So I called Apple and they wanted to charge me $50 for a phone call

[Adamantoise]

Basically, I had to send my Macbook Pro in because the keyboard was unresponsive. I was pretty certain it was a PCB problem as it only affected some keys and not the others.

Anyway, I called and the lady told me I was out of 90 day complimentary phone support ... Lol.

What the hell is complimentary phone support?

In any event, I wasn't charged, I just found it funny that they actually charge some people for phone support. Well aren't they making a killing.

Handled it nicely though, sent me a box to return my Macbook Pro in and they paid for postage. It's times like these that made me wish I had an Apple store near me. I'm stuck using my crappy work laptop for all my mobile computing needs.

 

[miles01110]

What the hell is complimentary phone support?

It's the 90 days of free ("complimentary") support over the phone that you get with every new Mac as part of the basic Applecare package.

 

[waynep]

If you have a warranty problem, then they won't charge you. If you have something else, they'll charge you. At least that's my experience during my warranty time.

 

[rkaufmann87]

Basically, I had to send my Macbook Pro in because the keyboard was unresponsive. I was pretty certain it was a PCB problem as it only affected some keys and not the others.

Anyway, I called and the lady told me I was out of 90 day complimentary phone support ... Lol.

What the hell is complimentary phone support?

In any event, I wasn't charged, I just found it funny that they actually charge some people for phone support. Well aren't they making a killing.

Handled it nicely though, sent me a box to return my Macbook Pro in and they paid for postage. It's times like these that made me wish I had an Apple store near me. I'm stuck using my crappy work laptop for all my mobile computing needs.

As has been mentioned all Macs come with 90 days of free AppleCare telephone support. After 90 days you have 2 options. Option A) purchase AppleCare which extends the warranty to 3 years from the original date of purchase and also includes 3 years of phone support. Option B) Pay for the phone call.

IMHO buy AppleCare, one repair will make the expense well worth while.

 

[Adamantoise]

If you have a warranty problem, then they won't charge you. If you have something else, they'll charge you. At least that's my experience during my warranty time.

Yeah, my Macbook isn't a year old so I knew I had a legit claim as far as warranty was concerned.

I was just surprised that their first order of business was informing me how much the call I made would cost me. Lol.

Anyway, after explaining my issue, I wasn't charged and the lady was really helpful. It's just surprising that phone calls aren't free.

----------

It's the 90 days of free ("complimentary") support over the phone that you get with every new Mac as part of the basic Applecare package.

I know what it is ... It's just that everywhere else, it's called phone support, and you're not expected to pay for it.

It's not like I was calling because I don't know how to use my computer. I was calling to report a warranty claim.

 

[alphaod]

I was just surprised that their first order of business was informing me how much the call I made would cost me.

That's the correct order of steps. They must inform you of the cost of the call if you do not have an existing service contract or AppleCare. It gives you the opportunity to hang up immediately without using the service.

Phone support isn't free because phone support agents do not work for free. They have salaries and have bills to pay as well.

 

[Adamantoise]

That's the correct order of steps. They must inform you of the cost of the call if you do not have an existing service contract or AppleCare. It gives you the opportunity to hang up immediately without using the service.

Phone support isn't free because phone support agents do not work for free. They have salaries and have bills to pay as well.

Just because the service is free doesn't mean the people delivering it aren't being paid.

Valet service is complimentary at most hotels, do you think those boys make a living off $5 tips?

In any case, you are indeed correct that laying the cards on the table and letting me know the call would cost me immediately I called was the right thing to do.

 

[maflynn]

In any case, you are indeed correct that laying the cards on the table and letting me know the call would cost me immediately I called was the right thing to do.

This is one reason why they recommend applecare. As others stated if it really is a warranty issue they won't charge you for it. This policy has been in affect like forever. Not saying its right or wrong, just saying its been place for a long time.

