Yet another Applecare stupidity rant

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[H]ard|Gawd
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Nov 5, 2002
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Originally posted by miazmaticdotcom
Damn, now I regret not plopping the adapter down on the bar. Well, they just sent me a new one and it came, so the iBook is back up. I am now a week behind on homework and worse for the wear.
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gigglebyte, this is exactly why sometimes in customer service you have to bend rules and do extra paperwork to make the customer happy. Most of the time, return and warranty policies are written by bean counters. It is possible during this minor exchange that Apple may have lost a customer because someone followed the letter of the warranty policy. While it seems that you have a desire to make your customers happy, you can see that while it makes sense to you that the store could not process that warranty claim at that time. It doesnt make sense to the customer. Computer problems, minor design changes, sales stock vs. warranty stock - all of these things mean nothing to the customer and are excuses not to help the customer, not good reasons.
 
That's one of the reasons that as a customer, you HAVE to be a little assertive about what you want.

Even to the point of using a certain 6 letter word when needed. It get's things done.
 
What 6 letter word is that? "Money" is 5 words, "Customer" is 7.


Internal policy means nothing to me. It was bullshit. I needed a new adapter, and they had one. Why didn't they give it to me? Internal policy, which again, I could care less about.

Next time it fux0r5 up, which happens about every six months, I'll be a lot more assertive and get a new one. Make them transfer the data too, for free.
 
better yet, get the new one and say "oh wait, i need my old data, break out the Dremel and cut the harddrive out" :eek:

FYI, the 6 letter word was REFUND
 
I think I'll just vote with my wallet, because money talks loudly. I love Mac OS X and the software, but the iBook that it runs on has been an incessant piece of shit, always crapping out for one reason or another. New hard drive about every six months, which is a pain in the ass.

My mother has been through years of Toshibas and Thinkpads, none of which have ever died. I see a Thinkpad in my future.
 
Originally posted by miazmaticdotcom
What 6 letter word is that? "Money" is 5 words, "Customer" is 7.


Internal policy means nothing to me. It was bullshit. I needed a new adapter, and they had one. Why didn't they give it to me? Internal policy, which again, I could care less about.

Next time it fux0r5 up, which happens about every six months, I'll be a lot more assertive and get a new one. Make them transfer the data too, for free.
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Lawyer. ;)
 
Originally posted by Instigator
better yet, get the new one and say "oh wait, i need my old data, break out the Dremel and cut the harddrive out" :eek:

FYI, the 6 letter word was REFUND
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That 6 letter word works too :D
 
oh yeah, I think of IBM when I think reliable harddrives
[/sarcasm]

they weren't nicknamed Deathstars for nothing, pretty damn bad when they were so bad they wouldn't even use them and sold off the division
 
I did check and I know as far as we were concerened the order would only have been delayed 1-2 days so somebody at the store screwed up on that (should have put the alternate order in) but the point still stands that the part that he needed was not a stock part and even though another part would have worked (the new square adapter) what he would have received is a replacement rev B round adapter....lets assume that the systems had not been updated and he came in with a bad adapter...the process would have been

1) check to see if we have a replacement adatper that is the same as what they currently have - no
2) order the part and either have it shipped to the store or drop shipped to the customer

now with this being the normal procedure he still isn't getting one of the adapters on the wall as that is not the replacement part for HIS computer...sure it will work but it is not the right part.

would I be ticked if that happened to me? sure but I would also understand that since I am requesting WARRANTY work to be done on my product (what ever it is..computer, car, TV) I don't think I would want different parts to be used even if they did work with it...I would expect that a replacement part would be procured with in a reasonable time frame and considering even if things had been up and the order was placed on a weekend it would still take about 3 business days to get it to the customer

sorry if I sound pissy on this but it has been one of those days and I am not in the mood to pussy foot around crap anymore
 
Originally posted by miazmaticdotcom
Money. :(
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Hey, I didn't say pull the actual guy out and drop him on the bar. only the word... only the word. It comes in GREAT handy.





use only as directed and in dire emergencies
 
Originally posted by gigglebyte
I did check and I know as far as we were concerened the order would only have been delayed 1-2 days so somebody at the store screwed up on that (should have put the alternate order in) but the point still stands that the part that he needed was not a stock part and even though another part would have worked (the new square adapter) what he would have received is a replacement rev B round adapter....lets assume that the systems had not been updated and he came in with a bad adapter...the process would have been

1) check to see if we have a replacement adatper that is the same as what they currently have - no
2) order the part and either have it shipped to the store or drop shipped to the customer

now with this being the normal procedure he still isn't getting one of the adapters on the wall as that is not the replacement part for HIS computer...sure it will work but it is not the right part.

would I be ticked if that happened to me? sure but I would also understand that since I am requesting WARRANTY work to be done on my product (what ever it is..computer, car, TV) I don't think I would want different parts to be used even if they did work with it...I would expect that a replacement part would be procured with in a reasonable time frame and considering even if things had been up and the order was placed on a weekend it would still take about 3 business days to get it to the customer

sorry if I sound pissy on this but it has been one of those days and I am not in the mood to pussy foot around crap anymore
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Then, simply put, there needs to be a stipulation like that in the Apple warranty, or they are in the wrong. From what I've seen of their warranty and service pages, there isn't. Dell has one (and has a warranty service that gets around that limitation as well, for an extra charge), and they REALLY let you know about it when you ask for service. It basically tells you that there is a time delay in replacing parts unless you have the in home service. As is, Apple's warranty is like most others. It simply specifies that a replacement will be given either the same, or equal to in functionality. Legally, that means that with no time specification in the clause he agreed to on purchasing the item, he DOES have a small-claims-court grieviance, since an equivalently functioning part was available, and appropriate for this situation, and acceptable to the customer.

