If you have and/or are going through this ordeal with Apple now and would like to tell your story (in one or multiple/ongoing post(s)) then please contact me.
Contact me on gmail
Apple WILL fix my MacBook Air Hinge
C’mon apple do the right thing
C’mon apple do the right thing
If you have and/or are going through this ordeal with Apple now and would like to tell your story (in one or multiple/ongoing post(s)) then please contact me.
Contact me on gmail
To date, I went through the Better Business Bureau (BBB), written all the Board of Directors and have contacted numerous employees at the store and corporate level. The final response is that Apple, Inc will take no responsibility for the mistreatment or take action to resolve the situation. How much energy and time does someone have to expend to for a company to do right by its customers? I have also filed complaints with the Attorney General and the Federal Trade Commission.
Here is my story for context. Apple, Inc removed my hard drive with out my consent. My computer was sent in for a faulty hinge that cracked on my laptop. The computer was returned with the hatch fixed and the hard drive removed and replaced. There was no call or warning that the hard drive would be replaced even though the paperwork I signed says that I would be contacted if additional services were needed. The problem Apple noted as the reason for the hard drive replacement was noted as Read/Write issues which would indicate that my computer was not working before I brought it in. My computer was working fine. Apple, Inc did search for my hard drive and found it. They sent it to the Apple Store in Sacramento. The Apple store tried to retrieve the data but could not. They said that Apple Corp had already started to erase the data. They gave me the hard drive and told me to go to a data recovery program to try to retrieve data. The cost would be my responsibility. The manager and employee at the store refused to help. They gave me the phone number to the corporate office. I went through 4 employees, 11 phone calls and four emails before someone got back to me. The final response is that Apple, Inc will not help to retrieve my data. I am beginning to believe the hard drive Apple sent me is not mine.
I believed in Apple’s claim of great customer service. I believed each employee I was pushed off on when they said my case was being redirected to a ‘higher up’. I believed that the Apple Store manager would treat the situation with compassion, the Apple technician at the corporate level would indeed call me back even after leaving 4 messages and emails, that the employees boss would help resolve the situation by directing me to another ‘higher up’ who never returned my calls and then finally having to call another employee in customer relations who told me that the ‘higher ups’ would deal with my Better Business Bureau request only to call me back to tell me that Apple will do nothing to help me. Clearly, there wasn’t any step where Apple employees reached out to help me with the exception of the employee who delivered the news.
The last conversation I had was with Tim O’Neil, Corporate Executive Relations, who responded to my BBB complaint and called me after he received a letter I sent to the Board of Directors, was that Apple will do nothing to resolve the situation. Here is my response:
‘Please note that I have attached the Better Business Bureau complaint for a reference. According to you, Tim O’Neil, the below response is Apple’s final response. I found your call today as disturbing as the horrible service and lack of resolution that I received from Apple thus far. Not only has Apple neglected to admit that a mistake was made but you have done nothing to resolve this situation except cause angst at every turn. You stated that you went the extra mile to return a hard drive that is currently not readable and you refuse to help retrieve the data from. With Apple unwilling to try to recover the data off the hard drive, I am not sure the hard drive you returned is even mine at this point. I am equally unsure that you returned this hard drive to cover your mistake knowing full well that you would be sending me to a data retrieval company. There will be a point where this hard drive will go through a recovery system so time will tell. Please note that my hard drive was absolutely fine when I brought it in. If it wasn’t fine, it would have been noted on the work authorization form. Perhaps you damaged the hard drive and had to cover yourself? Whatever the reason is for you removing my hard drive without my consent, the truth would have been nice and/or for you to take responsibility. The fact is you haven’t. And you have taken no steps to help resolve this situation. Your call today added even more salt on the wound because you did and said nothing to resolve this situation. ‘
I trusted that Apple would only fix the default hinge. I wasn’t told that Apple had the right to fix anything else. It is clearly noted on the work authorization form that I should be contacted for additional repairs on the same work authorization form Mr. O’Neil quoted as relieving Apple of any responsibility. The hard drive Apple removed was working perfectly fine when I brought it in. The day (5/1/10) I was told that the Apple Store couldn’t retrieve my data is when the poor service began with Apple. I have documented names & calls to numerous employees who never returned my call or emails. I have spent hours working toward a resolution to no avail. To give me the hard drive that Apple removed without my consent, already began to erase & holding me responsible for data recovery ($900-$3,300), is beyond deplorable.
