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
Delivered-To: xxxxx@gmail.com
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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
On Mar 29, 2008 @ 5:42 pm, Henning Stedtnitz Said:
Relax, people, Steve or not, that mail was totally justified. I spilled coffee over my 2000€ MacBook Pro and didn’t complain to anyone. This guy needs to learn that other people won’t pay for what is his fault.
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On Mar 29, 2008 @ 5:43 pm, ComeOn Said:
This is not news. Apple doesn’t owe this guy anything. You ruined it, cough it up to fix it and shut up.
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On Mar 29, 2008 @ 5:55 pm, Davue Said:
I have no problem with this response from apple. I am so tired of everyone trying to blame others for their own mistakes. Some screw ups don’t have cheap answers.
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On Mar 29, 2008 @ 5:59 pm, Ripped off Said:
Todays corporate culture has grown around fee pumping the customer for every possible pump.
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On Mar 29, 2008 @ 6:09 pm, nikonnut Said:
what is wrong with taking personal responsibility for the cost of being at fault?
Why should should Apple buy this guy’s pig-in-a-poke for $300?
This same mentality is the reason there is a Bear-Stearns taxpayer bailout and a CEO walking away with millions!
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On Mar 29, 2008 @ 6:26 pm, Jbird511 Said:
He is obviously trying to get one over on Apple by trying to ‘blackmail’ them with ‘bad press’ to give him a new one (he would probably accept one that is faster, has more ram and a bigger hard drive). If he can scam Apple into giving an estimate and replacing some part, he can then keep sending it back for repairs until he gets Apple to send him a new unit. Even if it were possible to replace just one part, there is no guarantee that moisture will not evaporate and condense somewhere else in the laptop only to cause a new problem or make any replaced parts corrode and be damaged. Take the $300 and put it toward a new laptop. Grow up. Move on.
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On Mar 29, 2008 @ 6:27 pm, ArbiterOGT Said:
@Those saying the issue is not the spill but the customer service,
The customer wants to feel bad about Apple’s pricing and Steve’s response instead of soaking his laptop. “It sounds like you’re just looking for someone to get mad at other than yourself.” Steve is absolutely correct and says it clearly and succinctly. How is that bad customer service?
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On Mar 29, 2008 @ 6:31 pm, Andrew Said:
The person writing the letter to sjobs@apple.com doesn’t know much about how computers are fixed at service centers, not only Apple service centers but PC/Windows centers. I have worked at a few computer repair facilities, including the recently liquidated CompUSA. In most cases we required the customer to pay a service fee for us to even ship off a computer and get it fixed, on top of the replacement parts cost. The base fee for non-warranty service averaged at about $250 up front, then we would send it in, get a price quote for the customer, and then a decision would be made by said customer. In rare situations where the customer just got really pissed after he/she found out that their computer would be more to fix than to replace, they would demand the money back they paid up front. Well, we let them know that no such return was warranted on their service agreement, but if they got really mad they would have our manager talk to them, and even then in rare cases would be return the service charge. This is unfortunately common practice by computer repair service centers in which a unit is brought in for repair either out of warranty, or has a problem that voided the warranty (water damage or “physical abuse” as warranties deem it in most cases).
So reasonable letter to apple? Sure, to a degree.
Response from apple: What can i say, it’s a great response cause i’m not the one getting screwed! I know that to replace parts to fix the unit, it would be worth buying a whole new one cause I would have voided the warranty! So i guess the author of the letter to apple is kind of stupid. (parts and service to repair (in the case of water damage) i would say 99% of the time, exceed the cost/hastle of just getting a new computer and an external drive enclosure to out your old laptop HD in.
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On Mar 29, 2008 @ 6:31 pm, Michael Said:
I agree with the response from Apple. The idiot dumped water on his machine then he wanted Apple to cover the man hours to take it apart and find what was wrong. They’re clearly charging just to look at it. Why should they look at it for free? If your mechanic took your engine apart to tell you something needed to be fixed, even if you decided not to fix it don’t you think he’d charge you for that time?
From what I’ve been able to tell, Apple rather replace a product then fix it. It costs less. The $300 probably just covers their cost of moving the info from the hard drive to a new machine then ship that back.
I’ve been using Macs for years and the only issue I ever had was when they told me they weren’t making MacBook Pros with CD-burners anymore. I bought the DVD version just to have the super-drive released 2 months later. They could have told me that, but I would have waited to make a purchase. They didn’t want to lose the sale.
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On Mar 29, 2008 @ 6:38 pm, omyrb Said:
Retard, what do you think would happen?
Glad Mr. Jobs put you in your place.
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On Mar 29, 2008 @ 6:43 pm, videre Said:
“apple doesn’t care about their customers”??? really.. this entire text is such an obvious attempt at manipulation. Someone, somewhere, is getting a real laugh out of every supportive comment, lol, myself included
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On Mar 29, 2008 @ 6:54 pm, nix4kickz Said:
how do we even know that this is a real email. Anybody could think up a story like this to get attention.
