Beware: reliability and customer support is gone. I bought a MacBook Air about 2 years ago. From the beginning, it malfunctioned, intermittently failing to allow me to access any other apps besides the one I was using. I worked with numerous Apple technicians who also witnessed the problem. After hours and hours over months of patiently working with them, I was told we’d try a complete replacement of the OS and if that didn’t work, I’d get a replacement. When it didn’t, I was told I’d now have to take disk images and record dates and times it failed. They’d have the “engineers” get involved. “The engineers” for one faulty laptop after I’d been patient for two years doing everything they asked, and they witnessed the problem. Two years, hours upon hours of my life and a false commitment to make it right. I’ve been a Mac user for decades. No longer. Given the premium price + AppleCare, I feel cheated and so disappointed. I’ll be looking for a new non-Apple laptop. I know many of you will rush to Apple's defense. So would I if I had a functioning laptop and/or had a good customer service experience. The point is, when things aren't working: don't expect Apple to help or even care.
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Sad to say Apple isn't what it used to be
- Thread starter Maggie0212
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sorry to hear all of that, but it's not typical. i've had applecare sort out a macbook issue 2 years ago, went really well.
anyway, no one person's experience (good or bad) speaks for everyone. but again, sorry for what you've gone thru.
anyway, no one person's experience (good or bad) speaks for everyone. but again, sorry for what you've gone thru.
Apple or not it applies to most things in this life from basic stuff to cars. Even with a warranty, companies will make you jump through hoops and if out of warranty good luck.
If you think Apple customer support is terrible wait till you try with Dell, HP, Asus, Razer... I could go on. You had a bad experience I guess but maybe you should have tried to post the issue here instead of making an account to say bye to Apple.
Don't be loyal to a brand though. If Apple doesn't make you happy find a product that will! I would drop any brand like a hot potato if I find better. Let us know how the Windows adventure goes! Get a new laptop and test out the support. Trying is the only way to find out!
Most won't even talk to you out of warranty unless you pay by the hour. The jumping though hoops is for when you're still under warranty 🤣
apple phone support is, at least, always there. amazing that i can call about my 2016 macbook (for example) and get help. that part is impressive...
Totally..right! I've called when quite stuck on a difficult problem with my 2009 MBP and tried collectively diagnosing as if it was a new purchase. And this in DE, the known black hole customer support void of the world.
Thanks -- and I've been a Mac user for decades and have never run into this kind of stalling and indifference. I was even dealing with Executive Relations. My only point is a cautionary tale and that Apple doesn't seem to be the company it has been. I hope you all have a good luck
One reason why this type of thing occurs is here in the U.S. the consumer protection laws that do exist are pathetic and not enforced… these companies have never been subjected to having a forced recall or a removal from sales sanction imposed on one of their products, such as other industries have. Its time some of the protections that was awarded to big tech years ago to incentivize innovation, are removed and they now have to abide by the same, pathetic as they may be, rules all other industries have to.
The EU is light years ahead of the U.S. regarding this… and even Apple has had their hand slapped a few times in recent years… one very recent sanction was the judgement against them to one person for not including a required charging device in the box with the new iPhone. Good - Despite what Apple claims, that was purely a profit driven decision that was devised by the parasitical element within the Apple corporation… all of them having second offices on Wall Street.
The EU is light years ahead of the U.S. regarding this… and even Apple has had their hand slapped a few times in recent years… one very recent sanction was the judgement against them to one person for not including a required charging device in the box with the new iPhone. Good - Despite what Apple claims, that was purely a profit driven decision that was devised by the parasitical element within the Apple corporation… all of them having second offices on Wall Street.
best just to stay away from manufactured laptops and desktops for Windows and build yourself A good Alder Lake Intel 12th gen 16 core system. Then you can repair it on your own when something breaks. you can even add Hackintosh to it VIA opencore.
Plus PCIe 5 and even 6 is coming with super fast speeds.
With a future APPLE computer your locked out of PCIe all together because Apple has chosen Thunderbolt only.
Plus PCIe 5 and even 6 is coming with super fast speeds.
With a future APPLE computer your locked out of PCIe all together because Apple has chosen Thunderbolt only.
If you have cash to spend, yes. Desktops on the PC side with equivalent parts are quite expensive right now.
I tried to charge my friend's new MagSafe compatible MacBook Air with the MagSafe charger I just got with my iPhone 13 Pro and it doesn't work at at all! Apple has really lost its edge.
