Roryms
Junior Member
- Joined
- Oct 17, 2023
- Messages
- 2
- Reaction score
- 2
The phone is great. But Apple Singapore is horrendous. I highly doubt this experience is reflective of Apple's international standards.
The ordeal began with two phone calls to Apple, during which we were explicitly informed that we could pre-order two iPhones 15 Pros (256gb + 512gb) and pay for them in installments. Armed with this assurance, we made our way to Apple's Flagship store at Orchard Road at 8 pm to place our orders. However, upon arrival, we were blindsided by the revelation that we could not pay by installments unless we called in online, despite the earlier assurances we had received.
We promptly left the store to make the online call, but to our dismay, reaching Apple's hotline proved to be a Herculean task. After countless attempts, I managed to place a pre-order through the Apple website, only to discover the next day that my order had not been processed correctly. I contacted Apple support, and the representative assured me that changing the payment method to Installment would be "easy." However, she then claimed that my order could not be located in their system and suggested I place new orders.
This was baffling, as I had access to my orders through Apple's website via the provided URLs, which contradicted her statement. She finally agreed to look into the issue and promised to call me back once they had found my order. In the meantime, I refused to initiate new orders, risking a delay in receiving the iPhones, one of which was intended as a gift.
Several days of back-and-forth with Apple Support ensued. Eventually, my cards were charged, and I received a call indicating they had located my order. However, the news was not as promising as I had hoped. I was informed that I couldn't change the payment method for the order, and the previous support representative had given me incorrect information. The only solution offered was to cancel my pre-orders and place new ones, resulting in a two-week delay. This was unacceptable, and I requested to escalate the issue to someone who could provide a reasonable solution.
A sales manager contacted me later and offered a $100 voucher for my next purchase as an apology for the confusion and misinformation I had endured. I inquired if I could use the voucher for an Apple Watch, and the manager confirmed that I could. I was informed that the voucher would be sent to me by the following Monday.
A week later, I contacted Apple again, as I had not received the promised vouchers. After some difficulty, I managed to speak with the same manager, who now informed me that I would receive the vouchers in the next quarter, and they would be divided into four separate $25 vouchers. This was not what I had been told initially, but I accepted it.
Approximately three weeks later, I visited an Apple Store to purchase an Apple Watch using the voucher. To my surprise, the retail store staff informed me that the voucher could not be used in-store. This was a direct contradiction of previous information, and I decided to use the voucher by calling Apple's hotline.
However, this process was anything but smooth. I was repeatedly told that the vouchers couldn't be used for an Apple Watch and Apple Watch Bands, despite being explicitly told otherwise. The terms of service on the voucher email did not mention any such limitations. When I brought this to their attention, they began to doubt the legitimacy of the vouchers and even requested a screen share to verify their authenticity. This led to six transfers during the course of my call, with some individuals claiming they couldn't locate my previous support case with Apple.
Finally, a sales representative offered to send me to the sales department to consolidate the vouchers into a single voucher and promised a callback within 24-48 hours. Instead, I received a call from the sales manager who had initially issued the vouchers. To my shock, he stated that the vouchers could be used for an Apple Watch but not for the same purchase. He insisted that he had listened to the recorded conversation and implied that I had misunderstood his initial statement. When I requested a transcript of the call, I was informed that I could only obtain it through a lawyer, adding to my frustration. I believe he only listened to our first call, before I was told that they would be in 4 separate vouchers. I definitely did clarify if they could all be used at once after I found out (because who wouldn't and my intention was to get an Apple Watch at that point).
In summary, this entire experience has cost me two unnecessary trips to Apple stores, countless hours on the phone, and interactions with nearly a dozen Apple employees. What began as a gesture of goodwill, a $100 voucher as an apology for my initial poor experience, has only resulted in more frustration and inconvenience. To make matters worse, the voucher itself is a paltry 2.5% discount on my $4,000 purchase, and Apple has failed to even honor that. Honestly, I don't even care about the vouchers that much, I never asked for them, I was offered them out of "good will" and I would've just bought got the Apple Watch without the vouchers since I was happy with the iPhone.
I was so passionate about my move from Pixel to iPhone until all this. It's a shame, because I like the phone, I honestly have been having a great time with it. I wanted to get an Apple Watch to complement it, but now my excitement for the product is gone and all that's left is a sour taste in my mouth from the experience.
