Here's my complain.
I'm a mac user for a while and a long time pc/sgi user. I'm very familiar with devices or platform issues. Atleast that's what I had told the salesman at mac asia. At that very moment, I was enquiring informations about Macbook pro which I desperately wanting to buy one.
But problem is, due to the one of the salesman which I feels better to talk to not around that day. I have to look for other salesman to ask about the macbook pro. The moment I steps in, I feel I wasn't really attended or they don't really pay attention to ppl who doesn't dress like rich enough to buy their machine.
ok... i can understand that. I know i was dressing up like a low wage designer anyway.
So I took the initiative to ask one of the guy about the laptop i had my eye on. But unfortunately he doesn't really sounds friendly to me at all. No good from the sales and marketing point of view. He sounds a little cocky actually.
What I was trying to find out was the upgrades for ram if i want to tops it up with 2 gigs and see if there's a chance to trade in the 512mb ram comes with it.
I was surprised that they don't willing to do it. This really pissed me off because this is not the way that business suppose to be. and the most pissing thing about it is the way they address the matter. They even said the 2 gig ram going to cost me about RM 1700 - 1800 (800-900 each gig). Which comes to my suprise that kingston also selling those (what they so called custom made ram) PC2-5300 for RM430 each at lowyat. And keep argueing that those ram from lowyat will damage the machine.
Well... he sorta like commented that I didn't do my research b4 visiting them.
At some point, I feel I'm abit offended here.
The ram they were talking about is the exact ram that we are using in our pentium M processors laptop at the moment. And it's the exact ram that we are using for the latest duo core pc laptops. how come it's not compatible with macbook pro?? they are selling it for higher price. i'm ok with it. but wtf they wanna make it sounds like going to void the warranty (that's exactly what he said). I read it from somewhere that mac laptops ram is self-serviceable since a few years ago. I guess our local Mac asia is misleading our local mac users.



anyway, I've got better service from some other shops at lowyat. In fact I've visited 2 shops yesterday. 1 at 2nd floor Cycom which is selling mac at a corner. They willing to trade in back the ram and install the market priced 2 gig ram for me at a reasonable price. While the ground floor mac shop (which is authorised dealer, seems like not Mac asia) does gave me a better feeling. atleast they treat me like a customer and willing to give me quite a few free gifts like Mouse and a carry case.

I guess i'll be back to lowyat for the purchase in this month.

Does anyone out there got the same feeling as I do?

taiko is like that one lo, unless u show them the "card" infront of them then they will respect u a bit la.

ar... always? LOL some of the sales person thought that we need to do our "investigation" b4 asking "stupid" questions. from a customer point of view, if we r to do it ourselves then what is the sales person doing at the shop? "GOOD QUESTION" LOL...

usually i juz walk away when this happens... there r lots of other places where we can find things we want, so go to another shop like u've suggested, cycom and etc... which provide better "customer service".

easy way to get restecpa: flip out the platinum card, wave it in their faces, and ask them 'eh this piece of shit card can use here one ah?'

guarenteed they will bend over for you like there's no tomorrow.

ya, last time I go to thats shop too. they look at me like I didnt have money just because I carrying helmet. I asked them one item, then they start passing me to each others.

very simple take out a stack of cash n show off

need to boycott these shops... there just seems to be more of these problems surfacing these days, and its quite frustrating, really...

wanna screw them up ah? Head over to http://mymug.org/forum/index.php and post this story there and kasi them kaw kaw...

If you really want to pursue this case further, I suggest you look for their boss. I believe his name is called Mike. He is usually running around between all the mac shops and pda shops and laptop shops. Just ask for him and if they say he is not around then ask for his hp number.

If you really want to pursue this case further, I suggest you look for their boss. I believe his name is called Mike. He is usually running around between all the mac shops and pda shops and laptop shops. Just ask for him and if they say he is not around then ask for his hp number.

okay... this has gone on for long enough. I work for MacAsia, as both our members, wei and azxel will attest to. I prefer not to argue about this issue here.

I'd like to know which store (1 Utama or Bangsar Shopping Center or Great Eastern Mall) this happened in.

my name is Jeyadev, and you can find me at MacAsia 1Utama. Phone number is 03 7724 1334.

to address a few points here,
1. we will not give out anyone's cellphone numbers to general customers. no matter how pissed off or angry you may be.
2. we don't treat customers differently based on their cash or clothes. The only reason we ignore customers is they've said they don't need help.
3. the guys in LowYat, please make sure they're an authorised AppleCenter. I can't find their address or contact details on Apple Malaysia's website. There's quite a lot of trickery going on here, please don't throw accusations.
4. this RAM issue, its not the same. If you want technical specs, sure, fine I will be glad to share them here. The RAM you guys buy in Low Yat are not the same that you get from Apple.

Finally, to the thread starter, kfc please note that you are smearing our company reputation here if you have a complaint, a public forum isn't the place to make it. All you had to do was ask for the manager's email address, and write him an angry email. We in MacAsia take our customers seriously... And I'm sorry that you didn't have a good experience in our store.

This post has been edited by xaw5126: Apr 3 2006, 05:19 PM

Kfc,
It really does not matter if you are a big Mac head, a NooB or just trying to kill time waiting for the girlfriend to finish her shopping, if you felt that the shop did not help in assisting you in your queries, why bother buying anything there?

My opinion is to stop patronising the shop, PERIOD. If they can't do a decent service of answering questions, they serve no use to customers, future or past ones.

