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Apple Store Rant

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So my company decides I need a new MacBook Pro to impress some clients I'm seeing next week. Rather than risk a shipped system being late, I drive 90 minutes to my "local" Apple Store to buy one right then and there.

I walk in - the place is mobbed - and I find a staffer and rattle off what I need. He finds a system, and I pay up, and then they take it in the back to upgrade the RAM. Forty five minutes later, I have the system and drive home.

I set it up in my office, settle down for an evening of installations and whatnot and turn it on. Instead of the usual Apple tone, I was greeted by a distinctly PC-like beep. It was one beep, indicating No RAM Found.

"Of course," I defeatedly mused, as I looked at the clock and went to get my tools. I popped open the bottom and, sure enough, both chips were half way out. I rolled my eyes, "Geniuses, indeed" and seated the RAM properly. Screwed on the back panel and everything worked perfectly.

Moral of the story: boot your system before leaving the Apple store because the "geniuses" obviously don't think it's important to test systems after making hardware changes. I guess common sense isn't taught at the Cupertino training sessions they take.

Thanks for reading my rant. Carry on...
 
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Always a good idea to double check because as you discovered, Apple employs imperfect humans who make mistakes on occasion. Haven't met a human yet who doesn't.
 
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I don't think it was a mistake so much as carelessness. One chip unseated is a mistake. Two is a pattern. And not turning the thing on before handing it back to the customer is just poor quality control.

The main mistake was mine for trusting retail techs to care about doing their job well, just because they were Apple's techs.
 

pigoo3

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I don't think it was a mistake so much as carelessness. One chip unseated is a mistake. Two is a pattern. And not turning the thing on before handing it back to the customer is just poor quality control.

The main mistake was mine for trusting retail techs to care about doing their job well, just because they were Apple's techs.

Yeah...the Apple folks aren't perfect...nothing is. Everybody makes mistakes. You mentioned that the store was mobbed...so maybe everyone at the store was overwhelmed. I had a similar replacement part issue around Christmas....when the store was swamped as well.

I think overall Apple is pretty darn good...and is certainly much better than everyone else out there. This doesn't excuse the mistake...and thankfully the problem was easily fixed by yourself.:)

And like you said...two mistakes here. Sometimes a little "CYA" goes a long way.;)

- Nick
 
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So my company decides I need a new MacBook Pro to impress some clients I'm seeing next week. Rather than risk a shipped system being late, I drive 90 minutes to my "local" Apple Store to buy one right then and there.

To impress some clients? That tells me a lot about where the rest of this is going....

Moral of the story: boot your system before leaving the Apple store because the "geniuses" obviously don't think it's important to test systems after making hardware changes. I guess common sense isn't taught at the Cupertino training sessions they take.

Thanks for reading my rant. Carry on...

They do test things, and I'm sure it worked fine when you left. Who knows how you drive or what type of roads or anything else. The RAM shifted, you reseated it, and the world is good.

I mean I really think it's a little overboard to put down an entire group of people simply because of something that could happen to anyone. Considering Apple is consistently rated #1 in support satisfaction, pretty sure they know how to do their job and they do it well.

Everyone makes mistakes, including yours of not verifying the system worked before you left. It's hardly the sign of a systemic problem.
 

Raz0rEdge

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...and if THIS is what you have to rant about..that says a lot about what Apple is doing right..

Regards
 

CrimsonRequiem


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I think the title of the thread needs to be changed. >_>" This is more about your experience with whomever serviced your machine, and not the Apple store itself.
 
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To impress some clients? That tells me a lot about where the rest of this is going....

Well, appearances do count for something after all :)

They do test things, and I'm sure it worked fine when you left. Who knows how you drive or what type of roads or anything else. The RAM shifted, you reseated it, and the world is good.

Have you ever installed RAM? There are indentations on the levers the function of which is to hold the modules in place. You could actually drop most systems and would be unlikely to unseat properly installed RAM. Driving unseated RAM...
rolleyesp.gif



I mean I really think it's a little overboard to put down an entire group of people simply because of something that could happen to anyone. Considering Apple is consistently rated #1 in support satisfaction, pretty sure they know how to do their job and they do it well.