The ordeal began with two phone calls to Apple, during which we were explicitly informed that we could pre-order two iPhones 15 Pros (256gb + 512gb) and pay for them in installments. Armed with this assurance, we made our way to Apple's Flagship store at Orchard Road at 8 pm to place our orders. However, upon arrival, we were blindsided by the revelation that we could not pay by installments unless we called in online, despite the earlier assurances we had received.
We promptly left the store to make the online call, but to our dismay, reaching Apple's hotline proved to be a Herculean task. After countless attempts, I managed to place a pre-order through the Apple website, only to discover the next day that my order had not been processed correctly. I contacted Apple support, and the representative assured me that changing the payment method to Installment would be "easy." However, she then claimed that my order could not be located in their system and suggested I place new orders.
This was baffling, as I had access to my orders through Apple's website via the provided URLs, which contradicted her statement. She finally agreed to look into the issue and promised to call me back once they had found my order. In the meantime, I refused to initiate new orders, risking a delay in receiving the iPhones, one of which was intended as a gift.
Several days of back-and-forth with Apple Support ensued. Eventually, my cards were charged, and I received a call indicating they had located my order. However, the news was not as promising as I had hoped. I was informed that I couldn't change the payment method for the order, and the previous support representative had given me incorrect information. The only solution offered was to cancel my pre-orders and place new ones, resulting in a two-week delay. This was unacceptable, and I requested to escalate the issue to someone who could provide a reasonable solution.
A sales manager contacted me later and offered a $100 voucher for my next purchase as an apology for the confusion and misinformation I had endured. I inquired if I could use the voucher for an Apple Watch, and the manager confirmed that I could. I was informed that the voucher would be sent to me by the following Monday.
A week later, I contacted Apple again, as I had not received the promised vouchers. After some difficulty, I managed to speak with the same manager, who now informed me that I would receive the vouchers in the next quarter, and they would be divided into four separate $25 vouchers. This was not what I had been told initially, but I accepted it.
Approximately three weeks later, I visited an Apple Store to purchase an Apple Watch using the voucher. To my surprise, the retail store staff informed me that the voucher could not be used in-store. This was a direct contradiction of previous information, and I decided to use the voucher by calling Apple's hotline.
However, this process was anything but smooth. I was repeatedly told that the vouchers couldn't be used for an Apple Watch and Apple Watch Bands, despite being explicitly told otherwise. The terms of service on the voucher email did not mention any such limitations. When I brought this to their attention, they began to doubt the legitimacy of the vouchers and even requested a screen share to verify their authenticity. This led to six transfers during the course of my call, with some individuals claiming they couldn't locate my previous support case with Apple.
Finally, a sales representative offered to send me to the sales department to consolidate the vouchers into a single voucher and promised a callback within 24-48 hours. Instead, I received a call from the sales manager who had initially issued the vouchers. To my shock, he stated that the vouchers could be used for an Apple Watch but not for the same purchase. He insisted that he had listened to the recorded conversation and implied that I had misunderstood his initial statement. When I requested a transcript of the call, I was informed that I could only obtain it through a lawyer, adding to my frustration. I believe he only listened to our first call, before I was told that they would be in 4 separate vouchers. I definitely did clarify if they could all be used at once after I found out (because who wouldn't and my intention was to get an Apple Watch at that point).
In summary, this entire experience has cost me two unnecessary trips to Apple stores, countless hours on the phone, and interactions with nearly a dozen Apple employees. What began as a gesture of goodwill, a $100 voucher as an apology for my initial poor experience, has only resulted in more frustration and inconvenience. To make matters worse, the voucher itself is a paltry 2.5% discount on my $4,000 purchase, and Apple has failed to even honor that. Honestly, I don't even care about the vouchers that much, I never asked for them, I was offered them out of "good will" and I would've just bought got the Apple Watch without the vouchers since I was happy with the iPhone.
I was so passionate about my move from Pixel to iPhone until all this. It's a shame, because I like the phone, I honestly have been having a great time with it. I wanted to get an Apple Watch to complement it, but now my excitement for the product is gone and all that's left is a sour taste in my mouth from the experience.
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