[donclarkjr]

I am just posting this to vent a little, and tell my story. I purchased a 12" 1.5 PB off ebay knowing it was not working right. I knew Apple offered a flat rate repair for PB so after I got it and looked it over making sure I couldnt fix it I called Apple back on 9/19/07. They confirmed that they have a flat rate repair and the charges were goign to be around 300-350 no matter what was wrong as long as it wasnt user error like dropping it or spilling something in it. So anyhow I sent it to them with the box they sent me for repair they got it, repaired it, and they show 2 days after I sent it, they shipped it back to me. Well I got the box the next business day after they shipped, it was shipped on Friday and I got it on Monday, opened the box and there was no computer in it. Its not like I was by myself when I opened it there were at least 3 people standing around and they all saw the box was empty. No one from my company got to the box first, I opened it right after it came in from Fed-Ex. So I called Apple right after, kinda upset and worried they would tell me sorry deal with Fed-Ex. So that was on 9/24 and still have not gotten any answers from them on what is going to happen. I have been talking to a Administration person at Apple his name is Scott, last week I talked to him and he was wanting me to get proof that I owned the computer, which is fine I kinda understand why. He told me that he should be done with his investigation either by the end of last week or the begining of this week. Well he never called so again I called him and left a message that I had proof of purchase and was wanting this to get taken care of. Hr calls me back Wensday and I fax over the information, he tells me he should have a answer for me by the end of the day or sould be no later then Friday. I waited and waited Friday around 4:30 no call so I try to talk to someone else maybe higher then him, sadly I find out there really isnt anyone cust relations could give me. But the CR person I talked to after spilling my story personally walked down to Scotts desk and was going to ask him the status. After about 15 minutes on hold the CR rep got back on the phone and told me he caught Scott walking out the door and he told him he was still doing his investigation and should be done early next week, now Im kinda pissed here I am without a computer and no answers to what they are going to do. Am I being rediculous? Or should I try to press Apple harder to get me taken care of? Its been going on since 9/24 almost 3 weeks. I understand Fed-Ex in part of this but Apple has already been in contact with them and they finished there investigation the first week around 9/28 saying they couldnt find it if it fell out of the box. I know this because I called them with the tracking nubmer to get status on their part.

It seems Apple has been putting me off. If I dont have it, Fed-Ex cant find it then Apple should be responsible and either give me credit towards a new one or something.

sorry for the rant and if you cant understand this but I felt I had to get it out

[jfobart]

Wow... that's a crazy story, and it certainly sucks. I hope you can get something resolved with them this week and get on with life, and hopefully do it with YOUR laptop.

[onlyone-jc]

If they don't find it, you'll probably strike lucky and get a MacBook or MacBook Pro out of it.

Good luck,
onlyone-jc.

[scaredpoet]

Just curious... do you still have the box? If so, what was the weight on the label?

Assuming the packages get weighed before shipping out (and I imagine they do), that should tell you if the computer was in the box when they shipped it. If the weight was practically nothing, then the computer wasn't in there and they shipped you an empty box. IF it had a weight, then either someone just input an arbitrary weight, or the computer actually was in the box and somehow "disappeared" en route (and by "disappear" I mean I wouldn't be surprised if it was stolen before getting to you).

Either way, I would hope that the label shipping weight would be some sort of clue. Even if Apple isn't really weighing their packages, you would think FedEx would be to ensure they're getting paid the right amounts for what they're shipping.

There have been occasional instances of people reporting ordering something or sending things into repair to Apple, and getting an empty box from FedEx. Hard to tell whether it's Apple or FedEx to blame.

[donclarkjr]

Originally Posted by scaredpoet 

Just curious... do you still have the box? If so, what was the weight on the label?

Assuming the packages get weighed before shipping out (and I imagine they do), that should tell you if the computer was in the box when they shipped it. If the weight was practically nothing, then the computer wasn't in there and they shipped you an empty box. IF it had a weight, then either someone just input an arbitrary weight, or the computer actually was in the box and somehow "disappeared" en route (and by "disappear" I mean I wouldn't be surprised if it was stolen before getting to you).

Either way, I would hope that the label shipping weight would be some sort of clue. Even if Apple isn't really weighing their packages, you would think FedEx would be to ensure they're getting paid the right amounts for what they're shipping.

There have been occasional instances of people reporting ordering something or sending things into repair to Apple, and getting an empty box from FedEx. Hard to tell whether it's Apple or FedEx to blame.

I mentioned that to the Apple rep. and he said they usually put a set weight on their computer boxes. I already looked on the label and Apple put on there 10lbs the problem with that is the 12" PB and the box doesnt weight 10lbs the PB what weights 5.5 and I weight the box its only 2lbs with all the packaging. They have a deal with Fed-Ex I guess that Fed-ex doesnt weight every box picked up from Apple they go by what Apple puts on the label. I have already asked him about that weight stuff and he told me since it was overnight fed-ex probably didnt weight it.

