Man With $1,250 Gift Cards Can’t Buy A Mac

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How bad would this suck? You got $1,250 in gift cards (a total of 7 cards) but you can’t get a Mac because Apple says you have “too many gift cards.” After a similar case last year, Apple changed its gift card policy from “unlimited” to just six. I don’t get it, Apple has the cash from the people that bought the cards, why do they care how many you use?

As soon as I found I could not enter more than half my gift cards on the Apple website, I used their online chat facility. That didn't work out so I rang Apple and was passed from Sales to Customer Service and told "no" all the way. I have filed a complaint against them with the Better Business Bureau.
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Thats weird. Usually policies are written that way so people don't do it depsite the company and split their gift cards into 100 different cards with only a few dollars each but usually they don't enforce that rule.

Thats weird that he went through so many channels only to be denied by everyone. Can't he combine a few gift cards together/
 
Like that Sharper Image bankruptcy, gift cards are considered loans to the company. So you are basically "loaning" them money and they won't pay up?!? Better get Frankie the Bull on the case or BBB.
 
All he has to do is call the 800 number and he can use as many as he wants. The store and online store limit you because they once had problems with gift cards, so Apple had to make a decision and adjust their store policy. Right or wrong, he still can order his Mac, he just choose not to read and see how to order it.
 
I try not to set foot into apple stores if I can help it, it's always chaotic no matter what time of the day you go. There isn't any organized line to make your purchases, you have to find a sales rep with one of those stupid little scanners on their belt to make a purchase and they're always helping customers, when I went in to make a return the lady I asked put me on a "list" and then forgot I was there so I had to ask some random guy about to give those mac tutorial things if he could help me, I mean maybe they're trying to be "new age" with this stuff but to me it's just annoying and inconvenient.
 
It's like the joke I used to use when I was in retail.

Someone would ask "You take cash?" and I'd say "with the proper I.D."

The guy's got the cards, the cards are valid they ought to just take the damn things. Sometimes I wonder about places that make purchasing unusually difficult.
 
theDreamer said:
All he has to do is call the 800 number and he can use as many as he wants. The store and online store limit you because they once had problems with gift cards, so Apple had to make a decision and adjust their store policy. Right or wrong, he still can order his Mac, he just choose not to read and see how to order it.
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Did you miss the part where he called sales and then was transfered to customer service?

As soon as I found I could not enter more than half my gift cards on the Apple website, I used their online chat facility. That didn't work out so I rang Apple and was passed from Sales to Customer Service and told "no" all the way. I have filed a complaint against them with the Better Business Bureau.
Click to expand...
 
The BBB won't do shit, but now that his story is soaring through the Internet, Apple will probably cave in.


...right?
 
theDreamer said:
All he has to do is call the 800 number and he can use as many as he wants. The store and online store limit you because they once had problems with gift cards, so Apple had to make a decision and adjust their store policy. Right or wrong, he still can order his Mac, he just choose not to read and see how to order it.
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Let's say that he didn't call the 800 number. If he went through SEVERAL department and they did not offer any solution or even suggesting what you said, then APPLE still failed in their policy.
 
Wow, with friends like that (who give you Apple gift cards), who needs enemies?
 
How about purchasing two smaller items over the phone, then returning them for Apple credit (logistically the same thing), then using that singular amount for this purpose? Shipping would be an out-of-pocket expense, but that's about it.

Of course, not having a PC or access to an Apple store, I might just have a (very good) friend sell these on eBay, take the returns (probably about 50%, maybe 75%) and snap up a Dell on special. With Apple's markup, he might very well come out on top.
 
ND40oz said:
Did you miss the part where he called sales and then was transfered to customer service?
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Nope, read the story yesterday actually and still feel the same way. It does not say exactly what he spoke to sales about though, just he went from "Sales to Customer Service." So without knowing what they spoke about or talked about we cannot know exactly what happened.

