Resolved Apple lost the Macbook Pro during the Repair, has someone experienced this? (RESOLVED, Page 13)

[phloo]

They're not Apple. Guessing they're not even official Apple resellers.

Apple's refurb process is arguably much better than any third party.

1. Apple do not sell such old devices. OP wants that device (preferable his own)
2. Official resellers do not sell refurbished devices
3. Since you do not know the stores nor you bought anything there, your argument is not a fact

In Germany we have a lots of regulations and a good return policy. These stores even offer up to 30 months of guarantee. So if you do not like the quality, return it.

 

[KayEm6419]

Just a gentle reminder that UPS lost the device (the loaded truck containing the device went missing). Not Apple.

Do hope you reach a resolution that is satisfactory to all...soon! I look forward to reading that post.

Best, KM

 

[TiggrToo]

1. Apple do not sell such old devices. OP wants that device (preferable his own)
2. Official resellers do not sell refurbished devices
3. Since you do not know the stores nor you bought anything there, your argument is not a fact

In Germany we have a lots of regulations and a good return policy. These stores even offer up to 30 months of guarantee. So if you do not like the quality, return it.

I looked at both websites - couldn’t see anywhere they were showing they were authorized resellers. Care to prove me wrong?

Also, Germany’s (Europe’s) excellent customer protection laws do not negate the fact that the devices are NOT authorized Apple refurbs or ’new’ items. As such its quite unlikely you’d be able to buy new AppleCare+ support on them, nor would Apple be required to warranty them.

The OP’s issue is with Apple and Apple are the only party in the mix. They cannot (and will not) deal with unauthorized 3rd party resellers. You bringing them up only causes confusion.

One is not required to purchase something from a third party reseller to state the obvious.

The OP may want a 2015 MacBook Pro but the simple fact of life is that Apple, at this juncture, will not have any new ones to give. Even Europes excellent customer protection laws do not vendors to provide an exact replacement.

Finally, all these laws cover warranty replacements. This is NOT such a situation.

The issue here is LOSS of property. A totally different ballgame.

As such this falls under a totally different set of rules. Insurance is designed to set a person whole again. If you drive a 2015 BMW and it gets totaled, you’ll get the value of the vehicle at the time of the loss. If it’s worth only 30% of the amount you paid in 2015, you’ll get 30% back. You’ll NOT get a ‘new’ 2015 BMW.

As it stands, Apple are offering to make the OP whole with the 2020 M1 Pro. Given depreciation, that’s a very good deal.

They may still yet do better, we’ll have to see.

Just a gentle reminder that UPS lost the device (the loaded truck containing the device went missing). Not Apple.

Do hope you reach a resolution that is satisfactory to all...soon! I look forward to reading that post.

Best, KM

Indeed, however if Apple paid for the return shipping (which it sounds they did) then @GoztepeEge’s contract is with Apple. And Apple have a contract with UPS.

 

[KayEm6419]

From the legal standpoint, yes.

I am addressing the possibility of misdirected anger & frustration toward  employees who had nothing to do with the disappearance of OP's lovely MBP. Such would not help negotiation at any level.

 

[phloo]

I looked at both websites - couldn’t see anywhere they were showing they were authorized resellers. Care to prove me wrong?

Also, Germany’s (Europe’s) excellent customer protection laws do not negate the fact that the devices are NOT authorized Apple refurbs or ’new’ items. As such its quite unlikely you’d be able to buy new AppleCare+ support on them, nor would Apple be required to warranty them.

The OP’s issue is with Apple and Apple are the only party in the mix. They cannot (and will not) deal with unauthorized 3rd party resellers. You bringing them up only causes confusion.

Why would you even bring up Apple Care? It doesnt make sense at all in this context.

As I said before: this are refurbished items. Not sure if you know what that means. Do you think a Mercedes can only be bought and repaired at Mercedes Benz?

The warranty is provided by the sellers.

Too much bla bla and you obviously do not read carefully (never said these are official resellers). Moving on... Good luck for the OP

 

[TiggrToo]

Why would you even bring up Apple Care? It doesnt make sense at all in this context.

As I said before: this are refurbished items. Not sure if you know what that means. Do you think a Mercedes can only be bought and repaired at Mercedes Benz?

The warranty is provided by the sellers.

Too much bla bla. You didnt get my point at all. Moving on...

Please do not be rude. Of course I know what a refurb item is.

So, I'd ask you, do you know the difference between a genuine Apple refurb and any other refurb? Because there's a big difference. Apple will treat an Apple refurb "as new" and each device undergoes a rigorous set of tests before sale. In addition each Apple refurb usually has completely new outside components. The same can not be said for any other refurb.

