Level 1

9 points

Complaints Department - AppleCare Plus Policy

It seems that I now have two things to complain about.

1. The fact that there is no way to send an email complaint regarding a dissatisfied customer experience. It seems I will have to post this on the forum for everyone to see.

2. AppleCare Plus sales (The actual reason I am complaining).

During a recent visit to my boyfriend who lives in Chicago, I purchased an Ipad at a store in Naperville, IL. I would've also purchased AppleCare Plus but after I was told that the AppleCare Plus service does not extend to Canada I opted not to. This in fact is NOT true as I later discovered. In fact, initially I was told that AppleCare Plus was not available in Canada which I said was impossible since I had AppleCare Plus for my Iphone 5. The salesperson then went to check with his superior and he discovered yes Canada did in fact have the AppleCare Plus service but that if I purchased the US one I would have to return to the US for any issues/replacement. I was told that I would have to purchase the AppleCare Plus here in Canada. After returning to Toronto, I then went on a trip and got really sick upon return. When I finally recovered and remembered to purchase the AppleCare Plus it was 5 days after the 30 day limit. I understand that there is a policy on having to purchase the AppleCare Plus within 30 days of the purchase but I felt like an exception could've been made here as I was erroneously misinformed. In fact, the sales person at the Apple Store in Toronto Eaton Centre was also under the impression that I couldn't purchase AppleCare Plus here for a US bought purchase.

I spent an hour on the phone with a customer service agent named Micah, whom I commend for his patience and understanding. However his superior said that since I had no documented proof of the conversation I had at the original store they could not make an exception to purchase the Apple Care Plus.

I just want to say a few of things that I am very disappointed about. 1) The lack of knowledge of the policies of goods and services that you are selling. I understand that it may be hard to pass on the information to the numerous staff on duty but the fact remains that any one of them could've and SHOULD'VE called to find out and this would've all been avoided.

2) I feel that when I was told that they couldn't make an exception for lack of documented proof that I felt like I was called a liar. I feel that if you want proof of this, the best thing to do would be to send someone to an apple store and just ask them if AppleCare Plus purchased in the states would be covered in Canada. I wasn't asking for the protection plan to be free, nor was my item damaged in any way, why would I lie about this? My intention was to go into the Apple store and LEGITIMATELY PURCHASE the protection plan. I understand that had I the foresight to know that I would've been too ill to go in later on in the month I would've bought it earlier, but the fact remains that I intended to purchase this ON SITE when I purchased the Ipad.

At the very least, I felt that an exception should've been made. I was only 5 days after the 30 day policy.

AppleCare Plus-OTHER

Posted on Mar 27, 2013 11:47 AM

114 replies

deggie

Level 10

167,519 points

Mar 27, 2013 1:30 PM in response to Mimsters

I'm not sure that Customer Service was correct, but this would not be something that a sales clerk would know. But you still had sufficient time to purchase it and as you said, you lacked the foresight.

Just get a good case for it, be careful with it, come here if you have any problems after 90 days of purchase for help and you should easily get 2 years use out of the iPad and save yourself the money. Use what you would have spent on a good protective case.

Mimsters Author

Level 1

9 points

Mar 27, 2013 1:50 PM in response to deggie

I have purchased a protective case. Ultimately it is a loss for Apple, since they've lost a sale of $99 on something that I probably won't end up using much of and now they have me thinking doubting what their sales agents really know. And now as you say, potentially their customer service employees as well. Are you saying that the protection plan is unnecessary?

Also, I just want to clarify that I had one weeks time from the purchase of my ipad to the time I left for the trip. I anticipated that I would've had time after the trip but as I had previously stated, I caught something from the trip that made me too ill to go in. With regards to "foresight" I meant I lacked the "foresight" that I was going to get sick after the trip. With a week between trips, ipad applecare protection was not the most important thing on my mind.

deggie

Level 10

167,519 points

Mar 27, 2013 2:07 PM in response to Mimsters

Yes, I am saying if you purchased a good protective case, you are careful with your iPad (don't drop it in the toilet) and you bookmark this site you will not need that plan. Spend the money on something else.

This is not something an employee would deal with everyday. There is no way that any company, or person, can have 100% right answers every time. But you still had 7 days to rectify the issue, regardless what you were thinking about, I'm sure your parents tried to teach you not to wait until the last minute, and you could have had someone else take it in when you were sick.