LANm0nk3y said:
Let's say that he didn't call the 800 number. If he went through SEVERAL department and they did not offer any solution or even suggesting what you said, then APPLE still failed in their policy.
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He went through two departments, technically, only one of which could actually do anything because of Apple policy. Apple can set whatever policy they want, anyone remember the "No cash or gift cards for iPhone's?" We do not know why sales transferred him to customer service, he omitted that in the story so we do not know what him and sales spoke about.
 
Thats why I always try to get paper gift certificates. Here in PA, as long as it is a paper GC, it must be honored as if it is cash, no matter how old. Cards can devalue, and are only seen as store credit. the paper is a cash agreement however.
 
can he buy bigger giftcards with multiple smaller giftcards to reduce the total number of giftcards?
 
When I worked at sears, I found out the most popular way to "steal" from the store was to grab random expensive stuff from near the doors, then return it at a later date for a gift card. That way, they could get the big screen TV or refrigerator that they really wanted. As far as i know, Sears still doesn't have a policy against many gift cards, but I can see why a B&M store would.
 
PC Guy: Hi I'm a PC
Mac Guy: Hi I'm a Mac
PC Guy: I can buy a PC or parts with multiple gift cards.
Mac Guy: Fuck off.
 
I see gift cards as a sort of loan that the purchaser gives the corporation.

Shame we can't be like loan sharks and bust knee caps if we can't receive the payments
 
magoo said:
Excellent.:D

Apple=dumbass.
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If this was not an automatic part of any post that related to apple this would be meaningfull.

Apple has this policy to fight credit card fraud last I heard. If you had mony stolen from you and Apple helped it continue there would be a better reason for all the happy attacks.

I dont own an apple of course I like my computer games too much.
 
The shopper should take this as a blessing. He should ebay those gift cards and buy himself a real PC.
 
This guy is just stupid for not buying a gift card with the multiple cards he has. I do this all the time at circuit city (I get 100$ gift cards are rewards from my credit card) as it's just easier to carry one card ten 3 cards in your wallet.
 
I have a question for everyone. What was the guy planning on doing with the mac once he purchased it?
 
What you are describing actually IS stealing.
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Yes it is, but when they actually get the TV ect. they are doing so legally. There is nothing we could do when someone waled in and purchased something with 10 gift cards worth $107.34 each (the price a 99.99 item was after tax). You KNEW the guy was "stealing" the TV, but could do nothing since he only really stole some crock pots (I caught a guy doing this).
 
7718 said:
I have a question for everyone. What was the guy planning on doing with the mac once he purchased it?
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Does it matter? He wanted to buy something, had the money for it and they would not let him buy it. How is this really different then a guy who brings in 100 twenty dollar bills to buy something? In this situation they both equal legal tender for this transaction.
 
7718 said:
I have a question for everyone. What was the guy planning on doing with the mac once he purchased it?
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He's gonna brag to everyone that owns a Windows based PC about how secure his new Mac is and how he doesn't have to worry about spyware and viruses.
 
Forget the BBB, please send a detailed account to www.consumerist.com. They will even get email addy's of Apple Executives who will look into the matter. This site gets results. I am in no way affiliated with them but I do check their site regularly and apparently a lot of companies and people do as well. Good luck.
 
theDreamer said:
Nope, read the story yesterday actually and still feel the same way. It does not say exactly what he spoke to sales about though, just he went from "Sales to Customer Service." So without knowing what they spoke about or talked about we cannot know exactly what happened.




He went through two departments, technically, only one of which could actually do anything because of Apple policy. Apple can set whatever policy they want, anyone remember the "No cash or gift cards for iPhone's?" We do not know why sales transferred him to customer service, he omitted that in the story so we do not know what him and sales spoke about.
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:confused::confused: Not sure exactly what else he could have spoken to them about other than explain the situation. At which point if it was ok through the 800 number he would have bought the computer and end of story. Regardless, if as you claim it is feasible to buy via the phone, than customer service should have been aware of that and provided him with that option. If by policy it is not feasible, then most of us probably believe that it is a riciculous policy.
 
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