Thankfully Apple's Not In The Auto Part Business
Apple computers are generally more expensive than their competitors. Apple enthusiasts have long accustomed themselves to shelling out a premium for Cupertino bling. But Dave Winer was surprised to find out that not only does Apple charge a hefty $160 to replace a 80GB hard drive, they refuse to hand over your defective disk after you've paid to have it replaced. Holy potential sensitive information loss Batman!
The new disk went in, I signed a form, and was about to leave and asked for the old disk and the clerk said it was his not mine. They were going to send it back to the manufacturer. I figured it would be refurbished and sold cheap to someone in a third world country. Little did I suspect.
He got his supervisor. She insisted that the drive belonged to Apple, even though I had paid an inflated price to buy a new one. She showed me the language on the reverse side of the form I signed. It was even worse than she had said. There was no guarantee that the drive they had just put in my Mac was new! It might have been someone else's defective drive. I said it was outrageous. I grabbed a copy of the agreement and left.
If Apple was in the auto repair business, this would be illegal. And never mind the obvious temptation to charge people for repairs they don't need; any sane person would balk at handing over a hard disk filled with all sorts of information on it to strangers. I still have every hard drive I've ever owned. I'd physically destroy them with a hammer before I'd trust anyone to wipe them clean. I'm literally amazed that anyone would put up with this policy. I guess to Apple enthusiasts, Apple is like an S&M mistress; she seems sexy, and you figure you'll get a thrill out of the beating she's going to give you. But after you're tied up, all she does is go through your pants pockets, then leaves.
The new disk went in, I signed a form, and was about to leave and asked for the old disk and the clerk said it was his not mine. They were going to send it back to the manufacturer. I figured it would be refurbished and sold cheap to someone in a third world country. Little did I suspect.
He got his supervisor. She insisted that the drive belonged to Apple, even though I had paid an inflated price to buy a new one. She showed me the language on the reverse side of the form I signed. It was even worse than she had said. There was no guarantee that the drive they had just put in my Mac was new! It might have been someone else's defective drive. I said it was outrageous. I grabbed a copy of the agreement and left.
If Apple was in the auto repair business, this would be illegal. And never mind the obvious temptation to charge people for repairs they don't need; any sane person would balk at handing over a hard disk filled with all sorts of information on it to strangers. I still have every hard drive I've ever owned. I'd physically destroy them with a hammer before I'd trust anyone to wipe them clean. I'm literally amazed that anyone would put up with this policy. I guess to Apple enthusiasts, Apple is like an S&M mistress; she seems sexy, and you figure you'll get a thrill out of the beating she's going to give you. But after you're tied up, all she does is go through your pants pockets, then leaves.
