aiya people here a bit the amnesia one, if machine offer freebies among other things for sure they'll go buy there and even if they were to give good customer service, it wont be highlighted here. Guys seriously though, Machine has implemented things like a facebook page, a feedback form in their stores, an online customer feedback through their demo computers among other things and also email address like info@machines.com.my that are read by their directors personally, if you have an actual case that why not try all this avenue, whaddaya have to lose? except some people losing their jobs, empathy takes a back seat doesnt it? For me, i have always maintained that retail stores are retail stores, you go in not looking for special over the top treatment or creating a long lasting special bond that includes fake smiles,or salutations. You go in and get the things or info that you want and thats that, if theres someone who treats you badly,being rude and all, just report it and if theres someone who treats you nicely takes step to highlight tht to their management too, people rarely do the latter. Just my 2 cents.

Again that is an Apple Store, machines cant do what an actual Apple Store could, none of the resellers can, Machines like other resellers have to take cues from what the Apple service reps have to say when it comes service or replacement, there isnt an on the spot exchange because none of the service centers stock parts,thats plain and simple,everything is in SG, thats how it has been. Im truly glad how you were treated and all, but alas we couldnt relate to you cause there isnt an Apple store in sight. No reseller can ever trump limitations imposed on them by the originator of the produce, unless of cause the originator opens its own store here there aint gonna be much red tape to contend about.

heres an analogy for ya, if my E90 were to break down especially that pesky N52 engine block problem, Auto Bavaria will take a month or so to fix it, my car would be at the service centre and im carless, if we had an actual BMW service and showroom, they'd stock parts here and the whole waiting game would have been limited to a few days, and im not kidding Aluminium engine bloack is a problem and oh i dont own any beemers haha just sharing.

This post has been edited by nimrod323: Apr 27 2010, 11:01 PM

thats the thing, apple reseller are nowhere near an apple store in terms of retail or service, due to branding also, or else how do they make Apple Store in the US more appealing compared to Bestbuy or Walmart? My BMW analogy above pretty much sums up the situation i guess

no they dont necessarily represent apple. The premium reseller badge is for have turnover rate, Epicentre and Switch has it too. Your representatives of Apple are apple malaysia themselves, located at Bukit Damansara. Your logic flawed, bad experience at an apple reseller = still is bad experience at an apple reseller, bad experience at an Actual Apple Store = Bad Experience with Apple Inc, as they come under direct control/QC. I cannot say im dissapointed at BMW if Auto Bavaria suxks can i?

My point of contention is, as was pointed by Eithanius, if the staff that is under the direct purview of the reseller or the service rendered. i cant complain if im carless for a month if BMW didnt choose to have a service centre in Malaysia which has all the parts stored locally. Auto Bavaria still has to order from Germany fro an engine replacement, and its clearly not Auto Bavaria's fault but if Auto Bavaria service suxks its their fault cause Auto Bavaria CS is under them, BMW can only do so much to ensure its franchisee comply with its agreements, same rules applies with apple reseller.

This post has been edited by nimrod323: Apr 27 2010, 11:35 PM

you'd think for a second that people who use macs would end up in a sloppy job like a salesman that wud probably incur wages between 5-8 Ringgit? Please la try to work in an apple reseller first and then comment. At least even if they are a PC user they are making an honest living lets face it, salesman can only feed you only so much info, if you are buying something be it even RM1 of value, you better research and know what you are buying.

Yet when foreigners enter an Apple reseller they only get what they want, and know what they are buying instead of asking questions like, hello got freebies arrr, discount arrr, 24 months installment arrr without even asking how the mac works etc etc. Our customer etiquette is also marred by sense of entitlement too.

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Added on April 28, 2010, 10:27 amreason being to startup you'd have to have a startup capita that runs i millions,thats just for setting up the store, to buy stocks and products you would need to have an account filled with millions. Thats why they arent many whom are taking this business, lets face it Malaysians in general dont buy macs, its like the last choice. I have said it before, theres no point to rant and say its up to Apple to correct the resellers, its actually up to the resellers, Machines or any other resellers, have implemented customer feedback forms as well as email addresses that are read by their directors personally. This is waay faster than b****ing about it here. I have seen the feedback forms in plain sights in machines outlets, with a pen not too far away,their name tags are always there for you to refer too.

