Buying Apple in Thailand - Warning

[maxisrael]

Another store Power Buy not to deal with ! bought a Samsung 4K 49" curved smart TV paid for 3 years warranty extra, great TV works very well however after 6 weeks there was a small accident with made a crack in the very thin 'glass?' of the screen so lost half of the picture .

 

After calling the service center telling we have a 3 year warranty contract with covers damages like this we are waiting for more than 10 days now calling almost daily but no response at all they should send a expert to see if if can be fixed or pay about 70% of the value but NOTHING at all they simply don't care at all so STAY AWAY from Power Buy.

[ChiangMaiThai]

6 minutes ago, abrahamzvi said:

I totally disagree. My experience with Apple products and with both I studios and I care I really had no problems whatsoever. On the contrary their service and attitude have been excellent!!

Me too until I had a real problem where they sold me a defective phone and took zero responsibility for it. Better buy on Apple.co.th and avoid the potential hassle.

[johninbkk71]

There's been a recall on iPhone 6's. If it is one of the ones that has been recalled it will be replaced for free. Retailers were meant to return any they had not sold.

[ronaldo0]

Friend of mine bought iphone 6s for a gift for her mother from banana IT. Got it home and went to charge it etc and then noticed the memory said 5gb !! Was meant to be 64gb !! 

She took it back to shop next day and told them, they said not their problem contact apple. She then called banana IT main branch in BKK and was told that they could not refund her money or give her a new phone as she was not Thai !! She said are you refusing to refund me money because i am white , the manager replied yes and hung up on her !! 

[NoshowJones]

20 hours ago, ChiangMaiThai said:

Starting to understand your feelings! But to be fair the high end Android phones are not much cheaper....

Your right, I paid 4000Bt for my Samsung android smart phone, 13000 for my built up desktop computer, 8000 for my Asus laptop, so why should I pay 36000 for an Apple Iphone?

[Bangkok Barry]

2 hours ago, KittenKong said:

 

I always assumed that those stores were indeed official Apple stores that provided proper official manufacturer support. As I would never buy an Apple product I've never needed to into it any deeper but I am surprised.

 

I recently bought a top of the range electrical item made by a big Korean manufacturer in a well-known Thai electrical chain store. It blew up (literally) after about three weeks. The vendor wanted nothing to do with it as it was more than seven days old. Eventually the official manufacturer's service centre did give me a new replacement rather than attempt a repair, but it required a huge amount of coming and going and phone calls from the branch shop to head office in Bangkok and a lot of polite bitching on my part. Had the same thing happened in Europe I know that the vendor's service van would have been out the next day with a new replacement and would have taken the broken one away. I was decidedly unimpressed with the Thai notion of service. I should just be thankful it was a major brand, I suppose.

 

There is no Thai service, once they have your money. Does any other country in the world print in bold letters on credit card slips NO REFUND? There is absolutely no notion of customer service/repeat business here, except in rare circumstances.

[alocacoc]

20 hours ago, Seligne2 said:

My sympathies and thanx for the info. I am stunned that people pay 36k baht  for a phone.

 

I guess, for the majority, a 4000 Baht smartphone would be sufficient.

[TonyClifton]

Having just made Apple replace my 2-year-old iMac i5 2013 with an I7 2015 brand new, I may be able to help the OP with the right person to speak with.  I made it to the highest division in Singapore that deals with Customer Retention. 

 

I received my NEW iMac last month and shipped it back to Apple via a DHL pickup.  Didn't cost me a dime except for the Applecare which is why they had to replace it.  

 

 

[jonw8uk]

9 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

Your right, I paid 4000Bt for my Samsung android smart phone, 13000 for my built up desktop computer, 8000 for my Asus laptop, so why should I pay 36000 for an Apple Iphone?

 

Did you miss the 'high end' part?

 

[impulse]

I'm curious whether the OP bought an IPhone specifically made for the Thai market, or did they sell him a bootleg import?

[worgeordie]

My daughter took her 8 month old iPad to the Apple service centre in Chiang Mai,

to be fixed,it was only a small problem with the OS, most likely caused by her,

instead of fixing it they just handed her a new one,so that is very good service,

especially so for Thailand.

regards worgeordie

[TonyClifton]

6 minutes ago, Bangkok Barry said:

 

There is no Thai service, once they have your money. Does any other country in the world print in bold letters on credit card slips NO REFUND? There is absolutely no notion of customer service/repeat business here, except in rare circumstances.

 

 

Not true.  I get very good English service from DTAC and AIS.  They have yet to disappoint.  

[elgordo38]

20 hours ago, Seligne2 said:

My sympathies and thanx for the info. I am stunned that people pay 36k baht  for a phone.

Stunned pick me off the floor. Little do they realize that by not satisfying this gentleman they can kiss at least a half a dozen sales goodbye. Anything here once the money leaves the palm of your hand your on your own. 

[dotpoom]

20 hours ago, Seligne2 said:

My sympathies and thanx for the info. I am stunned that people pay 36k baht  for a phone.

Me too....does it cook the breakfast and do the laundry as well as being a phone? 

[lvr181]

21 hours ago, ukrules said:

Better still, I will avoid Apple completely.

Do Apple care about their customers? If their product is sold thru an Apple "dealer" then Apple should back their product! Personally I have never bought an Apple product and am quite happy to dissuade others from doing so. Apple, born within the country of "Greed is Good" and they are the epitome, or close to it, of that saying.

[KIWIBATCH]

After sales service...accountability...consumer protection laws.... not a hope in hell....this is Thailand...they couldn't care less.....

