PowerBook vs. ThinkPad: Warranty Service

I’m a ‘switcher’, a recent convert to the Mac way. Last month I purchased my first PowerBook, a replacement for the last of a long line of IBM ThinkPads. They’re great machines, and hard to say goodbye to in some ways, but as I have no warm feelings for Microsoft and OS X seems so far ahead of the Windows world, the change seemed inevitable.

Recently I had my first chance to try out Apple’s warranty service on my three-week-old 17” PowerBook G4, though the experience wasn't something I went looking for. In a way, though, I was eager to see how the service would compare to that of IBM. I’ve got some fairly substantial experience with ThinkPads and the service offered when something goes wrong (and with laptops and any kind of serious usage, something eventually goes wrong). IBM has proven themselves again and again in the past to offer best-of-class service when something needs to be repaired.

Apple is turning out to be not quite as tasty in this arena. In fact, After 9 days I’m still waiting to hear anything conclusive about my computer, and in the mean time the comparison between big blue and those insanely great folks over in Cupertino is starting to leave me sour. So, in an effort to turn my exacerbation into something a bit more fruitful, I offer the following: one person’s comparison of warranty service for ThinkPads and PowerBooks.


The initial Call

I know a fairly good deal about computers, which is to say that if I go the trouble of calling tech support, it’s a safe bet that the computer is going to need some sort of hardware repair. Of course, the tech on the other end of the phone doesn’t know that, and there’s always the initial round of lets-make-sure-this-guy-isn’t-a-bozo.

I’m pleased to say I’ve never had an IBM rep know less about the problem than me. I don’t know where they get these guys (and how they manage to be perenially happy to help, even at 3:00 in the morning), but they’re amazing. Extremely good people skills, very knowledgeable technologically, and they usually have the same machine as you sitting in front of them. When calling, I’ve never had a hold time of longer than 2 minutes, and they usually get a handle on the problem very quickly.

I found Apple to be a bit different. My first call was late on a Sunday night, and no one was there to take it. I can understand that: this isn’t a Fortune 100 company, after all, and they certainly don’t have the customer base to justify that kind of support. I retried on Monday and had to listen to a recording for 15 minutes. Again, not the hugest problem, but not IBM, either.

Finally a technician answered my call and spent the first few minutes trying to muscle me into purchasing AppleCare and extending my warranty. I politely declined and said that right now I would like to focus on the fact that my 3-week old laptop had started making noise out of the speakers and earphone jack only intermittently, and that it took inserting and removing the earphones to jar it back into functioning when it dropped out, as if there were some sort of short.

“Is it playing sound now?” the tech asked. Just minutes before it had played nothing. I started iTunes. It worked. “Yes, but it wasn't a minute ago, and it probaly won't work again in a couple of minutes. It's going off and on,” I replied. “Well, sir," he responded, "I’m afraid there’s nothing I can do. Have you tried reinstalling your operating system?”

I informed him that I was fairly certain that the problem was hardware related, and I reminded him that it seemed to be fixed by inserting and removing the earphones repeatedly. “Well, it could be software,” he said, “and anyway, since it’s playing now there’s nothing I can do. Reinstall OS X and if it still misbehaves I would suggest you take it to an apple retail store.”

I asked him if he had ever seen a problem like this (with an emphasis, once more, on the earphone-jack thing) be caused by software. He said “uh, well, uh, yes. I have.” I didn't believe him, but what could I do? I asked for a case number for the call. “I could give you one but I haven’t put anything in. There’s nothing to report yet.”

Frustrated, I got off the phone, backed up my hard disk to a LaCie d2, and reinstalled Panther. Surprise, surprise: no sound. Immediately, I packed up my machine, headed to the Apple store in Palo Alto, and waited another 15 minutes until a much more helpful employee at the Genius Bar could see me. I explained the situation, and he immediately said “Is it less than 10 days old? If so we’ll get you a brand new one today.” Unfortunately I didn’t quite make the cut, so he began to fill out a service order. “Oh,” he asked, “do you have the case number for the guy you talked to on the phone? It will really help speed this up.” Ugh...


The Turn Around

With IBM, if the hardware can be easily replaced (i.e. a new TrackPoint or keyboard), they ship you the parts immediately. In 24 hours or less you find a box on your doorstep that has exactly what you need and a sheet with instructions on how to switch out, say, the keyboard (Of course with the 17” PowerBook the keyboard has been soldered onto the aluminum case, so I don’t think that will ever be an option). If the machine has bigger problems, they send you a box, and if you catch the Airborne Express rep when he delivers it, he’ll take the machine then and there. In all my history with IBM I’ve had to do this twice, and in both cases the machine has come back, fully repaired, in under 48 hours.

