Apple = Dead to me.
Today, I found that Apple was offering the Sony FX1 DV camcorder for $2000. This was incredible, considering I was trying in vain to finance one from Sony literally yesterday for $3600. Suddenly, the $4000 (after tax) pipe dream was going to be a $2000 reality in the hands of this still-poorish ex-film student.
Things did not start well, but they would get a little better before getting a whole lot worse.
(And now, with Super Duper Awesome Update after the jump.)
I applied for Apple's credit, because, well, I don't have a lot of cash on hand. Apple decided they only liked me for $1000, but I figured I could take the pinch (right after payday and all) and drop the rest in cash. Sure, I might face a few overdraft fees from my bank in the meantime, but as long as they stayed under $1600 worth of fees, I'm still ahead of the game.
The credit line is immediately applied to my order, and I have an option of adding a second card to complete the purchase. So I do. And I notice a funny thing - I can't change the amounts on each. So the credit I just qualified for, in the amount of $1000, was being charged by Apple to the tune of $1000. I enter in my debit information, hit continue, and . . .
Rejected. I call my bank, thinking the problem is there. Nope. I get ahold of Juniper, the bank that handles the Apple Credit, and find out that Apple is charging a $1 authorization to the account along with the $1000. So they're charging $1001 against $1000, Juniper's saying it's over limit, and the process is being rejected. AND I CAN'T CLICK ANYWHERE TO CHANGE THE AMOUNT. APPLE'S SHOPPING CART IS COMPLETELY SCREWED (this was on Firefox 1.5 for the Mac, by the way.).
The info for the Apple credit line won't be mailed for three weeks, so if I don't complete the purchase now, I'll undoubtedly miss out on the camera. And the only way to use the Apple financing now is by not signing out of the Apple store, since it's auto-populating the information, which, again, I won't have otherwise for three weeks.
So, 6 customer service reps later, I'm connected with a super-helpful lady named Diane, who figures out a plan: I'll order a single cable, give her the order number, and then she'll remove the charge for the cable (but still send it along, free of charge), she'll add the camera, and then adjust the amounts there. It works, and she charges $950 to the Apple credit, and the rest to my debit card. It's a lot of work to get around a poorly designed online shopping cart, but if it means getting my camera, I'm happy to do it.
I'm so happy with Diane, I ask to speak to her supervisor so that I can leave comments about how deftly she handled the situation, and just generally what a great rep she's been. Yay!
Or not, as it turns out. I get an email later saying my order's been shipped, but all I see is the DVI connector cable I ordered. No camera. I log in, and the camera's due to be shipped on Monday, April 3rd - still within 24 hours, so I feel pretty good about things.
Until I check back in an hour later, and find the camera is listed as cancelled now.
I've received no communication from Apple about the cancellation. I'm confused, and a little angry considering the fact that I spent at least 90 minutes ordering the thing in the first place.
So I call up, and am subjected to no less than six reps, all of whom tell me different variations on "We don't know" or "No one will tell you WHY this was cancelled." (I swear to god, that's a quote). I hear that the stock ran out. I hear that "It shouldn't have been on the site." And I can't get a straight answer - was there ever any stock to begin with? I can, however, purchase a Canon GL2 for $2700. Sure, it's not as good, and it's more expensive, but . . .
I end up talking to Becky "We don't give out last names", supervisor with Apple Direct, extension 42692. I give her the same line of questioning I've given everyone else - after explaining my frustration.
Me: There's no recompense? You're not going to do anything to mitigate this and attempt to leave me as anything other than a very frustrated customer? Becky: I've noted your frustration. There's no equivalent we're offering at this time. Me: Can you help me undo the credit line I opened? I'd rather not have an Apple account, and I'd rather not have my credit report state that I opened an account and then immediately closed it. Becky: There's nothing I can do about that. Me: Are you saying there's not a system in place? Becky: That's correct. Me: Then why don't you send me to someplace where someone can help me? Becky: I'm empowered to help you with this situation. Me: But you're not actually helping.
Becky, it seems is where everything ends at Apple, leading to (after much polite frustration), inane exchanges like this:
Becky: There's no one else above me. Me: No one else? It's just you and Steve Jobs? Becky: ... Me: You're not even going to suggest I write a letter to corporate? Becky: You can write a letter to corporate. I'll give you their address. Me: That was my suggestion. That doesn't count.