Apple started out as a company selling computers that were completely reconfigurable even after they sold them to their customers. Back then you could add components (additional cards) to further adapt the computer to the user's use. I remember getting computers, the SE/30, IIci, IIfx, 3400 series laptop, Pismo, where you could swap out processors (talking about my Pismo), RAM and storage drives. With the SE/30 and II series Macintosh and newer desktops you could also add a GPU. There were so many possibilities to reconfigure the computer even after purchasing them. Today that has all gone away. Changing out processors have gone decades ago with laptops as well as upgrading your RAM since they are all soldered on (speaking of laptops) and now you can't even upgrade storage drives. Apple has changed so much over the years, in some ways for the better and in other ways for the worse. It seems to me they are more concerned about their profit margins than they are about making a solid product that their users can choose to reconfigure even after purchasing them. As a result of their market strategy, once my 2015 MacBook Air and Pros are no longer useful, I will be going with Lenovo Thinkpad computers. I hate saying this but I have no desire spending my money to have a laptop I can't even upgrade my storage drive afterwards. At least with the Windows laptop you are still able to swap in an M.2 NVMe storage drive. Shame.....
Australian government made Apple give a 2 year warranty on all it's products because of this sort of BS. OP would of got a new laptop or a refund under consumer law.
We pay through the nose though, we call it the apple tax.
We pay through the nose though, we call it the apple tax.
You used an iPhone wireless charger to charge a macOS computer? Why? Yes they both use the name MagSafe but they are clearly for two different devices...
Okay, maybe I read/understood that wrong... Still, there are different versions of MagSafe for MBA and MBP so you need to check the compatibility before purchasing/trying to use one...
This is the 2022 equivalent of "you're holding it wrong."
I'm among the many who have had incredible service from Apple. Whether it's help from front line reps, phone support, Saturday morning calls with tech supervisors, or the Executive Relations team, they have always been helpful, informative, friendly, and professional — gone the extra mile — and resolved all issues!
Service under Apple Care has been exceptional, too, even including “no questions asked” replacements. They've sent out free-of-charge mailing boxes and returned repaired devices within a week. It's been impressive.
Given that, it's inexcusable what the OP, Maggie, has gone through.
However, I'm deeply perplexed how this went on for two years. The problems were there from the get-go. Apple Care takes care of things quickly. This should have been resolved in one to two weeks, not taken TWO years. Why the delay? I realize users can be busy professionals, but demanding a fix within weeks given you paid for Apple Care should have been high on the agenda!
There's also a major gap in the story from the first couple of months of working with Apple to suddenly it's two years later and you're disgusted.
What happened in between? Did you compile the logs they asked for? You could have helped Apple troubleshoot a basic problem with their new laptop. Did you ever demand a replacement?
Also, if you're not getting satisfaction, you should generally escalate the complaint to higher levels. “Being patient for two years” is being incredibly passive.
Plus, you had the option to cancel Apple Care and get a refund on the remaining balance — or, demand a complete refund as they didn’t live up to their end of the contract. That doesn't fix the laptop, but you'd get some money back.
I’m also perplexed by the issue you had. In years of using Macs, and reading forums, I’ve never had or read of a situation where a Mac could only run one app at a time! That’s just bizarre.
I realize this is has been a teerible experience for you, but a sweeping condemnation: “Beware: reliability and customer support is gone” is hyperbolic and doesn't withstand scrutiny or mirror other people's experiences. While I’m among those who would argue Apple's reliability and quality control have slipped, especially in the software realm, I’d never say that they are “gone”, and would never say that about their customer service.
Don't give up on Apple. Yours is a rare experience.
Even now, you should drop an e-mail to Tim Cook outlining all that’s gone on. Executive Relations will likely respond and make things right for you!
Service under Apple Care has been exceptional, too, even including “no questions asked” replacements. They've sent out free-of-charge mailing boxes and returned repaired devices within a week. It's been impressive.
Given that, it's inexcusable what the OP, Maggie, has gone through.
However, I'm deeply perplexed how this went on for two years. The problems were there from the get-go. Apple Care takes care of things quickly. This should have been resolved in one to two weeks, not taken TWO years. Why the delay? I realize users can be busy professionals, but demanding a fix within weeks given you paid for Apple Care should have been high on the agenda!
There's also a major gap in the story from the first couple of months of working with Apple to suddenly it's two years later and you're disgusted.
What happened in between? Did you compile the logs they asked for? You could have helped Apple troubleshoot a basic problem with their new laptop. Did you ever demand a replacement?
Also, if you're not getting satisfaction, you should generally escalate the complaint to higher levels. “Being patient for two years” is being incredibly passive.