Thanks for highlighting MacAsia as a bum dealer, btw, which retail outlet is it?

guys, please don't generalize.

he's referring to A SALESPERSON - not MacAsia.

people are people, there are good staff and there are bad staff.

I know how it feels because most of the time, when i shop, i'll wear bermudas and t-shirt. that's all. I'm used to these treatments. However, some salesman would see what i wear... equal treatment i would say..

I repeat, BigRedBarr, don't simply badmouth the whole company. As far as I know, only 1 salesman was rude to him. This works out as slander... please hold further comments.

guys.
i didn't say all salesmen are like that. just that particular day and particular time i was attended by that fella that got up to my nerves. well... generally I don want to point finger to the exact shop (in damansara area) because i do feel some other sales person actually serves me quite well. that's why i bought mac in the 1st place.
The things that bug me most in the most case is i feel alot of them are not professional enough to know enough computing (pc part especially the intel stuff) which greatly related to what they are selling now.
They don know what the heck is PC2-5300 or they actually pretend to be not knowing it. But it could be all due to sales target. but being ignorant to potential customer as an "effort" to close the sales... I rather they be a little honest as in the case for the RAM in macbook pro. Even if they really donno what happening in the pc market. fine... atleast don't tell me that the pc2-5300 from pc notebook will "void" the warranty and "damage" ur macbook pro. Atleast I did my research b4 I say this.
I've visited mymug just now. seems like isn't a good place to rant about it but i'll post it anyway.

Actually, I do feel that the experience in buying a mac is different from buying a pc. It's just like comparing to buying a Gen2 (which is not bad) to buying a BMW. Atleast I feel selling a real BMW requires u more knowledge in the car than bullshitting about using fuel other than Shell will "void" ur fuel tank warranty and making ur BMW crawl under it's feet.

Really, I don't mind buying Kingston ram from apple cost 800+ if it's different from the Kingston ram (350-430RM) selling out there. But atleast do some homework to make sure u can convince me that it runs better or show me prove that there's really difference between those rams.

anyway, I'm still going to buy the macbook pro anyway. for sure I won't buy it from the salesman I've mentioned.

Cheers....

hmm... that's a reasonable response. kfc, I'm glad that you aren't put off

the Kingston RAM is different, but don't take it from me. Take it from Kingston themselves.

http://www.ec.kingston.com/ecom/configurat...&submit1=Search

http://www.ec.kingston.com/ecom/configurat...e=DDR2+PC2-5300

The first one, is Apple's configuration and the memory spec is KTA. The second one is the generic configuration and the memory spec is KVR. Thats all.

And if you read through the terms and conditions of the warranty, one of them is that use of non-Apple RAM may cause all kinds of strange errors.

xaw5126 : Thanks for the info.
I'll take a look in to this matter and going to find out about this. About the non-apple ram may cause strange errors. I guess that could be a long beep after an standard ram installed in 1st boot. other than that. I guess it shouldn't have any problems.
The thing about mac that i know all this time is they always mislead their consumers. for example, I've got an ibook g3 dual usb version. they claim tiger is not supported but i got it work anyway. They said the hd got to be from mac but i've changed it anyway.
another experience with airport card which is I got an info from their salesman that airport card (non-extreme) is not compatible with ibook but i've double check it from internet. it's compatible with my ibook.
Even the batteries for ibook has got an issue with them. i end up buying it from mail order because the pricing here is crazy (imagine 700 vs 380RM).

at some point.... i'm just a little disapointed with how they handle customers.

I guess for now i can conclude that all i need to find out is whether the standard pc2-5300 really has got that much of difference from apple kingston ram. if it does, is it cheaper to order from kingston dealer than buying from apple? for this, i believe kingston dealer can do it tho.

Cheers and have a nice day.

by the numbers (again )
1. non-Apple RAM has been very very strange... I've heard of random kernel panics. if you need your Mac for a zero-failure application, please stick to Apple RAM
2. iBook G3 dual-USB isn't officially supported, but Tiger even runs on a PC so yea, wierd things are possible. Just don't be suprised if wierder stuff happens later The reason Apple doesn't say its supported, is that the general consumer will expect a perfect experience which that specific machine may not deliver.
3. Airport card non-extreme is definitely compatible with your machine, its the Extreme version that will not work. I think you just seem to attract bad salespeople
4. The pricing here being crazy, well... its not the retailers who are at fault. The tax is quite high, hence the reason for iPod being 15-20% cheaper in Singapore.
5. being disappointed with salespeople is quite common. I personally have given up on PC salespeople here in M'sia who only know about current hardware. What I do is, I go straight for the experienced ones. Yes, the ones who know the difference between PowerBook titanium and PowerBook aluminium

[quote=kfc,Apr 3 2006, 03:40 PM]

They even said the 2 gig ram going to cost me about RM 1700 - 1800 (800-900 each gig). Which comes to my suprise that kingston also selling those (what they so called custom made ram) PC2-5300 for RM430 each at lowyat. And keep argueing that those ram from lowyat will damage the machine.
Well... he sorta like commented that I didn't do my research b4 visiting them.
At some point, I feel I'm abit offended here.
The ram they were talking about is the exact ram that we are using in our pentium M processors laptop at the moment. And it's the exact ram that we are using for the latest duo core pc laptops. how come it's not compatible with macbook pro?? they are selling it for higher price. i'm ok with it. but wtf they wanna make it sounds like going to void the warranty (that's exactly what he said). I read it from somewhere that mac laptops ram is self-serviceable since a few years ago. I guess our local Mac asia is misleading our local mac users.

