Replacing a Mac Book Pro bought internationally?

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Replacing a Mac Book Pro bought internationally?

Recently on a conference trip to Malaysia I actively encouraged my girlfriend to buy a Apple Macbook Pro from an Apple reseller in the duty free section of KL airport.

She urgently need a replacement laptop as the old machine she was using had a dying battery and which was causing her great frustration as she was writing a talk to be presented at a NGO conference in Bali in two days.

Despite the above she did not end up opening the laptop box till after the conference. When she booted up the computer she discovered a weird hardware glitch where vertical lines present on the right hand side of the screen rendering the screen pixels imperceptible. And when she used the computer inputs those glitches would sometimes spread to the rest of the screen.

That said she just arrived home a few days ago and today she telephoned Australian Apple support hoping she could sort out a replacement in Australia. After a 1/2 hour wait and a long conversation she was told by Apple Australia that they could only look at the computer and attempt to repair it, and if she wanted it replaced she would have to talk to the company. So today exactly 14 days after purchase she rang the company in KL and they told her they had a 7 day return policy and that she should speak to Apple if she wanted a replacement; which of course is what she'd already done.

Now I'm feeling pretty guilty about suggesting she buy an Apple laptop, which she was hesitant to do, and the fact that it turned out to be faulty and I would really like some advice about how to handle seeking a replacement from the company. I'm guessing Australian Consumer Right wouldn't apply in this instance.

Posted on Jul 3, 2015 11:16 PM

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Answer 1

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seventy one

Level 7

27,430 points

Jul 4, 2015 12:32 AM in response to -isz-

Easy to say after the event but once she knew there was a problem she should have made a determined effort to contact Apple support. You say she arrived home a few days ago.

Consumer rights laws are relevant only to the country the goods are bought from. ... So Australian interest is a non starter.

You need to approach Apple support in Malaysia (I hope this is the right link).

https://www.apple.com/my/support/

Bear in mind that although the 14 days 'return with no questions asked' is valid for official Apple stores, re-sellers are not official, they are authorised. They have their own terms for the return of goods.

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Answer 2

-isz- Author

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Jul 4, 2015 2:12 AM in response to seventy one

Hi Seventy One, thanks for the reply it is very helpful and I will try your suggestion.

In response to the rest of your email I'm really not sure what the difference in company responsibility is between official stores and resellers. Apparently 'Machines' http://www.machines.com.my/ the company we purchased the product through in KL airport is 'Apples largest reseller in Malaysia', so I thought they'd have a fairly good service.

I know under Australian consumer law the manufacturer would be responsible to replace the laptop, unfortunately I have no idea who would be responsible under Malaysian consumer law. Though I do think it is reasonable to expect that a product with a fault should be able to be exchanged in this timeline.

Concerning the time frame my partner was caught a stomach bug while she was in Jakarta for meetings following Bali which made it hard for her to do anything but rest. That said the time frame is within the 14 days that Apple accepts returns but we just can't seem to find anyone official to give us the advice we need on returning the product. Obviously you can understand with an expensive product such as a computer this can be really frustrating.

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Answer 3

seventy one

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27,430 points

Jul 4, 2015 4:51 AM in response to -isz-

Hi isz,

Re-sellers are private businesses, either individual stores or small groups. Apple owns no part of them and they achieve their credence by being formally authorised by Apple. Apple does like to know if re-sellers are letting them down but as I said, they are entitled to have a shorter returns policy ... or none at all if they like. But a warranty should be available and putting things right would be done under that service. That may be something that can be done in Aussiland. But I think you will need to sort that out with Apple Malaysia. via the link I gave you.

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Answer 4

-isz- Author

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Jul 4, 2015 6:30 AM in response to seventy one

Thanks again for the advice seventy one. I did eventually get on to someone at Apple in the US who was really helpful. I did ask them for a contact from Apple Malaysia, however they suggested Apple Australia was capable of assessing the computer and replacing it if needs be. So hopefully we get the outcome we desired.

As far as authorized resellers my contact mentioned that there is a negotiation phase that resellers go through with Apple relating to there returns policies. Although I've got to admit that the 'reseller' label seems to infer some kind of legitimacy and the thought that a reseller is not really obligated to help exchange a faulty product if they so choose seems like really bad business practice. Luckily we have strong consumer law in Australia preventing this kind of thing.

Anyway enough venting. I'll update you with how it all goes.

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Answer 5

seventy one

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27,430 points

Jul 4, 2015 7:26 AM in response to -isz-

Just to clarify. I did not mean to suggest a reseller was not obligated to take back faulty goods. I meant to suggest they were not obligated to take back goods for no reason, no questions asked. As I mentioned, the warranty element means that you are covered anyway; the question was, who is going to support the warranty. Good luck.

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Answer 6

babowa

Level 9

78,115 points

Jul 4, 2015 8:33 AM in response to -isz-

You might want to take a look at the hardware warranty terms which apply to all Asia Pacific countries as both Malaysia and Australia are covered by the same terms:

http://www.apple.com/legal/warranty/products/embedded-mac-warranty-rest-of-apac- english.html

Unlike some iDevices, the warranties for computers has always been worldwide - there is no exclusion contained in the warranty terms (as there is for iPhones where Apple may limit the warranty to the country it is purchased in). And, as the warranty is Apple's, not the reseller's, I would deal with Apple starting with taking it to your nearest Genius Bar along with the purchase receipt and explain the circumstances. And I'd recommend doing this as soon as possible.

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Answer 7

seventy one

Level 7

27,430 points

Jul 4, 2015 9:52 AM in response to babowa

Thank you Babowa. That sums it up far more neatly than my explanation.

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Answer 8

-isz- Author

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Jul 29, 2015 5:45 PM in response to -isz-

Hi Guys, just letting you know after some initial struggles, we just received a replacement laptop from Apple. Apple Australia was able to do a straight swap on the laptop despite it being purchased in Malaysia.

Thanks all for your help in resolving this issue

Cheers -isz-

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Answer 9

babowa

Level 9

78,115 points

Jul 29, 2015 6:16 PM in response to -isz-

Great to hear!

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