[Graycat]

Sorry to make my first post a rant but after what I experienced last night I hope you'll understand.

[RANT MODE = ON]

Apple's customer service sucks.

Ok, slightly inflammatory but it's the truth.

Last night I went in to part with some hard earned cash at one of the Apple stores in the city and all was going fine. Actually I'd been in the day before to ask some techie questions but as everything had been answered fine I was ready to purchase a nice new MacBook 2.2Ghz black thingy with a bunch of software and accessories.

Anyway, i chatted with the tech guys about a few selection points then started collecting all the bits together and heading towards the checkout. When I get there I enquire about financing the deal (as I had the previous day with no problems) only to be told that they don't do finance after 5pm!! WTH? I calmly point out that most people work until 5pm so getting here prior to that would be tricky not to mention the point that banks are pretty much open late hours if not 24 hrs. At which point I was told that "most people get in early, when the banks open, at about 10am" - after pointing out that by that time I would normally have been in work for at least 2 hrs the "sales" lady refused to budge.

to say I was shocked and disappointed would be an understatement. here was me thinking that Apple were a more customer focused than your run of the mill PCWorld kind of outfit.

What really grates is that it's not as though I'm just buying a £200 laptop here but making a rather costly investment into a new (hopefully) long term system and it's not only too much hassle but I've got to jump through so many hoops to get it, it's unreal.

I'm now seriously reconsidering my choice to go apple.

[RANT MODE = OFF]

[Mastrap]

You reconsidering your choice of computer because the finance company Apple uses doesn't get credit checks done after 5:00 pm? Dude.

[Graycat]

point missed, chap. I'm reconsidering purchasing a product because the authorised outlet has such bad customer service level not just the fact that 5pm closing for financial institutes went out with the dinosaurs. if the level of service at point of purchase is to be indicative of the product and experience then it does not bode well.

to be honest I'm still more than likely to get a Mac it's just soured the experience for me

[FireWire]

No financing after 5?? What kind of moronic service is that? The OP has every reason to be pissed off! What exactly happens magically after 5 ?! It's as stupid as video rental clubs that don't accept new members after 10:00 PM.

[MacosNerd]

I've seen that happen years ago. I don't know if its the same issue, but generally if the applicant failed the automated approval process then they had to wait for normal business hours to deal with a human to get the application approved (or rejected). Doesn't sound like this is the same thing.

To the OP, you'd be better off using a credit card or cash for the purchase, since the finance charges are typically much much higher.

Finally you take the trouble to register here just to say you're pissed and you may not buy a Mac? Seems kind of extreme to me.

[RAILhead]

I am NEVER, EVER going to buy anything Apple again! I AM FINISHED! I AM OUTRAGED!

[analogika]

Originally Posted by Graycat 

point missed, chap. I'm reconsidering purchasing a product because the authorised outlet has such bad customer service level not just the fact that 5pm closing for financial institutes went out with the dinosaurs. if the level of service at point of purchase is to be indicative of the product and experience then it does not bode well.

I'm afraid that the fact that banks have tellers open after five p.m. has little to do with whether or not they're still able to run credit checks. Are you able to get an appointment for credit clearance after 5 p.m. with your bank, or will the clerk call you back the next day for the go-ahead?

The second you finance an item, Apple isn't selling it to you, they're selling it to the financial institute, which gives them the money. The bank runs a credit check, accessing various databases and services, and returns with a positive or negative.

Apple is *completely* at the mercy of the service they use for this. If they can't perform a credit check and get a green light from the service that's actually paying for the purchase, then there's no way they can hand out the merchandise.

That's not "bad customer service", that's simply "the world not running the way you'd like it to".

[analogika]

Originally Posted by FireWire 

No financing after 5?? What kind of moronic service is that? The OP has every reason to be pissed off! What exactly happens magically after 5 ?!

The bank's credit-check department goes home?

[moonmonkey]

To be honest poor people should not really have Apple products, if you need a financing deal its a big sign you can't afford the product. I am only joking, but if you want to borrow money of a company you should do it on their terms, the OP deserves a Dell.

[wallinbl]

Yeah, and all car dealerships close up their doors at 5PM because they can't sell any more cars after that.


Don't finance a computer. Don't do it. If you really want to do it, go there on your lunch break. Making the decision about which OS to run based on the hours available for financing has to be the dumbest reasoning I've seen yet.

[dcmacdaddy]

Originally Posted by moonmonkey 

To be honest poor people should not really have Apple products, if you need a financing deal its a big sign you can't afford the product.
White text removed.

Originally Posted by wallinbl 

Don't finance a computer. Don't do it.

Stop your whining and buy it outright or buy it on a credit card. Otherwise don't bother. Financing is *way* more expensive than a credit card and you'll be paying more for the computer in the long-run if you buy it that way. Although, if you can't get/afford a credit card, you probably shouldn't be buying any computer, Mac or PC.

[moonmonkey]

I was joking, poor people should be allowed to have some Apple products.
Shuffles etc.

[dcmacdaddy]

Originally Posted by moonmonkey 

I was joking, poor people should be allowed to have some Apple products.
Shuffles etc.

