEO's office. Either someone will handle your case personally there or you will be transfered to exec. customer relations. Either way, if you speak confidently & explain your case, these people will do a lot. Remember, the higher you go, the more power people have. Some tool at the end of 800 SOS Apple can't do anything, but the heads of divisions can do a great deal.
 
Originally posted by SiliconAddict
There's something to be said about XP's themeing engine though. :)

Yes yes yes I know blasphemy. :p

This'll have to hold me until a G5 PowerBook :\

you just made my day!...in a sick, I want to vomit over that disgusting display, sort of way.
 
Fisher Price for Windows XP??

Originally posted by themadchemist
you just made my day!...in a sick, I want to vomit over that disgusting display, sort of way.

Hey! Unless Apple wants to make me a beta tester for OS X for i386 this is the only alternative to Windows XP by Fisher Price. :p

Too bad I didn't have enough room on the display to show you the Trillian iChat skin. There are whole communities dedicated to making XP as OS X like as possible.
http://jonmega.com/~iceman
http://www.aquaxp.com
http://aqua-soft.org

Heck there is someone working on an Expose version for Windows right now. But as you can guess it sucks right now.
 
you have to call bbb

If they won't replace it you have to get MEAN.
You have to call the Better Business Bureau and if you are persistent enough, they will actually get on a three way phone call with them and ask the tough questions.

There is no way that you can know for sure if you have a lemon within 10 days. That is ridiculous and probably illegal.

You must pursue it - there is no excuse for not having a working piece of equipment for that kind of money, whether its a mac, a pc , a car or anything!
 
i got it returned

ok.. after several attemps.. i finally got to return the machine... they are charging me a 10% restocking fee but they said they would help me out with my next purchase if i get a new system.... Help me out guys.. i'm thinking of getting the g4 1.25ghz or the powerbook g4... i'm kinda afraid of going back to the g5's.... anyway... i realize.. you don't get anywhere calling on the phone.. they wouldn't even return it when i was at the store calling... i had to get the store manager to get on the phone with them.... thanks for all the advice and i think i'll give it one more shot... i still think i will keep my pc around untill i get everything sorted out.
 
That's good to hear. Remember, you don't have to ditch you PC--you can become an "adder" instead of a switcher. If I were you, I'd go with the Power Mac G4. Hold off on a PowerBook G4, or at least the 15" model for a while. Of the six PowerBook G4s that Macworld had for review, half of them had some kind of screen trouble. The Power Mac G4 has been around a while so many of the kinks have been worked out (or at least they should be worked out).

Best of luck.
 
Re: Re: oh the ie question

Originally posted by bitfactory
no offense dank - but this is the dumbest thing i've ever read (and that's saying a LOT).

furthermore, a lot of your story doesn't add up... i've owned 19 Apple computers over the years, and have never experienced anything remotely like what you are talking about. i've received one "dog" (Titanium laptop that was flickering) - called them up, they sent me a box and i had my replacement in 2 days).

if your computer isn't working - drag it into the Apple Store, set it down on the counter and DEMAND they fix it or swap it. easy as that. they will fix it or swap it - they have no choice.

don't post your whining in the Macrumors discussion board - and don't post your whining on Apple's support site. fricken' call them and DEMAND to have it fixed NOW... why are you wasting time posting in all these forums??? just FIX THE DAMN THING.

sorry for the rant - but all these "i'm switching back" bullsh*t stories are weak.




hmmmm.. sorry i couldn't give you all the information you needed... sir... i apologize that i was not thorough with my explination and didn't want to write 3 pages of interactions i had with apple... sorry i'm not a 7 foot giant that can pound his way through the apple store and DEMAND a refund by blasting fire out of his mouth as his voice makes the masses tremble.... your funny... anyway... sometimes things aren't as easy as you think my good man... i'm just saying.. this experience was terrible and i hope to never go through this again... and word of advice to you... get some help..
 
Originally posted by iJon
yeah my g5 and panther have been crashing at least 5 times a day. and they are hard crashes, plain lock ups like the old os 9 days.

Jeez, I really hate to point this out, but a few months ago that I said that I will buy the G5 only AFTER the rest of the devout users (i.e. "fools") do all the troubleshooting, and wait for about 10.3.5 for the G5. Now this particular nightmare might be (read: IS) the sign of a lemon as the scope of this poor souls problems are WAY beyond what we're normally seeing, but my original stance remains.
Who is the fool who talked this guy into getting a first-generation Mac as his first Mac? Hell, he could get a G4 1.42DP for less money. A proven boat with Panther or Jag.
Oh, and for the 2-billionth time: Shame on Apple Service
 
This is the funniest thread yet...some of you are the biggest hippocrites I have ever seen. Panther is crashing 5 times a day? If it were windows, half of you would tirelessly bash windows and the other half would probably spend your time harrassing pc owners.