----------

I understand how the feeling being treated like that, If I were you I will do the same too. Anyway, what they said about the RAM is right. As an user of PowerBook for the past 3 years, I noticed that the PowerBook really picky about the RAM. I had once bought 1GB RAM stick (50% lower price than Apple RAM) from Low Yat years ago with the same specification as stated in the booklet of my PowerBook but it lead to my computer crashed and blue screen syndrome. It doesn't mean that the Kingston PC2-5300 from Low Yat on par with the Kingston from Apple. I would suggest as Apple products are superior than it PC counterparts, by investing in Apple RAM it does save your investment in the long run and thats why i just bought 2GB Ram for My Intel Imac. (RM899 each) or perhaps you can bring your would-be MacBook to Low Yat to test with the RAM before you buy any.

This post has been edited by 76radius: Apr 3 2006, 08:37 PM

like i always said test before u buy. it worth the trouble for saving extra few hundreds.
I've been using KVR on my powerbook. no problem so far. sometime its luck too.
else u can still get mac rams from US, from those mac dedicated companies. they gave very good return policy. and yet, the price is still cheaper from getting it from local apple center even if u include postage from US. be a smart shopper.

I've got something to add here..
I've had an imacg4 and an ibook.. all running off apple rams...

So far..i dont find anything wrong with it.. Everything works fine.. no errors or anything.. Everytime a visit a mac shop and tell em, they wl go like "waa..u use that ar..later ur mac burn to death ar"

Well, I might be one of the lucky ones u might say, But my friends has been using em as well and so has my other ex-customer's too (i actually psycoed them not to buy apple rams coz they are a rip off)

Calm down man, he has a right to voice his displeasure here. It's not like this is the first time a bad salesman has ruined the reputation of a store before, heck Osama single handedly ruined the reputation of Islam!

Anyways, take a chill pill, and stop throwing the word slander around. I know you feel passionate about the company you work with now, but eventually as you get older you will get a better job elsewhere, and this will be but a distant memory...

Jeyadev,
first off, I owe u an apology if i've offended u.
I do appreciate what U've answered me so far.
Reason for posting up here is because I have no idea about channeling thru ur superior. Well... reason why i've posted here is just voicing out my opinion on general feeling from the experience in visiting mac shops.
Honestly, if the salesman mentioned do take the initiative to explain me the details about the purchase. I'd already lay down the cash on the table. Anyway, I'm happy that u take this matter seriously. And I like visiting mac asia at one utama actually, some guys there are quite attentive and willing to answer my questions (not sure whether u are among the good guys i'm talking about).
But still, there's some doubt which delayed my potential purchases.
1) Airport card - http://macasia.com.my/acc/apple.html <--- I saw the list of accessories here in official mac asia website. I've made calls to check with mac asia about this product and they even verified that it's selling "AirPort Card - RM 359". But I've got the different answer at the outlet. They told me that the card has been stoped productions and only 2nd hand card is available and no warranty is available for it. Pricing wise, they said it's 450-490rm for the airport card (which he stressed that it's not extreme card). Now here's another problem... why does the previous phone calls verified that the RM359 card is available? But the wierd part is this guy who told me from phone doesn't know that airport card works with older g3 ibooks.
2) Ram issue about the macbook pro which I hope to hear some input from different ppl out there. I just want to do a smart investment instead of spending money like water.
3) Mighty mouse - Sorry again if I'm being too straight. I find that most of the salesman including those in lowyat doesn't really take much initiative to demostrate the mighty mouse. again.... if more effort has been done. like showing me how it works. I might have already bought it. instead of I have to go to a few websites or get hold on my friends mouse to understand how it works.

btw, I'm a little disapointed in not seeing any macbook pro demo units available in mac store. It has weakened the desire to do the purchase so soon until i see one running. And hope i'll be allowed to have a hands on it b4 i fork out the cash/visa.

Overall, I do hope my rant sounds a little more constructive for ppl who work their ass out for the company they love. I'm not the kind of guys confrontational enough to kick right thru the front door to scold ppl in shop or make ur boss yell at ppl for the complain mail or phone calls. So I hope u don't view me as smearing the image of ur company.

I'm also working in an industry which I have to face alot of critiques and confrontations everyday from clients and even boss. Clients pay us quite a fortune to get a TV commercials done and be aired in tv. they demand for quality out of every penny they spend on us. and deadline is like hell. so when it comes to time I do the purchase, I'm starting to be alot more concerns at the quality of services from seller.

Ppl are dying out there to improve their services and offers to get more sales. why can't u guys do better to make ppl who do the purchase happier? I can tell u i know there's alot of ppl (who doesn't care about legality for softwares licenses) successfully running osx86 in their pc hardware (especially M'sia the pirate heaven). This also means extra works has to be done to convince ppl to buy mac hardware. yeah... xp is install-able in intel mac now (only legit way to have both os). vid drive isn't ready yet but i'm sure it's going to be release soon (one of the reason i buy ur mac, and i own legal winxp). But i guess this is not the case in M'sia where most ppl just take it for granted.

well... i guess it's enuff for now. I'm getting a little tired.

@ INFeRNO
thanks for the chill pill I guess I needed it. Its not been a good day for us here.

