Final Update!: A gentleman from Apple Executive Support (I think) just contacted me regarding the case. He was very courteous about the whole thing. I told him the honest truth: that I’m no longer completely enraged but that I just expected someone at the Apple Store to be able to help, or for my return to be given preferential treatment (since it’s a return), but he mentioned that it’s a custom order thing with new hardware. He said they were investigating whether or not they could get something expedited out for me, and I appreciate that. It’s a little weird that I had to go this far up the chain to get an expedite, but it looks like things are in good shape now.
Update!: It turns out that “a day or two at the factory and then overnight shipping” means 7-10 business days. When questioned, the official response from the “AppleCare Support Admin” was “well, it takes a while to build the unit, and we have to ship it from China.” Then why the hell did you say overnight? Also, see the comments for various people trying to defend Apple’s policy.
Like any good Mac tool, I ordered the new 15″ MacBook Pro the day they were announced. I could rationalize the purchase ’till next week, but the bottom line is I wanted a spiffy laptop and I ordered one. I even custom-configured it with a larger, faster hard drive!
That last bit’s important. For want of this hard drive in my defective unit, Apple Support completely shit all over me.
When the new notebook came in, it had a crippling display issue which made the laptop unusable. As much as that sucks, you don’t work around technology for years without developing a thick skin for this sort of thing. So I expected Apple to own-up to their mistake and do whatever was necessary to get me together with a working machine. I mean, this is a factory defect. It arrived this way!
Here’s what I expected to happen:
- Walk into Apple Retail store, explain problem, show them the defective unit, and have it replaced on-the-spot.
Here’s what actually happened:
- Call 1-800 number to schedule an appointment with the Genius Bar. This is another rant really, but having to schedule my “please replace my defective product” visit is absolutely shit. The appointment is for the next morning, which just made the suck that much more sucky.
- Take some time out of my day, head down to the Apple Store, and have them tell me that there’s nothing they can do. If I’d had a base-configure machine, then fine, they’ll replace it. But they can’t replace my machine because I have a faster hard drive, and they don’t have that model in stock. When I point out that they have an otherwise identical machine that we can just swap the larger hard drive into, they refuse.
- Call the 1-800 number again and set up an RMA. They had to take my number and call me back for some reason, but to their credit, they actually did.
Okay, so let’s overnight me a new machine with a return box, right? Wrong! They can’t overnight anything because it’s a custom machine. It’ll take a week probably. Just to check, I ask this guy whether or not the Apple Retail shop can physically just switch out my HD into a unit that works. Nope, that’s unpossible. - Be frustrated for most of the day because, if this were Dell, they’d have me a return-box and a new machine next-day. None of this “visit an Apple Store for no reason, might take a week” bullshit. I’d have a computer I hate using, but the service would be excellent.
- Eventually get a call from “Junior”, an Applecare Specialist Admin, who sets up the actual return through fedex. He points out that yes, absolutely they overnight all of this. I print out some shipping labels, give the box to FedEx, and as soon as FedEx has scanned the barcode they build me a custom laptop.
Again, the actual build might add a day-or-two, but it’s overnight shipped. This makes me feel slightly better.Wrong! See update at the top for fun “overnight doesn’t mean overnight” doublespeak!
What’s the point of having Brick-and-Mortar buildings if they can’t service my stuff? It’s not like you’ve soldered chips on the board just for me, it’s a hard drive that’s slightly larger than stock. Take my “special” drive, put it in a machine that’s functionally identical, and send the defective unit back. Why that couldn’t be done the same day I got my defective unit I’ll never know.
Alternatively, the first time I called, there shouldn’t have been any kind of confusion. Got a bum laptop? Sorry about that, let’s overnight you a new one with shipping labels and a box for your old one.
I still love Apple machines, but goodness help you if you get a damaged unit and it isn’t stock. That larger hard drive will cost you.
October 23rd, 2008 at 5:23 pm
Apple Stores don’t deal in anything but base systems….and Ipods…and iPhones
October 23rd, 2008 at 5:48 pm
it sucks but that is how apple works. If you were to take any other high priced item with a non standard set up the same thing would happen. If you go a ordered a car and it had a defect you would not expect a dealer to switch wheels and/or seats with a similar model.
October 23rd, 2008 at 6:01 pm
I have to say I kind of side with Apple on this one. When Apple does a custom order, they ship it directly from Shanghai. Also, when the Apple Store does the swap, as easy as it sounds, when your laptop goes back to Apple as a return, it will have a smaller hard drive then what it was shipped with. The numbers just wouldn’t match up.
It seems stupid, but it kind of makes sense. The week to ship and no overnight, now that’s stupid. They should have a priority queue of custom laptop builds for RMA to get it built and out the door that day.
Cheers,
October 23rd, 2008 at 7:19 pm
[...] Got a bum laptop? Sorry about that, let’s overnight you a new one with shipping labels and a box for your old one. I still love Apple machines, but goodness help you if you get a damaged unit and it isn’t stock . …[Continue Reading] [...]