As for you dankim...a 10% restocking fee...you got ripped off by Apple. There is no reason you should pay any fee for a faulty product. If you ask me, that is a sign of an evil empire (empire is a bad word since Apple is far from having an empire!) Perhaps I could say that Apple is turning into a Mini Microsoft. I mean what kind of company would distribute an OS that makes your computer crash 5 times a day then charge you 10% to replace it! HOLY COW, that is shady in any book. You got screwed and everyone here knows it...you were under warranty and Apple is obligated to fix the problem. If I were you, I would make sure that you contact Jeanne Toulousse, director of Apple Customer Relations and make sure you are reimbursed for that 10% in other Apple products.

The funniest thing about all of this is that Apple will continue to launch faulty products and they will continue to screw it's customers, because they know that the zealots will instantly become apologists and defenders of the Apple way.

I am suprised that this thread has turned into PC bashing yet to distract everyone from the original issue...A VERY POOR APPLE PRODUCT. But it is alright, because bitfactory has owned 19 computers over the years and he has had only one issue - I don't believe him
 
I don't know if you mentioned it or not -- were you running the G5 with the door off? the fans are supposed to be silent, but if the door is off they speed up, and if the plastic is off they go at full speed. Apparently it cannot properly cool the machine without the metal door on. ( I think this was on /. a while ago)

a lot of PC users apparently were doing this because they think it is cool to see inside of the computer that takes up a whole lot of desk space.

And I think they only charge a restocking fee if you return it becasue you don't like it -- could they duplicate it at an apple store? If so it is under warrenty. If you refused the repair or it could not be duplicated they might have the grounds to charge you.
 
Just a little tip from someone who has worked in customer service/sales at Gateway. Be nice...if you are nice, understanding, and patient people will try a lot harder to help you out. Believe me there is no shortage of *******s and you are definitely not the first one to "tell em how it is". Honestly, the more someone yelled or called me names etc. (not sure how I was personally responsible for countless disasters) the less likely I was to help and the more likely I was to purposely transfer you to a department that I knew wouldn't help at all.
 
Originally posted by dcoltonbrown
The funniest thing about all of this is that Apple will continue to launch faulty products and they will continue to screw it's customers, because they know that the zealots will instantly become apologists and defenders of the Apple way.

Kind of a sweeping statement that has no teeth? If you look around the boards, like at MacFixit, you'll see they are quite angry at Apple at times. There is and will always be a smattering of lemons that will cause the buyer to go nutty. Having purchased several million dollars of computers just in the last few years, I KNOW that the DOA/return rate for Apple is still WAY better than it's PC cousins. But one lemon should not deter anyone from losing sight of the product line's quality as a whole. That being said, I am aghast that Apple has the warranty they do, and that returning a defective product can be. at times, a horror. One other thought, when I read these stories online like this, I often wonder just what REALLY transpired in his conversations with Apple. We don't know the whole story so I believe nothing as a rule. There was mention of how to act when Apple is called, and I can tell you first hand that it's very true. A professional, courteous manner gets results by god. And it's not kissing ass, it's acting like an adult. Oh, and the whole "Apple zealot" thing is so passe! :) We all use what we use.
 
Originally posted by dcoltonbrown
As for you dankim...a 10% restocking fee...you got ripped off by Apple.


i agree with you on that - why return it and pay 10%? just get it fixed - correctly. jeesh. you did get ripped - HARD.

bitfactory has owned 19 computers over the years and he has had only one issue - I don't believe him

believe what you will - then again i rarely keep a system over 14 months, so i may not give a lot of time to 'fail' - but that's beside the point... initial quality out the door is relatively high with Apple - members of my family, my neighbors, and co-workers all have nothing but good things to say about their experiences with Apple CS as well.
 
Originally posted by dcoltonbrown
This is the funniest thread yet...some of you are the biggest hippocrites I have ever seen. Panther is crashing 5 times a day? If it were windows, half of you would tirelessly bash windows and the other half would probably spend your time harrassing pc owners.