Plus, you had the option to cancel Apple Care and get a refund on the remaining balance — or, demand a complete refund as they didn’t live up to their end of the contract. That doesn't fix the laptop, but you'd get some money back.
I’m also perplexed by the issue you had. In years of using Macs, and reading forums, I’ve never had or read of a situation where a Mac could only run one app at a time! That’s just bizarre.
I realize this is has been a teerible experience for you, but a sweeping condemnation: “Beware: reliability and customer support is gone” is hyperbolic and doesn't withstand scrutiny or mirror other people's experiences. While I’m among those who would argue Apple's reliability and quality control have slipped, especially in the software realm, I’d never say that they are “gone”, and would never say that about their customer service.
Don't give up on Apple. Yours is a rare experience.
Even now, you should drop an e-mail to Tim Cook outlining all that’s gone on. Executive Relations will likely respond and make things right for you!
My wife’s 2019 MBP 16 started having random kernel panics. We thought it was related to a recent MacOS update, so waited for the next update before worrying too much about it. when the next update didn’t resolve the issue, I started to think it was a software issue, but there was no commonality among the panics.
Ended up reinstalling the OS from scratch (full erase first), and had two kernel panics during the install. Install finally went through, and after migrating apps back from a Time Machine, had more panics.
I documented all this, and took it to the Apple Store (we’re under AppleCare). The tech ran a hardware scan, which showed no problems. He said to try reinstalling the OS one more time, and if we had any problems, they’d switch the logic board out.
did that, still got kernel panics, and went back to the Apple Store. They took the laptop and shipped it out for the logic board switch. Got the Mac back 5 days later. No problems since (knock on wood).
overall I was pretty satisfied with this level of service. While I would have liked them to have done the switch out the first time, it’s hard to fault Apple when their scan doesn’t show any problems. I appreciated that when we took it back a second time, there were no questions asked.
Ended up reinstalling the OS from scratch (full erase first), and had two kernel panics during the install. Install finally went through, and after migrating apps back from a Time Machine, had more panics.
I documented all this, and took it to the Apple Store (we’re under AppleCare). The tech ran a hardware scan, which showed no problems. He said to try reinstalling the OS one more time, and if we had any problems, they’d switch the logic board out.
did that, still got kernel panics, and went back to the Apple Store. They took the laptop and shipped it out for the logic board switch. Got the Mac back 5 days later. No problems since (knock on wood).
overall I was pretty satisfied with this level of service. While I would have liked them to have done the switch out the first time, it’s hard to fault Apple when their scan doesn’t show any problems. I appreciated that when we took it back a second time, there were no questions asked.
I used to have the old black macbook in 2008. Got applecare too. In between 3 years of use the top case failed…guess? 9 times! Along with many other issues. I was promised a replacement if things go wrong again. When the time came (within warranty) they refused to replace saying that i was promised i ‘may get replacement’ and not ‘will get replacement’ from their previous records. This is after talking for hours on phone with them. They made me call at awkward times bcoz their seniors are in Singapore and i must adjust to that, that and they make me hold calls for over 30mins at times.
i thought its just a ‘bad apple’. Got the 2 thousand dollars first model retina macbook pro 15.6inch. no applecare this time. Logic board failed a week after warranty ended. (1 year from purchase) apple quoted 1500 dollars for new logic board. i sold the non working machine for great loss at just 400 dollars. 8 months later apple came up woth replacement program for logic board. It wud be replaced for free now and anyone who paid for same repair will get refund.
then brought 12 inch macbook. Absolutely abysmal machine so super slow and got so hot. Tiny screen, cant even put it properly on my lap, my ipad seemed much better. Moreover the battery swell up, due to which the lower case bulged out and the bottom bezel of the screen cracked and broke(due to heat?) thankfully battery/lower case changed under warranty (was another replacement program by apple to replace faulty batterie) but apple refuses to change the bottom bezel as it wud not hinder with everyday use (it looked super ugly, it literally chipped and broke off).
then the keyboard started giving trouble, it was the first machine to use their infamous butterfly mechanism, it was the worse keyboard i had ever type upon and after debris/dust got into keys 2 years later it became irritating much but still useable. Then it started to type words i didnt want, it became unuseable. An apple authorized service provider refused me repair or replacment for keyboard saying its my mistake that i clean it with water thats why it go bad (I didnt, he just guess and refuse repair under warranty, it was standard applecare not applecare+)
finally managed to fix it and clean the keyboard debris and sold it too immediately fearing that ive to sell it for almost nothing if it dies like the previous laptop. Then again apple has a repair program on for keyboard replacement, much later.
never brought an apple laptop again after that.
Although i do buy iphones and ipads and im happy with those, they never have issues for me.
