CompUSA Nightmare Story
I just got off the phone with my Aunt, she's been having problem with my cousin's G5 and Monitor. She bought both at CompUSA along with AppleCare.
In late September, the Mac stopped booting up, or so they thought. They called me and told me the issues over the phone and I realized that the computer was booting but no image was appearing on the display. I had them test the display with another G5 they have and it worked without issue. I figured that the graphics card was either damaged or it had somehow become unseated from the AGP slot so I told them to either take it in for repairs where they bought the computer (I thought it was an Apple Store) or call AppleCare and have it shipped off to be fixed. This was the last I had heard of the problem until today.
Since it was hopefully an easy problem to fix, they took the computer back to CompUSA to be looked at. It was early October at this point, CompUSA said they would 'look into the problem' and call her when it was fixed. 3 weeks passed and they finally got a phone call to come pick it up as the computer was repaired.
My Aunt went down to CompUSA and picked up the G5. Once they got home they set up the computer and once again, no image appeared on the display. They immediately called CompUSA back and said that whatever they had done did not work. So someone at CompUSA decided that the monitor must not be working, despite my Aunt explaining that the Display worked with the other, identical G5.
So my Aunt brought the Display in. A few weeks later, they called back and said the monitor was ready to be picked up. Once again, they got home and found that the G5 and monitor were not working together. So she called CompUSA again. This time, they requested that she bring both the G5 and the Display in. It was December 5th at this point.
In early January, she finally heard back from CompUSA. They didn't know why the G5 wasn't working with the display, but after hearing that the display worked with the other G5 she had, they asked her to bring it in. Why they did not just test the display with another Mac at the store, I have no idea. At this point, my Aunt did not want to give up the one working computer to prove that the monitor would work. CompUSA said they would keep looking into the problem and get back to her. As of last week, the problem was still not fixed.
Yesterday, CompUSA called her and demanded that she come pick up her G5 and Monitor as they were taking up 'valuable space' and that she had been told 2 weeks prior that she pick them up as they were 'fixed'. She told them that she had been talking to them all along and that as of last week, the computers were not fixed. She then asked if the computers were actually fixed and was told that they were 'waiting for her to bring in the other G5 tower to test the monitor'. She asked them why they hadn't tested the monitor with one of the computers in the store and was told that they had no Macs in the store to test the monitor with. (A call to the store found that they not only had G5s in stock, but multiple systems on display to 'test drive').
At this point, CompUSA gave my Aunt an ultimatum, saying that she only had one more week to pick up her computer. What would happen if she didn't pick it up? They apparently did not say, but they were not giving her a choice. They had a very heated argument on the phone (most people would after going through so many hoops to get their computer repaired).
So after nearly 4 months, the computer still does not work with the monitor (or any monitor from what they can tell, the 2 computer setups are identical) and CompUSA is blaming my Aunt that the computer is not yet fixed since she did not bring in the other, working G5 to test with the display, fearing that there would be no computer for my cousins to use for possibly weeks.
Thankfully, there is a local Mac dealer that will look at the computer next, I told her that if it is all possible, to have them set up the tower and the display in the store where she leaves it so they can see the problem before she leaves. Hopefully that alone will be enough for them to diagnose the problem.
I know most people already know this, but beware of CompUSA. You'd always hope a retailer that sells Macs would be able to deal with repairs easily, either by having competent people on staff or by sending the computer back to Apple, but that didn't happen here. This issue should have been dealt with in a matter of hours or days, not months.
In late September, the Mac stopped booting up, or so they thought. They called me and told me the issues over the phone and I realized that the computer was booting but no image was appearing on the display. I had them test the display with another G5 they have and it worked without issue. I figured that the graphics card was either damaged or it had somehow become unseated from the AGP slot so I told them to either take it in for repairs where they bought the computer (I thought it was an Apple Store) or call AppleCare and have it shipped off to be fixed. This was the last I had heard of the problem until today.
Since it was hopefully an easy problem to fix, they took the computer back to CompUSA to be looked at. It was early October at this point, CompUSA said they would 'look into the problem' and call her when it was fixed. 3 weeks passed and they finally got a phone call to come pick it up as the computer was repaired.
