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MagnumMac (aka YouBee)

As at 3pm, Wednesday 21st September I have not heard back from the Magnum Mac manger to whom I offered to temporarily remove this post. So it's comin back up. If you've already read this, please read the notes at the bottom.

This is the writings of a customer of Apple who feels pissed off. I'm not pissed off at Apple, I've never had a problem with them. My problems are entirely with an authorised service provider, otherwise known as Magnum Mac.

Magnum Mac are the largest service provider, so the one you take your gear to when it fails.

My experience with service technicians have been great. They are friendly and try and help.

Until today.

I had more problems with my iBooks than I care to mention. I got an iBook G4 after a year of faults. That worked fine, for 10 months. After that it managed to have a hard drive, then 3 weeks later a logic board. Worked fine for another couple of months and died (logic board again?) just before I went to San Francisco.

So, in San Francisco I picked up a 12" PowerBook. You might think I was crazy, and quite frankly I'm starting to agree with that train of thought, but a PowerBook is going to have less problems than an iBook... right?

Get home, two months later, computer is working fine, shut the lid, pop it down next to me to eat. Pick it up again, nothing but a grey screen. Take it in to MagnumMac Wellington. After 8 days of waiting, with no response, I call. Part not due till the end of the month (3 weeks away). I'm annoyed, but they momentarily appease me by loaning me another 12" PowerBook. I sing their praises for a few days.

Go forward a week. I'm in Auckland, with only my PowerBook. I'm installing Rails (I've done most of my rails stuff lately on the Mac mini). Graphics goes bad and it kernel panics. Reboot, try again. Same thing. Think... hrm, maybe I shouldn't do this. Load a temperature monitor incase it's over heating. Nothing obvious. Take it to bed and give up and just use a web browser. Everything ok.

Interface that Wednesday, try to run a game demo. Gets part of the way through same garbled screen, kernel panic. It starts doing it more often, after around first 15-20, then reducing to 1-2 minutes. Run Hardware Test, Video RAM bad. Take it into MagnumMac the following Monday.

Get to today. It's Friday. No status updates (as usual). Ring, hrm, todays parts have arrived but your logic board isn't here. Can I get a loan machine? Have to ask.

Call from the technician says "oh, you didn't buy this computer from us, we can't give you a free loaner, but we'll rent you a 17" for $100/week (reduced from $180)". No. I can't afford $100. Have to talk to manager. Manager says, well, not much. Manager is unwilling to offer any other options, not willing to accept that I've brought a substantial amount of equipment from them, nor the fact that it's generally good to be nice to your customers. In general he was quite rude to me on the phone.

So here I am. For the second time in a month I lack my PowerBook. I'm unhappy with the service I have recieved from MagnumMac. I want to complain but have on way of figuring out who to complain to. It's not a warranty issue, because I doubt Apple loan PowerBooks. It's not a consumer thing, because it wasn't purchased in New Zealand, but I want someone, anyone, at Apple New Zealand, or Magnum Mac to realise that I will be discouraging anyone and everyone I meet not to shop at Magnum Mac or have any dealings with them. I won't.

You might think I'm being unfair on them, why should they be nice to me when I didn't buy the PowerBook from them. They have, however, guaranteed that I won't buy one from them in the future. So it is kind of their loss.

As a closing note, other places you can buy Mac gear from in Wellington:

  • Educational Computers, at Victoria University, are often $15-$20 cheaper on the "consumer" equipment (iPods, iBooks, Mac mini, etc.)
  • Harvey Norman, just to stick it to 'em, and if you do it right you can get a good deal.
  • Totally Mac internet based, and not in Wellington, but are another option.

The above three have my endorsement for products that are worth buying, if not backed up by good service by Magnum Mac. Educational Computers suggest Toucan as an alternative service agent. Perhaps you should too.