@[kfc]
*Like I said, I'm personally committed to making sure all our customers get the best out of their Mac. I've advised people not to buy stuff that would improve my sales image, simply because they don't need it
*The AirPort card is simply too expensive to get now. 2nd hand cards, I don't want to promise anything, but I've seen all kinds of prices.
*The official MacAsia website needs some updating and I hope it will not deter you from calling the store. The AirPort card is for G4 PowerBook Titanium, G3 iBook, iMac G4 and also PowerMac G4.
*RAM issue - no comment
*Mighty Mouse. We have one in 1 Utama, feel free to drop by and test drive it... that's why we have it here
*MacBook Pro - the delay is very very long, and I'm at a loss to explain it. Note that I may not be able to tell you all the reasons for delays, as some of the reasons are P & C. I have 15 orders for MacBook Pro... and no idea when even my demo unit for our store will get here

erm.... hopefully there will be a better service provide... GCcomputers in Penang are very very professional and they are vey helpful too!

i think the company should provide proper training to thier staff. ie mac knowledge as well as gadgets knowledge. i heard my fren working for GC they have a special department to train rookie staff on macs.

This post has been edited by wei: Apr 4 2006, 08:56 AM

tht i am not sure.. but their service is FANTASTICO!!!
jus love their attitude...

i know because she's the one that giving the training
always complain to me about the rookies... hahaha... vomit blood.

kekeke...
so pity.. vomit bloood.. did u guys know tht the malaysian idol fella... daniel lee is from GCcomputerS?
hehehe
jus if anyone missed out on this info...

kekeke...

old news...

it was published on their site long time ago....

anyway, if u guys are unsatisfied with any service provided. u can co strait to consumer society to get ur complain filed. its more effective than making topic on 10 forums.

xaw5126,

Since we are into this topic, I would like to add something from my experience. Maybe you can provide this feedback back to Mike.

I know Mike from dealing with him long time ago. I have long not bought anything from his shops. Anyway, I went to one of the PDA shop in lowyat. I think it's called gadget shop or something.

The first time I went, I met Mike and he served me.

The second time I went, didn't see him and I was looking for something I forgot. Anyway, when I walk in, nobody bother to serve me. They just keep on doing their work as though I don't exist. I was standing there looking left and right waiting for someone to look at me as a queue for help but none want to make eye contact with me. This is to me, very bad service already because I am sure they are avoiding to serve me.

Then I just choose one person and ask for help and even then the service quality is not that good. I won't elaborate too much from here.

Third time, I went there again after more than 6 months. Same thing happened. Nobody wanted to serve me. Some are busy with customer and some just standing behind counter and pretend to be busy with something. Some even busy chatting to each other.

Again, I stood at the entrance waiting for someone to serve me but nobody bothers. I just have to take the extra initiative to go ask for help. I don't mind walking to them but this shows a lot about customer service and what really bother me is that they just pretend not to see me.

Since I don't buy much PDA stuff or notebook anymore, I didn't bother to tell Mike about this. Maybe you can just relay this message to someone who "cares" about customer service.

xaw5126,
Thank you for your response, is the higher management of MacAsia knows about this, or are you it (or them)?

I take offensive with your statement of
and I do believe that it takes a work of just a single entity to ruin an entire MacAsia retail experience?

Throwing large and frighting word like SLANDER out in the wind does depict that MacAsia does not seem to stop and first review the actual customer's point of view of what really happen or transpired, and instead, shoot the messenger? Is this what MacAsia trying to be?

Thanks to KFC, I would like to believe that by sharing our retail experiences, good or bad, we can and will reward good service, and denying retails shops that perceive to give far less (service). Is this the whole purpose of this whole argument? I pretty damn well will defend KFC right's in airing out his grievances!

The question is, which one are you trying to depict here?

I believe it is MacAsia that should apologize instead to KFC since he was a potential customer that would have plonk down close to about 8K OR MORE to your company to purchase a MacBook Pro?

In the meantime xaw5126, thanks again for sharing the info, and try not to be too defensive all the time and instead help MacAsia to be retail outlet worth visiting!

kfc,
For future and present Mac users, your comments are valuable to each and everyone of us. I too have faced similar lackluster service and clueless customer agents, and instead of taking the shite pie, choose instead to bring my hard cash for Mac goodies to other, more-deserving entities.

No one seems to appreciate comments anymore, especially negative ones, but comments are where the opportunity arises to either fix the damn problem or just sit on the shite pie. This experience is a chance for anyone to vote with their feet and wallets to either put it to good use or keep doing the same shite thing, over and over again. Your choice.

I sense a tinge of disappointment, sadness and maybe, maybe a tint of melancholy, KFC. I thank you for your comments, and I hope you get a good deal for your upcoming of MacBook Pro.

Unless of course, if you buy a Windows notebook, I will personally kick your arse

I'll take the comments in queue then

The store manager for 1 Utama is monitoring this, I report to him.

I'm sorry that my statement was taken as offensive. I'm quite sure that wasn't my intention. I was simply trying to say that one person shouldn't be taken as the benchmark of a company which has been in the local Apple scene for more than 5 years.

I am willing to meet [kfc] at the 1 Utama store and I did volunteer myself as a MacAsia staff because I do want to see him and try to clear his doubts or whatever issues he may have.

about the LowYat guys. MacAsia is not partnered with them, so please don't associate them with us. I know that it can be confusing for customers to remember which retailer is based where and its not really your issue to keep it clear, but abubin I can't email Mike because I don't work for him. Sorry

BigRedBarr to you. I'm sorry I used that word now, but I was trying to do damage control at that point. Its always better to complain in a calm and controlled manner, because the style of your complaint makes a difference.
I was also not quite happy because you chose to call us "bum dealer" without any provocation .

