very simple

So. I finally got my Tiger replacement DVD today. And I put it in my computer. and it launched, and told me to restart in order to start the install, and I did. And then the computer sat there. For two hours. refusing to start up from the dvd drive. Or do anything. Thankfully, In my first, 6 hour, session with the Apple brainiacs three weeks ago, I did acquire the very useful knowledge of how to force a reboot from the hard drive even when there’s a cd/dvd in the drive. Computer started up fine. Tried installing other software, just to test out the drive. That installed fine.

So I called Apple. again (I’ve now spoken to: Elizabeth, Rob, Erica, Paul and William). My favorite part was where the automated phone tree actually hung up on me twice instead of transferring me to a tech. After I waited on the phone for 15 minutes each time. And then finally transferred me to the "overflow" tech, who had no inkling of how to help me. So then I had to get transferred again. And then, after all of the remarks about my "really extensive" case file, William told me he thought it was my computer, not the disk, because, in his mind, there’s just no way that I could get two faulty disks. Ignoring, of course, the fact that there were apparently hundreds, if not thousands, of these defects floating around the northeast after the Tiger launch.

Never mind that I spent six hours with Elizabeth two weeks ago testing out my entire hardware configuration (his response? "well a lot can happen in two weeks"). or that the drive could read the dvd just fine when it was inserted, but the dvd wouldn’t boot the computer. or that I tested the drive by re-installing one of the myriad of programs that I hadn’t gotten around to installing after my prior hard drive wipe and restoration.

So now I’ve got to drag my iMac to TekServe on Saturday (they being the folks who sold me the original faulty disk) and get it checked out. To make sure I don’t have a "progressive optical disk failure". Which will, of course, be covered not only because I have Apple care, but even if it’s a software problem, Apple’s going to pick up the tab because they’ve given me such a hard time. The tech who lied to me a week and a half ago about my software being shipped out last monday (only to call back this saturday to find out that it was still sitting in the warehouse) was probably what pushed me over the edge.

Ignoring the fact that if you billed out, at my current hourly billing rate, the amount of time that I spent on the phone I could not only buy a new G5 iMac and a flat panel TV, or that I’ve actually bought three apple computers in the past three years (my iMac, my powerbook, and an iBook for my brother), and hence, am an extremely good customer, I’m really losing my faith in the company. Mistakes happen. I get that. Software can be defective. But the complete runaround that I’ve gotten from the company is really souring me. I’m certainly not going to be encouraging others anymore.

Tags: apple, bitching, technology