 

[GGJstudios]

Apple's policy is fair. 90 days of free telephone support is sufficient to get most users up and running, with their initial setup and introduction to Mac usage covered. After that, it's up to the user to decide if the help they need is worth paying for additional support. Apple gives a variety of options for getting help without paying: http://www.apple.com/support/

 

[AppleFanatic10]

Yeah, my Macbook isn't a year old so I knew I had a legit claim as far as warranty was concerned.

I was just surprised that their first order of business was informing me how much the call I made would cost me. Lol.

Anyway, after explaining my issue, I wasn't charged and the lady was really helpful. It's just surprising that phone calls aren't free.

----------



I know what it is ... It's just that everywhere else, it's called phone support, and you're not expected to pay for it.

It's not like I was calling because I don't know how to use my computer. I was calling to report a warranty claim.

$50 isn't bad compared to what HP charges for phone calls. Atleast Apple listens to the problem before they actually decide to charge you.

 

[chrono1081]

I was just surprised that their first order of business was informing me how much the call I made would cost me. Lol.

You must never have had to call Sony, Dell, Toshiba, HP, Compaq, or Acer because they all do the exact same thing.

And as another stated HP charges a lot more (or at least used to). You had to buy a $150 package to get assistance.

 

[thundersteele]

I know what it is ... It's just that everywhere else, it's called phone support, and you're not expected to pay for it.

It's not like I was calling because I don't know how to use my computer. I was calling to report a warranty claim.

Not sure where "everywhere else" is, but phone support for most purchases is not free. In many cases it is free for services that require a regular payment, but even there they might charge you if they determine that the problem fell under user responsibility. When I signed up with comcast the guy actually wanted to sell me a monthly $4.99 for unlimited free phone support.

Since they have to determine first whether you have a warranty issue, it's only fair that they inform you about potential costs.

 

[maflynn]

[MOD NOTE]
Please keep on topic, this thread is not about tips or wages but rather apple support charging 50 dollars.

 

[WRP]

Lots of places make you pay for phone support. And $50 is pretty standard. buy Applecare, especially for a laptop. Well worth the price.

 

[swingerofbirch]

I agree that they shouldn't assume you are looking for "how-to" advice (which is what they would charge the $50 for) before hearing the issue. It can be off-putting if you are simply calling about a hardware issue.

 

[SDAVE]

Most tech issues could be resolved through a few minutes on a Google search. Why people call support for software issues is beyond me.

For hardware failure, obviously you need to take it in to the store.

 

[Mal]

Most tech issues could be resolved through a few minutes on a Google search. Why people call support for software issues is beyond me.

For hardware failure, obviously you need to take it in to the store.

Lots of people have a hard time wrapping their heads around the information they would find in a Google search. Even when I explain things as simply as I can in person, a number of my family and friends just give me blank stares or tell me to just do it and make it work. Consider yourself blessed with the ability to understand tech stuff, whether your own understanding is basic or expert.

jW

 

[SDAVE]

Lots of people have a hard time wrapping their heads around the information they would find in a Google search. Even when I explain things as simply as I can in person, a number of my family and friends just give me blank stares or tell me to just do it and make it work. Consider yourself blessed with the ability to understand tech stuff, whether your own understanding is basic or expert.

jW

That is quite true. That and the ability to use proper keywords and syntax to search Google

To this day, I have never called Tech support (Apple, etc) in the past 15 years to resolve any issues. I called them only when I had hardware failure, and even then, you can usually find at least one person who has a similar issue and requested help somewhere in the depths of the internet. And I've had quite a lot of issues, because lets face it, computers suck.

 

[Mal]

That is quite true. That and the ability to use proper keywords and syntax to search Google

To this day, I have never called Tech support (Apple, etc) in the past 15 years to resolve any issues. I called them only when I had hardware failure, and even then, you can usually find at least one person who has a similar issue and requested help somewhere in the depths of the internet. And I've had quite a lot of issues, because lets face it, computers suck.

While I'm an Apple repair tech myself, I did call Apple once for an issue. It was an issue with an early beta version of Facetime and they really tried hard over the phone and then in a number of email conversations to resolve it (ultimately unsuccessful, I ended up not being able to use it until the final version was released). I was under AppleCare though, so it was a free call. I can't imagine calling them very often, and certainly wouldn't pay for it, but I can understand why some people would.

jW

 

[squeakr]

Most tech issues could be resolved through a few minutes on a Google search. Why people call support for software issues is beyond me.

