First Mac Purchase Not Going Well

[Redline13]

I have long admired Apple's line of portables and I recently decide to bite the bullet and get one. Yesterday I recived my refurbished 12 inch 1 Ghz model powerbook in the mail.

I opened it up,plugged it in and hit the power... nothing happened. I waited until the battery was fully charged and still no response. I gave AppleCare a call and after spending about a half hour on the phone we were able to force the powerbook to start (by clearing the PMU or something like that he said) but it would crash to a blank screen after maybe 30 seconds.

Finally the AppleCare Rep. decided that we were over our heads as to what could be done over the phone and he recommended that I visit my local Apple store.

After I arrived the first person I spoke to wasn't very helpfull and insisted that I just hadn't charged the battery enough. I started to get annoyed and I think she recognized that found someone else to help me. The next individual was much more responsive and listened to what I had to say. He gave my powerbook a look over and was unable to gey it to start at all. He gave me a case number and told me I should call back AppleCare and I could arrange to have my powerbook either repaired or replaced.

So back at on the phone with AppleCare I stated my prefrence to have the computer replaced. I was then transfered to some one who took down my info and set up what he called an "escalation" to have my DOA powerbook replaced. Unfortunatly the department that handles cases like mine is not open on the weekends and I am going to have to wait till Monday for a call back.

I asked the rep what is the usual course of action in situations like this and he said that he hadn't delt with a case like this in quite some time but from what he understood I would recive a call on Monday to arrange pick up of the computer from my home and once it was verified to be in Apple's warehouse they would ship me a new refurbished model or if they are out of stock a brand new 12 inch powerbook at no extra cost.

Intrestingly one of the reps I was on the phone with was very suprised I had purchased the powerbook as a refurb. because it according to the serial number it was Built on Feb. 7th. To put that in perspective It shipped on the 16th and I recived it on the 21st.

I have to admit I am pretty disappionted about reciving a dud refurb and being forced to wait for a replacement. This incident really makes me call into question the quality of Apple's refurbised products. Which isn't very comforting since I also bought a refurb. AE card. On the positive side I was impressed with the quality of Apple's Phone support. They were knowledgeable and took the time to answer all of my questions.

Has anyone been down this road before or have any advice? Do you think I can get Apple to spring for free expedited shiping to compenate for my lost time?

[invaLPsion]

Sorry for your problems.:( My brother just purchased a refurbished G5 and it has had no problems whatsoever. Looks like you just got unlucky, pity it had to be you.

[renikm]

I'm sorry this happened. I think it's just one of the freak occurences though. The good thing is that I'm sure they will take care of you, becasue It's obviously thier fault. You'll just have to wait it out. :( When you have your powerbook up and running, this will all be a distant memory-I promise!
No harm in asking for expidited shipping, ask them!

[mpopkin]

First, It is always troubling to recieve a dud product.
Second: if it was made on Feb 7th then obviously it was New and Not refurbished. Apple Serial Numbers to my knowledge are pretty accurate in terms of manufacture and info about the specific machine.
third: Aluminum Powerbooks have had a great deal of problems in the past six months with about half of them reporting a problem or two and requiring replacement/fix. So it may be likely that the Applecare rep either is new to his department and unaware of the problems surrounding the Powerbook or is lying. I have found Applecare reps to be nice, responsive and willing to help, but when it comes to knowing about your computer and this is sort of funny every problem i have on my DP G5 2ghz, they say i need to reset the PMU, but each time it has been found out to be a hardware, and not software problem by a Apple Specialist(non-Applecare Phone Support), so i find Applecare reps to be quite uninformed when it comes to Apple computers, so in general all i call them to do is to arrange a rep to look at my computer if it has a problem. This is not saying that you will go out and always get a dud for a rep, i have had a few really knowledgable reps who know their stuff. I figure that there is a high turnover ratio or something.

Good luck with your PB, hopefully they will replace it for you


Originally posted by Redline13
I have long admired Apple's line of portables and I recently decide bite the bullet and get one. Yesterday I recived my refurbished 12 inch 1 Mhz model powerbook in the mail.

I opened it up,plugged it in and hit the power... nothing happened. I waited until the battery was fully charged and still no response. I gave AppleCare a call and after spending about a half hour on the phone we were able to force the powerbook to start (by clearing the PMU or something like that he said) but it would crash to a blank screen after maybe 30 seconds.

Finally the AppleCare Rep. decided that we were over our heads as to what could be done over the phone and he recommended that I visit my local Apple store.

After I arrived the first person I spoke to wasn't very helpfull and insisted that I just hadn't charged the battery enough. I started to get annoyed and I think she recognized that found someone else to help me. The next individual was much more responsive and listened to what I had to say. He gave my powerbook a look over and was unable to gey it to start at all. He gave me a case number and told me I should call back AppleCare and I could arrange to have my powerbook either repaired or replaced.