Might I remind you that YOU were the one to bring up 2 probably unauthorized places that sold Apple devices.

@GoztepeEge has an issue with Apple Corporate.

What ever made you think that providing two random resellers of dubious veracity was going to help the poor OP in their desire to seek satisfaction from Apple?

And availability of AppleCare can be a big difference. Unless you can prove for a certainly that these random resellers sell devices that can have a new AppleCare contract taken out of them, then their value is diminished.

 

[phloo]

No one is rude. You bring up things which are not related to my suggestion in any way.
I suggested to sell the device he gets as replacement and get the same model he had. Which is in a state as if he would have bought it back in the days because they are refurbished and with full warranty. Period.

 

[Fishrrman]

282 posts.
This is "the Seinfeld thread of the week".

My advice to the OP is:
If they're offering you a 2020 m1 MacBook Pro 13", take it.
That's probably as "good as you're going to get" out of this.

And you'd better get used to dongles, as well, if you have USBa devices.

Apple took the OP's laptop for repair, sent it out, and the shipper... LOST it (more likely it was stolen).
Apple did not cause that to happen. They have NO direct responsibility for the loss/theft.
They're going to swallow the loss and give the OP a new MacBook Pro 13".

What is Apple doing wrong here?

 

[marinersaptcomplex]

If you are truly truly truly in need of a Mac with proper ports and 2 display support, you would do as @phloo said. Just take the M1 13", do not open it. Seal it sealed for the equivalent yourself (maybe slightly below Apple's price, so you actually make a sale). Use that money, ~1400euros, to buy a used 2015 MBP like you originally had!

 

[Madhatter32]

282 posts.
This is "the Seinfeld thread of the week".

My advice to the OP is:
If they're offering you a 2020 m1 MacBook Pro 13", take it.
That's probably as "good as you're going to get" out of this.

And you'd better get used to dongles, as well, if you have USBa devices.

Apple took the OP's laptop for repair, sent it out, and the shipper... LOST it (more likely it was stolen).
Apple did not cause that to happen. They have NO direct responsibility for the loss/theft.
They're going to swallow the loss and give the OP a new MacBook Pro 13".

What is Apple doing wrong here?

I think you are understating Apple's liability here. If they take personal property in for a repair, they are liable to the customer to return it. At the end of the day, insurance will cover the loss -- either Apple's or the shipper's. It is likley that both carry insurance. The OP should be made whole by Apple.

 

[marinersaptcomplex]

I think you are understating Apple's liability here. If they take personal property in for a repair, they are liable to the customer to return it. At the end of the day, insurance will cover the loss -- either Apple's or the shipper's. It is likley that both carry insurance. The OP should be made whole by Apple.

To put it delicately, offering a free laptop worth roughly 1000euros more than what was lost is quite amazing...

 

[Madhatter32]

To put it delicately, offering a free laptop worth roughly 1000euros more than what was lost is quite amazing...

I agree. I wish Apple would lose my laptop as well.

 

[chikorita157]

Not to mention, you can get dual monitor support from DisplayLink adapters or just get an ultrawide monitor. Not the most ideal situation, but it will work. Then save money for a 14 inch and down the line, sell the 13 for a 13. Also, a Thunderbolt 3 dock will bring back most, if not all the ports. But yes, you have to deal with dongles, but it's honestly not that bad since the benefits outweigh the limitations such as the ability to charge from a dock and use high speed thunderbolt SSDs. Sure, I have a 2012 non-retina MacBook Pro 15" that I used from 2013-2018 before getting a 2018 MacBook Pro 15". I don't use that many USB-A devices nowadays as most are USB-C and if I do, it's usually at the desk or have a dongle.

I would not advise getting a used/refurbished 2015 MacBook Pro since I don't trust third party refurbishers and you don't know if they really refurbish the device or fixed any component level issues and the age of the device, which is approaching 6-7 years. They just may reinstall the OS and wipe the device down and that's it while not replacing the battery, keyboard, etc to make it look prestine. I only trust open box/refurbished stuff from reputable companies. Given how old the 2015 MacBook Pro is, it may not receive future updates.

 

[sarakn]

LATEST TERRIBLE NEWS: long story short: they are insisting on the 2020 M1 13". And todays manager was extremely unhelpful and careless.

