Open letter to Tim Cook

[GoetzPhil]

I try for weeks to get a copy of my AppleWatch 4 invoice, but it seems too difficult for Apple to do that.
As I live in the philippines I have no official Apple Store to go to, and unfortunately all official ways didn't work yet.
I know it's christmas, but as tcook@apple.com is a public known email I wonder why after 6 days I not even have received a "your email was received" answer. I mean does Apple even care about how the public might see that?

That is why I now make this public by publishing it on known Apple websites and forums too.


Send to tcook@apple.com on 23.12.2019 at 3:31pm philipine time.
Until now 29.12.2019, 10:00am philippine time I not even got a "email received" back.

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Dear Mr. Cook, dear Mr. WiIlliams,

I have to write to you directly because my customer service problem seems to be too difficult that even 2 Apple Senior Advisors weren't able to help me yet.
You might ask what can be that difficult, so I tell you that I somehow lost the original invoice of my Apple Watch 4 and I just ask for a copy to send to me by email.

When I thought about getting me the AppleWatch4 I checked prices and found that I get the best price when I buy directly with Apple USA.
So I bought my watch online on January 5 and paid 467,07 US$ with my VISA card.
Serial no. of my watch is xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Because Apple only delivers within USA I used a forwarding company to get the watch to the philippines where I reside.
Now you might object that this is not the official way, then yes, but it's not different from people buying gadgets in the USA during holidays and flying back to their home country.

As now the battery of my Watch starts to drain, I need to bring it to an authorized repair center here in Cebu, and for that I need my invoice.
When I noticed that I must have lost it I tried to look it up online, but to my surprise I also don't see that invoice when I login with my AppleID.
That might be something to evaluate further in upcoming emails but for now it's not the point.

Because I didn't see my invoice online I tried to contact the Apple Hardware Store in the USA, but unfortunately I have no way to directly email them, the way I prefer to use.
The Apple US Store offers a 1-800 number that I cannot call by cellphone from the philippines.
So I tried the philippine hotline number which is also a 1-800 but only to hear "The number you've tried to call has already been disconnected".

So I chatted with Apple service, but unfortunately I only end up with Agents outside the USA and unable to help me.
I'm now at a point after weeks of trying that I had emailed with 2 Apple Senior Advisors, one in Singapore and another in Australia.
I told them both my story and they both could see my data, but were unable to help me.
They told me that only the Store in USA can help me but I also told them that I cannot reach the store by cellphone.
So we were stuck.

Then, when I asked them why they can't just transfer my tickt to the guys in USA, they only answered that they have no way to do that!
That really left me shocked as simple email from one department to another really is the simplest and easiest way of internal communication in any company worldwide!
And they just told me that that process isn't available or allowed at Apple.

Thats why I have no other way tan to ask Mr. Williams as Apples longterm COO, why a Senior Advisor is unable to help a customer.
Why they cannot just send an internal email to solve a problem in the simplest of ways!
If that is true then let me ask you as Apples longterm COO, why is this simple process not available within Apples customer Service?

But as Mr. Williams email isn't available to the public I have to ask the favour of forwarding my email to him of you Mr. Cook.
I hope Mr. Williams can explain and fix that procedural issue fast and then also reply to me with just the asked copy of my invoice as a pdf.

Best regards and a blessed christmas from the Philippines.

 

[cmaier]

So Apple chooses not to do business directly with people in your country. You knew this, but figured Apple should provide full customer service as if they did. You lost your email receipt.

And instead of taking responsibility you decide to send your life story to the CEO in a lengthy missive?

When you buy something gray market, you run the risk that there will be issues if you need service. Everyone knows that. You wanted to save some money up front, and now you pay the price.

 

[TopherMan12]

The price of the Apple Watch 5 in the Philippines is 23990 pesos. That's approx. $473. Why was this worth all that hassle again?

And seriously, you went through a hell of a lot for that watch, I'm having a hard time understanding how you didn't keep up with your receipt.

A lot of this is on you, you know.

 

[jbachandouris]

Gee, I thought entitlement was solely confined to the US.

 

[Plutonius]

I know it's christmas, but as tcook@apple.com is a public known email I wonder why after 6 days I not even have received a "your email was received" answer.

I believe that's his personal email and not a service email address (no automatic reply).

I imagine that he gets 1000's of emails / day so most of them are probably shunted to a junk folder and not even completely read.

Your best bet is to keep working with Apple service and ask them to escalate the issue if they can't solve it.

 

[levander]

@GoetzPhil - have you tried having Your web browser use a proxy server that can make it look like you have a USA IP address? And then pull up Apple.com. And then maybe you can chat with a USA representative?

VPN services are the easiest way to spoof an IP address like that. But I don’t know of any free ones.

 

[faust]

I'm not a big time Apple shill, but this is pretty bizarre even to me. Sorry about the experience you had, but you brought in on yourself. I'd recommend not buying products if the warranty service you need isn't supported in your country.