New Macbook Air 11" 2014 Model Display Hinge Loose and exacerbated by extremely poor service

Question

I have bought a new MacBook Air 11 from Ezone on the 3rd of October.  When I opened the product, I realised that the hinge seemed to be loose and would fall back on its own when tilted. That's when my troubles started.
I went to the Maple Apple Authorised Service Center at Santa Cruz, Mumbai and was told that the product was fine and that the screen tilt was 'normal'.
I then happened to visit some other stores and noticed that the MacBooks on display didn't swing back the same way.
I returned to the Service Center again and was told again that it was 'normal'. When I demanded to see the manager, I was told he had left for the day. I rang him and was told that I should come and see him the next day and he would provide a speedy resolution to the problem.
I rang the store that I'd purchased it from and they told me that they would be happy to replace the product provided the service center gave a certificate called DOA.
The next day was an even more harrowing experience. When I reached the manager's office, he tried telling me again that the product was 'normal'. When I explained to him that none of the in store models were like that, he said that to give the certificate, he would need at least 2 days as there was a 'process' to be followed. The 'process' is to merely record how the display flips back when tilted back.
I tried to call Apple Customer Care and spoke to Nishant and then Ravi (who told me that he usually never spoke to customers directly but as a special case was speaking to me since I'd had a bad experience!).
Ravi, assured me of a ideal resolution within 24 hours.
And so today, I received a call from Nishant, who informed me that because of the nature of the inconvenience, Apple had decided to offer 2 solutions: 1. They would ship a new machine from Singapore directly to my home address but that would take 4-5 business weeks. I was fine with that solution although I didn't understand the merit of sending a new laptop from Singapore. However, he then told me that I would FIRST have to submit the laptop and ONLY THEN would they ship it out to me. So essentially, I would be without a laptop for next month and a half! In short, a ridiculous solution. 2. The second solution was that I would have to give my BRAND NEW laptop (less than 2 weeks old!) to the service centre, they would repair it and return it in a few days. So we were back to square one. When I tried to understand the escalation process, I was curtly told that there was no escalation and this was Apple's response and resolution to my problem.
So, I, the unhappy customer, was given no choice except to turn  in my machine to the service centre whereas, GLOBALLY, Apple would have replaced the machine if it was less than 2 weeks old!
Absolutely pathetic experience with no keenness to help except have longwinded calls that provided no solution whatsoever.
And this to a customer who's just bought a brand new machine and is expecting a spectacular experience! Even Lenovo or Sony offer onsite support, so the Apple experience is a terrible, terrible letdown.
I feel cheated and downright stupid for having paid such a premium for a product with manufacturing defect followed with such extraordinarily poor service!

Answer 1

bump