I went to the store, genius Bar, there was none of the persons I talked to 2 days ago. I could not find the employee, nor the manager.
Another manager came to my desk, told me that the previous manager is sick and not here, but he is already informed about the issue.
We started talking. First, he told me that the issue is still going by the UPS. Hence we need to wait until tomorrow. If tomorrow no news exist, okay it is 100% time to replace the device with a new one, that is 2020 M1 13". And he also was like already informed about my concerns like input ports, and displays.

Here is what have happened!:

After he told me these, I started talking. I expressed that I am feeling like it is a DEJAVU, because I was already told the same things 2 days ago by the previous manager and the employee.
He told me again, the investigation is still going even today. He was expressing confidently like he does not know (!) if my device lost or not. But the previous manager was already guessing it is 99% lost, and he understood all of my concerns 2 days ago. Todays manager was so confident and careless, did not even try to understand and help. He just went through the ordinary process.

Then I told him one more thing:
I had all the ports and 2 display support with my Early 2015 device, but now you are offering me the 2020 M1 one and you are considering these two devices as equal. How do you give me 2 additional monitor support and the HDMI-SD Card ports?
He answered like:
We can give you a HDMI dongle, and I am not sure but we can maybe try to give the SD Card dongle as well. And when you purchase a USB Type C Hub, you can get 2 display support with the help of that hub.

Can you believe this? He wants me to spend money and purchase an expensive TypeC hub for the 2 additional display problem. And also he was not sure to give the SD Card dongle as well, which I will completely ignore and deny.

After 1 hour of talk, I got really angry and upset. I started expressing the same things; he was not looking at the issue from the perspective of my job and education. I told him that I always and everyday need 2 display support and HDMI-SD Card ports. Instead of understanding and finding a better solution, he was so confident and careless to offer me 2020 M1 13", with a free dongle (!), and he advised me to purchase an expensive TypeC Hub for the displays.

The guy who offered these to me was the "manager" of that store. Imagine please. It was "Apple" (!).
He kept also telling me that if I want a 2021 14" MBP, I have to pay the price difference. I can not get it. This is not fair. They took my device from me, and they are now trying to take the productivity and usability features from me as well. He does not care how I was using my Early 2015, he does not care about the functionality, he does not care about the ports and display support.
The only things he were mentioning was like "Your device was around 1100 USD in 2016, but now we are giving you a 1500 USD device for free (for free? look at the below to see what is for free)", and also "2020 M1 device is more faster than yours, so it is enough and fair to have it".
You see that he is just looking at the issue from the perspective of "speed and hardware" and "price".
I got really upset and unsatisfied after all these, when I expressed my feelings to him, he was careless as well.


There is one more thing which made me to lose all of my trust to the Apple employees/managers:
2 days ago when I asked the first manager about any price, like, "how much should I pay when you give me a replacement for free", he told me that "There will be no price, zero, as we have lost your computer".

But today, the new manager told me that: "In either case like 2020 M1 or 2021 14", you have to pay the battery replacement cost as 209 Euro. If you want to upgrade from 2020 to 2021 MBP, it will be 209 Euro + the difference in between two devices (around 800 Euro)".

I was really shocked at that moment! There existed a completely different information. First manager told there will be no cost, zero, todays told there will be at least the battery replacement cost in either case.
Terrible experience!

I made another appointment for tomorrow to see the previous employee and the manager, as they were way more helpful and trying to find a way to make me satisfied. And also in these 2 days, these people give me completely different information.

Now the final options are:
1) To have a chance to get the 2021 14" for free (almost impossible if I consider today)
2) To get the 2020 M1 13" for free (almost impossible as well since he wants me to pay the battery replacement price)
3) To pay the difference only from 2020 to 2021 (almost 800 Euro, but almost 650 Euro with student discount)
4) To pay the difference (either normal or student cost) + the battery replacement cost (209) which todays manager wants

Sorry to hear this OP. It sucks that they gave you 2 options and now the new manager is trying to go against it. I understand you're upset, but I feel you should push this in the most diplomatic way possible. Hopefully, you can reconnect with the original managers and work with them so the original options are offered again.
I hope this works out. Going forward, just deal with the original managers and let them see this case through.

Good luck!

 

[GoztepeEge]

Tomorrow, I mean actually today, will be the last day I guess, when I go to the store.

If they definitely insist, I will cut that there, make a decision (will not get 2020) about additional payment like maybe student discount,
and will prepare myself to elevate all these to the upper side of the Apple.

However at the end hopefully tomorrow I will have a 2021 MBP, either additionally-paid or not. But I can not directly have the 2020, it is not a long-term device for me, very limited.

