When AppleCare doesn't work -- go to Customer Relations

Macintouch: Technical Support Issues

Antony Widoff's problems with AppleCare: The AppleCare people (even the supervisors) have very limited powers. Instead, call Apple's Customer Relations department (AppleCare should be able to provide the number for that). Their supervisors have essentially limitless powers, and can arrange things (replacement machines, refunds, on-site repairs, other compensation) that AppleCare cannot.

When my then-new week-old blue and white G3 started crashing constantly, I took it to a local Apple authorized service provider (AASP) who held it for two weeks and then did nothing to it because "MacTest Pro said it was fine". (Even AppleCare's own tests failed, but he didn't do those, relying solely on MTP.) Since I didn't have a car at the time, getting the machine to and from an AASP was a hassle, so I called Apple and demanded that something be done.

AppleCare could only advise me to take it in to an AASP again. I went through all the AppleCare supervisors and got nowhere. Finally, I called customer relations and politely but firmly pled my case, and by that afternoon, the customer relations representative had arranged for on-site repair by a different AASP, plus sent a free upgrade to Mac OS 9 for my troubles.