Comments on: TechTidBit: Avoid MagnumMac

By: skyblast

skyblast — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 02:06:02 +0000

What made Magnummac what it was, was it’s attitude to dealing with people. The attitude was something like this “If you have purchased anything to run on your mac, we’ll offer free phone support for it” It didn’t stop there, you could even walk in with your PC and your iPod you just bought from noel’s and get free help setting it up, right then and there. Why did we do this? simple, word of mouth. It’s amazing how many customers became MM customers because of that policy. Yes, I worked there. 7 years under Magnummac and 2 years under RTSG.

I don’t begrudge renaissance for making a profit from the company and charging for all services offered. It doesn’t stop me from hating the fact I have to take my machine there to get it repaired, especially when they forget to plug fans in and I have take the machine apart myself to complete a “warranty” repair.

Unfortunately the old Magnummac way of doing business is well and truly gone, the staff that made the company what is was have also gone.

By: Maggie Bruce

Maggie Bruce — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 21:03:48 +0000

Further to my email of Dec 29th regarding MagnumMac / Renaissaance- it appears that not only are they unwilling to accept their responsibilites under the Consumer Guarantee Act, they are also dishonest. My final invoice was faxed to me after them having had the machine for a week. It was for the insignificant, but irritating, sum of $138. I missed the chance to get the machine back before Christmas so called them prior to New Year to pay and have the laptop couriered back to me (I live an hour and a half out of town). They A) charged me for the courier costs B) ran $276 through on my visa. $276??? I thought the total was $138! Well no, not it seems if you can keep adding to the bill and amending the figures after the fact. A little creative accounting has pushed my invoice out by $120 dollars. I am sure there will be some wonderful justification for why the extra costs were added, but right now I’m looking a two different invoices for the same repair. And a warranty repair at that.

I took a breath and placed a ‘ I am VERY unhappy with this,’ phone call. The staff member who took it assured me that the difference would be refunded immediately. That was New Years eve. Today is the 6th, and still no refund- although after placing ANOTHER phonecall to them I am assured that, yes, the money was refunded on that day, and that I just need to wait as the holidays have delayed the payment being processed. ‘It’ll turn up eventually’.

Great! cheers guys! Lucky that wasn’t my last hundred bucks huh? Jerks.

By: Mike Dalton

Mike Dalton — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 00:15:44 +0000

I also had an issue of my hard disk failing. The hard disk was replaced, and I was told the data recovery, if I wanted, would be extra.
I didn’t want to wear that, so sought advice. Unfortunately, in the terms of use that one agrees with Apple, Apple are not liable for lost data, or loss arising from data loss.
It was an expensive lesson to read the fine print closely, but solved for $99 as I bought a back up hard drive.

By: Maggie Bruce

Maggie Bruce — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 23:00:06 +0000

When my hardrive failed (3 weeks ago) after slightly more than a year of use I was advised by the Renaissance (Wellington) service department that althought the drive would be replaced at their cost, the cost of data recovery would be charged for. Although the manager had several compelling reasons for why I should accept this, and a lovely lecture on the benefit of backing up one’s data weekly, I was dubious (and annoyed). A call to the Consumer organization confrmed that they should NOT be charging for data recovery (the product failed- the loss of data was a foreseeable result of this and should be recovered and replaced as part of the repair). Being advised to call Apple in the hopes they might be more sympathetic and offer to wear the cost is also a breach of the Consumer Guarantees Act. Apparently they (the Consumer people) have a file on Renaissance/MagnumMac thick enough to knock a person out. I will be paying the service charge in order to have the machine returned, but am going to seek reimbursement of the cost through the disputes tribunal. Disappointing attitude guys- I wish I could have foreseen it when I walked into your store and spent $4000.

By: Jon

Jon — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 04:53:18 +0000

Wow.. why would you buy a mac at all? Stuff that!

Glad I read this all – glad I ain’t getting in to cult of mac, wasting time and money…

Mac hardware does look pretty though… pity it blows.

By: John Kim

John Kim — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 05:05:39 +0000

Bought an iPhone3GS from MagnumMac in Albany Auckland Mall and it was just showing some problems (phone vibrates when pressed on upper left corner of the phone while in silent mode). So I requested a replacement under warranty since it’s only been 3 months.

First thing I did when I walked in the store was to ask one of the staff how long the warranty was on new iPhones and he said 12 months. Then I asked if that warranty will repair or replace faulty product and he clearly said they will just replace with a new one.

The people who work there seems to be not so polite but at least they agreed to send it off. I was told it will take 2 weeks and they weren’t going to provide me any temporary phone or anything. So I was just happy that they will get it replaced. I will see what they send me in couple of weeks.

Will post more of my warranty experience from MagnumMac Albany Auckland Mall in couple of weeks.

By: Eric

Eric — Tue, 18 May 2010 06:43:52 +0000

The sales department from Magnum Mac in Wellington is still lousy.
Went in there on Saturday to buy a 27-inch iMac.
Staff were busy gossiping amongst each other, walking straight past me without enquiring if I needed any assistance.
Waited for around 15 minutes before anyone approached me. Absolutely useless!
Did manage to get it in the end as they happened to have stock.
If only a decent competitor would open up to go against them!

The service department (for all the negatives comments I’ve heard about them) were quite good.
They fixed my under warranty MBP in a fast, efficient manner and were quite helpful.
This repair was a few years ago so whether it’s still the same now or I just got lucky that day, I don’t know.

By: Rufus

Rufus — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 00:33:32 +0000

Agreed, MM *still* are total schlong-bags (well in Wellington anyway). They were a good set-up 20 years ago when starting out in Christchurch but seemed to drift into mediocrity when the chain stores were opened. I just rang them at 1pm on a Thursday and the call rang off without an answer. Probably three muppets were engaged in a conversation about the iPad with a chin-stroking backpacker 2 feet from the phone. This is Customer Service 101 doesn’t matter who’s product you’re selling.

By: Jamie

Jamie — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 18:07:52 +0000

MM Are complete total idiots. I have not been to the bay yet but it sounds great. F*** MM

By: haels

haels — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 02:11:10 +0000

All you people out there complaining are idiots. If everyone who went to a MM site came to this post and left a comment you would be truely ashamed of yourselves. My partner is a technician at the MM store in Hamilton. They do their bests but its hard when there is only TWO of them and a never ending list of computers needing fixed with different regulations attached. for example MM do all the Apple computers issued to teachers and they have a 3 day turn around. Plus Renaissonce changed their delivery system to a new company that is much slower. PLUS Apple changed the way you get new parts as they are not kept in New Zealand in storage anymore, they have to be specially ordered in. JUST THINK WHAT IT WOULD BE LIKE IF YOU WERE IN THEIR SHOES AYE? THEN MAYBE YOU WILL ALL PULL YOUR HEADS IN