October 24th, 2008 at 8:46 am
I don’t understand how people can be sympathetic with Apple on this one. I understand that at the moment Apple Stores aren’t set up to do this kind of thing, but they absolutely should be. This isn’t rocket science.
Also, @turboderek: the car analogy doesn’t fly. Replacing wheels and seats on a car requires a few hours of skilled labor from trained employees, and the service department on a dealership is probably booked for the day. Replacing a hard-drive is a two-second procedure that can be done at the counter.
October 25th, 2008 at 9:52 am
@Jon Canady
Actually, a HD replacement can’t be done at the counter, because it’s not an ESD (electrostatic discharge) safe environment. Granted, it only takes a few minutes in the back.
When you decided to custom configure your system, you chose to deal with the online Apple store for your purchase. They’re the only ones who can exchange a defective product for you. The only exception would be if it were a standard configuration, since that model number would match the inventory in the retail stores.
When you place a custom order online, whether it’s completely tricked out or if it’s just something as simple as bundled iWork, it’s still considered a CTO (Configure To Order) system, and the model (inventory) number changes.
The stores simply do not have that inventory in stock, and they can’t swap it for you. The inventory and point-of-sale systems simply are not set up for that — nor should they be, since that would put an even heavier load on the already-overworked technicians in the store (which would impact EVERYONE’s repairs and service).
As far as replacing the unit, the WHOLE UNIT would need to be replaced, including the larger hard drive. Otherwise, it would be considered a service (repair), which would then need to be checked in and put in line with the rest of the repairs. Typically, that is not done for new products; replacements are preferred (I mean, who wants a one-week old computer REPAIRED?).
The trip to the store was suggested in case the issue was resolvable by any variety of quick-fix methods. Obviously that was not the case with your unit.
One way to avoid this sort of thing in the future would be to purchase the unit from the retail store, and purchase a separate hard drive from another source and install it yourself. The hard drive would cost extra, and wouldn’t be covered under your Apple warranty (it would have its own), but at least the unit’s inventory numbers would match, and the unit would be exchangeable at the retail store should anything go wrong with it in the first few weeks. Since the hard drive in the new MacBook Pro is considered user-installable, it would not void any warranties on the unit.
You opened your entry with “I could rationalize the purchase ’till next week, but the bottom line is I wanted a spiffy laptop and I ordered one. I even custom-configured it with a larger, faster hard drive!” While I realize you were excited to make your purchase, your impatience was your ultimate undoing. Had you done even a little research, you would have discovered that defective CTO systems can only be exchanged via the online store.
That’s not ‘Apple support completely shit(ting) all over’ you (unless they informed you specifically that the unit could be exchanged at the store); that’s ‘you making an uninformed purchasing choice.’
That being said, I hope you enjoy the computer when you get it back; that’s one sweet machine you’ve got there. And at least now you know how CTO system ordering and scheduling appointments at the Genius Bar work.
October 26th, 2008 at 10:16 am
welcome to the new and fantastic world of owning technology, and ordering new technology. Its called learn to deal with it and stop blogging about it on the web.
October 27th, 2008 at 9:20 am
@genius: I’m fully aware of how the Apple system works now, but thanks for the rundown. It’s a pretty horrendous system though. My overwhelming feeling is (and was) that nobody at Apple gave a shit that my time was wasted with a defective order. I know your POS systems aren’t set up to do this, but perhaps they should be.
As far as an “uninformed purchase choice”: that’s bull. I knew exactly what I was buying. What I was sent was defective, and the customer support failed. Maybe it failed in a well-documented and explained fashion, but it failed. It has a long history of failing, but nobody seems to want to own up and fix the issues.
You even mention yourself:
So if I also ordered iWork, that’s a custom configuration and can’t be helped by the Apple Store, despite the fact that the physical laptop that needs replaced is identical?
Look, I know you and the techs at my Apple store can’t help the fact that your system isn’t set up to do these things. But I’m appalled that people keep trying to defend it! The attitude of “this is the way it is, bend over and take it” is why these awful policies are allowed to stay in place!
Finally, yes, the front-line rep at the Apple 1-800 number informed me that the Genius Bar could take care of my unit. So, yeah, that was the first in a series of boldfaced lies from the customer support chain.
November 11th, 2008 at 4:32 pm
“What’s the point of having Brick-and-Mortar buildings if they can’t service my stuff?”
The Apple Retail Store is just that, a retail store. Why would you go in there expecting that they be able to replace any custom part of any computer? Can you imagine how many parts they’d have to have on-hand if they kept inventory of all parts for all models of all of their computers for three years (the length of consumer Apple Care plans).
Also, just a suggestion, when I worked at Apple Tier 1 Tech Support, all the other people around me barely passed, and in some cases did not pass, their Apple Care Support Training. Ask for Tier 2, otherwise known as a specialist. Ever since I worked there, the couple times I have had to call, I’ve given them a general description of the issue so that they could get the case in the system and then I immediately asked to be escalated. Just a suggestion.
Good Luck.