Could happen to anyone? Maybe once. Perhaps twice. But anyone that calls themselves a professional would check so as not to compile once and twice with thrice.

For what it's worth, I did call the Apple Store today to complain about this, and it turns out that my complaint is not an anomaly. The manager was apologetic, and issued $100 credit to my company's account by way of recompense.

Everyone makes mistakes, including yours of not verifying the system worked before you left. It's hardly the sign of a systemic problem.

In my post I made no bones about my mistake, and I'm glad the manager owned up to his tech's.

...and if THIS is what you have to rant about..that says a lot about what Apple is doing right..

No argument there.


I think the title of the thread needs to be changed. >_>" This is more about your experience with whomever serviced your machine, and not the Apple store itself.

Unfortunately the system won't let me edit the original title, but you're quite right.
 
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This is why I add memory myself...
 

robduckyworth


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im of the belief that the RAM was installed incorrectly. the fit is absolutely solid in the new macbook pros. i don't think driving along in a car would unseat them. if that were the case, hundreds of people with these computers that travel would be complaining that their RAM is unseated. I travel for 2 hours a weekend, taking a bus, two trains and a car, all the time with my MBP in my rucksack. both the stock RAM apple installed and the RAM i installed have never come unseated.

its shoddy that they would let this happen. however, this does not mean that all the apple stores are bad. it just means theres a few "technicians" that are two twigs short of a fire.
:)
 

iWhat

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I'm willing to bet the person installing the RAM was in the middle of the process and became distracted, then came back and just finished out by putting the cover back on.

Sorry, I just don't see the justification for a rant. There are a few Apple Store rants on this site that way out do this one.
 

CrimsonRequiem


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I'm willing to bet the person installing the RAM was in the middle of the process and became distracted, then came back and just finished out by putting the cover back on.

Sorry, I just don't see the justification for an rant. There are a few Apple Store rants on this site that way out do this one.

Lets not encourage a competition. :p
 
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To impress some clients? That tells me a lot about where the rest of this is going....



They do test things, and I'm sure it worked fine when you left. Who knows how you drive or what type of roads or anything else. The RAM shifted, you reseated it, and the world is good.

I mean I really think it's a little overboard to put down an entire group of people simply because of something that could happen to anyone. Considering Apple is consistently rated #1 in support satisfaction, pretty sure they know how to do their job and they do it well.

Everyone makes mistakes, including yours of not verifying the system worked before you left. It's hardly the sign of a systemic problem.

It would take more than a ride over bumpy rides to unseat the RAM in a MBP, especially if it was in it's original box or a padded case.
 
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It would take more than a ride over bumpy rides to unseat the RAM in a MBP, especially if it was in it's original box or a padded case.

My point was that the entire rant was melodramatic.
 
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As Blizzard would say, it was an "overstatement of upset".
 
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45 minutes to install RAM? wow did they install it or did they hand craft the RAM first?
 

bobtomay

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45 minutes to install RAM? wow did they install it or did they hand craft the RAM first?

What, you think they had no other machines for other customers sitting there on the rack in front of this one?
 
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schweb said:
My point was that the entire rant was melodramatic.
Wasn't that point?

That was the point, indeed. When one receives less than excellent service from a company reputed for providing stellar service, it's rant-worthy. This wasn't an instance of some obscure defect in the RAM module that caused intermittent freezing or required advanced diagnostics. You lose a lot more credibility in my view for failing on basic things like installation (that they insisted on doing, to boot).

And I can't help but think, what if I had been somebody less technically able. I'd had to drive 90 minutes back to the Apple store, wasting both gas and time, and then mill around in the store for another undetermined period of time while my place in line came up, and then 90 minutes back home. It would have been a lot of time wasted for something that an Apple certified tech -- who's supposed to exemplify Apple's high standards -- could have avoided by taking 30 seconds to check his work.

I expected more from them, and those expectations weren't met. And that's why I believe my rant was justified.
 

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