Hi everyone,
I've been using Apple products for nearly 30 years, and it is with pain and frustration that I share these stories. However, I am not going to overpay just to be treated like crap, and Apple has not paid any attention to me, so I am reassured that they do not care.
First of all, I have bought umpteen iPads, iPhones, iMacs, MacBookPros. I'd love to see a list from them, since they have all my behavioral data, but it would only make it hurt all the more.
I was using an iPad pro 512 and somehow, carrying it in my backpack caused a slight bend. However, it kept bending and bending on its own until it finally stopped working. Apple would not fix it, nor allow me to fix it. This is already a bad sign to me, as Samsung fixes their produce, often within one hour from my experience. I cannot imagine buying a car only to hear they will not service it, so what kind of attitude is this??? I finally broke down and paid the replacement swap fee, only to have the new one break again, just past the warranty period, despite treating it like a Disney princess. Again, no repairs, and not allowed to repair. I hoped for a final backup, so took to a third party who showed me straight out that it was not new at all, it was refurbished. This is ugly and wrong. Apple forbids us to repair their products, and they refuse to repair them, and yet it turns out they are giving us leftovers.
Goodbye iPad Pro, hello Samsung. Love it. Touch screen maybe not quite as good, but hey, they give you the stylus for free, they will service it if it needs any repairs, and they treat me with respect. Apparently something Apple cannot do.
Now enter Covid 19 and I have started preparing a lot of materials to use online. I have an iMac 2019, but talked myself into buying a new top of the line 2020 model. Ordered it, which was not easy, as I live in Thailand and they make everything in Thai, and you cannot complete the transaction unless you use Safari, I finally figured out, having been using Chrome. Progress bar popped up, showing me the birth in Shanghai and and subsequent delivery window. All is good, except for the outrageous bill of nearly $5,000. After a couple of days, i was curious as to why I had no notification from Visa about this purchase. I checked the progress window and it had died. I searched email and found one which was mainly in Thai, which I had assumed was just a confirmation. Nope. It said, if you do not submit proof of being a student or working for an academic institution within two days, your order will be canceled. Which it was.
This is wrong on so many levels!!!! First of all, I'm ordering a top model and you just cancel it, without talking to me??? Second of all, how many computers have I ordered, and iPads, MacBookPros, over the years? Heavy user. Finally, I've bought every computer via the education store for the last twenty years, again easy to check, but obviously nobody cares. The process has completely removed the empathy, care and human element. I am the head of one of the top masters in marketing programs in Thailand, and have been there for nearly twenty years. I dare say I'm a bit of an influencer.
I replied to the email and had no response. Others encouraged me to write to Tim Cook, which I did, and I had no response. Why should I pay overpriced fees and be treated so badly? I will not. So this is why I said is this goodbye, Apple? I have enjoyed using your products for many years, but I have a Ph.D. in marketing, and I am a consumer who is very aware of all my options and choices, and I really dislike how I have been treated.
You need to wake up, as you have lost touch, and as Sam Walton said, the consumer votes with their wallet, and no matter how big you are, you can fall.
Sincerely,
Randall in Bangkok
I've been using Apple products for nearly 30 years, and it is with pain and frustration that I share these stories. However, I am not going to overpay just to be treated like crap, and Apple has not paid any attention to me, so I am reassured that they do not care.
First of all, I have bought umpteen iPads, iPhones, iMacs, MacBookPros. I'd love to see a list from them, since they have all my behavioral data, but it would only make it hurt all the more.
I was using an iPad pro 512 and somehow, carrying it in my backpack caused a slight bend. However, it kept bending and bending on its own until it finally stopped working. Apple would not fix it, nor allow me to fix it. This is already a bad sign to me, as Samsung fixes their produce, often within one hour from my experience. I cannot imagine buying a car only to hear they will not service it, so what kind of attitude is this??? I finally broke down and paid the replacement swap fee, only to have the new one break again, just past the warranty period, despite treating it like a Disney princess. Again, no repairs, and not allowed to repair. I hoped for a final backup, so took to a third party who showed me straight out that it was not new at all, it was refurbished. This is ugly and wrong. Apple forbids us to repair their products, and they refuse to repair them, and yet it turns out they are giving us leftovers.
Goodbye iPad Pro, hello Samsung. Love it. Touch screen maybe not quite as good, but hey, they give you the stylus for free, they will service it if it needs any repairs, and they treat me with respect. Apparently something Apple cannot do.
Now enter Covid 19 and I have started preparing a lot of materials to use online. I have an iMac 2019, but talked myself into buying a new top of the line 2020 model. Ordered it, which was not easy, as I live in Thailand and they make everything in Thai, and you cannot complete the transaction unless you use Safari, I finally figured out, having been using Chrome. Progress bar popped up, showing me the birth in Shanghai and and subsequent delivery window. All is good, except for the outrageous bill of nearly $5,000. After a couple of days, i was curious as to why I had no notification from Visa about this purchase. I checked the progress window and it had died. I searched email and found one which was mainly in Thai, which I had assumed was just a confirmation. Nope. It said, if you do not submit proof of being a student or working for an academic institution within two days, your order will be canceled. Which it was.
This is wrong on so many levels!!!! First of all, I'm ordering a top model and you just cancel it, without talking to me??? Second of all, how many computers have I ordered, and iPads, MacBookPros, over the years? Heavy user. Finally, I've bought every computer via the education store for the last twenty years, again easy to check, but obviously nobody cares. The process has completely removed the empathy, care and human element. I am the head of one of the top masters in marketing programs in Thailand, and have been there for nearly twenty years. I dare say I'm a bit of an influencer.
I replied to the email and had no response. Others encouraged me to write to Tim Cook, which I did, and I had no response. Why should I pay overpriced fees and be treated so badly? I will not. So this is why I said is this goodbye, Apple? I have enjoyed using your products for many years, but I have a Ph.D. in marketing, and I am a consumer who is very aware of all my options and choices, and I really dislike how I have been treated.
You need to wake up, as you have lost touch, and as Sam Walton said, the consumer votes with their wallet, and no matter how big you are, you can fall.
Sincerely,
Randall in Bangkok
