When customer care doesn't get the job done, then go to the higher ups. It worked for one Xbox 360 customer who went straight to Bill Gates (via email, of course) and immediately got a remedy for his complaint in a swift matter of 24 hours.

Apparently, that stunt doesn't work all the time. Particularly not with Apple. The site Boy Genius Report ran a story about a customer who wrote straight to Steve Jobs after not being satisfied with the help he got from Apple Care.

According to the story, the owner recently water-damaged his MacBook Pro and called Apple's customer care to inquire about his options for repair. It took him about three to four calls before he got a straight answer, and when he did, he didn't find it comforting.

He was told that the only way to get his unit fixed is for him to shell out almost US$ 300 up front, and even then, there is no guarantee that the problem will be fixed. Frustrated, he then emailed Steve Jobs at the @apple.com  domain. This is the reply he got from supposedly Jobs himself:

This is what happens when your MacBook Pro sustains water damage.They are pro machines and they donÂ?t like water. It sounds like youÂ?re just looking for someone to get mad at other than yourself.

The sender of this email came from the Apple domain, which is exclusive to Apple employees only. But while we're having doubts here as to Jobs being the author of this email, it is still rather discomforting to see someone bearing the brand of Apple treating customers like this.