Additionally, the new manager is also pushing me to pay the battery replacement cost, that has never been completed. It is weird, they want me to pay the price of something that they never done/completed, in addition lost the main product, my lovely computer.
It does not just make sense to me. I do not know why he was insisting about this payment, while the previous manager told there was going to be zero cost.

My final guess: after all arguments and fights, probably I will get 2021 14”, by paying the price difference in student discount, and also the “never been done” battery replacement price. It will be around 850€. Then I will escalate all these things in detail to the Apple.

 

[TiggrToo]

Tomorrow, I mean actually today, will be the last day I guess, when I go to the store.

If they definitely insist, I will cut that there, make a decision (will not get 2020) about additional payment like maybe student discount,
and will prepare myself to elevate all these to the upper side of the Apple.

However at the end hopefully tomorrow I will have a 2021 MBP, either additionally-paid or not. But I can not directly have the 2020, it is not a long-term device for me, very limited.

Additionally, the new manager is also pushing me to pay the battery replacement cost, that has never been completed. It is weird, they want me to pay the price of something that they never done/completed, in addition lost the main product, my lovely computer.
It does not just make sense to me. I do not know why he was insisting about this payment, while the previous manager told there was going to be zero cost.

My final guess: after all arguments and fights, probably I will get 2021 14”, by paying the price difference in student discount, and also the “never been done” battery replacement price. It will be around 850€. Then I will escalate all these things in detail to the Apple.

If you want to hold out hope from your email to Tim Cook then you’ll possibly not want to take any offer they give you at the store because buy doing so they’ll potentially consider the matter closed.

Quite often the moment you accept a ‘deal’ that’s seen as the end of the matter.

In addition whilst paying the difference between a 13“ MBP and a 14” may make financial sense to you, things do not always end up that way. It may be that they’re looking at shifting the 13” fast, hence offering that to you. Fiscally it may not be possible for the manager to offer the 14” plus the difference as that means they’re left with the 13” but now out a 14” that they could have sold for full price.

Yeah this doesn’t necessarily make sense, but I’ve been in this game long enough to have experienced exactly such a scenario myself. What feels logical to us does not always add up that way in the store. They may have the 13” valued at a lesser value.

Of course, you may also get lucky. I hope you do, I know if I were in the same situation I’d not be happy.

I can however highly recommend the M1 Air. I replaced my 2015 1TB 16GB MBP with a 1TB 16GB Air and it’s a speedy little SOB. Everything runs so much faster on it and it’s silent as anything. I do a lot of development work and it’s also significantly faster than my work supplied 2019 Intel 32GB MBP.

Also: **** paying for the battery service. They didn’t replace it so they shouldn’t get the money for it. That’s them being cheap asshats.

 

[GoztepeEge]

If you want to hold out hope from your email to Tim Cook then you’ll possibly not want to take any offer they give you at the store because buy doing so they’ll potentially consider the matter closed.

Quite often the moment you accept a ‘deal’ that’s seen as the end of the matter.

In addition whilst paying the difference between a 13“ MBP and a 14” may make financial sense to you, things do not always end up that way. It may be that they’re looking at shifting the 13” fast, hence offering that to you. Fiscally it may not be possible for the manager to offer the 14” plus the difference as that means they’re left with the 13” but now out a 14” that they could have sold for full price.

Yeah this doesn’t necessarily make sense, but I’ve been in this game long enough to have experienced exactly such a scenario myself. What feels logical to us does not always add up that way in the store. They may have the 13” valued at a lesser value.

Of course, you may also get lucky. I hope you do, I know if I were in the same situation I’d not be happy.

I can however highly recommend the M1 Air. I replaced my 2015 1TB 16GB MBP with a 1TB 16GB Air and it’s a speedy little SOB. Everything runs so much faster on it and it’s silent as anything. I do a lot of development work and it’s also significantly faster than my work supplied 2019 Intel 32GB MBP.

Also: **** paying for the battery service. They didn’t replace it so they shouldn’t get the money for it. That’s them being cheap asshats.

I can not wait more. Hence today I have to get it resolved in either case or way.
But I will however keep escalating it, by also stating the reason why I had to accept the offer partially, as I have no chance to wait more right now. I could lose my job, and university is going extremely bad. Hence I have to get the MBP, but definitely not 2020 model. I find it as such a short-term device. I used my Early 2015 almost 5.5 years. 2021 models seem to me the same. But, 2020s, sorry no.

And also for the battery replacement cost, I still can not get it. I just hope they just waive this off, they can not request it from me. They did nothing but losing my computer. For what reason do I have to pay it?!

