How To Complain To Apple About A Thailand Istudio Store?

[MunterHunter]

I'm trying to buy a gift certificate online for my girlfriend so she can buy some apps for her iPad, but being based in Thailand this is very difficult.

So i went down to the iStudio store in Central World and asked them if i can buy a gift card. They told me they stock them and i could buy in denominations of $25.

When i came to pay, they wanted 1200b for a $25 gift card which should be aroiund the 750b region (give or take 50b to cover their costs etc) - so this markup is insane!

As its an official iStudio and not some mickey-mouse store, are they allowed to do this?

Either way i want to file a complaint with Apple over this, as its daylight robbery! I've looked around the apple website but cannot find any way to file a complaint or feedback about a physical apple store.

Anyone know where i can do this?

[PoorSucker]

mailto: [email protected]

[HDRIDER]

He He good luck, if they are in US $ you need US account,(easy to setup) the card you see is not Apple Thai but someone have brought them from US, and they try to make money out of it, they are for sale everywhere TIT

[Newguy70]

Hi,

Nothing official about an Istudio in Thailand. Apple does bussiness in Singapore, not Thailand. FACT

:jap:

[negreanu]

You cant do anything.

Itunes cards are available easily for US$53 for a US$53 online paid with paypal. Search the forum.

[Somtamnication]

Big mistake. The itunes cards are NOT for apps. There is a separate gift card and it specifically mentions on the front that it is for apps.

Those gift cards that you bought are good for music and movies.

[negreanu]

Those gift cards that you bought are good for music and movies.

Big Mistake.

US itunes gift cards can be used for Music, Movies, TV Shows, Books and Apps in the itunes store.

There is absolutely no restriction as to what u can buy using a itunes gift card. If it's for sale on itunes store it can be bought with a itunes gift card.

Edited December 23, 2010 by negreanu

[Somtamnication]

A few months ago they were not. I just checked their site and you are correct. I get me coat.

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

Hi,

Nothing official about an Istudio in Thailand. Apple does bussiness in Singapore, not Thailand. FACT

:jap:

yeah that's why there is store.apple.com/th website? fail

[nikster]

mailto: [email protected]

Yes, that's the best way to complain - keep your mail very short.

iStudio is an authorized Apple reseller, so Apple can give them a call and warn them. I don't think that iStudio is supposed to sell US based iTunes gift cards at all though. I don't know about gift cards, never used them, but if they are country-specific then I am sure that iStudio would be expected to only sell Thailand-store gift cards.

The stupid separation by countries isn't Apple's idea - they do it because most content (music, video, books) is licensed this way: Per country. So they'll have a contractual obligation to take reasonable steps to keep sales in-country.

So if you complain, either there's no action, or the US based cards would be removed from iStudio altogether.

Simple solution is to buy them online, as suggested above.

[negreanu]

They won't remove them, Same a lot of the "Official Apple Stores" in Thailand were selling the iphone 4 before it's thai release.

Anyone can apply to the Thailand distributor to open a Apple store, Apple store then answers to the main Thai distributor, main thai distributor answers to Apple Asia (Singapore) who then eventually answers to cupertino.

I don't waste my time with any of them, Order online through their store or order in the US using Shipitto.com.

Apple stores thailand are technically allowed to sell anything they want as they are not controlled same as official stores in US,Shanghai or Japan.

[HDRIDER]

Apple just want to control everything, and that is a fact, just buy on the grey market who care about apple, i dont, only thing i like is the iphone i can live without the name for sure

[MisterMan]

Hi,

Nothing official about an Istudio in Thailand. Apple does bussiness in Singapore, not Thailand. FACT

:jap:

yeah that's why there is store.apple.com/th website? fail

and if you order something it comes from Singapore. I ordered SL.

But what if i ordered something big, would i pay customs?

[negreanu]

you do not pay customs on anything that arrives from store.apple.com/th no matter what the price.