Hello. I just returned from the Apple Store after finding out they did the same thing to me! I brought in the laptop to have something on the case fixed, the work form stated I would be contacted if any other repairs were to be made, and yet they replaced my hard drive without contacting me. The manager at the store was not helpful (he said it was my fault, somehow).
Seems like this might happen pretty often. You’d think they’d figure out there’s something wrong with their policy and fix it!
I had similar experience. I went to Apple store in Novi MI because I received and update error. The employee, without my consent, took my macbook to the back and came out 20 minutes later basically saying they had lost everything. I had not even signed a consent form to have any work done. I am considering legal action. Any good attorneys out there for this?
I needed a fan, the local Apple authorized repair person fixed it. I thought perhaps my computer was overheating because 2 of the defective batteries that Apple sent me swelled up and caused problems, however it was my fan. So I paid to have replaced. The Apple repair tech scratched the top of my Macbook beyond believable and then went on a tirade when I called and asked them about it. So I called Apple who also called this company and agreed that the repair person was totally unreasonable and they could understand why I wouldn’t want to go back there. In fact the Customer support rep at Apple, Aaron Parkerfazle told me that he was going to have the top cover replaced. So I sent the Macbook to Apple. I received it about 5 days later. The unit looked lovely on the outside, but the hard drive that was in it was stuck in an envelope with no anti-static bag and the computer no longer had a hard drive. I also never authorized Apple to remove my hard drive, but not only did they remove it, it no longer worked as I tested it with an external case!~ They also indicated that they replaced the 2 `~ 1 GB memory modules because there were issues. Then they replaced the optical Cable, the bottom, top case as well as the Optical Media drive which has been sent in 3 times and never repaired, but this time they replace it. I never authorized any of these repairs. I only wanted the top of the case replaced because of the cosmetic damage~!
My computer worked perfect before I sent it to Apple! So I called, they made arrangements for me to send it back in, so again, I sent via Fedex. I received it today, the hard drive still out of the computer and inside a smaller hard drive, 160 GB with the OS reinstalled and none of my programs, documents, music, photos, business transactions, taxes, nothing! Again, I called Apple and spoke to Aaron. He said they couldn’t get my info back, but that since I have the hard drive, I could. He said hes sorry, but Apple can’t do anything for me, that they’ ve done enough. I asked to speak to his supervisor. He said of course. I waited for another 1/2 hour. Mr. Arthur Clawson who said he was the Supervisor for Corporate Customer Relations asked me what I wanted and I said I just want my erased information~ I also want my 250- gb hard drive back in my computer working~ He said they replaced it because my hard drive was a third party hard drive and they had to put everything back to factory specs. I told him that I never authorized Apple to take my hard drive out or even turn my computer on. They were only to replace the top case!~ He said that they have to test all computers that come in so they go out working, makes a lot of sense!~ He said that it would cost thousands to get my info back and they just were not going to do it. This happened the last time I sent my computer in. The hard drive crashed, I was able to get some of it back, one of the Apple techs walked me through it, but I had to spend hours downloading everything and lost my music and photos again!!!
I asked Mr. Clawson if I could please speak to the person that he reports to. He said there is no one above him to complain to and that he does not report to anyone. I asked what about corporate and he said that he was as far as the complaints go and I couldn’t go higher then him. I asked to please verify that in an email to me declaring so. He said he couldn’t do that, but he would send me his contact information and extension. He never apologized, he was nasty, cold and really didn’t care that all of my information was lost. I know that my computer did not just quit working~ It worked beautifully before I sent it in. He said again that because the hard drive was a third party hard drive, they couldn’t replace it. It is exactly the same hard drive as the one that was in it, except it is bigger~ ! Both are Western Digital, Scorpio Blues, one is 160 gb and the one they ruined is 250 GB. I purchased the 250 GB after they crashed the previous hard drive. The one I purchased was recommended by an employee who worked in the Apple Computer Department!~ This is wrong!~ Basically, I have been without my computer because of negligence on the part of Apple and it’s authorized Service Centers and now I have absolutely nothing left on the drive. It can’t even be read at all.
I hold Apple fully responsible for this. I asked for a new hard drive that was comparable to the one they destroyed, but Mr. Clawson just said no, we can’t help you at all. I loved Apple, was always bragging about how honest and ethical they are, but I think thats changing. They charge so much for their products. I own a Macbook, an Ipad and and Ipod. I also own some very old Apple computers, such as the color classic. This is wrong, does anyone know a good attorney who can help with this?
Thanks,