So back at on the phone with AppleCare I stated my prefrence to have the computer replaced. I was then transfered to some one who took down my info and set up what he called an "escalation" to have my DOA powerbook replaced. Unfortunatly the department that handles cases like mine is not open on the weekends and I am going to have to wait till Monday for a call back.

I asked the rep what is the usual course of action in situations like this and he said that he hadn't delt with a case like this in quite some time but from what he understood I would recive a call on Monday to arrange pick up of the computer from my home and once it was verified to be in Apple's warehouse they would ship me a new refurbished model or if they are out of stock a brand new 12 inch powerbook at no extra cost.

Intrestingly one of the reps I was on the phone with was very suprised I had purchased the powerbook as a refurb. because it according to the serial number it was Built on Feb. 7th. To put that in perspective It shipped on the 16th and I recived it on the 21st.

I have to admit I am pretty disappionted about reciving a dud refurb and being forced to wait for a replacement. This incident really makes me call into question the quality of Apple's refurbised products. Which isn't very comforting since I also bought a refurb. AE card. On the positive side I was impressed with the quality of Apple's Phone support. They were knowledgeable and took the time to answer all of my questions.

Has anyone been down this road before or have any advice? Do you think I can get Apple to spring for free expedited shiping to compenate for my lost time?

[flyfish29]

Originally posted by Redline13
I asked the rep what is the usual course of action in situations like this and he said that he hadn't delt with a case like this in quite some time but from what he understood I would recive a call on Monday to arrange pick up of the computer from my home and once it was verified to be in Apple's warehouse they would ship me a new refurbished model or if they are out of stock a brand new 12 inch powerbook at no extra cost.


Yes, Apple should expedite...I received next day Saturday service on my refurb. iMac that was sent to me and was not so refurbished when I got it. They actually should ship the computer to you when Fed Ex takes your bad one away. They will give you a tracking/confirm. number which you should be able to call your apple rep (get their direct number and name) and get them top release your new one immediately.

As far as the serial number goes, all refurb. units are given a new number when refurb. so that is why it looks as if it was made on Feb 7.

There was a batch of products that came out last fall that were not refurbished according to the regular Apple standards standards (three or four threads last fall spoke of these problems including mine) I think it only happens occasionally as maybe some one has a bad day ??

Mine came to me without being fully cleaned, fan noise issue and a few other little things that were missing in the box.

Good luck on your new one!

[Redline13]

Well I just got off the phone with Apple sales support and I am not really satisfied. They agreed with me that my powerbook was DOA and needs to be replaced but they don't have any more refurb 12 inch models with Superdrives in stock so they are telling me that I have to wait until some arrive or they can issue me a credit. When I informed him that I was told that if no more refurb. models were in stock I would be shipped a new powerbook he claimed that was not possible. Something about it having to be replaced with the same stock number in there system.

I decided to wait a day to make up my mind. Neither option really satisfies me. Who knows how long I will be waiting for a new refurb? I don't really want a credit I want a freaking powerbook. On the positive side they agreed to free expedited (two day)shipping. Still this has left a really bad taste in my mouth. Any more advice?

[rueyeet]

Take the credit and buy the machine from the Apple Store you visited; also bring whatever documentation/information about your DOA machine you have--support ticket #, any emails they may have sent you, etc. Make sure the Apple Store staff understand how leery you are of Macs after your experiences, and see if they will let you open your new computer up and make sure it works before taking it home. No waiting, and no wondering.

From what I remember, it's mostly the 15" AlBooks having so many problems; aside of heat complaints, I think the 12" ones were relatively glitch-free. So while it's definitely not fun getting the one dud among however many trouble-free machines, don't give up yet! My brother-in-law's using a 12" he borrows from work, and it's one sweet little computer.

[Redline13]

I would consider following your suggestion but the powerbook I purchased was a refurbished model. As far as I know the Apple stores don't stock refurbs right?

[Flowbee]

Originally posted by mpopkin

third: Aluminum Powerbooks have had a great deal of problems in the past six months with about half of them reporting a problem or two and requiring replacement/fix.

What is your source for this "fact?" This is simply not true.

[nargot]

Originally posted by mpopkin

third: Aluminum Powerbooks have had a great deal of problems in the past six months with about half of them reporting a problem or two and requiring replacement/fix.


What is your source for this "fact?" This is simply not true.


My dad has a decked out 15" PB, uses it non stop and has had no problems. No real problems have been encountered around here from what i've seen also. iPods on the other hand have had way more problems.

[flyfish29]

Originally posted by Redline13
but they don't have any more refurb 12 inch models with Superdrives in stock so they are telling me that I have to wait until some arrive or they can issue me a credit. When I informed him that I was told that if no more refurb. models were in stock I would be shipped a new powerbook he claimed that was not possible. Something about it having to be replaced with the same stock number in there system.