As for you dankim...a 10% restocking fee...you got ripped off by Apple. There is no reason you should pay any fee for a faulty product. If you ask me, that is a sign of an evil empire (empire is a bad word since Apple is far from having an empire!) Perhaps I could say that Apple is turning into a Mini Microsoft. I mean what kind of company would distribute an OS that makes your computer crash 5 times a day then charge you 10% to replace it! HOLY COW, that is shady in any book. You got screwed and everyone here knows it...you were under warranty and Apple is obligated to fix the problem. If I were you, I would make sure that you contact Jeanne Toulousse, director of Apple Customer Relations and make sure you are reimbursed for that 10% in other Apple products.

The funniest thing about all of this is that Apple will continue to launch faulty products and they will continue to screw it's customers, because they know that the zealots will instantly become apologists and defenders of the Apple way.

I am suprised that this thread has turned into PC bashing yet to distract everyone from the original issue...A VERY POOR APPLE PRODUCT. But it is alright, because bitfactory has owned 19 computers over the years and he has had only one issue - I don't believe him

mac zealots do two things...one doesn't hurt anybody but the zealot and the other hurts apple

1) THEY DON'T THINK
2) THEY TELL APPLE THAT THE LATEST THING (EVEN IF IT SUCKS) IS INSANELY GREAT, SO APPLE CONTINUES ON WITH IT NOT KNOWING ANY BETTER

:p
 
Originally posted by jefhatfield
mac zealots do two things...one doesn't hurt anybody but the zealot and the other hurts apple
:p

I doubt very much that Apple's business decisions are based on the nutty fringe's going orgasmic over the latest gizmo. Computer Zealots do something far worse: annoy me to the point of homicide.
 
Originally posted by spinner
Just a little tip from someone who has worked in customer service/sales at Gateway. Be nice...if you are nice, understanding, and patient people will try a lot harder to help you out. Believe me there is no shortage of *******s and you are definitely not the first one to "tell em how it is". Honestly, the more someone yelled or called me names etc. (not sure how I was personally responsible for countless disasters) the less likely I was to help and the more likely I was to purposely transfer you to a department that I knew wouldn't help at all.

Name the top 5 mac retailers you know of and you probably would say the company i worked at.. i don't want to name names but seriously.. over the 5 years i worked there, i know how i reacted to customers that had fire under their @sses. Knowing that.. i feel that i was more than courtious to the reps over at apple.. i think it was about the 25th time i called in where i started getting annoyed.. or was it the 26th.. i lost count after 20's.. but anyway.. yeah, the thing that bothered me was that i felt misled about the whole situation... here is kind of timeline..

1. bought computer
2. had problems called in
3. troubleshooted, reformated, reinstalled, reformated, reinstalled
4. called back again... didn't fix problem (several times)
5. fast forward like 15 calls, talked to rep... said if i brought the computer in and they couldn't fix the computer, they would replace it
6. brought computer in
7. got back, still froze on me, called back.. said they couldn't replace because it was past 10 days.... (this is where i started getting frustrated)
8. said for me to bring computer back in... no chance of return (btw i was within 30 days at this point)
9. took computer in.. recieved back on the 30th day
10. kept freezing, called back.. rep told me that i was pass the 30 day mark to return (ooooh that made me pissed)... i was like.. what!?!?! you have to be kidding me... anyway..

long story short... i felt misled and handled poorly. Seriously.. when i worked at the mac retailer.. i saw many things.. and to be honest.. angry customers were the worst... so i take alot of those things in consideration when speaking to anyone on the phone because i sympathise with them... trust me, i know all the threats in the book first hand.. i never thought i would be one of those angry customers and the thing that even frustrated me the more was that i knew how they were reacting to my situation.. it was like that rolling eyes, put me on mute, put the phone away for 4 seconds to give me a taste of what i have coming to me.. please... whatever.. i just wanted my comp to work... i have heard other horror stories about the g5 lately too and i guess i'm not the only one... but as a first time mac user... long time mac advocate (oh.. i used to give presentation on mac's also saying how great they were and how superior their machines were to the pc) this computer was not acceptable.. funny thing is, i used to tell all my friends and good customers, do not get the computer as soon as it comes out... let the bugs work its way out and then jump in... i guess i felt like kid in candy store with the 64bit processor and shiny case and took the bait...