I see that this can be resolved quite simply. [kfc] was obviously given wrong information. He's welcome (as are all the others in this whole earth? ) to walk in to 1 Utama AppleCenter and ask for me...

xaw5126 : hey man. Thanks for clearing things up for us. I do find out that KVR and KTA does has a difference. But so far, What I've found out from other forums is there's a few vendors out there that's selling ram which is supporting Macbook pro.
here's the link.
http://eshop.macsales.com/MyOWC/Upgrades.c...s=Show+Upgrades

I actually found more along the way but it's a little late now and i've to search thru the web again to post up the links.
Generally, I've read thru some sites for example in mymug forums. Using wrong ram does cause some funny problems. but I've upgraded my old mac myself b4 so i believe I can find the right ram on my own with proper research.

BegRedBarr : thanks for ur support. really, what I was trying to evoke here isn't hatred but to hear some voice from other consumer out there on how they feel about the services they've experienced so far. And I do hope someone can give me a recommendations on the purchase.

ultimately, i'm wasn't trying to spread the informations of how bad the service I've got from certain shop (because I do see there's some nice ppl in that shop too). All I did was just seeking for some answers which possibly better to be answered by users instead making phone calls to the superior and make it a hard day for the salesman.
ok.... Sorry if my move does make the situation worse. But so far I can see some healthy responds from ppl where they even share their experience from buying PDAs.

xaw5126, I seriously love mac very much. and I do hope to meet u to have a chat about the purchase. But seeing http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=1584 tells me I better hold up a little until revised version D is out in our local shops. or perhaps u can tell me which version of stock u guys have now?

I'm getting a little busy this month. But I'll definately start the purchase on 15th after I've sort out the dual opteron purchase for my studio. Maybe before this, I hope u willing to answer a few more questions.

1) Is educator (lecturer, teacher) and students got any chance for a discount? atleast this is what I've read from other mac forums. I'm an educator myself as a part time lecturer for local college while working full time in production. I've got quite alot of discount last year when I bought my previous laptop.

2) Is Macbook pro 800/100gig hd with 5400rpm got an optional upgrade to 7200rpm?? (it's written here. http://www.apple.com/macbookpro/whatsinside.html)

3) Is there possible that I upgrade the ram to tops it up to 2 gig if i do the purchase? so far... to me... buying the macbook pro and force me to keep the 512mb came with it (buying 2gig seperately) is a little overkill from consumer point of view. can we be a little flexible?? (sorry, this is the main reason I lose control of my temper)

4) Is there a chance that I can get a later revision model of MBP (refere to the link mentioned for the reason)? or atleast check for me what revision our malaysian market getting at the moment?

5) Last, since I'm being such a b****. Will u still be happy to sell the product to me? (I sure hope I won't get a box full of worms... haha)

"Unless of course, if you buy a Windows notebook, I will personally kick your arse"
Hey... I'm selling off my Ferrari 4k and breaking piggy bank just so I can buy macbook pro. Buying a window notebook? i'm not that nuts.

At the end, I do hope that everybody are still happy with our life. No broken limp or bleeding noses. My action in posting this up may cause some sour feeling for some ppl. So far as we can see, thread like this can be very informative for everybody. Instead of all of us keep the mouth shut all of the sudden and leaving the viewer in wonder (if i stopped and just make the damn complain phone call). What we came thru so far is quite informative and evocative as well. Feed backs so far do shows that they maybe some problems with the marketing model and at some point buying products seems to be lack of flexibility from many aspect.

Remember the guy who protest to Apple in States on apple not providing batteries replacement for the 1st gen Ipod? He succeeded in the campaign he pulled off to sign a petition to ask Apple to improve their flexibility in fixing the matter.

Well, he inspired me alot in standing on our consumer rights.

As for filing a report to consumer society. Not a good idea to me because it might hurt mac asia's reputations even further. So far our discussions here does evoke some positive feedback from a representitive.
So I do hope xaw5126 can take this as an opportunity to clear up the myst.
Thanks in advance for the answers.

p.s. reading my own comment make me hate myself for being such a b**** after all. haha... Now u should see how excited I was for buying a new mac.

Update
Just spoke to [kfc] on the phone. He seems like a fine person

to [kfc]

The OWC RAM, if it causes any problems (IF!) I don't know the warranty procedure. If Apple RAM causes problems, it'll be replaced under warranty, no questions asked, at Apple's cost at any authorised Apple Service Provider.

1. Yes, you can get educational discounts, by getting a letter from your college stating that you're a lecturer there.

2. & 3. Yes, you can upgrade anything and everything in your MBP before you get it. The procedure is that you find out the cost, and pay a deposit of 10% of the price. Basically, check AppleStore Singapore and I'll do the conversion for you. I just did one for MBP 2.0 GHz, with 2GB RAM and 100GB 7200 RPM drive comes to 12,142.71. That's before your discount, so I hope you'll get a good deal

4. The Revision D machines are the ones here, we just got one in yesterday, for the first person in our waiting list.

5. Nope, I don't think you're a b!tch, personally, I'm glad I had the opportunity to address your complaint, rather than you possibly complaining to my GM or to Apple Malaysia

Also, for your case, since you need a custom order AND you want educators discount, I'll have to forward your quotation to Apple Malaysia and they'll adjust the price to reflect your discount. All I need is for you to walk in with the letter

to everyone else, if you have issues with a shop, take it up with the manager. Mainly because I've seen people who simply make claims and say things without any reason . Even a public forum like this one, can be taken seriously. That's why I'm still here

When LY.net opened an Apple Byte forum, I was so happy, because now all of you have a chance to air out issues. All I ask is please be calm and don't accuse blindly. State all the facts, and always ask for the salesperson's name .