[Thaimike370]

I have a Nokia over 7 years old works perfect, camera is good too.  Dirt cheap.  35,500 for a phone!  You have more money than sense, sorry, got carried away there!

[wjdw]

@ChiangMaiThai

 

Thank me later with a small donation to the rotary club of Patong.... :) 

 

Tim Cook = [email protected]  +14089961010 = obvious

Mr Mark Rogers = Managing Director Email [email protected] (UK but has a Thai counterpart, reach out to if British)

Mr Philip W. Schiller = SVP Worldwide Marketing Email [email protected] = obvious, you are complaining, it's bad for their marketing.

 

Email all (only CC M Rogers if you are British) and tell them of you're predicament, and link in this feed going out to over 100,000 people.... Bad for business, their third party is <deleted> over their brand strength. 

You will kick up a hornets nets, but not for you but the company that has the license to use the brand and sell the products (their loss) and let me know how you get on, as i just dropped 500k THB on some new gear for the office. 

 

[Don Mega]

Buy from apple, sound advice !!

 

[mfd101]

I remember seeing on ThaiVisa about a year ago that the Office of Consumer Protection Board is very productive in these cases - a phonecall (they actually speak good English) and can fix the problem quickly with a phonecall to the seller ... I don't have the reference or phone number but others may be able to help with this. Worth a try!

[A1Str8]

My experience is that buying from service providers is good. As another poster suggested, they swap for a new one without a problem. 

It is only these cheapo little useless retailers that have a strict 'we don't care about our customers' policy because that's the only way they can make money. Never buy from those!!!!! 

I had a similar problem at airport plaza in Chiang Mai when I bought the newest Samsung at this little stall on the tech floor. 

When I took it back because the battery was defective, they actually laughed at me when I told them to give me another one or a new battery. Forget them. They are useless. 

Buy on the official website or at one of the phone operators.

[jeab1980]

22 hours ago, Seligne2 said:

My sympathies and thanx for the info. I am stunned that people pay 36k baht  for a phone.

Agree I pay 5k and it work fine android not apple. Does everything I want it too.

[TonyClifton]

2 hours ago, Thaimike370 said:

I have a Nokia over 7 years old works perfect, camera is good too.  Dirt cheap.  35,500 for a phone!  You have more money than sense, sorry, got carried away there!

 

 

 

You all have it backward.

You are buying a computer that sometimes acts like a phone.

[TonyClifton]

1 hour ago, A1Str8 said:

Buy on the official website or at one of the phone operators.

 

 

You will get customer service if you buy from Lazada.

[HHTel]

2 hours ago, mfd101 said:

I remember seeing on ThaiVisa about a year ago that the Office of Consumer Protection Board is very productive in these cases - a phonecall (they actually speak good English) and can fix the problem quickly with a phonecall to the seller ... I don't have the reference or phone number but others may be able to help with this. Worth a try!

 

Agree absolutely.  The threat of contacting the Consumer Protection Board often forces the retailer to 'cave in' and act accordingly.

 

Quote

he Office of the Consumer Protection Board (OCPB) is a government agency attached to the Office of the Prime Minister. There is a Board called the ‘Consumer Protection Board’, of which the Prime Minister is the chairman and the Secretary-General of the Consumer Protection Board is a member and secretary. Its main duties are to handle complaints received from consumers and institute legal proceedings when an infringement of consumer rights is recognised. OCPB covers three major areas of consumer protection: consumer protection on advertising, consumer protection on labelling, and consumer protection in contract. In addition, any other consumer matters not fallen under specific law shall be also under OCPB's jurisdiction.

You can contact this organisation on email at: [email protected]

 

[TonyClifton]

10 minutes ago, HHTel said:

 

Agree absolutely.  The threat of contacting the Consumer Protection Board often forces the retailer to 'cave in' and act accordingly.

 

 

 

 

You'll find this office in the basement level where Immigration is in Bangkok.

[AlexRRR]

Ahhh Thai customer service, boy have a got a few stories, the main problem is there inflexible they follow there manual  to the letter, store staff in Thailand once you leave the store think there is no more responsibility on there part.

 

There is consumer protection in Thailand  there was a post in TV a few years back that had links...

 

Me when i had an issue one time i had to demand they get the local distributor of the product on the phone of this that product lucky for me i managed to get a  replacement.

[Beats56]

11 hours ago, KittenKong said:

 

If you want to buy anything at all of value, do so outside of Thailand if you possibly can. I like to buy in Europe where I often get a free two-year warranty and where most retailers will just replace an item that shows a manufacturing defect within the first few months, with the faulty one going back to the manufacturer.

 

No one here seems to willingly accept responsibility for anything.

Yes bought a Samsung tv at Tesco. It went on the fritz shortly after so went to Tesco and they sorry can't fix. The sales girl said just buy a new one. Well I gave her a mouth full she just slunk away. I was hot. End up taking the tv, computer repair shop and they fixed it well I waited. It was the power supply or something. Repaired for about a 1000bt.

They will get my return visit if needed in the future.

 

[Generalchaos]

Sorry to hear about your problem! However the entire country is in a state of denial when it comes to "Responsibility"  - That all lies in the land of Karma. Secondly, you shouldn't have bought Apple anyway, it is just overpriced, over hyped SHIT! - Like Ducati, Maserati, Ferrari....etc. you are paying for the brand, not quality.

[balo]

Why would anyone buy Apple ? Never understood the hype . 

 

Samsung Galaxy is half the price and will do almost anything.