i regret that purchase and i do have to pay 10% restocking but i'm working something out with the apple store to possibly help me out with my next purchase (and yes.. i am forced to make another apple purchase if i want my money back). I'm willing though.. i really think that the g5's are too new and the techs just DON'T KNOW what some of the problems are yet.... he's my recommendation... DON'T ACT LIKE YOU KNOW WHEN YOU DON'T! it will save both parties a lot of head ache and trouble.. its called trust the customer and give him what he wants and if that means a replacement then do it... at least that what it should be if they stand by their product... tell you the truth.. after i got my power supply replaced on the g5 the first week.. that alone killed my purchase experince... did i tell you guys i have a degree in marketing as well? yeah.. well, apple really messed up on this one and just look at this board... over 2000 views... that can't hold up well with them and if it does.. shame on apple.. seriously... i really feel that apple is moving fast and they are making a great comeback but at the cost of success comes lack of attention to those who made them who they are today... i'm just sad that i had to experience this but i'm hoping my next MAC will be ok... i've been reallly debating if i should even go back to mac now... having dealt with all this but i dunno.. to be honest some of the people in this thread really changed my views about macs and the following (good and bad) but for the most part, i know macs are good computers and well built... just the people that are representing them are idiots... this could have been solved weeks ago but didn't work out that way... anyway.. PC's have always given me a headache but the good thing about the pc is that there are hundreds of people to ask how to troubleshoot and even i know how to trouble shoot a pc now... macs, hmmmm i think i know one.. and he was working with me back then as a tech support agent... and the funny thing is.. i knew more then him about alot of things... all in all, macs are great but are slowly becoming a apple monopoly... i'm telling you... sometimes having one is great but power does not lay in your hands anymore... just look at the pricing.. its funny because apple is screwing even the retail shops.. anyone reading this... just to let you know... please don't harrass your sales reps from apple retailers about pricing... i'm not kidding you when i say they have to take almost a loss on the machines to even sell them and compete with the other companies.... last time i remember i was selling the imac flat panels for 2% above cost.. that barely covers overhead.. its rediculous.. sometimes i wonder if Mr. Gates himself is puppeteering our good friend Jobs... anyway... mac rumors right? ahha good day.. wish me luck on my next comp.. I think i've decided on the 15 inch powerbook 1ghz.. i have a couple friends that have this and my partner has the 12 inch and it runs great except that he has this (T) issue.. when he presses (T) on the keyboard it goes ttttttttt... so when he types i goes like tttttthis... anyway... if you have any thoughts on this new pb... let me know before i get it.. the 20in imac looks cool too but dunno... i'm still scared though after this G5 incedent though.. i'm crossing my fingers..

dankim
 
Originally posted by dcoltonbrown
This is the funniest thread yet...some of you are the biggest hippocrites I have ever seen. Panther is crashing 5 times a day? If it were windows, half of you would tirelessly bash windows and the other half would probably spend your time harrassing pc owners.

As for you dankim...a 10% restocking fee...you got ripped off by Apple. There is no reason you should pay any fee for a faulty product. If you ask me, that is a sign of an evil empire (empire is a bad word since Apple is far from having an empire!) Perhaps I could say that Apple is turning into a Mini Microsoft. I mean what kind of company would distribute an OS that makes your computer crash 5 times a day then charge you 10% to replace it! HOLY COW, that is shady in any book. You got screwed and everyone here knows it...you were under warranty and Apple is obligated to fix the problem. If I were you, I would make sure that you contact Jeanne Toulousse, director of Apple Customer Relations and make sure you are reimbursed for that 10% in other Apple products.

The funniest thing about all of this is that Apple will continue to launch faulty products and they will continue to screw it's customers, because they know that the zealots will instantly become apologists and defenders of the Apple way.

I am suprised that this thread has turned into PC bashing yet to distract everyone from the original issue...A VERY POOR APPLE PRODUCT. But it is alright, because bitfactory has owned 19 computers over the years and he has had only one issue - I don't believe him

oh by the way dcoltonbrown, you are on the level ... some of these jokers need to catch up.. good looking out..
 
Originally posted by dankim723
oh by the way dcoltonbrown, you are on the level ... some of these jokers need to catch up.. good looking out..

Trust me when I say that I have been through a similar situation with my iBook...please take my advice and do not...NOT...accept the restocking option! Call Apple Corporate...408-996-1010 and ask for Jeanne Toulouse or fax her at 408-974-2786. This is the route that I took...and I wasn't nice about it! It resulted in a new iBook upgraded to a 900.

Apple is used to its customers being "nice" and voluntarily bending over...thats why you are going through what you are. Don't be nice, don't be courteous! Demand an immediate resolution.
 
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