Alright, so I bought a 12" powerbook online two weeks ago. Today I waltz into my local Apple Store (local being 45 minutes away), and I notice that any college student who purchases an Apple computer is eligible to receive a rebate for $179 off an iPod. Being a college student, I thought this may even apply to me, as I have heard from friends/others that say if a price drop occurs within two weeks of purchase, you can usually get the money back from Apple through "returning" and then buying the product back immediately to get the savings, usually just being a check sent to you to save the hassle.
So I figured this may work, so I spoke to an Apple representative (This was at the Lynwood, WA store). He was very courteous and helpful, explaining that all I needed to do was bring back the box so that he could get the s/n off it and I would be all set. Well, I drove the 45 minutes back to my house and then back again, this time with the box. I entered into the store when I learned that I was NOT eligible for this program, because I had elected to upgrade (via Apple's own web site!) to 100gb of hard drive space, thus rendering the unit "unreturnable." This, at the time, sounded like bureaucratic hairsplitting. It still does now.
I called the rebate center, as I was instructed, where I was given absolutely no help whatsoever. The representative was unkind, completely unknowledgeable and unable to even point me in which direction I should go. I then called 1-800-MY-APPLE, and spoke to a billing representative. He was slightly terse with me, probably a bit more than the situation demanded, but not unreasonably so. He informed me that the unit was unreturnable. This I was able to figure out on my own, as I informed him before he told me that that's what was relayed to me. When I tried to appeal to reason/logic, he told me he was not allowed to. I was a bit angry at this point, and rudely hung up on him. Wrong of me, I know, but this was 2+ hours into this ordeal.
I then decided that I wasn't going to give this up, so I walked back inside the Apple Store and located the Corporate Office phone number. Calling (long distance I might add), I was transferred by a very friendly and helpful operator to the regional manager in charge of the apple store. Unfortunately, I went right to voice mail. I hung up and called again, when a different operator told me that they were very good about returning phone calls, and I should leave a message. I left a message, realized I gave the wrong phone number to return my call, called back again and left the correct number, and went on my merry way. Over half an hour passed, and no response occurred (I was told by the operators that she was probably in a meeting). Come to think of it, I STILL have not received a phone call from her. So much for that.
Anywho, so I went back in and found the numbe for the complaints service. After two different tries, I was finally able to present my case. I became a little rude at this point, interrupting the representative when he tried to tell me information I already knew. He said he would speak to a supervisor, and then informed that NO ONE in the company was allowed to make an exception, and instead offered $50 back on the credit card (for some reason). After 4+ hours of fighting this, I was tired and gave up. I will now present the case to you, in hopes that either something in the future will be done, or that Apple can actually display the customer service that I have heard is so wonderful.
I was not able to partake in this offer simply because I spent extra money on a better computer. Had I bought the barebones PB, I would be eligible to sell it back, and buy it back along with the iPod so they would be on the receipt, thus fulfilling the terms of the rebate. I do not understand in the least why it is so impossible that someone can not just acknowledge that this is the case, and then allow me to partake in the rebate. It shows to me that all your representatives have been trained to think in a process, never deviating. An unswerving allegiance to a policy is nothing more than the antithesis of customer service, which is to provide the customer with the best possible experience, and also help them to get what they deserve. I have been profoundly disappointed with what has transpired, and makes me seriously doubt that I will ever make a purchase from Apple again. Make no mistake, I love this PowerBook (and in fact am typing this from it now), but if this is the support that I can expect in the future, I suspect that I will choose a different company that will actually support its customers.
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