Post experience notes

I complained to Apple NZ last thursday. I recieved an email back from the managing director of Magnum Mac, who other than having some facts wrong, and sticking up for the wellington manager (those two parts are related), seemed reasonable. I offered to temporarily remove this post as an act of good faith as part of a response to his email. I did so. I have since heard nothing, so this post returns. Ultimately I still won't go back there.

The managing director seemed to suggest that I should have been able to have a loan machine when my iBook(s) failed, or Mac mini. That never happened. And I guess the lack of a loan machine annoyed me, but that wasn't the main issue. The lack of communication, and the unwillingness to compromise for someone who wanted to like them, that's what annoyed me most of all.

Comments

 

in this post: http://scroll.redemption.co.nz/2005/03/20/no-news-is-good-news-right there's a quick summary of the negative experience I had with Magnummac Wellington.

I got here too late to find out what your issues with them are, but I must say that I'm not surprised you've got some negative (I assume) stuff going if you're trying to deal with them.

at September 21, 2005 03:45 PM by: Malach
 

Just like to point out that MagnumMac doesn't not manufacture Apple Product or Service Parts. It is most unfortunate you should have such a bad run with Apple products, but be very careful at laying this entirely at Magnum's feet. Especially when you didn't even purchase it from them in the first place. Holding them liable for events out of their control is misguided in my opinion.

at September 28, 2005 06:12 PM by: Misguided
 

I'm going to throw this out there first: the comment from "misguided" comes from 203.79.66.195, or wn.magnummac.co.nz. The same thing happened on Malach's post. Perhaps, if you are "Misguided" you should read public relations disaster. I have no problem with you defending MM, but be honest about who you are. It makes you look better, and shows you are at least trying to be aware of the whole "blog" thing.

Now, the response:

I have no delusions about the source of the parts, and quite frankly my experience with Apple NZ/Apple US have been nothing but stellar, they've done quite a lot to keep me happy. MagnumMac however seem unwilling to take part in this.

I've purchased things in the past from MagnumMac, and now I won't do so in the future. That has a lot to do with how I was treated, and the lack of communication, and the fact that nothing seemed to happen, ever, until I rung up and said "where's my gear?".

at September 28, 2005 06:50 PM by: patrick [TypeKey Profile Page]
 

My wife is seriously considering replacing her current Linux/PC system with an Apple iMac G5 and I was of course thinking of going to the major player in Wellington. This blog/post gives me reason to re-think. I am not impressed by companies that post covertly either. Google search "magnum mac" (nz pages)threw up this page.

at January 4, 2006 03:06 PM by: Geoff
 

I've been working on Mac's for the past 14 years and have dealt with Magnum mac on several occasions. As far as servicing goes they are far from helpful. Things just seem too difficult and in my experience, once the product has been sold, that's when the customer service ends.

I am about to purchase my third Mac from Toucan. I can highly recommend them for both sharp prices and exceptional after sales service.

P.S. I don't work for Toucan :o)

at January 27, 2006 07:44 PM by: Wayne
 

well its lovely that people are so coddled here in nz. my experience with them was ok. somewhat positive and certainly more so than with stores outside of the great country.

the loaner service is at their discretion to please customers. not giving you a loaner for whatever reason was dumb and a loss for both of you.

anyhow i applaud posting the posting as companies need to be dressed down for anything but the best customer service. i may still use them

at April 6, 2006 08:20 AM by: anon
 

Coddled? I wouldn't accept that kind of service anywhere.

My experience with them has been much significantly worse than my dealings with most other companies in New Zealand. Other mac retailers deal with customers better, so I'll shop there. Toucan do service heaps better, so I'll send my gear there. It's simple really.

Yes, companies do need to be dressed down for poor customer service. What did I lose? A couple of weeks without my machine. What did they lose? Well, two machines per year for myself plus referrals for the rest of my life.

