My Recent MacPro Purchasing Experience

I have waited to write this until the entire ordeal was over. A month and a half ago I purchased a MacPro from the online Apple Store to replace my Quad G5 so I could have just one computer at home to run Windows and also get a nice performance bump when running Aperture for my photography.

To make a long story as short as possible it arrived Dead on Arrival (DOA) and everyone I spoke with at AppleCare didn't know the DOA Policy (and I have spoke with a lot of people). On July 2nd I finally spoke with a Specialist that finally knew the DOA policy and actually tried to help and not tell me lies. The DOA policy reads:


Dead On Arrival (DOA) Product: System Failure Out of the Box
An Apple-branded hardware product is considered DOA if it shows symptoms of a hardware failure, preventing basic operability, when you first use it after opening the box. If you believe that your product is DOA, please call AppleCare Technical Support at 1-800-APL-CARE (1-800-275-2273) within 30 calendar days of the invoice date. AppleCare Technical Support will determine whether the product is DOA and offer you the following options:


* Replacement: Apple, at its expense, will ship another of the same product . AppleCare Technical Support will put you in touch with an AppleStore Sales Support Representative who will arrange for replacement and the DOA product’s return.

* Service: You may have the product repaired. However, once you choose that option, you may not request replacement of the product.

If AppleCare Technical Support determines that a returned product is not DOA, Apple will apply Apple’s standard product warranty to the product. Further, if AppleCare determines that you have misrepresented a returned product’s condition and that the product is not DOA, Apple may impose a $400 handling fee.

This DOA policy applies only to Apple-branded hardware products currently offered at the Apple Store. As new products are offered, Apple reserves the right to determine whether or not this policy applies. This DOA policy does not apply to third-party products that do not bear the Apple brand name. You must call the manufacturer directly with any third-party product issues.


My machine wouldn't reboot and only detected 2GB out of the 4GB of RAM so obviously it qualified for DOA. Whenever I spoke with anyone I asked for the replacement option but they knew nothing about it. So I had to take it in for servicing (yeah, a brand new machine) and the "Genius" at the Genius Bar didn't know the DOA policy either. I ended up picking the machine up July 3rd, running into Steve Wozniak buying another iPhone (his 3rd time at the Valley Fair store since the iPhone was released), and finding out that the case was scratched and chipped.

After a bit of going around in circles they offered me some compensation for the damaged case and the hassle. I am fairly happy with the outcome but I will never get my time back. Apple does have good customer service, and prides itself on that customer service, but things happen that are out of their control. I just happened to be on the happening end, but it's how the company handles it is what counts. Customer service is an interesting business to be in.

If you have a similar situation I suggest you ask for a specialist if the initial person answering the phone can't help you. I have found that not all specialists know what they are talking about so call back again and get someone else. Each time you call it will take about 15 minutes for the first person and may take much longer for the specialist. Before you call read the Policy. Actually before you order read the Policy. If you can buy it from a local store do so. In the case of ordering a computer any option that is not the default is a "custom" computer and is handled differently. Many of the stores carry popular custom configurations.