OR

There needs to be a stipulation that an alternate part is only provided if the original cannot be provided at all. Since a part was available at the time of service, and the warranty is worded as it was, there is still a claim that could be made.

The customer is right, always... so saith the courts... ;)



I still like you...

Claim == Lost time/work/etc for a failed part under warranty. It can, and has, happened when companies fail to get parts back on line fast enough.
 
Its as simple as what gigglebyte said.

That replacement adapter may have worked. But it wasnt the part for his iBook.


Thats like buying a sports car that required Z rated tires (148mph+) and them putting lesser tires on the car. Of course it will work, and you will be able to drive your sports car, but you would turn around and try and sue when your tires blow out when you go over 148mph.

Same thing applies to the power adapter. It may have worked on your iBook, but when your iBook catches fire becuase it wasnt the proper adapter for the iBook, you would be pissed then as well.
 
Originally posted by AntShaw
Its as simple as what gigglebyte said.

That replacement adapter may have worked. But it wasnt the part for his iBook.


Thats like buying a sports car that required Z rated tires (148mph+) and them putting lesser tires on the car. Of course it will work, and you will be able to drive your sports car, but you would turn around and try and sue when your tires blow out when you go over 148mph.

Same thing applies to the power adapter. It may have worked on your iBook, but when your iBook catches fire becuase it wasnt the proper adapter for the iBook, you would be pissed then as well.
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No, it's not quite that simple. It's like a car where a gasket fails (say, on the Pontiac Firebird LS1), and since they Pontiac gasket is out, they use the Chevy one for the same engine (from the Camaro, LS1 also, SAME engine). Different gasket name, same effect.

Or you use the one from the Corvette. Slightly more powerful version of the engine, but the gasket will work perfectly on the lower tune one.
 
we aren't talking a safety type of an issue...the new adapters will work but they are not the replacement part for this computer
 
Originally posted by gigglebyte
we aren't talking a safety type of an issue...the new adapters will work but they are not the replacement part for this computer
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The car example was not safety related.
 
Originally posted by miazmaticdotcom
and yet someone said something about the iBook catching on fire with the wrong adapter.
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Then it would be different, but I've never heard of this :confused: Any links?
 
you are probably thinking about the old G3 powerbooks that had the brick adapters...there was an issue with some of them so we had/have a trade in program for them
 
Originally posted by gigglebyte
the new adapters will work but they are not the replacement part for this computer
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From a customer's perspective it is just another excuse to not help the customer. Warranty rules are seldom written from a customer service standpoint. A cosmetic change to a part does not change the fact that it does works with his computer and is a viable replacement for that power adapter. The problem is that the person working the counter was not willing to inconvenience the company but was willing to push that inconvenience on to the already inconvenienced costomer. Doesnt sound very wise when you are trying to keep customers.

The only time you should not look for a way to help the customer is when you believe that the customer is trying to defraud the company.
 
it is not a cosmetic thing they are just totally different adapters and you are correct...warranties are not written from a customer service standpoint but as a balance between customer and company needs...balance being the operative word here...as it is..the part that was needed to fufill the warranty was available but had to be ordered and if he would have called in to tech support instead of going to the retail store then we would have ordered it for him end of story....now lets put a little twist on this..say he went to an Authorized Service Provider because he didn't have an Apple Store near him...what are they going to do? they are going to say....hhuuummmm lets order the part as we don't have stock on what you need and if he started to raise a fit what good is that going to do? the parts are different..the price is different and one came with the unit and the other didn't...this isn't rocket science here...what most people don't seem to realize is that the Apple Retail Stores are just like an Authorized Service Provider just run by Apple that is all so they are going to have some of the same types of limitations as the ASP's are
 
Ahh, but see if you were to take it from a customer service perspective. It would be wiser to provide flexability to provide the best service to a customer. Even a ASP fowards the warranty claim and the bill to Apple. There really isnt any difference. In fact, if you were running an ASP then it would be a good idea for you to provide great customer service because you would want the customer to come back to your store instead of an Apple Store.

So, what I want to know is, was there a net benefit to the company in this transaction? Was the cost of the part on the shelf more than the potential business from this customer? If the answer is no, then a mistake has been made.
 
Bingo. The rules can always be stretched to make the customer happy. That is your key goal... for without customers, you exist not.
 
apple support is the best i have delt with. for one they speak english, correctly. i had paint bubbling and some minor issues with my 15 inch tibook. i brought it to the store and they sent it in to be replaced. when i got it back a few days later the superdrive started scratching discs. i called apple about it and they decided to replace my year old 15 inch with a brand new 17 for free and after i sent them a scratched dvd (office space) they gave me a free isight. that is the best service i have ever gotten from anyone.
 
Interesting. Next, I'm going to ask them to give me a new iBook (when it dies.)

See what they do about that, neh?
 
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