My Aunt went down to CompUSA and picked up the G5. Once they got home they set up the computer and once again, no image appeared on the display. They immediately called CompUSA back and said that whatever they had done did not work. So someone at CompUSA decided that the monitor must not be working, despite my Aunt explaining that the Display worked with the other, identical G5.
So my Aunt brought the Display in. A few weeks later, they called back and said the monitor was ready to be picked up. Once again, they got home and found that the G5 and monitor were not working together. So she called CompUSA again. This time, they requested that she bring both the G5 and the Display in. It was December 5th at this point.
In early January, she finally heard back from CompUSA. They didn't know why the G5 wasn't working with the display, but after hearing that the display worked with the other G5 she had, they asked her to bring it in. Why they did not just test the display with another Mac at the store, I have no idea. At this point, my Aunt did not want to give up the one working computer to prove that the monitor would work. CompUSA said they would keep looking into the problem and get back to her. As of last week, the problem was still not fixed.
Yesterday, CompUSA called her and demanded that she come pick up her G5 and Monitor as they were taking up 'valuable space' and that she had been told 2 weeks prior that she pick them up as they were 'fixed'. She told them that she had been talking to them all along and that as of last week, the computers were not fixed. She then asked if the computers were actually fixed and was told that they were 'waiting for her to bring in the other G5 tower to test the monitor'. She asked them why they hadn't tested the monitor with one of the computers in the store and was told that they had no Macs in the store to test the monitor with. (A call to the store found that they not only had G5s in stock, but multiple systems on display to 'test drive').
At this point, CompUSA gave my Aunt an ultimatum, saying that she only had one more week to pick up her computer. What would happen if she didn't pick it up? They apparently did not say, but they were not giving her a choice. They had a very heated argument on the phone (most people would after going through so many hoops to get their computer repaired).
So after nearly 4 months, the computer still does not work with the monitor (or any monitor from what they can tell, the 2 computer setups are identical) and CompUSA is blaming my Aunt that the computer is not yet fixed since she did not bring in the other, working G5 to test with the display, fearing that there would be no computer for my cousins to use for possibly weeks.
Thankfully, there is a local Mac dealer that will look at the computer next, I told her that if it is all possible, to have them set up the tower and the display in the store where she leaves it so they can see the problem before she leaves. Hopefully that alone will be enough for them to diagnose the problem.
I know most people already know this, but beware of CompUSA. You'd always hope a retailer that sells Macs would be able to deal with repairs easily, either by having competent people on staff or by sending the computer back to Apple, but that didn't happen here. This issue should have been dealt with in a matter of hours or days, not months.
Comments
The real question is, Why didn't CompUSA call AppleCare when they realized it wasn't a simple fix?
Originally posted by Fran441
Sometimes it's not easy for people who know nothing about computers to explain the problem over the phone to AppleCare. When she bought the computer, she was told that if it had problems to bring it back to the store, that's what she did.
The real question is, Why didn't CompUSA call AppleCare when they realized it wasn't a simple fix?
Probably the same reason why women are taken advantage of at auto repair shops.
i dont even understand how some of those people get hired, most of them know nothing about computers.
they read off the cards as they tell you about the computer, they know shit about what they sell, i cant stand it.
i'll never shop there
Also, don't take the computer out of the store until they PROOVE the system works. That is their job, and they don't need every computer in your home to do it.
If need be, threaten to take it to a real computer repair shop and forward the bill to CompUSA. (If it is under warrantee.)
Having already done my research beforehand, I went into the store knowing exactly what I was going to buy (oddly enough every time I go into CompUSA I come out with far more than I intended when I walked in). WHile I was looking around, I started talking to one of the employees who happened to be walking around. When I told the employee that I wasstill on dial-up she immediately told me that that product wouldn't work because I didn't have broadband etc. etc. even though it clearly said on the box that an internet connection was not required. I actually hd to get the manager in order to get the damn thing since she didn't seem to want to let me leave. The best part, on her nametag it said "Network Specialist" (or something to that effect).
2 years later, I'm still on dial-up and that hub still works fine.
Of course there was also the time I brought in a laptop in pristine cosmetic condition for a new harddrive and they gave it bac to me all scratched on top.
And if she has Applecare, why is she letting CompUSA even touch it?