 

[auwkeung]

How come they would send the machine to another country for a battery replacement....suppose they could do it in-store in 15 mins

 

[KPOM]

I would ask for the maxed-out MacBook Pro. It is unacceptable for any company to lose the laptop left for repair, let alone Apple. You might have left invaluable personal information on your laptop that can never be replaced. This is truly embarrassing for Apple and they should compensate by giving you the very best that they can.

They do ask that you back up your Mac before sending it in for repair. These things happen. What if your Mac was in that warehouse that got destroyed by the tornado last weekend?

 

[Boy261]

And also for the battery replacement cost, I still can not get it. I just hope they just waive this off, they can not request it from me. They did nothing but losing my computer. For what reason do I have to pay it?!

Very sad to hear that was yesterdays outcome.

If this situation really doesnt let you get the 2021 mbp for free, i think that first you need to ger rid of the battery replacement charge, even if they did the replacement but lost your mac, they cannot charge for a mac repair they dont have. That said thats 209€ less to pay.

Normally apple is very sturdy to give things for free, but if you are paying i think you will be able to negotiate things a bit better. It does not mean you really should tho, but how the situation stands its how you have to adapt, although to having to pay something you maybe cant afford is a bad thing aswell

That said, lets see if you can get the difference price a bit down like maybe 600€ And also applying the student discount to that so it stays between 400-500€. It probably will be difficult to do this but let see if it is possible!

Trying to look on a brigh side of things even though i know you were completely fine with your mac and were not in for a change (maybe also economically), but i think 600€ Or less for the 14” macbook pro is quite good, i wish i could get one at that price!?

But still, push the free mac to the limit, and lets see if you reach to higher ranked people in the company, if the outcome HAS to be paying for it then i think you should embrace it and try to take as much advantage as possible.

 

[KeesMacPro]

@GoztepeEge

The fact that you send in a device with personal data is your decision and IMHO not very wise , regardless what they told you in the Genius Bar.
Since you have a backup I would've erased the device immediately without waiting for a confirmation that it's lost (but I'd never send in a device with personal data in the first place).

To analyze the frustrating situation you're in now you could look at different aspects :
Financially :
-you planned to have the battery replaced so counted on the costs to get an old device going for a few years more at best.
This is the deal you made with Apple.
If you get a new MBP back , there is no disadvantage (apart from dongles): on the contrary.
-no computer means no work, so you're loosing money.

Time:
I understand it's urgent to get a replacement asap , for obvious reasons.
I doubt things will speed up if you keep your feet stiff to get what you think is reasonable and convenient to you.

Energy:
Seriously, I do understand the feelings caused by this stalemate.
I would consider though if it's worth it to spent much more energy to a situation that's not very pleasant.

I can guarantee that if you're willing to invest the money, time and emotional side effects to contact T Cook personally and/or get a good legal advice and go this route till the end, you will realize that it may not have been worth it.
Believe me, I got my experiences with legal procedures.

Short: I think Apple's offer is a fair one and will get you back on track immediately.
I'd definitely accept the deal and get on with my life.
As suggested by others, if you really want to, you can always dedicate some time later on to look for a 2015MBP and sell the new MBP with profit.
You may have to get the battery replaced on your "new" 2015 though ; )

 

[skaertus]

They do ask that you back up your Mac before sending it in for repair. These things happen. What if your Mac was in that warehouse that got destroyed by the tornado last weekend?

I can understand a thousand things can happen. Apple is a trillion-dollar company that praises customer experience and this is the reason why it is such a valuable company. If Apple wants to keep providing this kind of experience, it could well replace the lost laptop with something very nice, to leave no bad taste in the customer's mouth.

I am not even talking about legal aspects here. Also because the laptop was lost in Germany, where U.S. law does not apply.

 

[astorre]

...Apple is a trillion-dollar company that ...

$2. 655 Trillion

 

[flashy-cat]

Haven't read the whole thread, but you should've wiped the machine before handing it in.

 

[KeesMacPro]

If Apple wants to keep providing this kind of experience, it could well replace the lost laptop with something very nice, to leave no bad taste in the customer's mouth.

Why would Apple have to replace it with "something very nice" ?
This sounds like if it was Santa Claus.
The offer is like more than double the value already.

I am not even talking about legal aspects here. Also because the laptop was lost in Germany, where U.S. law does not apply.

Well, in real life if you dont come to an agreement with someone, legal aspects is all you got to rely on.
Not sure what US laws and Germany has to do with it.
Of course german laws apply here , but what is your point?