11 posts tagged “rants”

So last Friday (20th) I get a call from this supervisor at Apple telling me that the Mac Mini was goingto take 8+ weeks because of the 160GB hard drive. So I cancel that order and go for the 120GB version.

The confirmation comes through saying it would tae 3 days to ship - which makes it the 25th (giving the the weekend off). On the same day I get an email from the supervisor saying he would try and ensure this was a priority order.

So today I get an email ................ they wont be shipping until the 2nd November, which is NINE working days NOT three, and not exactly a priority order!!! I have emailed the supervisor asking for an explanation - no response as yet (lnoy two hours hav eelapsed though) so I will post as soon as I hear anything!

This "story" doesn't make pleasant reading!

I recntly ordered an iMac for my Wife, her first Mac!! Apple notified me that it had shipped on the 28th September and that I should expect it by Tuesday 3rd October, which was just perfect as my wife was going back to the UK on the 5th so that would let her unpack it and have an initial play, and then then I could set it all up for her for when she returned on the 12th October.

So the evening of the 3rd I rang Apple to say that it hadn't arrived and was there a problem. They confirmed that the package was with TNT for delivery in Malaga, and would I like to speak to them? They patched me through and I confirmed my address and contact numbers with TNT who said that they would try and deliver it on the Wenesday (4th) but more likely on the 5th. I said that they would have to deliver after 5pm on the 5th as I was taking my wife to the airport and picking my parents up from the airport in the morning.

At this stage I should explain that about 4 weeks ago I bought something from Apple that TNT delivered. That time I got an email from Apple saying I needed to contact them to arrange an alternative delivery as TNT said they had tried to deliver the parcel on the Thursday but no one was in. Now I was in all day on that Thursday, nobody rang, and nobody left a "tried to deliver note". I told Apple this and TNT rang me on the Friday to say they would deliver after 10am on the Monday, and then promptly delivered it 30 minutes later!!

Morning of the 5th I get an email from Apple, would I contact them etc etc. Sure enough TNT claimed they tried to deliver at 1pm on the Wednesday, despite the parcel been in Malaga that morning, and the fact that both my wife and I had been all day, and as before no phone call or card left. I rang Apple to tell them this and to explain that in my view TNT were not telling the truth, and indeed may be saying they had tried to deliver in order to meet any service levels that they have in place with Apple. All they were interested in was putting me in touch with TNT (Malaga) who said that they would email the Almeria depot and let them know that they could deliver on the Friday.

On Friday I got a phone call about 2pm from TNT (Almeria) saying they would deliver that aftenoon. At 8pm I rang TNT (Malaga) as that was the only number they give out who rang TNT (Almeria) to be told that they had forgotten to put the parcel on the van. No explanation as to why they hadn't rang me to tell me, and no aplology for the fact that they couldn't deliver now until Monday. They did promise to ring me first thing Monday to arrange a convenient time to deliver the parcel.

10am Monday I rang Apple as I had not heard from TNT. Apple seems a little more interested and said that they had spoken to TNT (whilst I hung on the other line) and that they would deliver by 5pm (as I had said I was fed up of having to wait around especially as my parents were visiting). Apple said that once the parcel was delivered and I was happy it was working I should ring them to dicsuss a refund. 5pm on Monday I rang TNT (Malaga) to see what was going on. They said that they would email Almeria as they couldn't phone them (depsite the fact that they had phoned them on Friday - yet another LIE), and get them to ring me. I rang Apple to complain but was told that I couldn't speak to a manager, but they would ask one to ring me back BUT it would take 4 hours as that was their policy! At 7.30pm I got a phone call from Almeria saying that the driver was very close but he didn't know Almerimar (so he couldn't have delivered on the Wednesday as he had claimed). I gave directions and they said they would ring when close - that was the last I heard from them, no parcel again!!

Tuesday morning I was really mad. I rang Apple and they said that all they could do was ring TNT (Malaga), and ask a  manager to ring me. TNT (Malaga) couldn't explain what was happening, and again said they couldn't ring the Almeria depot as they were only allowed to email. I demanded to speak to a supervisor, so was put through to someone in Seville who didn't speak much English, but did ring the Almeria depot (yep it can be done) and told me that the parcel would be deivered before 5pm that day.

1pm, parcel arrived!! Manager rang from Apple to say he was going to chase TNT (he didn't know that the parcel had arrived)  and when he found out told me that was "excellent". I asked him if he really think that  a 7 day delay,  consisting of lies,  misinformation and no one owning the problem at all was really "excellent", and if that was what Apple strived to achive? He apologized and gave me a 80€ payment as a gesture of goodwill, which I had none of.

I must have spent at least 3 hours on the phone chasing this, along with 2.5 days hanging around when I had been told specifically that the deliver was going to happen, and I have been left with a disatisfaction with Apple and utter contempt for TNT - they LIE, and they are CRAP.
 

After my now normal hour on the phone to TNT and Apple, two things happened today:

- an Apple supervisor rang to apologize and offer me some compensation, and
- the iMac arrived.

