They stole my MacBook Pro from the car. The irony of having your MacBook stolen in plain sight of one of the most technologically advanced buildings in the world isn't lost on me.
What followed was more disappointing than the theft itself. Apple staff's initial response was just "sorry about that" and immediately deflected to their third-party security team. No ownership, no protocol, no real support - just a quick handoff.
After spending hours dealing with police reports and arranging a new rental car (all extra challenging as an international visitor), and after multiple escalations, they finally offered a 15% discount on a new MacBook Pro. They emphasized this was a "one-off exception" that would never happen again. I had to take it since I need the machine for work.
This isn't about the discount. It's about one of the world's most valuable companies failing to have basic protocols for visitor safety and incident response at their flagship location. The gap between Apple's marketed values and their actual crisis response is striking.
Maybe I'm missing something here - am I crazy to expect better from Apple? Perhaps this is a cultural disconnect - in Brazil, even smaller companies would typically show more direct involvement and support when something like this happens to a customer at their doorstep. Is this level of corporate detachment normal in Silicon Valley?
Has anyone else experienced similar incidents at tech company headquarters? How do other major tech campuses handle visitor security?
> immediately deflected to their security team
> basic protocols for incident response
The normal protocol for incident response is to immediately refer you to the security team or police. This is normal behavior. Were you expecting the staff to run out of the building, chase down the street and tackle some man they've never seen before to pull your MacBook out of his backpack? Were there certain words they were supposed to say to you? Was there some particular emotional response they were supposed to give you? Were they supposed to be surprised and shocked that a car thief stole something? Was Apple supposed to prevent thieves from entering the parking area? Was a white glove VIP concierge supposed to deal with the police, bring you a new rental car, and replace the MacBook?
If an employee inside the building had stolen it, they would have interrogated everyone, tried to find it, and possibly taken responsibility for replacing the MacBook, but this was vehicle theft in an unsecured public-access location in a city known for smash-and-grab vehicle thefts. Please tell us specifically what ownership, direct involvement and support you were expecting.
In America, do not leave anything of value in your vehicle. Everything you have should remain out of sight in your trunk or on your person.
If you have travel insurance, that _may_ cover this; definitely worth checking.