You can read a bit of the back story to my Mac Pro buying saga here. The long and short of it is.. I bought the computer on January 18th, and they still haven’t shipped it! The excuse being that they still have to “make it” as it’s a custom configuration… however.. that custom configuration amounts to popping in a graphics card.. so… why should it take nearly a month to do.. when I could do it myself inside of a few minutes? Thus my anger over this situation.
So yesterday I got an email from Apple saying “we were not able to authorize your purchase.” Umm… why not? The card is a Visa ATM card from my bank.. takes it out of the checking.. and at no time did the amount in the checking end up less then the amount of the computer. So what’s up?
Well.. just now, going through the card’s paperwork I find out there’s a limit on how much you can spend on a single purchase with the card… or how much you can take out in a single day Umm.. why? Plus there’s a 2% transaction fee! Nice how they never tell you about the fine print! And don’t these sound like stupid rules for which there is no reason, other then that the Bank wants to make your life more difficult?
So as far as I know.. this leaves me in a kind of.. well annoying situation. I have one credit card in my name… and is there enough available credit on that card to allow me to buy the computer? It is somewhat doubtful. The other option is my father has a couple of cards, but I don’t actually know what the available credit on those look like. Perhaps I could pay off my discover card, online, to give me the space I need… but do those transactions go through right away, or do I have to wait?
On the other hand, might there be a way I could go down to the Apple store and just write a check or bring the cash? Further, at what point would this screw up the order.. where I’d end up having to go through this whole wait period all over again? This, plus, I bought a printer as a part of the order.. where you get a rebate so the printer only costs $30.. but to get the rebate the printer has to be a part of the same order.. will that get fucked up in the process?
To further complicate matters, there’s a limited amount of money in the checking. It’s not that limited but.. Imagine you go and put down $3K on a credit card.. to give you more head room.. and then it turns out not to work… I still need to go buy a monitor.. and other stuff.. for when the computer actually comes…
I cashed out a CD, distributed that into 2 CDs, and the checking, but that’s not likely to get into the checking account till about tuesday.
A few latter:
So it looks like the online bill paying system through the bank, though I haven’t quite figured it out yet.. but it sounds like it takes about 4 Business days for a bill to be paid.. So.. It looks like I basically have no options to buy stuff online, accept via credit card… and it’ll be 4 business days before I can do that.
A few more latter:
Wish I had an AMX card for this kinda thing.
It looks like my dad has enough available credit on one of his cards, for the computer. He has an AMX card.. but I have nooo idea what the limit is on that.
A good deal latter:
Ok, so I call Apple, to see what I gots to do.. and I go and put it on the card, I thought, that had the proper credit limit. You must understand that I get transfered about 4 times.. many of which.. you’re on hold for a good 5 minutes.. So we change the card… then I have to go call the credit card company.. to get it authorized..
It’s under my dad’s name.. so more hassle.. but finally.. ok.. the credit card company says it’s a go.. so I call back Apple.. again you gotta go get transfered a bunch of time.. lots of time on hold.. Finally get someone.. and they tell me the card is still declining.. even when they go through automatic and manual authorization process.. whatever that means.. one even involves them calling the card company.. that takes another 5 minutes…
So.. time to call the Credit Card company AGAIN! I talk to some kinda of a manager guy.. and here we get more fun news.. Turns out the card is declining because we haven’t paid the balance on it.. its one of the Card’s that was in my mom’s name.. one of the ones that I’m apparently not supposed to be using… (this is a long story) but in essence I was advised not to pay the card’s that were in my mom’s name..
What is strange is.. the first time I called the credit card company.. they say I have 4K + available credit.. and its all good.. second time.. opps.. no can do with that card.. so now I’m supposed to use a different card to make the oder, which mysteriously now has the 4K + available? And this new card we can’t find in ether my father, or my mother’s wallet.. but whatever.. we got what we need to make the order..
So it’s back through Apple.. and blah blah blah.. and finally they accept the card, after a lot of hassle.
But then I learn.. the computer is still not being shipped! OMG, after I had to go through this horse shit?!!!!!! He gives me some story about how they told me it would be 5-7 weeks. The last time I called the women said they had said it would be 2-3 weeks.. and the only reason I didn’t go bolistic is because it was like.. “well the date of March 3rd is the latest it would get to you on.”
All of this has me pissed as hell at Apple. But what the hell can I do really? What’s worse is I’m now looking to upgrade all these tools.. and many of them are Apple.. I tell you.. I don’t want to give Apple any money right now.. I want to talk down about Apple..
Here I was hoping, on account of the credit card BS, that the computer was actually shipping.. as in soon.
So where this leads us is.. if anyone has any idea’s, for any sort of collective action, that might help hurt the Apple brand.. please leave a comment on this blog entry.. I’m happy to help in anyway I can!
I should perhaps note at this time.. that after the computer has actually arrived.. and I’ve cooled down, that I might be less motivated to take much action… but.. I do think I’m going to use this blog platform.. and probably other means.. to bitch about Apple and this story..
The other issue:
So, long time readers no doubt know I’m was planning on paying off all the card’s that were in my mom’s name… because it looked like I had to. Then I talk to my aunt Jackie.. and she tells me she’s not sure I have to.. she’s going to go talk to lawyer about it. Ok.. groovy. Well… here’s the deal on this card we tried to use…
Apparently it’s been used more recently! I took my dad out to eat sometime ago.. I told him I was going to pay it with cash.. and while I’m away.. ether smoking, or in the bathroom, he goes ahead and pays it with a credit card.. apparently this is the card I tried to put the computer on tonigh.. and not only this.. but I think the manager guy put my name on the card.. so between these two things.. even if I didn’t have to pay it before, I might very well have to pay it now. Fun, ha?
Yeah.. so I destroyed the card.
Still.. I have the money to pay off the credit cards in the checking account.. what I was thinking was.. if it turns out that I don’t have to pay these credit cards.. that money could be a part of an advertising / marketing budget for my projects.. so we’ll see how all this turns out.