Off the rack items non customised will ship from Singapore, CTO computers will be sent from Shanghai or Shenzhen depending on the variety.

There is no need to worry about customs and store.apple.com/th-k12 is much better

[dominique355]

The incompetence of these Apple store people is amazing.

On Monday I went to the iStudio in Central World (2nd floor) and asked if they can exchange the HD in my MacBook Pro (15"). I have a 250 GB HD now, which is full and would like to install a 500 GB.

First they said,it's out o stock. I asked, which HD capacity is out of stock? They did not understand.

Then I asked, if they would have the 512 GB SSD. "SSB?" "No, SSD. Solid State Drive", "No have". "Yes it's on the website."

Then I said, can you replace my HD? Their answer then was, which model. I said MacBook Pro 15". And then their answer was: "Cannot"

I said, but it must be possible, what would happen if the HD broke down? "No, No, cannot..."

[negreanu]

On Monday I went to the iStudio in Central World (2nd floor) and asked if they can exchange the HD in my MacBook Pro (15"). I have a 250 GB HD now, which is full and would like to install a 500 GB.

Just buy any 2.5" HD upto 1TB that you want from anywhere you want and change it yourself. Takes 5 mins max and does not invalidate your warranty.

It shows you in the macbook mini guide how to do it or just visit ifixit.com

I would recommend if you want a SSD to go with OWC's they will deliver to thailand. Much faster and better chipset than design than the Apple SSD offfering.

You would be crazy to pay Apple prices for HD change anyway.

Edited February 23, 2011 by negreanu

[dominique355]

On Monday I went to the iStudio in Central World (2nd floor) and asked if they can exchange the HD in my MacBook Pro (15"). I have a 250 GB HD now, which is full and would like to install a 500 GB.

Just buy any 2.5" HD upto 1TB that you want from anywhere you want and change it yourself. Takes 5 mins max and does not invalidate your warranty.

It shows you in the macbook mini guide how to do it or just visit ifixit.com

I would recommend if you want a SSD to go with OWC's they will deliver to thailand. Much faster and better chipset than design than the Apple SSD offfering.

You would be crazy to pay Apple prices for HD change anyway.

Oh thanks, Negreanu, I appreciate this advice. Now I just have to figure out how to transfer OS X to the new HD.

[negreanu]

1. Take out old drive. Put new drive in machine

2. put old drive in cheapo external usb case

3. Boot laptop from usb drive

4. Download SuperDuper from net

5. Clone old drive in USB enclosure to new drive using superduper.

Job done.

[nikster]

^^ iStudio will do this for 1000 baht if you bring the HD. So the prices aren't exactly crazy.

The problem is that they might screw up and then they won't take responsibility for your data. I think a normal person who has never done it before has a better chance of getting it right than the average iStudio employee...

I had them do it for an old iBook once - because those are a royal PITA to change. Unlike the newer laptop models you have to take apart pretty much the entire machine to get at the HD. The problem was they couldn't figure out how to clone the data - I think they mixed up source and target somehow... then after nothing happened, they claimed my (previously perfectly working) hard disk was broken, beyond repair, and all my data was gone. I was able to stop them from doing any more damage, had them put the computer back together, went home, cloned the original HD to the new HD myself, then handed it back to them to do the HD switch. "source" and "target" apparently too confusing a concept...

[negreanu]

^^ iStudio will do this for 1000 baht if you bring the HD. So the prices aren't exactly crazy.

Ask them to provide the hard drive. My Non tech friend did such a thing 320GB hard drive installed and supplied 11,000THB. Sounds crazy prices to me

Actually if people just open the little booklet that comes with the macbook's it shows that it is the easiest thing in the world. If you can change a light bulb you can change a HD on a macbook

Now speaking of which any takers for the new macbook pro tomorrow

Edited February 23, 2011 by negreanu

[angiud]

Ahhh, the wonderful world of Apple...