I know you were. But you do make a valid point about buying products outright instead of on credit, *especially* vendor-financed credit. (What is this guy thinking? Does he really want to pay more than necessary for this MacBook?)

[MacosNerd]

I think vendor credit has its place, but it can easily be abused and lead to paying much much more then what the product was purchased for. Computers, which depreciate so fast are generally not a good choice.

but then, how many of us have high interest rates on our credit cards, they may not be that much higher then the financing and yet many of us, seem to buy computers with their credit cards.

[Mastrap]

Originally Posted by Graycat 

point missed, chap. I'm reconsidering purchasing a product because the authorised outlet has such bad customer service level not just the fact that 5pm closing for financial institutes went out with the dinosaurs. if the level of service at point of purchase is to be indicative of the product and experience then it does not bode well.

You're barking up the, or at the, wrong tree here. The issue isn't Apple, it's in all probability the credit checking people who are closing shop at 5:00 pm. Now you could say that Apple should use it's corporate muscle to change that situation, which I agree isn't very customer friendly, but my suspicion is that very few systems are financed, unlike for example cars so it is simply not worth their while.

When you buy a house you're out of luck if you want anything done after 5:00 pm as well.

[moonmonkey]

We had a poor kid at our school, we all complained a lot and they had to leave. im in a funny mood, don't take me too seriously.

[IceEnclosure]

Originally Posted by moonmonkey 

We had a poor kid at our school, we all complained a lot and they had to leave. im in a funny mood, don't take me too seriously.

funny mood? you sound punchable.

[moonmonkey]

oh god, you again.

[silver]

If you must finance a computer, then consider using a credit card. Just think of all those points you receive when purchasing your Mac. Just watch out for blackout dates... LOL

Anyway, sorry to hear about your troubles.

[osiris]

Originally Posted by RAILhead 

I am NEVER, EVER going to buy anything Apple again! I AM FINISHED! I AM OUTRAGED!

Harumpf - harumpf!


I would've had one of my minions waiting until the morning to get the puter.

[ghporter]

Graycat, where are you located? Which store gave you this kind of problem? I can't see it being in London... But anyway, Apple likes to hear feedback from customers-and they apparently have customer service telephone numbers in most countries (that should run 24/7). Ring them and give them a piece of your mind. If it was an actual Apple Store, then it's likely this was a local thing and any other Apple Store you might visit would not do this. If it was an "authorized reseller", the that's something else that Apple needs to hear about-this getting authorized thing is kind of important to both Apple and the reseller.

Sorry you got so upset by this, but I'm sure that this is a relatively transient problem and you'll find an affordable way to get your Mac. And welcome to the MacNN Forums and the Mac community!

[ghporter]

Originally Posted by osiris 

Harumpf - harumpf!

<Harvey Korman>"Give the governor a harumph!</Harvey Korman>

Originally Posted by osiris 

I would've had one of my minions waiting until the morning to get the puter.

Minions take a lot of upkeep; I tend to outsource their tasks to serfs. Lower maintenance and less expensive. But you gotta boil one or two in oil now and then to keep 'em in line. What a pain!

[Paco500]

Originally Posted by wallinbl 

Yeah, and all car dealerships close up their doors at 5PM because they can't sell any more cars after that.

Yeah, that's pretty much the case here. It's the UK- it's basically a 3rd world country as far as customer service is concerned.

[Faust]

You must have your reasons for having chosen to buy a Macbook. I understand the customer service turned you off, so I am going to tell you a nice anecdote about an experience with Apple's customer service that will make you leave work an hour early and buy that darned Macbook yesterday.

Last year I bought a white Macbook. After three days it fell to the floor. I was utterly shocked, I can tell you. Luckily, the Macbook was not intended as my primary computer so I was not completely lost in that department. I immediately rang up Apple's customer service and explained the unlucky event. The Macbook would boot but display nothing but vertical coloured lines. You could hear that it booted alright but without actually showing anything. They sat through with me for an hour to see what the problem might be and we concluded that it could be either the display that was broken inside or another specific issue (forgot what they said). They gave me a number with which I was to go to a local Apple store to have them see what the issue is and their name so that I could reference my discussion with Apple's customer service.
I then had to go to hospital. I had neglected to take my notebook to them and later on didn't care much and just had it sitting here for months. Only two months ago, I decided to take it to the local Apple store and guess what? They replaced the entire display and free of charge at that. I don't even have Applecare.

Now, I think that speaks volumes for Apple. Normally, I should have paid for it. But I didn't have to. I do understand that I was lucky and not everyone may be dumb and this lucky at the same time but I think it demonstrates that their customer service isn't only bad, despite your unfortunate experience.

[Kvasir]

I don't know about the UK, but in the US, the only Apple financing available is through Juniper Bank. Apple will process your application for a Juniper Bank VISA card for your purchase, but it's just a regular ol' VISA credit card, and Juniper Bank's rates are not cheap - the minimum rate for people with a great credit score will be around 13%-14%, which is more then twice what I have on my VISA card (issued by my bank). If your credit score is not stellar, you could get hit with up 23% or so.