I do hope the other resellers will be represented soon...

This post has been edited by xaw5126: Apr 5 2006, 04:03 PM

wow...
superb la jeyadev..
u sound so bloody pro!!
anyway, u are one of the partners in MACASIA??

no la... not a partner here thanks for the compliment.

http://www.apple.com/macosx/bootcamp/

look at this Jeyadev...
this is why i say intel mac is the best selection so far.
it's official that intel mac support window XP.
LOL

I could always help revamp the website in total and work all of the staff or admins into the ground regarding maintanance of the website. LOL! I need money for my Apple notebook.

Anyway, Jeyadev.. I think with a reputation you're making here right now, you'll be expecting more sales from Low Yat members going to you personally.

If your boss is following this thread, I think this man (Jeyadev) deserves the Employee of the Month award for hard work in customer service and knowledge. One of the main things lacking in most stores today.

I elect Jeyadev as Low Yat's personal Mac support person. LoL!

This post has been edited by etsuko: Apr 6 2006, 10:22 AM

LOL... kembang la this month thanks for the votes guys.
the website, is not my department, so I'll leave it to my boss to make the decision.
I also need money for *my* Apple notebook, but the model I want isn't invented yet

yes [kfc] I read through the whole page already. Pretty good, I must say. Do take note that your illuminated keyboard and shock sensor will not work on your future MBP

ah... normal lar.... when i was infront of the shop to see the mini... those stuff only stare at me and go do back their stuff or keep toking... nvm even TRY to ask me anything or what.. so i just walk off after i see... YES i was in 1u Mac center... see me look like a kid so dun wan to serve me??... farny...i'm not even a kid....

xaw5126,
Back to reality.
Not to chop off your blooming flowers of praise but this task should have been the norm in MacAsia in the first place, and NOT when someone points out (not SLANDER) that the salesperson was just a human positioned inside the shop trying to look like a salesperson, instead of informing, engaging and assisting the (potential) customers.

Meanwhile, I can see your enthusiasm for Macs shines through, and yourself should at least train the salesperson/s to carry a decent weight of product knowledge in the head/s at least, or ask for a senior MacAsia for assistance in case they meet a professional user like KFC.

Instead of wasting your time trying to protect MacAsia's reputation offline (you are not checking this forum during working time are you?), why not use it to sell more Macs in the shop, thus accelerating your cash flow to get that sweet Apple notebook you are pining for?

eng98,
I agree with your statement, at least a staff should ask the ice-breaker question, "Can I help you, sir/miss?". I've shopped around in Singapore, Melbourne, Thailand, Sydney -- generally, the onus is to ask the customer if he/she needs service, if he/she says yes, assist OR get the hell out of the way while the customer browse around.

While in Hong Kong you really must look like you got cash, or be able to buy the merchandise to shop around. Its scary to shop in Hong Kong, cos the people are hard core sellers, and they are plenty of good stuff to buy in HK (if you know where to buy)

BigRedBarr,
my store manager knows about this forum... and he's ok with me keeping it up to date, during working hours, as long as the store is empty (yes, its sometimes empty).
I'm slowly training my colleagues... but its a lot of info to keep up-to-date.

I agree, this task is supposed to be norm in MacAsia, but only 2 of my colleagues even know of this forum...

eng98,
Again, looks like we screwed up
We do get customers who just drop in to walk in around and look around. Especially with the mac mini, which actually isn't there anymore So please forgive us for messing up. We don't always ignore customers

on a lighter note, someone just walked in and asked if we know where to do t-shirt transfers. Huh?

What kinda training does a staff get when working in MacAsia..? and what kinda experience is needed..? maybe i too should work there then try and get macasia to sponsor me when i go see clients. rofl!

maybe what most of the staff need is a Mac test or at least the interest in reading more about Mac stuff since they're working at the store.

oh yeah, and speaking of the ice breaker question.. maybe you guys need to implement a Celcom (or was it Digi) service type greeting according to age. like if he's young.. just go, "hey dude..anything i can help you with..?" or if it's an older man, just go "hi sir, could i assist you with any of the products you're looking at..?"

it might be tedious and tiring but at least customers get an 'international level' customer service.. though how weird will it be to the malaysian culture.. i dunno.. LOL!

as to the question of t-shirt tansfers.. maybe coz Apple Mac = Designers..? even my parents first asked me if I wanted an Apple for doing college work one time.

This post has been edited by etsuko: Apr 6 2006, 02:13 PM

hey xaw5126,

how long you gonna be there? you're good man . glad to get MacBook Pro (if i could... not so soon) from you..

i am seriously considering one and saving my money for one now!!

This post has been edited by goliath: Apr 6 2006, 02:39 PM

Xaw5126 : Jeyadev. good that u gave me quick responds resolve the complications of matter. Thanks and I'm very much appreciate what u did so far. I'm getting my letter from college tomorrow and I'll probably drop by next week because I need to get my work done. Alot of serious deadline coming up and there's another purchase for 2 opteron for studio at the same time.
Since the matter for dual boot with xp is quite steady. I've been wondering if my discount request is still valid for my 2nd purchase of an Intel Imac and Mac mini?
btw, I'm still waiting for ur quotation. Thanks again for ur hospitality.