Becky continues to suggest throughout the rest of the conversation that I write a letter to corporate, as though this were useful and not, in fact, an idea I made to prove a point.
Becky claims that Sony is discontinuing the camera (not true, and when I point this out, she backpedals and says that "They aren't supplying us with the camera.") Becky offers me $50 off a $1000 purchase, and says it's something she's granting to me because of my frustration, and that they won't be granting that to anyone else. Then I point out her supervisee offered me a blanket $50 off without the steep $1000 price tag.
So I'm left without a camera, and with a credit line that's worthless to me at this point.
My general frustration is that the whole thing sounds like a bait-and-switch. I signed up for an Apple account, applied for and opened an Apple credit line, and placed an order for a camera. Then, I was told it isn't in stock (and still never confirmed that it was, in fact, ever in stock), and have a Canon GL2 suggested to me (a lesser camera, offered at $700 more). I'm told repeatedly that an email was sent to me, but I never received anything (and yes, I checked my spam folder). And there's no attempt - anything - to make me a happy customer, other than $50 off of a high ticket item. Which is negated by the fact that if I chose to use the Apple credit, I've lost the 90 days no interest offer for my first purchase.
Super Duper Awesome Update:
I just received a weird, second confirmation email from Apple regarding the DVI connector they're sending me, which is supposed to be coming free of charge. Check the screenshot below:
So, is it free, or is it $225? I can't wait to get back on the phone again with their helpful associates to get this all straightened out.
March 31, 2006 at 7:40 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
links for 2006-03-31
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I can't believe how many people online took this thing seriously. Apart from this post missing the mark, it's not until comment #148 that someone who gets it speaks up: "People! It's a joke! It's not Pro-Life...and it's not really supposed to be her..."
March 30, 2006 at 9:18 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
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Canada has a zombie-themed "drive safe" campaign! I am totally living in the wrong country. (Also, be sure to play the soccer game, and knock the dead kid's head off.)
March 27, 2006 at 9:19 PM | TrackBack
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March 24, 2006 at 9:19 PM | TrackBack
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"The whole idea that you don't have to think about race until you "crash" into it is not what most people have the luxury of doing...White privilege is not having to think about race."
March 21, 2006 at 9:18 PM | TrackBack
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"All of the printed and voiced prophecies should be saved in an archive. When these false prophets again appear, they can be reminded of the error of their previous ways." That's Cal Thomas on those who said the war would be a mess.
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Wow! I haven't seen CG this good since 1997's Anaconda!
March 17, 2006 at 9:22 PM | TrackBack
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Awesome SXSW mischief, Make-style.
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A pretty fascinating documentary abour private military firms operating in Iraq that I caught at SXSW this year. More on that later.
March 16, 2006 at 9:19 PM | TrackBack
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March 13, 2006 at 9:23 PM | TrackBack
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submissions!
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Available giant sized!
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"He conjured up all the song names one day while mowing the lawn.
Some song titles include 'Booty Flava,' 'Booty Conniption' and 'Girl, Yo’ Ass is So Fine.' "
March 11, 2006 at 9:20 PM | TrackBack
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We see coyotes in the hill behind our apartment and in the neighborhoods when we walk at night all the time. Myself and two friends were chased by a coyote a few months back, who came within a couple of feet from one of us/
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The fabled Frat House documentary! Now, if only I could find an hour to dedicate to watching a bunch of steakheads act like idiots...
March 9, 2006 at 9:23 PM | TrackBack
sxsw!
see you there!
March 8, 2006 at 10:52 PM | TrackBack
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Ryan is setting up an interactive playpen @ sxsw. Legos are expensive. GIVE HIM MONEY. You'll be glad you did. Or not. Depends on how many of his legos you end up stealing.
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Alan Goats' catches his neighor in Alan's barn, acquainting himself with his lamb. Comic gold on so many levels: Alan's improbably serendipitous surname; the report referring to the offender's "gentiles"; the police-provided pictures of the lamb (SFW).
March 8, 2006 at 9:22 PM | TrackBack
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Funny, and even funnier when you verify it isn't a photoshopped mockup.
March 6, 2006 at 9:21 PM | TrackBack
Crashing at the Oscars.
Well, Crash won. Yay for bad movies.
