Apple did not return "defective" part

This sounds like you need to make an executive complaint and deal directly with upper Apple management. The RAM your son purchased should have been returned whether it was defective or not. The RAM was not Apple’s to keep. Call the AppleCare support number and ask for the CEO’s direct contact information such as an email or regular mail address. Sometimes the act of requesting information to make an executive complaint will light a fire under lower management. I worked for AT&T for 34 years and I can tell you the last thing we wanted a customer to do was go to the top executive’s office. Things would get real uncomfortable real fast when the top brass started asking questions.

Not entirely in keeping with your complaint but still relevant. Kingston RAM has been the source of much critisism in these columns on grounds of quality and it is well known that Apple machines can be very finicky about RAM.

Principle aside, you are better off without them. As we don't know the means of testing they used, we can't be too harsh about their choice of a faulty logic board but my target would have been the Kingaton RAM.

In my view, had Apple been replacing like for like, I would see no problem in their keeping the originals. But, the replacements you put in were of higher Gb value (though not price value) even though some would say the quality of Kingston may well have been excelled by the free replacements Apple provided. I suspect that it is the numerical Gb value that concerns you.

Frankly, I would accept. It was an honest assessment.

MisterCognition wrote:

SNIP

He spoke to customer support earlier this morning, and they basically told him that he is out of luck. He has searched through Apple repair policies and could not find anything that says that they are required to return DIY parts. Before giving up the ship, he asked me to check the collective wisdom of this group and see if he has any recourse.

Thoughts?

Thanks.

Why would any business assert in writing any policy that is standard business practices? They could assert the opposite, that they would NOT return any parts at all.

In Texas, there is a State Law that parts replaced by auto service must be bagged and returned (I think it is to prove that the parts were indeed replaced rather than just 'saying' they were replaced)

It might be interesting to make Apple techies crack open the case and show you that they indeed replaced the RAM instead of just reseating the Kingston RAM.

MisterCognition Nov 27, 2015 8:01 AM

They replaced the two 4-GB sticks with two 2-GB sticks at no charge;

Well the shame of the matter is most third party RAM is a lifetime guarantee if bought through a reputable dealer like OWC or Crucial, and can be exchanged.

Basic trouble shooting is replacing upgrade RAM back to the factory original RAM.

I can not speak to the guarantee on your RAM, but if you send your Mac in for repair under warranty you better re-install all OEM parts this includes RAM and HDD/SSD.

You have a complaint but no recourse since this is standard policy.

They sent back your Mac repaired free of charge with the original spec parts as per their policy. A working Mac with 4 GB of RAM is better then a broken non-working Mac with 8 GB of RAM.

Lesson learned.

ChitlinsCC wrote:

...

In Texas, there is a State Law that parts replaced by auto service must be bagged and returned (I think it is to prove that the parts were indeed replaced rather than just 'saying' they were replaced)

...

I believe that this is true only if you pay for the repair. If the repair is done under warranty I don't know if they are required to do that.

And, the initial work order must state:

an indication that all parts which will be replaced or removed from the vehicle during the repair will be saved and placed in a plastic bag in the trunk of the vehicle, or else that they will be identified and exchanged for new parts;

https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/cpd/car-repairs

Howdy Duane

Your legal (search) skills are commendable, amigo - and your analysis seems sound. Cars these days are not suited for "shade tree mechanics" I fear.

In retrospect, the OP stated a 2012 Mac - but - purchased Jan this year... my guess-timate is that it was a used or refurbed Mac - assumed that the replacement of DIY RAM would NOT be warranty in any case.

At bottom, keeping "MY RAM" is not much different than keeping "MY water pump" - whaddaya think?

It would have been much easier to test the RAM with the hardware test and replace them with RAM from a reputable vendor such as OWC (macsales.com) or Crucial; Kingston is not a recommended brand. You can easily replace RAM yourself (it takes about 5 minutes) - there was no need to send it in. If you do, it is advisable to first remove any third party parts you installed and reinstall the original parts before doing so. And no, Apple does not return failed parts; actually, I am surprised that they replaced third party RAM free of charge as third party parts installed by a user are not really covered by the warranty. So, your son should be happy.