Coming from experience as technical directing in CG animation business and teaching in college. I really can't "tahan" myself from being nitpick on answers which doesn't sounds right.
We are serious about hardware that we use . So I do agree with BegRedBarr that more indepth knowledge in to what's inside their new shiny Intel processors and devices is quite crucial to make a satisfying sale to former wintel users.
Bare in mind that alot of mac users is not only Office 2004 user for normal documents. Most of us are elite graphic artist or designers. But with Apple putting on war to Pc makers (dell, gateway, sony and etc), I'm sure u'll come across alot of enthusiast like I do. Ppl who throw linux, window and mac together in a box.
I sincerely hope there will be improvements in knowledge atleast from the point of view of ppl who's going to use ur products (artist, designers, 2d/3d animators,office users). Very soon, alot of existing gamers, programmers and etc will seriously look in to the mac hardware. If answers aren't accurate to them, they might feel an uneasy feeling in buying ur hardware.
From a pricing stand point of view. I feel with intel impletations, Mac is as affordable as Pcs now when u include the software licenses (legal ones) that doesn't comes with a pc hardware.
That's just my 2cent. Hope to get ur email soon. Jeyadev.

This post has been edited by kfc: Apr 6 2006, 03:43 PM

um, I dun plan to quit anytime soon... *looks around for boss*

etsuko... can't share P&C stuff like that here la, its actually variable training depending on what the staff in question can contribute to MacAsia.

it was Digi... with the different styles of greeting, which we already practise... heh heh heh...

Well, basically I'm from Penang. I understand that the ram price at Apple is quiet high. But service at MacStudio sucks. When you ask for something, they will just answer you in one word or sentence, just that.

Well, maybe I'm just 18 and they think that I'm just fooling around. But hey!, I'll can tell you, there's friends at my same age spending more than that buying stuff.

This post has been edited by Jaffar: Apr 8 2006, 07:17 AM

I'm afraid that it's CG Computers.

Well I did like to add more. As if you go into a shop and a salesperson can't even handle your question, are you sure you still want to buy with them. Think about later when you need troubleshooting, support, I'm afraid that you'll suffer.

I just read all this brieftly, Xaw5126 is one of the owner or worker in Apple, KL? Well, I must say you have worked hard. You help to solve problems faced by the forumers. kfc should buy from him instead of from any other sales person.

You're from MacStudio? If so, please improve in this. My last visit there was around end of March. At that time, there's 3 guys. While I ask some question, not stupid stuff, and the salesperson (who I call him over) can't help me. At then, I didn't see any of his colleuges come over and helped, they just standing around watching at the ceilings.

This post has been edited by Jaffar: Apr 8 2006, 07:17 AM

What kind of questions were you shooting at them, if you don't mind I ask....?

btw, xaw5126 doesn't work for MacStudio, he works for MacAsia.... and yes he's been a helpful indeed....

Hey Jeyadev.
i've never ever used a Mac in my life b4...
Currently, i'm looking into purchasing either a iBook or powerBook (just for learning purposes).
What i would like to know is how do we go about getting an educational discount (for lecturers) and also how much of a discount do we get?
Can u pls PM me with the details if it's not too much trouble for u.

p/s: Not too long ago, i went to the MacAsia in 1U. I did asked a sales person there regarding the educational discount issue but he replied that the shop did not have that program there. Hopefully u can clear things up for me.

Thanx in advance.

This post has been edited by FaTJ3sT3R aka Th!NjOK3R: Apr 8 2006, 10:56 AM

Whoa... suddenly I got more details than I need. The educational discount is not by MacAsia, but we have to do the procedure. What I need is a letter from your college saying that you work there... as a lecturer.

The discount rate also is not public knowledge, so I'm not authorized to tell you, and I don't even know what it is. PM me your contact details, and I'll email you a quotation that you can show your college people.

I repeat, I'm not the owner or partner of MacAsia, just one of the staff. Since I'm a LYN member, I thought it would be good to share knowledge here and clear up any misconceptions.

the guys from MacStudio... I don't know them. Please don't ask me to do anything there

The sad truth is that not all salespeople are trained in technical matters. That's why MacAsia has a Service Center at Bangsar Shopping Center. Those are trained technicians who can do proper troubleshooting. This is not just applicable to Apple, but to almost every company out there. Selling something is not the same as knowing how to fix/ troubleshoot it.

Hi Jeyadev,

I was trying to find out the amount of discount i'm going to get.
I did a little research from apple store website.
what i got from apple store is
http://store.apple.com/
<--- $2599 USD with the difference of 100gig 7200rpm hard disk upgrade. compare to 2.0 gig MB pro standard package which comes with 5600rpm hdisk.

Live mid-market rates as of 2006.04.08 12:06:02 UTC.
2,599.00 USD
United States Dollars = 9,541.58 MYR
Malaysia Ringgits
1 USD = 3.67125 MYR 1 MYR = 0.272387 USD

10,199 RM selling in M'sia is considerably reasonable consider with the ilife included (iWork '06 preinstalled [Add $79USD]) and the margin for shipping etc. I've got the quote from Jeyadev which is 10,688RM. I don't think it's over quote. Still happy with this.

Now looking at www.apple.com/education/store/
<--- now this is 2,389.00 USD. which in conversion is

Live mid-market rates as of 2006.04.08 12:19:02 UTC.
2,389.00 USD
United States Dollars = 8,770.62 MYR
Malaysia Ringgits
1 USD = 3.67125 MYR 1 MYR = 0.272387 USD

Judging from the margin (estimated) of buying MBP in malaysia which is roughly 1k difference. I think I might can imagine is about 9,770.62 RM for buying the spec of MBP (with 7200 HDisk upgrade. 2.0gig duocore version) that i've got the quote from Jeyadev.

