Dec 2, 2015

i'm posting this in the hopes that it'll get shared, because Apple just did me so raw it's disgusting. it's a long read rant, but if nothing else, i'm putting it out there for other people to read and take note of..

some of you may have seen my thread about my MacBook Pro battery expanding. if you haven't, the thread can be found here: My MacBook Pro Is About to Die
tl;dr: the battery abruptly started expanding outward, causing the outer aluminum casing to bend. it's a technical hazard that can lead to warped/destroyed internals, and most importantly, it's a safety hazard. i've attempted to remove the battery myself, but it's mounted using a specialty tri-wing bit which no hardware stores sell, nor does my can-fix-anything-father even have one in his massive hardware collection. this past week, while traveling, 2 screws actually popped right off of the bottom casing due to the expansion/bouncing around...i think it's getting worse.

i booked a genius bar appointment. drove through an hour+ of LA rush hour traffic to get there, and explained my situation:
i just want the battery removed. i've attempted to remove it myself, but don't have the appropriate parts. it's a safety hazard. i'm going to be replacing the machine upon the next mbp refresh, and i therefore don't want to replace the battery and will just run it on power from the wall when plugged in in the interim.

the representative agreed that it needed to be removed and that it could cause a fire or worse and that it was a safety issue. he took it back to the tech, and the tech refused to remove it. in comes in the manager...

the manager understood. but he was unwilling to do the right thing. told me that "it's store policy" that they can't remove the battery without replacing it with a brand new one for $130. i told him i'm not buying a new battery today, but i would prefer that my genitals didn't get blown up the next time i go to turn on my machine. he refused. i pleaded my case further, stating that i understood store policy, but i also understand that there's exceptions to rules, and that this was very clearly a judgement call which won't harm him or the store and will only benefit the customer, and will ensure that a.) my roommates dog doesn't die in a fiery blaze the next time i leave my laptop at home for 3 weeks (i travel a lot for work and seldom bring my personal laptop along for the trips), and b.) that the battery is disposed of safely here at the store. he refused, quoting store policy again and saying "if i thought this conversation was going to lead to me changing my mind, then i would continue to hear you out, but it won't", and then walked away. rude. obnoxious. and most of all, idiotic. the initial rep i had spoke with stood by the entire time and even he looked in disbelief at the situation as well.

i left the store, contacted corporate, and spent the next hour and a half on the phone speaking with 3 different reps who all sympathized with the situation and all agreed that it was ridiculous and very clearly a safety issue. the senior safety rep i spoke with last actually contacted the store and spoke with the manager directly, identifying this as a customer safety issue, and the store still refused to spend the 1 minute to unscrew & remove the battery unless i paid them $130 for a new one. ...there's no words nor emojis that captures the lack of common sense here.

...i've never had a bad experience with Apple customer support. prior to today i would actually have easily named them #1 in satisfaction and support. but this is without a doubt the worst interaction i've ever had with any store/representative/support in my life, and i feel that it warrants some attention.. the only reason why i'm posting it here now is because the senior rep i spoke with said that there's no higher-up individuals at Apple that i can speak to and that he was as high as it goes. the only option is to go lateral and speak with customer relations, but he was certain i wasn't going to get anywhere by speaking with them either.

i expected better from Apple, and really, just from people in general. it's hard to rationalize not spending the 1 minute to not only help someone who's clearly in need out and to do the right thing, but to also prevent a potential disaster in the process.

i spent the last 3 hours combating this and feel so defeated right now and i honestly just want to disarm this ticking time bomb...i feel strongly about this one and really don't want to let this to die here -- and tbh, it's more about principle than anything else at this point. if anyone has any suggestions about how to get in contact with the right people at Apple to correct this, then i'm open to hearing them, so long as this sleeping volcano doesn't decide to end me in my sleep tonight.

 

Dec 8, 2015

Update: I took it into the Apple store in Chicago yesterday and they had no issue pulling out the battery. guy asked the manager, manager said absolutely. no questions asked, and i didn't need to dive into my previous experience. good guy, chi.

Likewise, i ended up emailing Tim Cook (not because i'm foolish enough to think that he'd reply personally, but because apparently that's how you get in contact with the people who can get s--- done at Apple). i emailed them last night at like midnight, and by mid day today, i received a phone call from one of their "Executive Liaisons". We spoke for about 15 minutes. the short: they agree that the battery was dangerous and that they absolutely side with me and firmly believe that the store should have done the right thing and removed the dangerous part. they're going to follow-up directly with the store to see what "store policy" the dumbass manager was referring to.

midway through our convo, he pulled in a senior safety/tech who wanted to touch base to make sure that i hadn't been harmed by the battery and that my mbp was in a safe state. unnecessary for my situation, but i appreciated that they would make the effort to do that as well.

i had to cut out for a business call towards the end, and the first individual ended up calling me back later on again to ensure that everything was good, to offer sympathies, and to re-iterate that he plans to follow-up on the incident.

in the end, both employees offered up their direct phone numbers and imo it was handled really really well.

 

Dec 4, 2015

can you guys hit this with a ?
https://www.reddit.com/r/apple/comments/3vhmft/apple_did_me_dirty/

@able @Jaba24 @Mike Tyson @Nitz @Loyalty @icecube @TheFazer @CoCo @Krazee D @50 Yen @Medici @Pato @Deadpool @Ordinary Joel @Enigma @Koolo @JG2 @Charlie Strangelove @Maximus @Cyreides @Mano @Boyz N The Suburbs

 

Dec 2, 2015

@Slyk bro make a Youtube video, get that n----- fired. Post the video on r/videos and r/apple. If you don't have the time or resources for that, at least copy and paste this story on the Apple subreddit. Be sure to include the store location (like Apple in Southgate Mall, Edmonton, Canada).

f--- that guy. If nothing else, this fa---- should have had the courtesy to just hand you the f---ing tools. His life accomplishment is making it as a manager at an Apple retail store. No matter how good Apple stocks are doing right now, he's still just a manager... at a retail store. You weren't asking him to go the extra mile, you were asking him to go the extra few steps - figuratively and literally.

But seriously bro, safety first. I know that was physically, mentally, and emotionally draining, but see if you can drop in at a different Apple store and get this done. If not, just cop the 2 dollar screwdriver from Amazon like @Charlie Strangelove suggested.

 

Dec 8, 2015

^ @Deadpool @Ordinary Joel @Pato @Enigma @Koolo @Charlie Strangelove @Maximus @Cyreides @Mike Tyson @able @Loyalty

 

Dec 9, 2015

yup, that's customer service i'm used to. good to know they pulled through for you

maybe we'll grab matching MacBooks during the march refresh after all hahaha