You do get 90-180 days without finance charges (depends on amount of initial purchase), but after that, the interest rate kicks in.

[Buckaroo]

That is stupid that Financing is not available after 5PM. I wonder if all Apple stores use the same company with the same hourly restrictions.

It's like B & H Photo Web site closing down after hours. I'm serious, they will not let you buy anything after their real store closes.

[analogika]

Re: the "poor people" and "you shouldn't finance computers" comments:

I don't know about the U.K., but in Germany, Apple is currently offering 0% financing (and 0% leasing, but that's tremendously useful for tax reasons, even when not at 0%).

[analogika]

Originally Posted by Buckaroo 

That is stupid that Financing is not available after 5PM. I wonder if all Apple stores use the same company with the same hourly restrictions.

I doubt that Apple U.K. uses the same service as the U.S. company.

[Graycat]

cheers for the replies, guys. some of them made me chuckle - especially liked the "you're too poor to own a Mac" ones! lol

regardless of whether I was going for finance or not (Apple's offering pay nothing for 6 months at the moment so I think that's better than most credit cards at which point I can pay it however I feel), the point I was trying to make was not only that the financial people closed at 5pm which is strange by itself but the flat out bad service provided by the "senior" staffer. The techie guys were great (even if one asked me for a job) and the sales people were really helpful but this person just killed it with her attitude and way of treating me.

@ Faust - nice to see what they are capable of doing and that mine experience was just a one off.

@MacosNerd - I registered a while ago to learn about macs etc and was looking forward making my first post a "I got one too!!" however this happened instead.

[Kvasir]

Originally Posted by Graycat 

cheers for the replies, guys. some of them made me chuckle - especially liked the "you're too poor to own a Mac" ones! lol

regardless of whether I was going for finance or not (Apple's offering pay nothing for 6 months at the moment so I think that's better than most credit cards at which point I can pay it however I feel), the point I was trying to make was not only that the financial people closed at 5pm which is strange by itself but the flat out bad service provided by the "senior" staffer. The techie guys were great (even if one asked me for a job) and the sales people were really helpful but this person just killed it with her attitude and way of treating me.

@ Faust - nice to see what they are capable of doing and that mine experience was just a one off.

@MacosNerd - I registered a while ago to learn about macs etc and was looking forward making my first post a "I got one too!!" however this happened instead.

Again, I do not know about the UK, but read the fine print carefully. Here in the US you would have the finance charge waived for 180 days for a purchase of $1000 or more. BUT, you still must make your monthly minimum payments during those 6 months, and if you do not pay the balance in full by the end of the 180 days, then finance charges apply, and they will be calculated from the date of purchase (so, including the 180 day same-as-cash grace period). So that first post-180 day payment would include 6 months cumulated interest charges for the full purchase price (minus the monthly minimum amounts you would have been required to pay all along).

Seriously, it's not a great deal, unless you are sure you can pay the whole thing off within the 180 days. And it's especially bad if you do not have excellent credit already, as they will stick you with a nice high APR.

[Gankdawg]

Maybe it's a UK thing, but since when is a credit score determined by a human being? When I bought my iMac thru apple's online store, I applied for financing online and was approved in less than 30 seconds. Aren't credit checks completely automated now? At least the initial attempt and if questions are raised, maybe a human needs to review it.

[imitchellg5]

I really doubt that someone else's customer service (at least in the PC world) is going to be better than Apple's. An independent reseller's incompetence is no reason to not get a Mac. Apple can't possibly police all of the resellers out there, but they will listen to your issues and possibly act upon them. You can always go somewhere else. Of course, I've never bought anything more expensive than a used iMac G3 from a reseller, so my experience in this area is limited.

[ghporter]

I have to wonder about whether the UK's online Apple Store offers financing the way the U.S. store does. If so, then there's no problem. You apply for the financing online, and when you get your (I'm thinking "positive") results, then you waltz into the brick-and-mortar Apple Store and buy what you want, having the clerk apply the sale to your (already approved) financing. Multiple steps make it a minor hassle, but you don't have to deal with that remnant of Dikensian England that is "customer service" in some parts of the UK. (Yes, I've heard stories-I just thought Apple's employees would be above that.)

[ctt1wbw]

Originally Posted by RAILhead 

I am NEVER, EVER going to buy anything Apple again! I AM FINISHED! I AM OUTRAGED!

I think Gateway finances all the way up Fourth Meal!!!

[imitchellg5]

Originally Posted by ctt1wbw 

I think Gateway finances all the way up Fourth Meal!!!

I hear Gateway customer service can really help you out with that Vista install.

[analogika]

Oh, also:

You mis-spelled "Frist" and "Psot".

[mduell]

Perhaps it's a not so subtle hint that you should not be financing a computer purchase through them (or at all, if possible).

[turtle777]

This story can't be true. We all know that Apple customers are rich. They don't need financing

-t

[imitchellg5]

Originally Posted by turtle777 

This story can't be true. We all know that Apple customers are rich. They don't need financing

-t

Yeah, since the cheapest MAC is like $5,000.

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by imitchellg5 

Yeah, since the cheapest MAC is like $5,000.

Not if you get CHILI MAC

-t