[scaredpoet]

Well, that's kind of annoying. If annything, I'm sure alot of people down the supply chain realize that neither Apple nor FedEx is measuring the boxes' weight, and so boxes that suddenly go empty aren't being detected.

[nate_02]

I had a similar situation happen. I sent my PB G4 in for repair about 8 months ago, and they shipped it back right away. When I looked at the tracking info, DHL shipped it to some Dell repair center in Tennessee. I called Apple, and they told me the same thing that it was DHL's problem at that point. So I called DHL every day and got the run around story about how they're trying to locate it. Finally I got so mad that I called Apple back and asked for a manager, and told them they need to replace my PowerBook because nothing has happened. Then the next day, my PB showed up. They were about to report my PB missing until it showed up.

I say that it's Apple's problem, and they need to fix it for you. You will never get anywhere with a shipping company. Just keep asking for people higher up at Apple until they do something for you. Tell them they lost it and need to replace it, and that three weeks of waiting is unacceptable.

[zaghahzag]

maybe the pb was stolen property and they are investigating you.

just a thought.

[Cold Warrior]

That's strange if Apple is punting you off to the shipper. UPS once lost en route a software title I'd purchased directly from the Apple Store online. I called Apple when the package was way overdue, and they FedEx'd me a new one overnight, and said they'd deal with UPS themselves.

[donclarkjr]

Originally Posted by zaghahzag 

maybe the pb was stolen property and they are investigating you.

just a thought.

I ask that and he said it looked like it has never been reported stolen, I asked him about this because I bought it off Ebay.


They didnt put me off to the shipping company I meant to say I hoped they didnt make me deal with them and they havent.

[donclarkjr]

Here we go again its Thursday I still havent heard from Apple. I call them spill my story again, CS looks into it and they still do not have a answer for me. They are still waiting for that CS rep Scott to finish his investigation. Crap I am never going to get a answer from them. I think this is total BS.

[hookem2oo7]

I had a similar experience with a refurb ibook g4 i ordered from the apple store. It was stolen in transit from one of the fedex hubs. I called apple and demanded my money be refunded (under control mind you). The money was posted back to my account within 3 days...

I suggest asking for someone higher up when you're on the phone. I ended up at some sort of manager and they took care of it right then and there...

[donclarkjr]

I have asked for a manager but the rep that has taken control of this is already pretty high up from what they are telling me. I know he has a manager but they have told me his manager cant really help. So this sucks.

[SierraDragon]

Originally Posted by donclarkjr 

...I purchased a 12" 1.5 PB off ebay knowing it was not working right...

No disrespect intended, but generally one gets what one pays for. IMO anyone buying broken legacy hardware (any brand) off of eBay should expect a time consuming process of making that hardware work properly, if ever. Ranting out the original manufacturer because a broken old generation multi-owner box is not instantly repaired seems inappropriate. IMO anyone who wants a first rate box without time consuming make-it-work-properly anomalies should buy a new one or a functioning seller-warranted used one from a legitimate source.

-Allen Wicks

[donclarkjr]

Originally Posted by SierraDragon 

No disrespect intended, but generally one gets what one pays for. IMO anyone buying broken legacy hardware (any brand) off of eBay should expect a time consuming process of making that hardware work properly, if ever. Ranting out the original manufacturer because a broken old generation multi-owner box is not instantly repaired seems inappropriate. IMO anyone who wants a first rate box without time consuming make-it-work-properly anomalies should buy a new one or a functioning seller-warranted used one from a legitimate source.

-Allen Wicks

Ok your answer is more than stupid. Plain and simple Apple took my PB they were supose to fix it and they lost it.

I did get the result finally today, they decided to replace it with a 15" 2.2 MBP. Now I have another issue, should I keep it or sell it to get me another iMac and find another 12" PB.

[brassplayersrock²]

i'd keep it if i were you and just have all this be over with. you're getting a way better machine then what you had originally, and you should be very happy with it.

[donclarkjr]

Originally Posted by brassplayersrock² 

i'd keep it if i were you and just have all this be over with. you're getting a way better machine then what you had originally, and you should be very happy with it.

yes I agree I am getting a very nice upgrade, but I could care less for the 15" size I want something small, light and fast. So it just got me thinking maybe I could upgrade my desktop and still get the laptop size that I was wanting.

Jerry

[Big Mac]

I view this story with an incredulous eye. I've never heard of a flat rate repair from Apple for out of warranty service. If true though, you definitely got an excellent deal, Jerry.

[brassplayersrock²]

Originally Posted by donclarkjr 

yes I agree I am getting a very nice upgrade, but I could(n't ) care less for the 15" size I want something small, light and fast. So it just got me thinking maybe I could upgrade my desktop and still get the laptop size that I was wanting.

