Apple doesn’t care about its customers
We here at BGR love Apple products as much as the next guy, but we think this crossed the line a little bit. Thanks to tip from a close friend of the Boy Genius Report, we’ve uncovered a truly amazing exchange between Apple and a customer. The customer, an owner of a recently water-damaged MacBook Pro, called Apple customer care to get information about repair costs. Accepting full responsibility for the water damage, the customer was still subjected to confusing and contradictory information about the repair. Frustrated with his experience, he took matters into his own hands, emailing sjobs@apple.com (a widely acknowledged direct line to high-level Apple customer care). The customer’s email is as follows:
Dear Steve Jobs,
I wanted to write and express my concern about some recent problems that I have had with Apple Care. This week, my MacBook Pro unfortunately sustained water damage. I understand this is entirely my fault but it is still something I would like to get fixed. After three or four calls I was finally able to get a straight answer. While I was happy to get a straight answer, I was not at all happy with the answer. It is very worrisome to me that the only way to get my computer fixed is to pay almost $300.00 up front with no guarantee that this will fix the problem. I was horrified to learn that their is no system to assess the problem and bill once all damage is known. I am reluctant to put money into a problem that could easily grow. I have had three Apple computers in a row. I love using them but I am not sure if my replacement will be one. I feel powerless in the situation and the whole experience has turned me off of the Apple company.
Sincerely,
Xxxxxx Xxxx
Reasonable? We think so. Shortly after, the customer received the following response:
Xxxxxxx,
This is what happens when your MacBook Pro sustains water damage.They are pro machines and they don’t like water. It sounds like you’re just looking for someone to get mad at other than yourself.
Steve
We find that response totally comical! Don’t you? While we’re guessing Steve Jobs himself wasn’t on the other end of this, it’s certainly a direct response from the @apple.com domain, which is only available to employees of the company. This means that someone directly representing Apple was responsible for this stunt. Come on, Apple. Seriously, this isn’t a good way to treat your customers, though you do get major points for the witty and comical response.
UPDATE: Full email after the break!
From: Steve Jobs <sjobs@apple.com>
Date: March 27, 2008 6:53:46 PM EDT
To: [email removed <xxxxx@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: Apple Care Concern
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Xxxxxxx,
This is what happens when your MacBook Pro sustains water damage. They are pro machines and they don’t like water. It sounds like you’re just looking for someone to get mad at other than yourself.
Steve
On Mar 27, 2008, at 3:01 PM, Xxxxxx Xxxx wrote:
Dear Steve Jobs,
I wanted to write and express my concern about some recent problems that I have had with
Apple Care. This week, my MacBook Pro unfortunately sustained water damage. I understand
this is entirely my fault but it is still something I would like to get fixed. After three or four calls
I was finally able to get a straight answer. While I was happy to get a straight answer, I was
not at all happy with the answer. It is very worrisome to met that the only way to get my
computer fixed is to pay almost $300.00 up front with no guarantee that this will fix the problem.
I was horrified to learn that their is no system to asses the problem and bill once all damage is
known. I am reluctant to put money into a problem that could easily grow. I have had three
Apple computers in a row. I love using them but I am not sure if my replacement will be one.
I feel powerless in the situation and the whole experience has turned me off of the Apple
company.
Sincerely,
Xxxxxx Xxxx
Dear Mercedes-Benz
I drove my new car into a lake. Now, I know that this is totally my fault and a car is not really meant to be an underwater vehicle HOWEVER I would like to look at it for FREE and then tell me what it might take to repair it to it’s original condition. I know you are renowned for your great customer service so I’m looking forward to hearing from you and getting my car back to where it was before the unfortunate accident I had while intoxicated.
Sincerely
Joe Dingleberry
Simply amazing you to publish this issue as a complain… What answer were you expecting? Please, let’s be serious! If you broke your own computer, they will repair it under cost. And then, you complain about that… Its simply astonishing anybody gave credit to this issue in a serious webpage. Too much yellowish press think!
LOL
How old’s this guy, 5? Who still spills stuff on keyboards?
Just take care with your Apple products, than Apple will take care of you… You think it’s easy to repare water damage on your MacBook Pro! They will do everything they can to repare your machine but if you don’t want to pay for the mistake you did, you get an answer like that…
@bigbmc26
grow up, never used a mac for more than 15 mins eh. Th price is steap for a reason, notice how he went through 3 macbooks before he had a problem that HE caused.
I’m so sick of people who are against something simply because its popular, go listen to children of bodem or something.
I suggest BG doesn’t care about it’s readers.
1. BG writes sensational blog article with tabloid title to get everyone’s attention.
2. Reader finds out Macbook Pro owner is idiot and admits such.
3. BG suggests for the world that Apple doesn’t care about its customers (note that is plural).
Just one question for BG. How does customer spilling water on Mac Apple’s fault?
BG further suggests you’re pretty sure Steve Jobs was not the ‘Steve’ listed in the response. Ya think?
One problem we have in this country is that fewer and fewer people take responsibility for their actions. The Macbook Pro owner is not taking responsibility here (though admitting they spilled the water). They are pushing that responsibility on Apple which is, in a word, ridiculous.
I hope it was from Steve. The politically correct bullsh*t in this country makes me sick. He was saying what he felt. The kid (not man) felt he was owed something by Apple, fess up to the responsibility and pay the cash, don’t look for a free handout. I own 2 apples and would never turn back to a windows PC.
First, I think the response is faked. Anything to get click-thrus (isn’t that right Joshua? – and what better way than to stir the Apple pot).
