Apple Inc (AAPL)

[clearsailing]

So tomorrow I was planning on going to the Providence Place Apple Store with my son to buy a 17-inch MacBook Pro at the education price and get a Free iPod Touch ($299 rebate - in RI Apple doesn't do a mail in rebate = it is an immediate rebate - must be some state law on this) AND also get a $100 off on a printer.

But today I was in the mall and stopped at the Apple store and noticed they didn't have any printers on display so I asked if they had any. They said they did but they are in the back. I asked if they had all a particular model printer I was interested in and he checked and noted that they had about six models in inventory but he didn't have the one I wanted. He quickly noted that if I wanted the rebate I could order the Mac, iPod and printer on-line. I realized that the sale for the printer rebate had to be on the same invoice as the Mac ($100 rebate WITH the purchase of a Mac) but I asked him if I could buy the MacBook Pro and iPod and have them order the printer for me OR call another store and have it shipped to the Providence store for me.

He said no. He said I would have to do the order on line. He brought me over to a Mac and showed me the on-line apple store and then walked away.

A few minutes later, I asked another higher level salesperson and she told me the same thing.

So, I left and as I walked out the greeter said "have a good day, sir" and I stopped and walked back and told him what I just learned and he agreed that was what I had to do to get the printer rebate - buy it on line at the same time as the MacBook and printer or go to another Apple retail store (the closest is in the Boston area 60 miles away - $25 worth of gas). I told him as a long time Mac user and a substantive stock holder I was really disappointed that I wouldn't be able to come to the store with my son and get that immediate gratification by buying locally and walking out with the MacBook Pro and an iPod Touch knowing that my rebated printer would be shipped later. I told I wasn't going to have a good day now.


I can't believe they would get the printer for me!!!!


Maybe as a fun thing I will take a trip to Boston on Saturday (the additional annoying thing was that I was in Boston yesterday)