Probably the best thing is that the supervisor gave me his email address and said that when I got my shipment notices for the other two orders to email him and he would try and ensure that there were no repeats of this disaster.

Still mad as hell, but off to play now :-)

7.40 pm, call from TNT - the driver s close to Almerimar, we don't know where you are, we will call you when we are in Almerimar to sort out getting to your house

9 pm - no call, no parcel, nada, nothing, zilch. Totally unbelievable - and Apple didn't call back either.

Heh, a phone call on my mobile - which I haven't given them since Thursday so they have had my number all along even though they said they had lost it!!

The driver is on his way, BUT he doesn't know anywhere in Almerimar so they wanted me to drive out and meet him - and this is the driver who said he tried to deliver to my apartment on Wednesday but that I was out!!!! Hoe do you work that out. Wednesday he got here and I was out, today I am here but he doesn't know where the apartment is.

AND they don't seem to see the fact that they are just making up stories.

So, 10 am this morning Apple tell me that they have spoken to TNT and that the iMac will be here by 5 pm. At 4.50 pm I rang Apple, who rang TNT to be told they will try to deliver it today!!!

For what is at least the 15th time I confirmed that my address and phone number were correct. I asked to speak to a supervisor or manager at Apple to be told that they would ask if one would ring me back, but that it would be 4 hours!!!

I am utterly fed up with both Apple and TNT. I feel that I have been repeatedly lied to, and that no one seems at least worried or sorry about this unbelievably bad service!!! And now it seems that not only is no one worried about the service, but no one actually wants to talk to me about how they can appease me :-(

Come on Apple - I expected a LOT better from you!!!!!!!!!!!!

I got an email this morning from the guy who I bought the screen off. He has filled in the claim form to try and get the money back that he paid for shipping, and which I paid him as part of my Pay Pal payment to him.

He seems a really helpful, honest and genuine guy :-) We are both of the view that it will be ages before we get anything back from Parcel Force, if in fact we get anything at all :-(

So, they were meant to be ringing me first thing to confirm the time of delivery right?

At 10 am I rang Apple and told them the whole story! They rang TNT whilst I was on the line and TNT asked them to ask me what times I would be available for a delivery today!!!! I have told them before 5 pm. It is now 1.40 pm. Am I confident it will turn up today? Nope!!!

Apple told me to ring them once it had arrived and I was happy all was OK and they would sort out a refund for me :-)

The worst part of all this? I have bought tow things off Apple in the last 6 weeks and both have been delivered (badly) by TNT and I have two more orders waiting to be dispatched by Apple later this month - and they will be delivered as well by TNT :-(

OK, so it's Friday today. On Wednesday I phoned Apple up to see where my delivery was that was due on Tuesday. They gave me the number of the delivery compnay they use here in Spain (TNT).

TNT said that they would try and deliver that day, but it may be the next day. As I was out in the morning I said it would have to be after 5pm if it Thursday. I confirmed they had my delivery address and  phone number. Why did I do this? Because last time I bought something from Apple I got an email telling me to call them to re-arrange delivery. That time TNT said they had tried to deliver which was strange as I had been in at the time they said, and I hadn't had a phone call or card to say they had tried! Still TNT said they would deliver the next day, and 30 mins later it  turned up!

So this time I thought I would be one step ahead, but nope! Yesterday I got the same email from Apple, saying TNT had tried to deliver at 1 pm on Wednesday. I spoke to TNT and explained that I was in all day on Wednesday, and they hadn'r rang or left a card. They said they would ring me back to let me know. 3 hours later I rang them again as I hadn't heard anything, and they said they would ring me back - guess what  I am still waiting for bot the phone call and more importantly the iMac :-(

So it is now FRIDAY night. TNT rang at 2 pm to say they would be delivering this afternoon and took my number (again)  so they could ring when thay were on the way. 8 pm I rang - to be told that they had forgotten to but the box in the van, and that it would now be sometime on Monday when they would deliver!!! Hit the roof???? I am still up there!!!!!!!!

Beer time me thinks :-)

I am struggling to work out if I have ever dealt with such an inefficient and ineffective company?

Last Tuesday the guy that I bought my Apple Screen off on eBay posted it to me on an express (2-3 day) delivery. The tracking system says that yesterday (7 days later) they had tried to deliver it BUT I was in all day, received no phone calls and have received no "failed delivery" card!

Two emails have been ignored by Parcel Force. NINE calls failed to get through as they were too busy, but suggested I looked at their web site, which is inaccurate and doesn't give the information I required.

I have managed to get through to them once so far on the phone but a) they can't initiate a trace for me as I am not their customer as I am only receiving the parcel and b) they gave me the name of the delivery company in Spain they use, only that company told me that it wasn't them.

SO it seems that Parcel Force don't even know who they are using to deliver my parcel, and don't care that they can't help me!!!

AND they have one of those horrendous voice activated systems that wont actually give you the option just to talk to anybody, but doesn't recognise that you aren't in the UK i.e. your address isn't recognised by their system!!! So you have to go through a long loop, until they try and connect you to a person - in the meantime you are made to listen to them telling you how good their service is!!! TOTAL CRAP