Jerry

hi Jerry

unless Apple decides to make a 12'' mbp, then this will be the smallest possible of the current notebooks (duh you think) but think about it, what if you fall in love with your upgrade. I thought my 15'' was to big when i got it, but then i had the opportunity to tug a friends 17'' around for a couple of weeks and i realized how perfect the 15'' is for travel. true it isn't a 12'' in the weight but the added 3'' will come in handy. and trust me, the mbp you are getting will be faster than any 12''pb you can find out there. I'm sure if you give it a chance, you won't care about it being 15'' after awhile; and if you find a 12''pb after using your new mbp for awhile and sell the mbp, i'd think you would start kicking yourself for selling the mbp

[donclarkjr]

Originally Posted by Big Mac 

I view this story with an incredulous eye. I've never heard of a flat rate repair from Apple for out of warranty service. If true though, you definitely got an excellent deal, Jerry.

Big Mac

Apple really doesnt advertise a flat rate repair but if you do a search on google then it will put up a couple of hits. It took a while for the customer service rep to find all the details for it when I asked about it. Here is a copy of the email they sent me after service was requested.

hank you for selecting AppleCare Service to repair your Apple product.

Problem Description: System video/sound - No image (system seems to boot up)

Notice to Consumer: Please read important information at the end of this email message.

Your estimate of the repair of POWERBOOK G4 (12-INCH 1.5GHZ) appears below.

Item Total
Labor Charge, PowerBook G4 12" $108.25
Flat Rate Repair Charge, PowerBook G4 12" $227.33
PORTABLE SHIPPING CHG $21.60
Total in USD $357.18


Your total estimate is $357.18.

[chipchen]

Apple DEPOT repairs (not in-store) are flat rate. They have tiers for different levels of service.

Tier 1 is about $325 and covers any normal hardware failure, no accidental damage

Tier 2 is about $650 and covers cosmetics, but no other failure of the product. For instance, a working MacBook Pro, but bent bottom and top case due to drop.

Tier 3 is about $1000 and covers cosmetics and hardware failures for almost anything, EXCEPT LCD cracks. So if your car runs over your PowerBook, but the LCD isn't cracked, that would be this tier.

Tier 4 is anything that includes a cracked LCD and runs about $1400.

There are instances, however, they will return your computer back to you and say it is unrepairable. Most of them time they will repair just about anything, but say you dropped your PowerBook into a wood chipper, that would probably get sent back as unrepairable.

These are approximate for PowerBooks and MacBook Pro's... pricing for iBooks and MacBooks are about 15% less.

[Big Mac]

Wow, I really had no idea this program existed. Sorry for doubting you, Jerry.

[bishopazrael]

Jerry,
I too was a RABID 12" pb fan. I had 3 of them, one for the office, one for the living room and one for my wife.

The wife eventually wanted a mini... dunno why.. but she gets what she wants.

The living room gave way to a g4 tower.

Mine eventually wound up getting sold. I needed to run Windows and I needed to stop carrying my 12" pb AND my Acer Ferrari notebook. So I sold both and got a 15" mbp. I gotta say, I love it. Granted you probably don't need to run windows. But the 15 inch size ... you really do get to love it.

Here's my 3 cents on your situation. I'd run the MBP for a few days. See how you like it. If you dont like it, you can just turn around and sell it. Just wipe the drive with the enclosed discs and it's back to new. Just disclose that you used it for a few days and you're set. You'll get pretty much the full value for it.

But for what it's worth, plug in the Logitech Wave desktop set and an LCD and you're ready to roll.

[ginoledesma]

I briefly read your account, so I may have missed some details, but did you report the problem with FedEx along with Apple as well? A friend of mine had a similar incident with an iPod. En route to her, the iPod was missing (clearly theft, since the box was tampered with). She went with her credit card company to deal with the situation -- telling Apple she would charge back the amount of the original purchase if they didn't do something about. I think her CC had some nice benefits that allowed her to do that (loss/theft of equipment within 90 days of purchase?).

My own account with Apple has only been with wrong item delivery (GarageBand Jam Packs vs iLife) -- they shipped out the correct item next business day and told me to keep the original item as well. I suppose that's doable since they have lots of software items on stock, whereas PBs are no longer common.

[chipchen]

Originally Posted by ginoledesma 

telling Apple she would charge back the amount of the original purchase if they didn't do something about. I think her CC had some nice benefits that allowed her to do that (loss/theft of equipment within 90 days of purchase?).

Having a loss/theft benefit is one thing... fraud is another. If she really did purchase the item and received it at the time of purchase, I see no reason for her to contest the original charges. That's fraud.

Now the loss/theft benefit, that's different. That's like an insurance feature on your purchases provided through your credit card. I was able to take advantage of that when I lost my Apple Bluetooth Headset. AMEX took a statement and within a few days it was credited back to my account.