Apple's disgusting policy for defective HD replacement

Question

I have a late 2006 MacBook that has a dead HD. Unfortunately, 4 days after my external backup HD was stolen, my MB HD died. The data was not recoverable at my local authorized service facility. Because I had 4 years of family photos on the HD, I decided to go to the great expense of sending the HD to a clean lab for data recovery. The data recovery will cost $2000, which I will pay because the photos have great sentimental value to me.
To add insult to injury, however, Apple has advised me that if I send the HD to the best clean lab in the industry for data recovery, it will not replace the HD under warranty. Instead, Apple wants me to send my irreplaceable files to an inferior facility for data recovery.
If Apple cannot fix the problems caused by its defective hardware, it should at least still allow me to use the best facilities available to correct these problems.
Equally concerning is the fact that my mother-in-law, who I recently advised to buy a MacBook, had a similar HD failure, and the manager at the authorized Apple reseller where I first took my MacBook had the same problem with his. I was planning to buy a new desktop Mac in the next 2-3 weeks, but now I am very hesitant because of concerns over the quality of Apple's current products.
I have been an Apple fan/user since the Apple II+, and I have owned the first generation of almost every desktop Apple has made since then, but with the extraordinary expense I have incurred as a result of this poor quality, and the bad taste left in my mouth by this extraordinarily poor service, I think my upcoming desktop purchase (now significantly downgraded due to my expenses) may not be a Mac.
How can I at least get Apple to be reasonable about replacing the HD under warranty?

Answer 1

One thing you might consider in the future is to have a separate back up of very important files. All of my important irreplaceable files are backed up on an external hard drive, I also keep a copy of those same files on dvds. The external hard drive could fail or in your case get stolen and I still have the files.
I never trust just a single media. Lost to much stuff that way.
I would eat the cost of the hard drive and install one myself. Just because a lab charges more doesn't mean their better. And even for 2000 dollars they will not guarantee full recovery of your files.
Apple probably has a contract with the lab you don't like, that doesn't mean it's a bad lab. That is the one they chose for cost savings to their customers.