Mimsters Author

Level 1

9 points

Mar 27, 2013 2:32 PM in response to deggie

I thank you for your suggestion to buy a case, which I had done the same time as buying the ipad (not last minute) and your suggestion to not waste my money on the protection plan.

Please don't bring make it personal and bring my parents into it. My parents taught me to buy the insurance plan from the start which is what I attempted to do. Things happen, I am sure you have had situations where you just did not have time to go into a store to purchase the plan which was what I intended to do. It's fine that the employee didn't have the right answer but I shouldn't be penalized for it either. I thought the fairest thing and the best customer service policy would have been to simply make an exception which I gathered from my conversation with customer service which is something within their means.

All said and done however, I'm glad you concede that they in fact did "err" by not having the right answers.

Thank you for your input.

Mimsters Author

Level 1

9 points

Mar 27, 2013 7:46 PM in response to deggie

You're entitled to your opinion. At the end of the day, all this could have been avoided had I been given the right information in the first place and Apple would've gotten a sale of $99 and one less disgruntled customer.

BMLex

Level 1

0 points

Apr 24, 2013 9:51 AM in response to Mimsters

Funny how the exact same thing happened to me, I was given misleading information by a certain carrier in Canada where I had purchased my Iphone they told me I have 30 days to come back to the store and get the apple care. That turned out to be not true 30 days and a few hours later I call apple and they tell me they cant sell it to me since more than 30 days have passed. Spoke to the superviser I was on the phone with them for at least 1 hour as a consumer that was by far the worst customer service experience ever. I dont know what everybody sees in Apple and their products but I've been extremly disapointed by their products and services.

Apr 24, 2013 10:05 AM in response to BMLex

So the carrier, not Apple, gave you bad information. Why are you blaming that on Apple? I'm confused. Why weren't you on the phone with the carrier demanding they somehow make good on what they told you?

BMLex

Level 1

0 points

Apr 24, 2013 10:25 AM in response to Mimsters

The carier miss informed as you can only buy apple care + through them at the moment you purchase your phone not 30 days later. In order to buy it 30 days later you have to go to an apple store and they have to inspect the phone that would have not been a problem however I'm in a city where the closes apple store is 2000 km away so thats not something that could have easily been done. Even though I was not even 31 days past my purchase date apple was unwilling to do anything. I had filled a complaint with the carrier as well with no response.

varjak paw

Level 10

182,656 points

Apr 24, 2013 10:31 AM in response to BMLex

Then as Meg said, your complaint is with your carrier, not Apple. Apple didn't give you any misinformation and so is not responsible for the problem.

The sales and support representatives at many carriers are very uninformed or uninterested, which is why most cell carriers get very poor customer service ratings.

Regards.

Apr 26, 2013 3:51 PM in response to Mimsters

I purchased a new MacBook Pro 2011 model February 2012. Every day I had this computer, something failed on it. The most-common failure is the computer failed to sync with my other apple products. Every time I attempted to sync the laptop, it would fail the first couple of times.

The second most-common problem is that the computer would hang, most of the time while I was doing work on it. Once it even hung while attempting to draw the login box just after power up.

The third most-common problem is that the bottom of the laptop would get so hot, that I could not touch it without burning my hands or legs. I am hoping that the laptop does not start a fire in my home when I am away from the laptop and it is transcoding my video files.

The fourth most-common problem is that the laptop screen would just go black for 3 to 30 minutes before I am able to power on my system.

The Fifth most-common problem with the laptop is that the laptop is not holding a charge. I could have a full charge and unplug it from the adapter and within one hour my battery would be going dead.

I initially took my laptop to the Apple Store in South dale Mall sometime in July or August 2012. The tech ran some diagnostics on the laptop and reported to me that the logic board needed to be replaced. My system was held at the store for about two days.

In November 2012 I took my laptop back to the Southdall Mall because I was experiencing the same issues and at that time I talked with three different techs for about two hours. The technition reset the SMC and parametric memory. They also re-install the OS X operating system from the delivery DVD. None of the attempted repairs worked.

