What I've run into several times is that I will call about an issue. Front line Tech Support cannot solve it so they create a trouble ticket, and escalate the problem to Tier 2. Tier 2 doesn't know what to do so they wait a week and then I get an e-mail saying that because the issue is resolved they are closing the ticket.

Apple is the one company that has NEVER done this to me. If I call with a problem they have always busted their A** to get it resolved.

Great Deals has new Macs available for prices hundreds of dollars less than anyone else on the web. Our prices on new G5s, iMacs, eMacs, Powerbooks, and iBooks are so low that we can't even quote them here.

Our exclusive price list is available only to the first 100 people who contact us. In order to give you this special pricing, we must first verify your identity. Please email the following information to greatdealz100@hotmail.com:

edit: This mod believes that TMO readers are more intelligent than average folks who fall for these kinds of scams. Please remember that personal information such as social security number and passwords are the type of information that you should keep secure. --jinkies

Within 48 hours we will respond with the price list and an exclusive link to our web site. Be assured that our prices are hundreds of dollars less than anyone else. You will save lots of money$$$

Wow, BEST SPAM EVER.

lol

In all the years that I have used Apple products, I have never had to call their help desk. Usually, I have been able to figure out issues myself or by consulting the web.

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Anonymous wrote:
In all the years that I have used Apple products, I have never had to call their help desk. Usually, I have been able to figure out issues myself or by consulting the web.

I had a power adapter for my PB catch fire internally and smoke out.

I called and said this thing was so hot I litterally dropped it.

The first thing out of the person's mouth was: "Are you OK?"

Clearly there was a real person with a head on their shoulders on the other end of the line ... not just someone reading from a script. Can't say that of most places I've called.

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Guest wrote:
In all the years that I have used Apple products, I have never had to call their help desk. Usually, I have been able to figure out issues myself or by consulting the web.

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Anonymous wrote:
Great Deals...Please email the following information to greatdealz100@hotmail.com:...You will save lots of money$$$

I think greatdealz forgot to ask for your mother's maiden name... you should go ahead and send them that information as well.

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Anonymous wrote:
Great Deals is a real and legitimate business based in Minnesota.

Did Reality Check get a new "job"???

I was pretty dissapointed with CU's article. The title gets your hopes up by saying "59,940 reasons to reconsider a Mac", but then baiscally says...Yeah the Macs are great, Apple is great BUT you will pay a lot more and you will have to pay to convert your software over. It was all very brief and not much information given. Their virus numbers are a little off too considering that the 60 Mac viruses that Symantec quoted them includes all the OS9 and earlier worms and the old MS Office Macro stuff. As we know there is MAYBE one or two that directly effect any new Apple products running OS X. But I guess it's a step in the right direction.

-zip

^^

Yeah, that kind of stuff is pretty common with ANY tech reporting, sadly, so I'm not surprised. But the over-all picture is good, and that's what people who would be tricked by those kind of things most likely care about.

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Anonymous wrote:
Name
Address
Credit Card Number and expiration date
(be sure to include the extra 3 digits on the back of the card)
Social Security Number
PayPal ID and password (if a member)
email address

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Anonymous wrote:
Great Deals is a real and legitimate business based in Minnesota. If you feel insecure giving your personal information via email, please contact us at (651) 779-2700 and ask for Larry Schmidt. You will save lots of money$$$

TMO forum mod tolerates Great Deals?

If we could get the discussion back on topic...Great Deals is an obvious scam. Why are we discussing it here?

Consumer Reports has a great deal of influence in many people's buying decisions and I think this is very positive. This is another big boost to the image of the Mac.

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technoguy100 wrote:
If we could get the discussion back on topic...Great Deals is an obvious scam. Why are we discussing it here?

Consumer Reports has a great deal of influence in many people's buying decisions and I think this is very positive. This is another big boost to the image of the Mac.

Seriously, exposure like this in a mainstream (e.g. not techy or geeky, or maccentric. The sort of thing that'll end up in a waiting room where anyone can pick it up and look at it) publication just before the holidays is very good.

I called apple support about a networking problem. The first thing out of the techs mouth was "if its a third party router he wont help me". I have a pc and an apple on my network and like 75% of the apple users I do not use airport.
It turned out that the problem was not an networking problem after all. A knowledgeable tech would have solved the problem in seconds. This one choose not to hear the problem at all!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!

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Small White Car wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:
Great Deals is a real and legitimate business based in Minnesota.

Regardless of how real your business is, this board doesn't allow advertising in the forums. Just letting you know, your messages may be erased later, but it has nothing to do with how legitamate you are.

Oh, and as for everyone else...

http://www.google.com/search?sa=X&oi=fwp&pb=f&q=(651)+779-2700

Maybe he works in the computer department?

:::Robb hands SWC general issue Air Force cold weather gear for this topics inevitable trip to Sibera:::

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Mace wrote:
TMO forum mod tolerates Great Deals?

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Guest wrote:
Our exclusive price list is available only to the first 100 people who contact us. In order to give you this special pricing, we must first verify your identity. Please email the following information to greatdealz100@hotmail.com

FWIW, sometimes the best thing you can do with a bad Tech Support person is to thank them, and then hang up.

Then hit <redial> and get a new Tech Support person to try again.


-hh

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-hh wrote:
FWIW, sometimes the best thing you can do with a bad Tech Support person is to thank them, and then hang up.

Then hit <redial> and get a new Tech Support person to try again.


-hh

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Guest wrote:
Due to the poor attitude of the Mac community, Hotmail has shut down the Great Deals email account. You people have done this to yourselves since you would have saved a lot of money$$$ But now it is your loss.

For those of you who responded before the email account was shut down, I will be forwarding your information to some of our sister companies. You should soon recieve special offers from them on great products.

Their web page (only one, as far as I can tell):
Hello! ??????!

Whenever I have to call for help (which is rare), I invariably get a person with whom I cannot communicate and have to spend more time than one ever should before I can get an understandable English speaking person. This is my biggest gripe with telephone help. Now, I don't call but if there is a problem I use the computer trouble line.

the thing that always bothers me about consumer reports' mac ratings is that they give terrible marks for "upgrading" or "expanding" a system - ie: adding a 2nd HD, extra monitor, etc, but all they do is review the all-in-one machines, while dell et al. get their towers reviewed. apple would score much higher if they actually compared similar products - ie: g5 to a dell tower.

still, it was refreshing to see a mac on the front cover while getting positive remarks.

just my $0.02