Secondly, this is too typical these days. The consumer expects work done for free just because he spent a lot of money on a powerful machine. “Help me, I spilled water on my computer! Could you spend hours trying to figure out what is wrong… and do it for free?” Come one Joshua. You made a mistake. Own up to it and stop blaming someone else.
Um, I think that was Steve who wrote back. I’ve gotten a handful of emails from him over the years and it sounds on par. I know for a fact that he checks his own emails.
Which part is funny?
He got his laptop wet. Of his own accord, what kind of answer did he expect?
I could see Steve Jobs saying something like that. Kinda comical because it’s not me.
Steve is a known curmudgeon. I don’t understand why people are jumping to defend him, saying “I hope this doesn’t reflect the core values at Cupertino” etc… when we’ve all know for a long time what kind of company apple is and what kind of person Steve is. Their products are good, but that’s where your loyalty should end.
I mean, this is the guy who stole Wozniak’s work (who was and is now a close friend) to the tune of 50,000. This is the guy who bullies his underlings just because he can. The guy who threw a digital camera at one of his workers because it wouldn’t turn on AT A KEYNOTE SPEECH, IN FULL VIEW OF THE PUBLIC.
Stop acting like Steve is a god. His company is the forge at which great products are tempered. That’s the extent of it.
Even if this is a hoax, it doesn’t change this point. People are too quick to put praise on steve as a person, rather than as a designer of products.
IMO the customer was asking for it. He dealt with regular customer service and didn’t like the answer (quite reasonable IMO) so he sent an email to the CEO of the company. I don’t think this is about defending Steve Jobs or otherwise, but where would Apple be if the CEO was taking care of BS like this.
This is funny, on both ends. Ahhh humanity. Where is it sourced, is it really real?
-http://ThunkDifferent.com
Prove that email is a real one. Email headers and all. $300 is completely appropriate. No way in a million years will Apple reply like that.
Don’t try and slag Apple off. Just DON’T. Slag off your pretty Microsoft instead.
As much as I despise Apple computers, I side COMPLETELY with Apple on this one. Kudos to Steve for demonstrating the customer is NOT always right.
First off, the customer immediately confessed to it being his fault. Second, electronics don’t work when they get wet and we’re taught that in grade school. Electricity does NOT mix with water. Remember that kiddos?
The customer who got all pissy about ruining his own laptop shouldn’t be bothering the CEO of a major corporation with this ridiculous bullshit. I doubt Steve even cared about his email and it was probably filtered out as spam anyway – I call “bullshit” on the whole article. It’s a slow news day anyway.
LOL!!!
AFF!!!
BGR, you really need to research this stuff if you are going to open it up to a post!! The guy says, “I was horrified to learn that their is no system to assess the problem and bill once all damage is known”. Yes, that’s right! There is no way to assess the damage when a computer comes in contact with water until you open it up. By the way, the same is true when you call a plumber or an electrician, yet they get paid a minimum, too.
Yeah, that’s water damage for you.
That’s why you get INSURANCE for your computer hardware. Add it to your personal articles under your home insurance, or buy a dedicated policy. It’s relatively cheap, and in this case he could file a claim and maybe get money to buy a new one outright.
Jobs the executive gave the executive answer — straight to the point. Water damage to a computer is serious business.
If the customer wanted someone to make them feel better, maybe they should have stuck to the Customer Care channel where they are more motivated to discuss the situation at length.
Steve didn’t actually “throw” the camera at the employee during the keynote. it wasn’t working so he tossed it to the employee so he could check things out.
as far as the water situation goes, Apple isn’t responsible for that particular thing. Apple care protects what apple sells you in the beginning, not accidents done by consumers.
I can understand the policy in that water damage is for Apple a very blind item. They have no way to evaluate to what extend the product is damaged. The customer in this case either should assume it is a total loss or if the customer thinks the damage is not that extensive, paying $300 for service does not seem unreasonable assuming that $300 can be applied to the cost of work done should the job proceed.
I had an accident with a powerbook where it was covered with detergent. I opened it up, took out the harddrive which was fine and put that soapy machine away for good. I would not have thought to take it to Apple, but if I had I would not have hoped to get anything for it.
I think a better recourse would be to file a claim with your home insurance. That would cover this sort of accident I think – and might replace it minus a deductible.
You people are ridiculous. How do you think Apple feels? They’re a business, and to put millions into R&D to create the fantastic products — which, I might add, this customer clearly has taken a liking to — they can’t just take a look at damaged products for charity, especially when the customer has caused the damage and it has come about through no fault of the company’s. Want a waterproof notebook? Get a toughbook, dammit. Macbook Pros work well for you, but you have to take care of them in return. I had a powerbook and loved every moment with it; I still use it on the odd occasion, but I’ve since used my thinkpad most frequently simply because of some memory-intensive applications. Apple’s created some fantastic products, and it doesn’t have time to deal with people who’ve messed up some of them entirely of their own fault. Go buy yourself a new macbook.
Frankly, I completely agree with Apple’s policy on this. I was a Mac Genius and everybody expects that if they pay a lot of money and abuse their machine that Apple should just roll over and take it.
Go put sugar in the gas tank of a BMW and see what happens when you take it to the dealer? Your Fuct.
GROW UP! What a bunch of whiners! He DAMAGED his own computer and then petulantly complains when Apple won’t fix it for free. THEN he posts the issue on the web, hoping to pressure Apple and Steve bitchslaps him back.
He’s not entitled to warranty repair as it’s not a manufacturing fault, and whining isn’t going to save him. Apple products cost what they do because they’re well-made, and I’m happy I pay for that then for support every little weenie on the Net who thinks they can stamp their feet and get free hardware. I’m not paying for that!
GROW UP!