The genius at the Apple Store said I would have to wait a week, which sounded bad enough, but I left my computer at the store 9 days ago, and there’s really no telling when I’m going to get it back. The web site says nothing other than the fact that the repair depot received it three days after I dropped it off. When I call AppleCare they tell me that apparently the good folks in Houston are waiting for a new logic board. It’s not really clear when they’ll actually get the part and be able to start working on fixing my machine. Meanwhile, there’s no way to waive a signature for return shipping, so you can either have it sent back to an Apple Store or risk picking it up at UPS if you’re not around when they come by.


The Bottom Line

I don’t really know yet how the story ends. Hopefully it won’t endure much longer. In the meantime I’m back on my old ThinkPad, tolerating the aesthetic banality of Windows 2000 with a tad bit of nostalgia. I certainly don’t miss Microsoft, but it’s nice to sit in front of an object of reliability again. ThinkPads are like little tanks, and when they do break down, you can bet your butt, or your business, that they’ll be up again in no time. As much as I love my PowerBook, that’s something I just can’t say when it comes to Apple.

great to know about the note-leaving tip. thanks.

I've had the same trouble with the web site, and it does seem like there's a lot more information available to the AppleCare tech folks than what shows when you go to info.apple.com. Not sure why they can't get a clean update to work...

And I thought I had it bad...

Man, that's a tough story. You've got me worrying about problems I hadn't even imagined! I hope when my machine finally makes its way home (as of this morning I'm hoping to get it back by the two-week mark) it doesn't have to turn around and go back again.

Anyone out there have experience with the MacResQ folks? I'm wondering if it makes more sense to use them after the 1-year basic warranty runs out than to purchase two more years of this kind of service through AppleCare.

2 Weeks and Counting...

Unfortunately my story is still going. I dropped off my computer two weeks ago yesterday.

In two separate incidents I have been assured that the part my machine is waiting for, a new logic board, is "in the next shipment". First it was coming last Tuesday, then it was coming last Friday, then it came but unfortunately it must have come late in the day and the depot doesn't do work on the weekends, and now it never came and they're not sure when it will.

Meanwhile, the web never seems to be up-to-date, and the automated lady never says anything except that "sorry, the information you gave me doesn't seem to match my records", so every time I want to know what's going on with my very belated service call I have to wait on hold for 10-15 minutes.

To be fair, the AppleCare folks do seem to be taking notice now, and have 'escalated' the problem. I'll let this thread know what results.

In the meantime, anyone who is thinking about making a move from something as stable as ThinkPad service to Apple should take note. I don't mean to be an alarmist: it's clear from other posts and people I've talked to that my experience isn't common, but whenever I talk to AppleCare techs they tell me, ironically in an attempt to re-assure me, that sometimes parts can be hard to get and 'these things happen'. 2+ weeks of downtime? I only owned the computer for 3 weeks before it had to go back... It may be a testament to my reliance upon technology but this seems like an eternity...

Eighteen days after dropping off my PowerBook at the Apple Store in Palo Alto, it’s finally back in my hands. Once the AppleCare folks put in the call for an “allocation” (meaning they start hunting for the missing part in every warehouse in the country) things finally came together.

I’m very glad to have my computer back in front of me, but the whole experience has certainly left a bitter taste in my mouth. Eighteen days is simply too long to wait for any sort of repair, let alone one as relatively simple as swapping out a single part.

One interesting tidbit: apparently part orders are backlogged on lots of machines because of the logic-board replacement program for 12” iBooks that Apple recently began.

At any rate, I thought I’d offer a handful of small suggestions based on my experience. They may be of some use to other newbies like me:

1. Don’t leave your computer at an Apple Store if it needs service. Either call AppleCare and have them send you a box, or, in the case that someone at the Genius Bar initiates your repair, ask him to have a box sent to your house. It took a full three days before my drop-off made it to the depot.

2. If things start taking longer than expected, speak to real people when you check your status at AppleCare. Every time you call it’s logged, and towards the end people were very motivated to help me on account of my lengthy case history. The allocation was set up by someone who was talking to me for the second time.

3. When your machine gets back, give it a close inspection for scratches, etc. Kudos to 603 and his horror stories for this one. It might not be the worst idea in the world to take digital photos of your machine before sending it off. It's a shame this sort of thing has to be thought of: the techs really ought to show respect/care at the level warranted by Apple's level of industrial design...

Thanks to everyone for their advice and suggestions.