Now comparing 10,688RM to 9,770.62 RM. There's nearly a 10% discount. So I guess what Jeyadev told me from the phone is quite accurate. So to Jeyadev.
Now questions back to, whether I can successfully get my applications for discount through? I guess fellow educators and students can keep their eye on this thread from now on.

status at the moment is, I'm getting real bz with work. working over night for saturday and sunday. I'll get the letter from school on monday and possibly i'll drop by on tuesday to meet jeyadev to resolve the matter for application.


FaTJ3sT3R aka Th!NjOK3R : Dude, this is basically the kinda feedback i got from my complain. But I guess the reason is because of the steps that we need to take to get the applications approved from Apple seems to be quite complicated. Mac Asia needs supporting documents and to refere to Apple to get our discounts. Mac Studio and some other dealer in Malaysia doesn't provide this. I've comfirmed it by visiting Mac studio in Ikano and Midvalley. Both answered me no. Even the one in lowyat.
I guess Mac Asia can help us to get this done. But again, I hope Mac Asia can make this process a little easier by informing the rest of the Mac Asia salesman regarding the process for the application. Atleast don't just straight answer "No" lar . It's doesn't sound polite for most ppl.

for more info about educational discount. Visit http://www.appletalk.com.au/articles/index.php?article=11309

This post has been edited by kfc: Apr 8 2006, 09:07 PM

macasia, if you can get the edu program ball rolling, (im guessing your profit margins are the same.. just more paperwork to do), and word spreads, you could win yourself alot of customers.

btw, kfc, im not too clear about your last post..


can you pls summarise a lil?

How much quoted:
For what specs:
From Applestore US (EDU)

How much quoted:
For what specs:
From Applestore US (normal)

How much quoted:
For what specs:
From Macasia

This post has been edited by ezralimm: Apr 8 2006, 10:53 PM

For what specs: 2.0 gig MB pro. 1 gig ram,100gig 7200 rpm HD. without Ilife.
From Applestore US (EDU) :8,770.62 MYR (without Ilife)

For what specs: 2.0 gig MB pro. 1 gig ram,100gig 7200 rpm HD. without Ilife.
From Applestore US (normal) : 9,541.58 MYR (without Ilife)

For what specs: 2.0 gig MB pro. 1 gig ram,100gig 7200 rpm HD. with Ilife.
From Macasia : 10,668 (Included Ilife)

p.s. Bare in mind, the 7200rpm hd is an upgrade. default package is 5600rpm hd.

Judging the price for Ilife is for $79USD (non-educational) and $49 (Educational). I guess if we include that for the pricing in mac asia package. Price at Mac Asia is still fair. (roughly 600rm more expensive to buy here, but I still can live with it)

Jayadev, Do we have choice to not include Ilife in Mac Asia? I've checked, it's an option in Apple Store website.

This post has been edited by kfc: Apr 9 2006, 12:22 AM

thanks for the info.

you can custom order anything you like, and I'll write you a quotation based on that. For simplicity, please order from Apple Store Singapore, because thats where your order will be processed.

All I need in truth, is a screen capture of your final order, or you can just type it out and I'll do the extra work.

i m noob abt buying mac lappy...but, i do like to get one soon...interested with the macbook pro...i knw buying pc lappy is not the same as buying mac (correct me if i m wrong, noob ma)...

is it have to order 1st then can get the macbook pro?...cheers...

d@odao, normally, we'd stock Apple items and you can just walk in and buy. However, the MacBook Pro has been back-ordered since January 15th, so we at MacAsia are recommending that you place a deposit, make an order to ensure you get one. By placing a deposit, we will make sure you get a MBP.

thanks for the info...wow, MBP is so high in demand...

Please Listen to my problems.....The salesperson said he will always keep in touch with me,but till now..I'm the only one who called him....I'm not blaming on him..just I feel like no updates about the product I want to buy....hope u understand a person feeling who wait for almost 2 month with no clue..Afraid to call him many times because feel like bothering him...just when I feel I wait long enough then I will call about 2 week times...but still sad news..

This post has been edited by h_bib: Apr 12 2006, 11:50 PM

you could always look for xaw5126 ( that's not his real name btw ). he's good . i know i would if i'm getting an apple

This post has been edited by goliath: Apr 13 2006, 10:54 PM

OT, dont tell me u r an ex-staff/consultant of digi also ar?

Jeyadev is my real name. h_bib, don't worry, just call roughly or 4 days once. refer to your Customer Order for the salesperson's name.

no, I never worked for Digi, I just read the newspaper report

Here's an article about appl hardware ram purchase guide.
http://hardmac.com/articles/56/
Check it out.

What if I buy a Dell laptop and run OSX on it? xD

*imagines a horrible death*

hello everyone,

i have a question here about my 3rd gen ipod. if anyone from MacAsia or anyone with an experience in this kinda thing could enlighten me, i'd be very thankful indeed.

the warranty period for my ipod is over, and it seems that the batt is dying on me. how much would it cost me to have a replacement batt, and how long would the process take?

thanks a lot yeah?

You have 2 options.

1. Ask Apple for a Battery Exchange. This one, its not under my department, so you need to call the Service Center at Bangsar (03 2094 1918) for more details.

2. You can buy a 3rd party battery made by Sonnet Technology from us (MacAsia). It costs around RM200. We currently don't do the installation, as Sonnet provides a complete video-based guide. Since you have a 3rd Gen iPod, its quite easy, have no fear. Call MacAsia 1 Utama (03 7724 1334) for more details or to talk to me directly.

Jeyadev here... in future, please do open a new thread or PM me for more queries...

Mac mac mac!! I lurve macs!! 1st post. hi peeps.