Apple still has many problems with laptops that are rarely mentioned. like the cracking screens of m1 macbook airs due to poor quality hinges. If you goto certain (forbidden?) places like Louis Rossmann youtube channel, or macbook subreddits you will see how common certain issues are, all because of apple’s poor service and use of cheaper inferior parts in macs.
now with the latest 256gb m2 macbook pro (and most probably with the m2 air as well) apple is using ONE nand chip…a single one! With sequential read speeds of 1400mbps, thats pcie 2 territory. And i wont be surprised if apple is using QLC nand instead of TLC either. Apple is changing everyday, and it’s becoming worser. Future potential and innovation and the quality and speed/performance is what brings me to apple again and again, only to regret later.
Meanwhile base models also come with 8gb of storage, and with swap memory usage im sure the logic board/single nand wont last too long either, not to mention the bandwidth for Thunderbolt 3 is pretty meaningless with an inbuilt ssd so slow.
i thought its just a ‘bad apple’. Got the 2 thousand dollars first model retina macbook pro 15.6inch. no applecare this time. Logic board failed a week after warranty ended. (1 year from purchase) apple quoted 1500 dollars for new logic board. i sold the non working machine for great loss at just 400 dollars. 8 months later apple came up woth replacement program for logic board. It wud be replaced for free now and anyone who paid for same repair will get refund.
then brought 12 inch macbook. Absolutely abysmal machine so super slow and got so hot. Tiny screen, cant even put it properly on my lap, my ipad seemed much better. Moreover the battery swell up, due to which the lower case bulged out and the bottom bezel of the screen cracked and broke(due to heat?) thankfully battery/lower case changed under warranty (was another replacement program by apple to replace faulty batterie) but apple refuses to change the bottom bezel as it wud not hinder with everyday use (it looked super ugly, it literally chipped and broke off).
then the keyboard started giving trouble, it was the first machine to use their infamous butterfly mechanism, it was the worse keyboard i had ever type upon and after debris/dust got into keys 2 years later it became irritating much but still useable. Then it started to type words i didnt want, it became unuseable. An apple authorized service provider refused me repair or replacment for keyboard saying its my mistake that i clean it with water thats why it go bad (I didnt, he just guess and refuse repair under warranty, it was standard applecare not applecare+)
finally managed to fix it and clean the keyboard debris and sold it too immediately fearing that ive to sell it for almost nothing if it dies like the previous laptop. Then again apple has a repair program on for keyboard replacement, much later.
never brought an apple laptop again after that.
Although i do buy iphones and ipads and im happy with those, they never have issues for me.
Apple still has many problems with laptops that are rarely mentioned. like the cracking screens of m1 macbook airs due to poor quality hinges. If you goto certain (forbidden?) places like Louis Rossmann youtube channel, or macbook subreddits you will see how common certain issues are, all because of apple’s poor service and use of cheaper inferior parts in macs.
now with the latest 256gb m2 macbook pro (and most probably with the m2 air as well) apple is using ONE nand chip…a single one! With sequential read speeds of 1400mbps, thats pcie 2 territory. And i wont be surprised if apple is using QLC nand instead of TLC either. Apple is changing everyday, and it’s becoming worser. Future potential and innovation and the quality and speed/performance is what brings me to apple again and again, only to regret later.
Meanwhile base models also come with 8gb of storage, and with swap memory usage im sure the logic board/single nand wont last too long either, not to mention the bandwidth for Thunderbolt 3 is pretty meaningless with an inbuilt ssd so slow.
anyone who's had a singular experience should be able to discuss their experience, but this is just about that experience; there's no 'apple isn't what it used to be', because there are ppl before you, and there will be ppl after you, that have a bad time with apple support. it's not a decline; tech doesn't even move on a straight line. we make progress, some things get better, some things change, and some things don't work out.
Dude this is a software problem, you are complaining the MacOS design, how can Apple local staff help you? Customize MacOS for you only?
Just because support is there doesn’t mean it is any good. I have only had 1 genius experience that I would consider praise worthy. Most times the answer is wipe and reinstall the os. When this doesn’t work they might send it off for service which doesn’t always work. This was my experience with a 2010 MBP. I finally gave up and bought a 2015. The only reason I stick with Mac is that my computer security son-in-law says macs are slightly more secure than Windows PCs. Mostly because most malware is still focused on Windows.
what? everyone's experience is not the same; even your own (As you've pointed out). i've had issues resolved with apple without having to 'wipe and install'. what's your point exactly?
Slightly misleading post, your implying that Razer actually has Customer support... 🤣🤣