I've briefly mentioned how much and why I hate this movie so, and I don't feel like retreading it. I will give some credit to Paul Haggis, he of Canadian descent and Scientologist nuttiness spirituality, because it has to be difficult writing a script and filming it with fists that look like this:
Speaking of Ham
There was a moment in the pre-show Red Carpet banter when Mr. George "Hollywood Saran Wrapped Ham" Pennachio, who to this point had been greeting most guests with such effusive (though expected) empty-headedness as "Great to see you!" and "So great that your movie was nominated!," decided that the best way to initiate an interview with the members of the Three Six Mafia was with, quote:
"I want you to express your gratitude"
for being nominated. He quickly semi-stumbled back out of it, but the words - the stern demand from a white guy with a microphone for proper gratitude(!) from young black men - had been spoken.
Now, had Crash had moments like that, Haggis might've been on to something. (Haggis would've just had Pennachio refer to them with outright slurs, I'm sure).
March 6, 2006 at 6:36 PM | TrackBack
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Video of a live performance of "Foxhole", from 1978.
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Oh, funny and great.
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SXSW's 942 mp3s conveniently whittled down to 79. Note, though, that She Wants Revenge made the mfr cut, and The Presets didn't.
March 5, 2006 at 9:21 PM | TrackBack
Ann Coulter is bad.
I know, I know, what else is new? But seriously, why does this woman still have a national forum? She has a right to say whatever she wants, but does it have to be in places that are within my regular purview of reading?
Her most recent column has her applying her special brand of humor (that brand being "offensive" and "unfunny") to the Oscars. In a nutshell, she (after saying she's uniquely qualified in not having seen any of the films, since, you know, she's above the rabble) summarizes each of the best picture nominees by their "political correctness." It's mostly what you'd expect (Brokeback Mountain - "gay"; Crash - "racism") but then things get sticky, because see, Munich is a best picture nominee.
So what's a good End-of-Days-Conservative-Christian-identifying right-wing nut to do? You want to show your support for the state of Israel to help fulfill the Christian prophecy of Armageddon, but you still need to lampoon Hollywood liberals, and Munich is a film that, though flawed, doesn't draw clear lines in the Israel/Palestine debate. And it's directed by Steven Spielberg, he of Schindler's List. So, how do you sum up the film to show that it's the product of Hollywood's skewed vision, which is necessarily 180 degrees from the Right's?
Apparently, you do it with this line: "Jew athletes at Munich had it coming."
Yes, that's apparently the clear message of Munich. While the film may question whether Israel's extermination of the architects of Munich was the correct thing to do, it apparently leaves no question on whether or not the athletes deserved it. WTF?
I know the Rude Pundit gave up on complaining about Ann Coulter after a recent column in which she alternately referred to Muslims as "jihad monkeys," "camel jockeys," and "tent merchants." Why pay attention to the raving racist in the corner? It's a fine attitude to have when the raving racist is in the corner, but in this case, she's in newspapers nation-wide and talking on nationally broadcast programs.
March 5, 2006 at 3:50 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
links for 2006-03-05
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The Birds! Blow-Up! Fight Club! Back to the Future!
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They were told that the amount they had sent in was much larger than their normal monthly payment. And if the increase hits a certain percentage higher than that normal payment, Homeland Security has to be notified. And the money doesn't move until the th
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Some transcripts from the Soderbergh/Romanek commentary track for Bubble (which I just half-listened to while doing work. Though I watched the film with my full attention late last night and thought it quite great).
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The Smoking Gun looks at the budgets of M. Night Shyamalan's four films with Disney - each of which earned him $10 - 13 million? Yowza.
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Local news video of a white Kentucky English honors teacher attempting to explain the slang version of a certain racist epithet in his defense of using it to refer to a student. Talk about digging a hole!
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Video: Limbaugh, subbing for the Wheelster (Mr. Pat Sajak), speaks a few words about abortion and then completely loses control of his audience. Flopsweat!
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But an apparently international assortment of idiots does just that. NSFW video, unless your sound is off.
March 4, 2006 at 9:21 PM | TrackBack
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Let Jan Terri ease you through the pain of a breakup with this video to her smash hit "Losing You." Her Elmer Fudd Wascawwy Rs aren't as pronounced in this song as some of her others.