I have taken my laptop to the Apple store in the Lenox Square Mall multiple of times for this issue and they to has failed to resolve my issue and has failed to log that I have brought my laptop in for service. This store representative is rude and I am not happy with the condescending attitude that Apple employees via store and phone has given me.

Having paid for a brand new laptop, I am quite unhappy with the sequence of events that left me with a refurbished laptop. I feel that I am owed a substantial compensation. The “new” laptop that I purchased turned out to be such a lemon. I also feel that I was sold a faulty unit and I have endured frustration for months.

I thought I was purchasing a premium laptop, I feel that I have been cheated and not provided with what I paid for. Because of all the trouble that I have encountered since I received this laptop, I could have purchased a PC at a cheaper cost and could have had multiple of systems for the price I paid for this Mac Pro.

The Apple Care Product Repair Summary talks about ensuring “the highest level of quality and reliability.” That is certainly NOT what I have experienced. My confidence in Apple products has been greatly degraded because of this experience. Can you apple still want to attempt to troubleshoot my computer after a year?

babowa

Level 9

78,556 points

Apr 26, 2013 4:28 PM in response to shanikabeme

You are not addressing Apple here - these are user to user forums; we volunteer our time to help.

Here is a contact page for Apple

www.apple.com/contact

PS: Due to forum glitches, I am unable to post a clickable link to that page.

S Owen

Level 1

0 points

May 28, 2013 8:01 AM in response to deggie

Hi deggie my names rich I have been playing this app viaden celeb poker for two years with no problems then two weeks ago they suspended my account I had 21.5 billion chips witch is a lot of money's worth they said I have brought chips off another player witch is all lies they fined me 20.5 billion I have asked for proof of this but they say they can't disclose this. Is there any body I can complain to or anybody that can help me sorry if u can't all the best rich

Aug 18, 2013 9:13 AM in response to Mimsters

Hello,

I would like to post my experience here because I have been deleted from another forum

While I was living in Spain I bought an unlocked iPhone5 at an Apple Store, then I had to travel to Colombia for work and guess... By upper button was not working.

Then problems arose. Despite Apple's value proposition includes world wide warranty IT IS NOT TRUE!, as there is not Apple Store in Colombia, just premium resellers, noone wants to help.

The retailers say that they do not have authorization to provide technical support for iPhones, and the cell providers say that, because you did not buy the phone from them, they cannot help. Trying to call Apple Spain, nobody answers, and in Apple Support US they say that you have to send it back to Spain.

In SUMMARY, Apple Support DOES NOT HELP, DOES NOT RESPECT THEIR VALUE PROPOSITION AND MAKES YOU LOOSE YOUR TIME. Once you get back to the warranty signed when I bought the phone, it says that If I do not have the chance to get to an Apple Store in Spain, they will take care of the postage, well, not true.

I do not trues Apple Care value proposition any more, is a waste of money and waste of time. Buy your Apple product where you think you will be staying for a least a year. If you are an executive or a travel person, NEVER, NEVER trust the ww warranty promise and pray not to have any inconvenience with your phone.

Aug 18, 2013 2:25 PM in response to deggie

Hello. Interesting you say so because in the warranty subscribed with apple it says that I can ask for service in a different country where I bought it. I can easily find it at apple.com

I invite apple to revise the warranty they subscribe and act accordingly. I think is not fair that if they say so, then are not helpful when a problem arise on a different country where I bought it.

Aug 18, 2013 8:07 PM in response to babowa

Hello babowa.

Yes, that is the place I had the warranty from. Actually, what you show and what I say are not incompatible. Apple may (and says may) restrict the service of warranty to a certain territory, but that is not opposed to helping me out on the issue. Under the warranty I subscribed, says that apple can provide postage. Ok, provide the postage and send it back to Spain and back to COL.

Also says that I can ask for service in a different country and I might be charged for importation of the device, and I am so ok with that. If Apple could tell me, "I will help you out with the providers in col but you have to pay the handling and postage" I will be very happy.

Now I am just frustrated because it seems that we have to accept the conditions imposed when we buy a premium device (not cheap by the way) and the contract is always interpreted on their behalf, but not customer's.

I do have everything Mac, and I love the design and the features, but this sort of things just make me think twice next time I go to buy an apple product.

My device is an iPhone 5.

Best

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Complaints Department - AppleCare Plus Policy