Once upon a time they added value. Now they do not.

at April 6, 2006 11:28 AM by: patrick [TypeKey Profile Page]
 

Could not agree more. I think there is a core 'cultural' issue at Magnum Mac. Some disturbance/division has long appeared to exist between their service department, sales team and front of house. This is in evidence every time you walk in the door. They have never seemed to sort out how to address customers and treat them with prompt interest - instead, if the designated front of house staffmember is not around, Magnum Mac employees sit at computers and ignore you. Even the very basics seem beyond them.

My personal bugbear relates to a powermac I took in after frequent crashes. I was two-three weeks post one year of buying. I was told that the machine needed to be replaced - I forget the reason they gave but the key point is my Applecare had just lapsed (big mistake, never again).

I said 'No way', and wrote a letter invoking the Consumer Guarantees Act. In due course I heard back from their mangager or sales head - Ian somebody. He dissembled vigorously and told me without any apology that my machine's problem had been misdiagnosed, and all that needed replacing was one sixty dollar part.

It was utterly transparent and contemptible. They would have happily forced me to buy an entirely new computer had I not written that letter.

I love Macs, but stuff like that is just foul.

at May 6, 2006 05:49 AM by: Adam
 

I have to say that MagnumMac are easily the worst retailer I have ever experienced, and so bad that they have badly tainted my first experience of buying a Mac. Their sales staff are rude, unsmiling, disinterested, bored-looking rejects who wouldn't even pass Sales/Service 101.

at July 6, 2006 06:19 PM by: Jon
 

If only I had read all this before I bought my new MacBook! The manager of MagnumMac in Wellington has just acused me of damaging my ethernet port because he says it would not be shipped like that!! I've had the unit a month and the ethernet port has only worked intermitently in that time. I have spent hours and hours and hours on the phone to Apple support and trying to isolate the fault ie was it the modum or was it the MacBook. I am totally shocked by the service from this provider.

at July 18, 2006 01:29 PM by: Ruth Wallis
 

Hey Patrick and everyone, has anyone taken these turkeys (MagnumMac in Wellington) to court or some kind of consumer board or something. I'm riled up enough to take some serious action right now and I'd like to know if anyone else has tried? let me know!

at July 18, 2006 01:37 PM by: Ruth Wallis
 

Hi guys, yes I agree in total with the service. IT really does seem that once you've bought something they forget you immediately. I have a powerbook G4 but thankfully, I bought it from Harvey Norman. Yet to have any problems but their service is always great when I walk in there compared to Magnum MAC

at July 20, 2006 07:24 PM by: Mauzar
 

Magnum Mac in Wellington are a bunch of up-themselves arse-wipes who ponce about thinking they're above everyone else. They think they're "knowledgeable" and cool because they're associated with such classy computers and scoff when anyone asks them a question because dealing with someone who mightn't know so much about such "cool" equipment is simply beneath them. I go in there for a laugh now to see how wanky they can be. They're a lesson in how not to be. I feel sorry for their girlfriends, if they've ever had one.

at July 29, 2006 07:10 PM by: Mike
 

Oh dear, how depressing reading this...

We bought a MacBook from Magnum Mac on Saturday 29th July. Yesterday (Wednesday 2nd August), I noticed that the bottom of the unit is warped, rocking back and forth when typing/mousing. This is not acceptable for a machine costing $2800. Earlier in the week we also discovered that the USB modem will not work under XP/Bootcamp. When we purchased the machine, we made it clear that we needed the machine to run a couple of specific applications under XP and understood this was now possible with the Intel based Macs (refer Apples advertising campaign - I'm a Mac AND a PC).

The sales people were rude and, uh, how would you say it, "mac-religious"? - they scoffed at us wanting to run XP on a Mac and treated us like dummies when we struggled to do basic things with the demo machine (we are Windows people and accept there is a learning curve). They did however concede that Apple made it possible to do so and demonstrated XP running on one of the iMacs in store. They then explained to us that right click was achieved by pressing the right side of the mouse button on the MacBook (which we discovered later is not the case at all). At no stage did the salesperson mention any limitations in respect to hardware support OR that Bootcamp is currently a beta product.