This post has been edited by nimrod323: Apr 28 2010, 10:29 AM

Having a difference of an opinion doesnt mean i from an establishment that advocates it, i never claimed that Machines CS is the awesomest, im just saying they could be better, in fact i have also concurrently mentioned epicentre and switch in the mix. I too like you bought a lot of stuff from online store, if some of you guys might remember the mb pro unibody that i did almost a year back would remember as well as the buying tips thats pinned up there. Its really not wrong to ask questions seriously it isnt, but well its also not wrong to know what you are buying before making a purchase, i would think the salesman wouldnt know everything about a mac like for example if you ask him how an X grid works with a slew of machines with different OSES, he'll be like huh WHAT? I have been to Technocrats in One Borneo and even Switch in Penang, small relative shops that didnt bother to say hi to me when i asked queries. But i dont blame that or make an issue on the spot, just an email or call yo their HQ would resolve the matter. Regarding returning customers, do you work there to know they get more returning customers or are did they published a chart somewhere? i wouldnt even claim such a thing, cause i dont have any inside knowledge of customer demographic of any mac stores in Malaysia. Im not tryig to discredit you here, just proving my point a few posts back that if anyone were to face problems with any mac stores, do the necessary steps to heal your grievances, there are many avenues, even the kementerian pengguna if you have to, no point complaining here, i doubt they monitor this page.

i sort of agree with this too, customers should be given some space to fiddle or fondle the products as much as they want.

lol very hard to sayla, its all based on our impression what maybe he got issues like kena maki hamun by a previous customer or something,we only experience one sales staff in one day, but they experience hundreds of customers in a day, if they wanted to rant just like some of us here, it'll be many pages

very good insight, i was beginning to think Machines were the only bad guys in town.

Maccity, Machines, Epicentre, Switch are also resellers,no1 can reject service, I have had so many friends that bought macs all over the world and stores going to Epicentre and machines for service, they didnt charge anything for products under warranty,except if you ask them stuff like can Format for me ahhhh???? install RAM for me ahhhhhh???? instal windows for me ahhhhhh????? Reinstall OS can ka ????, This are things you could do for yourself, very easy.

Im sorry, Resellers like Machines,Epicentre and Switch are Gold Service providers too, they do have in house service and are not dictated by stand alone service like VR tech or Sapura.

Surely you didnt see where my comment came from did you not? Lets break it down shall we, oh oh and surely you dont think installing RAM would be a varying task from a windows to mac user right? or the fact macs and peecees are pretty much the same in terms of pricing, the high end and medium end peecees anyway, or do we stop changing tires for our costly continental cars and aspect our dealers to come over and do it for us? digress much, heres its a joint breakdown:



This bit explains how the macs are bought from a whole different plethora of places coming togather to go for a service location that originally the macs are not bought from. i.e: you bought the mac from the states and something goes wrong with it, you seek service, this is part of the applecare, and its all valid.



This bit explains what is not covered by the applecare. You cannot simply walk in to a reseller you never bought anything from, and tell them " Hey i got this mac from Apple Online Store, can Format for me ahhhh???? install RAM for me ahhhhhh???? instal windows for me ahhhhhh????? Reinstall OS can ka ????". You cant demand this, its unreasonable, and you could always pay them for their trouble. heres an anology. You buy a HP laptop from XYZ store in Lowyat and you walk into CCC shop in Bangsar and say, eh "can Format for me ahhhh???? install RAM for me ahhhhhh???? instal windows for me ahhhhhh????? Reinstall OS can ka ????". Surely it would be odd for them to do all this for free considering HP is pretty much in the same price bracket as Apples? doncha think?

This post has been edited by nimrod323: May 2 2010, 12:20 AM

well its very hard to come by this random act of kindness, but most computer stores mac or pc alike are often dishing out value added service to those who actually buy from there, i get where they are coming from and i wont blame them if they dont do anything if we brought a machine and ask to get free service.

i have said the same thing before, look guys some of you might justify saying that this thread can act as deterrent for people from visiting Machines, its a little bit of a stretch here me thinks, no point feeding this thread because not all sales person are bad, and bad experiences are situational,(i know it shouldnt be, but shit happens). Ultimately everyone who reads this thread should take it with a grain of salt, theres no such thing as nice salesperson, the reason why they are condescending is to get you to buy stuff,we should all know that, its all business at the end of the day. If they are not nice to you, they are just to lazy to earn their commission thats all, and by you walking off you have denied them that. Just go through the right channels, trust me these days they have alot of avenues for you to complain especially, info@machines.com.my that is read by their directors personally.

Im sorry, how are macs not the same as PCs? if im buying a 5K Mac and a 5K PC, it should be okay for me to just let it go if the PC fellers screw me with their half boiled attempts at Customer Service? Seriously how does one buy Premium Service? isnt all customer service complimentary of the product bought, irregardless of the product make and model or the price?

