Just thought I’d follow up on my ongoing (and now totally unbelievable) saga with trying to get my brand new MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo computer repaired. As I mentioned in a previous post, my new Mac had a serious problem with the audio system — the speakers output nothing but loud static whenever I tried to play any audio.
I bought it the day it was released in late October. I brought it in for repair on November 4th. Today, on November 29th, it has still not been returned. And I have Apple ProCare, which theoretically means I get "priority" service.
After several days of showing up at the Boulder Apple Store and asking where it was and being told "don’t call us, we’ll call you", I decided to press a bit harder. According to my online repair status (see the first screenshot in this post), the computer was repaired on November 17th — 12 days ago — and was then shipped to the Apple Store. Helpful Apple even provides a DHL tracking number (see the next screenshot). According to the DHL tracking page, it was delivered to the Apple Store that same day via next day air. Last known location according to DHL, was their Santa Clara facility, CA, which confused me somewhat given I dropped it off in Boulder, CO. This did not seem right to me.
I spent a solid half hour on the phone with Apple today, first trying to break through their phone system to speak to a human. First time I got through to a person, I was placed on hold and subsequently hung up on while listening to Elanor Rigby (while Apple doesn’t yet sell the Beatles on iTunes, I guess they have a license for on-hold music).
The second time, I got through to a person who actually took seriously the notion that the machine might have slipped through the cracks in the sytem. After she put me on hold for 15 – 20 minutes, she announced that they are unable to locate the machine and that they have escalated the matter to the "Tracing Department". I was assured that the Tracing Department would call me in 1 – 2 days with further information. When I asked if I could have a contact name or number into the Tracing Department, I was denied.
So 25 days after I dropped my computer off for repair, Apple now cannot locate it. And every time I tried to tell someone at the Apple Store that I thought there might be a problem, they refused to look into it and just told me to wait. I wonder how long this would have gone on if I had not decided to spend an hour (which I had much better use for) haranguing the poor folks on the other end of the customer support line?
This level of incompetence is almost amusing. Almost. I want my damn computer.
Apple, you really suck. Your customer service is as dismal as your products are superior.
Insanely great? Nope. Insanely late.
Are you listening, Steve?
Technorati Tags: Apple, Customer Support, MacBook Pro, Macintosh