Given these issues, I returned to the store yesterday and asked for a full refund. I was closed away in a small office and asked to wait for the manager (the store was full of customers and I guess they didn't want my issues to be public). When the manager turned up a few minutes later, he was defensive and unfriendly. I outlined my concerns and he was quite unresponsive-going so far as to suggest that I shouldn't be using dial-up, given that everyone has broadband (hardly relevant). He then suggested that I run Parallels if I needed to run XP to which I explained that I preferred the Apple option as it was after all a solution from Apple and presumably a better supported one.

To cut a 15 minute "one way" meeting short, he asked me to leave the machine with him and he would contact me after checking the machine over.

When I received no call from them by the following day (Today, Thursday 3rd August), I called the store at 11:15am but the manager wasn't available. I left a detailed message about who I was, why I was calling and that I would like a return call with an update on the issue. At 2:25pm after still not hearing from them I called again and by some luck, got the manager straight away. He had no recollection of who I was, needing to refer to his paperwork. After reminding him of the issue and that they had our MacBook AND our money, he said they hadn't looked at it yet and wouldn't be doing so until approximately lunchtime tomorrow.

I find this situation fascinating - where is the customer service - isn't the golden rule to bend over backwards for the customer? We were originally going to buy the machine from Harvey Norman after getting rude service (read: superiority complex) from Magnum Mac when we'd called on two previous occasions. We opted however to purchase from the "specialist" store believing that their level of service would be far superior to that of a chain store. Sadly this is clearly not the case!

After finding this post here, I fear we could be waiting some time for a resolution to this issue.

at August 3, 2006 05:31 PM by: Colin Williams
 

Hi Colin,

Sorry to hear yet more problems with Magnum Mac.

Personally I'd strong recommend the Parallels route over BootCamp - Parallels is a commercially supported option that Apple themselves seem to be promoting (albeit quietly) that option.

at August 3, 2006 06:00 PM by: patrick [TypeKey Profile Page]
 

Gobsmacked! After numerous phone calls to them this morning and then a final personal visit because we were getting nowhere, they have given us a full refund!

A good outcome but it took a lot of effort on our part - we'll certainly never step foot inside that store again.

at August 4, 2006 05:47 PM by: Colin Williams
 

Last weekend upon unpacking a new Intel iMac 20" & discovering what must be the world's worst keyboard/mouse combo I headed in to Auckland Magnum Mac intent on purchasing a wireless combo, plus an extra 512MB RAM, a Firewire transfer cable, an external HDD and whatever else caught my eye. Cash sale, easy money.

Twenty minutes of picking items up, carrying them around and generally looking like a buyer, I got sick of being ignored. Totally ignored, like turning away from me when I went to make an enquiry.

I decided these fellas were on salaries, not commission.

So I wandered 300m up Newton Rd to Gamma Computers. They couldn't have been more helpful, and so I left 30 minutes later with a couple of bags stuffed full.

I stopped in at Magnum Mac on the way back down the hill, just to let anyone there who was awake see what they'd missed out on.

Dunno if they remembered me or even noticed me, but I'd just put almost $1000 that was fully intended for them in somebody else's cash register.

Next time the urge to techno-spend hits me, they won't even be considered.

at August 18, 2006 01:38 AM by: 1024KB
 

Edit Solutions is an Associate Apple Reseller in Canterbury for anyone in Education. www.editsolutions.co.nz. Also www.externalStuff.com have everything you need to go with your mac.

at September 6, 2006 03:58 PM by: John
 

I was beginning to get skeptical with thier service. 4 days to install RAM. 3 weeks to order a Bluetooth Adaptor? Madness. I don't think I shall take the risk.

at September 14, 2006 04:05 PM by: Jason

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You’re currently reading “MagnumMac,” an entry on Patrick’s Soapbox.

Published: September 09, 2005 03:01 PM.

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