And, FWIW, there is no "Apple" RAM - Apple uses third party RAM, usually Samsung or Hynix.

And yes, as any electronic part, RAM can fail at any time. So can a hard drive (and they all will, sooner or later).

MisterCognition wrote:

the replacement RAM that was purchased was still wtihin warranty.

This is a moot point. 3rd party replacement RAM id not covered under your Apple warranty. Apple does not sell upgrade RAM independent of original point of purchase.

It is the 3rd party vendor of the RAM that has (or has not) a warranty program on their RAM.

This is not an auto part - so stop with the analogue and move on.

So it will cost you ~$58.00 to upgrade 8GB RAM. You got your Mac repaired, and learn a valuable lesson for not much of economic hit.

babowaNov 27, 2015 4:38 PM

I am surprised that they replaced third party RAM free of charge as third party parts installed by a user are not really covered by the warranty

Agreed with babowa above, Apple did you a favor, you should be grateful for what you got out of the deal.

MisterCognition wrote:

We both would just like some clarification as to what the "usual" procedure is under these circumstances, and whether there is anything that can be pursued before going to a third-party vendor and upgrading the RAM once again.

MisterCognition- I appreciate your measured response and tenacity.

However, no matter how many times you ask the question, the answer is the same and has already been spelled out above.

To clarify—no, there is nothing you can do, there is no recourse, this is Apple's standard operating policy since the beginning of time.

I would suggest if you do upgrade RAM, go for the maximum amount of 16GB for your machine. OS X continues to be more resource intensive and OS X upgrades are happening on an annual basis now. Keep the the RAM Apple supplied you (it is under your warranty until AppleCare expires- and a first test if there is a feature problem with the machine or if it has to be sent back in for repair.) Reputable Mac compatible vendersOWC or Crucial

Since this is a user to user forum, you can make your voice "officially" heard via:

Apple Feedback http://www.apple.com/feedback/ if you feel this "usual" Apple policy is unfair to you as a consumer or needs review.

good computing !

MacBook Pro (15-inch Mid 2012), OS X El Capitan(10.11.1), i7 480GB SSD 16GB RAM iPhone5 iOS9.1, Parallels10.0.2

FWIW > About Mac computer startup tones - Apple Support indicates that 3 tones is a RAM issue (could be the logic board as Apple reported, I suppose)

Has has been so eloquently pointed out... you got a heckuva deal with AppleCare covering it. Take the lesson (and $$) and run!

best luck

ChitlinsCC wrote:

...

In retrospect, the OP stated a 2012 Mac - but - purchased Jan this year... my guess-timate is that it was a used or refurbed Mac - assumed that the replacement of DIY RAM would NOT be warranty in any case.

...

Well, that is what I thought but OP said that it was at no charge.

"They replaced the two 4-GB sticks with two 2-GB sticks at no charge; however, they did not return either of the 4-GB sticks."

As I and leroydouglas mentioned, third party parts are not covered by the Apple warranty. And, as I said, I am surprised that Apple actually replaced the RAM free of charge.

As well, three beeps are a sign of either failed, incorrectly seated, or incompatible RAM 99% of the time. A question here would have had replies confirming that.

I don't believe that there is anything that should be pursued here: whatever happened was your son's responsibility: buy the right (good quality) RAM and remove it to send it in for repairs. Even if you had it, Kingston would not give you a refund; they may exchange the RAM - that would not be helpful as you would still have Kingston RAM. So, you are much better off this way and I recommend that your son purchase RAM from one of the two most recommended vendors here (see above). And, if that should fail at any time, deal with the vendor first.

If this is the model:

http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/macbook_pro/specs/macbook-pro-core-i5-2.5- 13-mid-2012-unibody-usb3-specs.html

Apple officially supports 8 GB; however, OWC has tested it to 16 GB.

Addendum:

Here is a link to the hardware warranty; please note this passage:

When a Apple Product or part is replaced or a refund provided, any replacement item becomes your property and the replaced or refunded item becomes Apple's property.

http://www.apple.com/legal/warranty/products/embedded-mac-warranty-us.html