For hardware failure, obviously you need to take it in to the store.

I am in support myself, but had to call tech support for Apple when Lion server came out. Ended up going to level 3 and got no resolve. Sometimes when the software is so new and no one is using it, bugs need to be reported and investigated and sometimes the company issuing the software is the only one that can provide that support. They never could figure out why my mail server stopped working (wouldn't send, receive,update, beta ll logs were normal). We tried everything (they made me retry everything I had already tried) and came up with no resolve. The issue was then sent onto engineering through tech diagnostic captures. Never did get a resolve, and magically without anything else changing the system righted itself 3 days later.

 

[BrickbookPro]

Yeah, my Macbook isn't a year old so I knew I had a legit claim as far as warranty was concerned.

I was just surprised that their first order of business was informing me how much the call I made would cost me. Lol.

Anyway, after explaining my issue, I wasn't charged and the lady was really helpful. It's just surprising that phone calls aren't free.

----------



I know what it is ... It's just that everywhere else, it's called phone support, and you're not expected to pay for it.

It's not like I was calling because I don't know how to use my computer. I was calling to report a warranty claim.

Unless you have a gateway. I had to chat online with the. Talk about a nightmare-NO phone support.

 

[ibis99]

Basically, I had to send my Macbook Pro in because the keyboard was unresponsive. I was pretty certain it was a PCB problem as it only affected some keys and not the others.

Anyway, I called and the lady told me I was out of 90 day complimentary phone support ... Lol.

What the hell is complimentary phone support?

In any event, I wasn't charged, I just found it funny that they actually charge some people for phone support. Well aren't they making a killing.

Handled it nicely though, sent me a box to return my Macbook Pro in and they paid for postage. It's times like these that made me wish I had an Apple store near me. I'm stuck using my crappy work laptop for all my mobile computing needs.

That sure is better than the $80 micro$oft tried to once charge me.

 

[quasinormal]

Lots of places make you pay for phone support. And $50 is pretty standard. buy Applecare, especially for a laptop. Well worth the price.

I disagree. The $300 for a 13" MBP and $429 for a 15/17" MBP is better off in my opinion being spent on a new laptop in 2-3 years time. They can reject a legitimate repair without any objective rationale or right of appeal. as I learnt when I lodged my santa rosa 15" MBP with a failed 8600M GPU in the last week of the third year of warranty just over 12 months ago. They alleged it was water damaged due to a powdery deposit on the upgraded HD which I suspect was the disintegrated sticky tape I used to tape the bumpers back on. I killed my old Powerbook G4 HR 15" the same week with a square wave inverter so ended up going out and buying a new 15" i7 and 13" i3 the same week.

If you are OCD about your stuff you could break even when you sell your redundant machine but I doubt it. I don't expect my laptops to beyond 2 years before I trash them. These unibodies seem to holding out quite well except for the nicotine and ash from my recent 30 cigarettes a day habit I noticed when upgrading the RAM the other day. Lets face it, if it was going to break down due to a manufacturing fault it would do so in the first twelve months. If it did, you'd probably be covered under local consumer laws or extended repair programs. I'd rather buy 3 or 4 ipod classics or RAM and a SSDs than applecare for 2 laptops.

Anyway enough of my rageaholicism and back on topic. I only used telephone support around 2000 with a new G3 iMac that I was struggling with (lets face it OS 9 was a dog of an OS) . I generally found the telephone support tediously patronising. Support it seems is just try this and then try this. The somewhat superior support bloke with the english accent and myself grew heartily sick of each other over the 12 months i struggled with that POS OS. I did ring support for a G4 iMac a couple of years later and the patient Indian woman i dealt with was great in resolving a 10.0 root user issue so your milage may vary depending on is doing the supporting. That said I feel if you can't work it out yourself, it is not worth owning or being held to ransom.