Your reasoning is a bit flawed here,"Macs are premium products that are targeted at people who care about image and class and good service", note that most of us here i'd say are average consumers with little or no disposable income whom are converted of years of using Peecees, There are 2 types of users when it comes to Apple Products, firstly theres the Mac user who buys a mac based on the Rigid MACOSX, relatively trouble free,ease of use orientated and then theres the Apple user, who buys a Mac cause he or she considers a Mac, high class, status elevator, uplifting image and all that the stretches to showing off and make others drool over them and continuously booting into Windows on a mac because the Mac osx is too difficult to learn.

this comment here also feels out of place too "People expect a clean, well-designed, tidy store and knowledgeable staff when they walk into a Mac store, they same way they don't when they walk into a small PC shop. It's what you pay for. " For godsakes its a freaking computer, dont tell me if its a shady area like Lowyat, you wouldnt want to buy a mac from the resellers there? and what about the influx of people opting too buy from online stores, does this factor come into play no. You havto understand the fact that macs these days are considered average computers, heck some HPs,Dells, and Vaios are more expensive then mac nowdays, i dont want to start on Alienware, that is what i call premium.

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Added on May 2, 2010, 2:01 pmDude, i said so many times already, salesman are always salesman, they dont act nice for no reason, of course to tempt you to buylah, Its the same everywhere what, try to walk around the perfume department in Jusco, alot of pretty girls or aunties will be nice to you, and ask you to try these and that hoping for you to buy lah.

This post has been edited by nimrod323: May 2 2010, 02:28 PM

I dont think omega-lynx mentioned anything about any email address, the first one to point at that email was me, try to scan what he first wrote theres no mention of which email he replied to. What other Avenues are there? well you are a consumer, try every other avenues there is i say, why hold back, ranting in a forum like this with a very segmented audience and whom are not forming a larger demographic of mac users in Malaysia doesnt help it either, it may serve as a place to vent out or give bad PR to a store but the reach is limited by its medium, thats why PR goes through every other medium be it mainstream or new media to reach its publics, trust me im doing a PR major.

Look the first thing about Apple resellers in Malaysia, They come and go, no company has maintained an effective monopoly or grip on the malaysian market, alot of hem go missing overnight, a prime example MacAsia and that tiny Mac Store in PowerCentre at iKea and others. No reseller is perfect, i have also pointed out Switch and Technocrats and Maccity a few times before,every company has bad employees be it part time or full time, what i am simply suggesting here is try all the avenues first and the relate your experiences here, just by not exercising your rights and complain here also no point, people could only sympathize with you and add fuel into the fire rather than finding the cause and avoiding the predicament all togather.

Nobody is restricting you venting out your views here, that is your right, its also the thread starters right to do so, what im implying and several others have said, know your rights, try all tangible avenues first and then come here and post your experience, and also most importantly post a follow up of your case so that people would know whats the outcome, rather then allowing others to think that the case has not be solved and the company continues to demonize its clients. There are good sides too the company which we can see in this thread but mostly its the negativity thats prevalent, its all valid but theres still an influx of people still buying alot of their computers for machines, then there must be some positive aspects that draws them there too, and also those reseller i have gripes with Switch and Technocrats(They are one of the two Mac Stores In KK, seriously no other choice).

I also support your points on salesperson, again i'd say its their loss if they treat a customer badly,no commissions for you and loss of sales. Technical wise, they shouldnt have treated the way TS was treated, as i have said in a few posts past no service centre should reject service from a customer, they should take it in and have to follow procedure just like any other company like Dell of HP contacting the Service representatives or in this case Apple Care to determine if the service can be carried forward or not.

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Added on May 2, 2010, 2:31 pmYep, exactly no going back to all those troubles. i wish i could also be apart of the powerpc days, gotta admit the peecees that i have bought in the past costs more than a mac, not o mention the maintaining costs associated with windows.


This post has been edited by nimrod323: May 2 2010, 02:31 PM

Agreed, name tags are there for a reason too. oh and the local politics part, well there are many places where contract deals and actual evidences are posted but no action are taken, thats where it ends, in reality alternative media cant do much unless of course you participate in rallies and stuff then we are talking. a bit OT here,but its okay

Was your ipod under its initial warranty? because service charge is applicable if your warranty is expired or void. The indicators will straight away say whether or not you are applicable for warranty claims, this is entirely up to the Apple Service side to decide, if they say the warranty is void then you'd have to pay for the inspection. They write this clearly at the glass display near the Helpdesk, where the charges are displayed. Its very subjective at this point to put a blanket statement that they are at fault if the ipod was indeed put in its current situation by your actions, there are many indicators that the tech people have to look through before its confirmed that its a faulty part.

This post has been edited by nimrod323: May 4 2010, 07:46 PM