The left and right hands at Apple

[Blitzlaw]

Dear Apple:

I was truly disappointed to have been misled into sending my Ti Powerbook back to have the LCD replaced. I got pricing from several other repair companies but elected to go with Apple (despite the additional cost), after the technician promised that the unit would be repaired immediately and that all parts were in stock (some warranty work was to be done contemporaneously with the LCD repair). Lo and behold, I'm informed that the machine won't be sent back for another week because parts are unavailable.

Sadly, I'm reduced to litigation because when I call I'm stuck in voice mail jail until a phone jockey gets on and can't connect me to anyone helpful. Customer relations even went so far as to promise me that the parts were coming in sooner than I was told and that the machine would be back yesterday (4/9). Needless to say this was a lie. In short, a repair which Apple promised would be done in one day, is taking 10 or more, with no end in sight. I could have had the machine back in 24 hours from someone else, for less money.

So when you get my chargeback, ask not what your customer has done to you, ask what you did to your customer.

Sincerely,
Jonathan Blitz

[scruffy]

Blitzlaw

How American. OK, your name is Blitz - but still, a truism by coincidence. Is anyone in the world so instinctively, reflexively litigous as an American?

Is it really worth lining a lawyer's pockets with your hard-earned money (and Apple's, for that matter), spending tedious time in courthouses, filling out legal documents, just generally losing so many hours of your life (both those lost to spending them on court matters, and those lost to annoyance at having to) over a computer taking an extra week to be repaired?

Sorry for the rant, just a pet peeve of mine.

[Blitzlaw]

Scruffy,

I appreciate your comment, and you're right that a week without a computer is one of those slings and arrows that most of us should just bear. As an aside, in this case, litigation isn't really an option anyway, the money at stake is too small, and frankly I'm not out to screw them for the total cost of repair (>$1000) because that would be unjust. I am however frustrated because they have made my life unnecessarily difficult. Had they just told me the truth, I could have set up the repair with someone else and not had a problem in the first place.

I also feel this way because Apple made me a promise (perhaps a small one, but it mattered alot to me) and then they broke that promise. The week you spoke of is now stretching into two, and after much time spent on hold, I can't get a straight answer or even a solid idea of when my machine will be back (it's my only computer).

I don't expect to get the machine back and repaired for free, but I think the premium I paid for the speedy service should be taken out of the price. Most people who have worked in a small business know that dependability and solid communication of what you'll do and solid follow-through is part of honest dealing.

I want Apple to act more like they did in the mid-1990's when a promise made by anyone there was something I could depend on.

Apple makes an above average product, and we should expect quality service from them as well.

Sincerely,
Jonathan Blitz