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On Mar 29, 2008 @ 6:55 pm, RandyGandy Said:
perhaps you should read your warranty first before asking for a repair free of charge,
b. Limitations The Plan does not cover:
(i) Installation, removal or disposal of the Covered Equipment, or installation, removal, repair, or
maintenance of non-Covered Equipment (including accessories, attachments, or other devices
such as external modems) or electrical service external to the Covered Equipment;
(ii) Damage to the Covered Equipment caused by accident, abuse, neglect, misuse (including
faulty installation, repair, or maintenance by anyone other than Apple or an Apple Authorized
Service Provider), unauthorized modification, extreme environment (including extreme
temperature or humidity), extreme physical or electrical stress or interference, fluctuation or
surges of electrical power, lightning, static electricity, fire, acts of God or other external causes;
http://images.apple.com/legal/applecare/docs/AppleCare_Protect_Plan_NA_en.pdf
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On Mar 29, 2008 @ 6:55 pm, Wesley Said:
hahaha. There is no validity in this. And even if this was a real email between Apple and Apple customer, there’s no saying it was Steve Jobs. You guys are dumb.
Plus, the guy is dumb. He f’ed up his machine cuz of water. It is his responsibility to get a new one if it doesn’t work.
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On Mar 29, 2008 @ 6:58 pm, macboy Said:
ok, this is retarded, i think it is extremely shorthanded for the writer of this website to say apple doesnt care about its employees, that straight bullS**T!! they bend over backwards for the customers that come in for technical support. Now this customer owning 3 computers in a row should know that even accidental damage such as water damage to send to depot is a 300 flat rate no matter what is broken, now that 300 will cover whatever is wrong with it unless it goes up in damage. Now, if the computer is totalled they will call and requote you and if it isnt acceptable you are more than welcome to take it back. Depot charge a flat rate so they can replace just what they heard about over the phone. so judging from this they see that water damage is something like a case or something or a logic board. But, they would charge more once they got it.
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On Mar 29, 2008 @ 6:58 pm, idiots Said:
You stupid wankers - its his own fault for getting it wet - EVERY company would charge for this. Complete cretin.
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On Mar 29, 2008 @ 7:02 pm, CommonSense Said:
The customer clearly misunderstood exactly what they were being told by the apple rep. What he was quoted (and what he must pay upfront) is the cost of the minimum repair ($310+ tax). The reason he must pay it upfront is that his machine is out of warranty and they will be doing mail in service (since he called Apple Care as opposed to taking it into a store). If that would fix everything, that’s all it would cost. If not, they would requote him the repair price, at which point he could decide whether to continue or not. If he declined, they would return his computer to him, unrepaired and charge him the standard diagnostic fee of $100 + tax. If he had looked at the terms and conditions of service, as available on apple’s website or presumably in his computer’s documentation or asked the rep he was talking to for more information, he would have easily found all of this.
http://www.apple.com/legal/terms/repair/naonlinerepair.html
Specificaly section 3 and 4 apply here.
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On Mar 29, 2008 @ 7:06 pm, junkie43 Said:
A simple layer of refined latex molded under the keyboard of all laptops would save customers millions of dollars in ruined laptops - but why should Mac OR PC makers want to do such a thing…
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On Mar 29, 2008 @ 7:09 pm, MacBook Pro User Said:
This is very simple.
.
YOU got it wet.
So YOU should bare the cost.
All the other bullshit whining is exacally that . . . bullshit whining.
.
.
This is a classic case of the mixture of entitlement and not taking FULL responsibility (yes I know he admits some, but his actions to not cough up the money prove otherwise).
.
The penalty (cause it’s your fault) for getting your Mac wet is $300 and no guarantees it will be fixed.
.
Apple or any other manufacture (say it was a PC machine, or a phone etc.) should in no way take on any risk (that you won’t pay for the tech hours to assess after they find your machine is toast) due to your mistake.
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On Mar 29, 2008 @ 7:11 pm, Doug O Said:
Whether or not this email is from Steve hisself, I think it’s a fair call. Someone has to cover the labor cost of performing the assessment, so why shouldn’t be the klutz who caused the problem. Suck it up soldier.
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On Mar 29, 2008 @ 7:12 pm, David Sinclair Said:
Why is this even news? AppleCare is a warranty and support. It’s not an insurance program against clumsiness or stupidity. If you spill water on your MacBook Pro, or drop it down a flight of stairs, or run it over with your car, you’re on your own.
Would you expect an automaker to repair your car under extended warranty if you crashed it into a telephone pole?
On a positive note, some homeowners/renters insurance _will_ cover these sort of mishaps, as will some platinum card agreements. Also there are keyboard protectors such as iSkin that can help prevent spilled liquids from penetrating into your machine.
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On Mar 29, 2008 @ 7:18 pm, minjae Said:
since the user fucked up his own machine, he also fucked up the warranty.
Next time, don’t drop your MBP in the toilet while you’re taking a shit. Buried for the retards at Boy Genius getting worked up over something that takes common sense to understand.
by robopuppy on 03/28/2008 from DIGG
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On Mar 29, 2008 @ 7:24 pm, Marth Said:
Certain warranties DO cover liquid spills - Dell’s accidental damage protection will cover liquid being spilled into the system. However it costs extra.
The guy spilled water in his laptop. Got told that it would cost money, up front, to assess the damages. Didn’t like the answer, wrote Steve hoping for a reprieve.
Personally, I hope it DID come from Steve - the guy who emailed him was a tool.
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On Mar 29, 2008 @ 7:24 pm, DK Said:
I really, really doubt this was sent from Apple. I know people who have sent in completely mangled machines, and Apple actually cut them a deal on the repair cost because they admitted upfront that it was their fault….
I call BS.
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On Mar 29, 2008 @ 7:29 pm, palaciofreire Said:
In fact, most consumer-electronics companies don’t care about customer service, they just want to get our money. I’m considering buying an iphone but i know that after having bought it i’ll be completely on my own regarding technical service and support as it usually happens with almost everything-electronic though I can’t complaint about Sony.
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