I am sorry to hear about these issues. I almost had this happen with me, but they happened to have one left in stock. FYI: They can't ship you a new one due to basic retailing issues...unfortunately there are some people out there that would do the following trick...buy a refurm...purposefully make it DOA...then return it and since there are no more just like it demand a new one...which is unfair and unethical. Unfortunately there are many policies in retail that are made due to unethical behaviors of customer...PLEASE DON'T THINK I AM SAYING YOU DID THIS AND I WOULD NEVER THINK THAT, but there are people out there that would and probably have tried to do this and therefore they have to have policies to protect themselves from this.

Doesn't SmallDog.com and all the online Mac catalogs sell refurbished units????

[Redline13]

I understand the reason they won't ship me a new replacement. Fraud is an unfortunate reality in most any business. However I don't really care. Right now I am stuck with no powerbook and no date as to when I might get one.

Hmmm. I guess that sounds a little harsh but I just feel like I am stuck between rock and a hard place. At this point I am leaning toward just shipping it back and waiting for a fresh stock of refurbs. I am just worried that the wait may be a couple of weeks. I am going to call the rep back tomorrow and make a choice. Anyone else care to share there opinion?

[invaLPsion]

Maybe you should take the credit and wait for powerbook updates?:confused:

[iJon]

people have a problem realizing that a computer is a machine, things can break. First of all you saying its a refurb wouldnt make surprised this happen, but still thats not the point. things can break, you got an unlucky one. you said it yourself, apple on the phone was very helpful. you will send it back and they will fix it, simple as that. either you can pout and go with another company, or accept the odds that you got a DOA and just wait for a new or repaired one. it happens, dont be to mad about it.

iJon

[spacepower]

"As far as the serial number goes, all refurb. units are given a new number when refurb. so that is why it looks as if it was made on Feb 7."

I remember reading this about a year ago. On macintouch and some other websites. Since Apple gives the refurb a new SN#, they don't keep track of the computer's history. ie, you don't know why the powerbook was returned and refurb'ed by the first owner.

It is possible that the same problem the original owner had with the powerbook is reoccuring. But now you and Apple have to troubleshoot the the powerbook again.


(Hypeothetical)
Maybe there were two problems that the new powerbook had, but Apple only found one, resulting in a temporarily working powerbook. They think that they fix it, but now they have to troubleshoot it again from start, bc they don't know what was the first problem that they had solved, since they had erased the machine's history when giving it a new SN#.

It is a waste of both your time and Apple's.

Shame on Apple

This is why I stay away from refurbs

[flyfish29]

Hey, i was just on Apple store.com and they have lots of refurb. powerbooks in stock it looks like...seven or eight diff. kinds so check it out quick if you have not gotten your replacemnt figured out.

Good luck

[Redline13]

Well I got off the phone a minute ago with Apple. I am shipping my powerbook back tomorrow and I have decided to wait for a new shipment of refurb 1Ghz 12 inchers (with Superdrive) to come in. I am going to give it a week and then re-evaluate and maybe go in another direction if the order is still outstanding.

This whole situation has been really frustrating. I was excited when I finally got my computer in the mail only to go though all this trouble and waste of my time. Oh well, hopefully this will all have a happy ending. :confused:

[FlamDrag]

Are you sure that you didn't order from the "will need to be refurbed" store as opposed to the refurb store? :)

Just teasing.

Bummer about your ordeal. I have a rev.a 17" powerbook and would have been crushed had I gone through a similar ordeal. Your frustration is warranted.

Make sure that you get next day shipping at no cost to you when your next computer comes in.

[Redline13]

Are you sure that you didn't order from the "will need to be refurbed" store as opposed to the refurb store?

That's funny. :cool:

[Redline13]

I just got my powerbook today. Fed-ex missed me yesterday but today I went and picked it up instead of waiting till Monday for them to come back. Actually I had no idea it was coming. The Apple rep said they would e-mail me when it was shipped but I never recived one.

Thankfully it is working right out of the box with no problems so far. I just updated the os and I am now installing iLife 04. Afterwords I will tackle the AE card. I am typing this message of my soon to be retired windows box. It's a P-II 400 Mhz machine with 10 gig hd and 196 k of memory running XP so my new powerbook is a nice little upgrade.

[aswitcher]

Originally posted by Redline13
I just got my powerbook today. Fed-ex missed me yesterday but today I went and picked it up instead of waiting till Monday for them to come back. Actually I had no idea it was coming. The Apple rep said they would e-mail me when it was shipped but I never recived one.

Thankfully it is working right out of the box with no problems so far. I just updated the os and I am now installing iLife 04. Afterwords I will tackle the AE card.
SNIP

Good to see they came through.

[Redline13]

Well I guess it was to good to last. My one week old powerbook has developed white spots on the display. I dropped it off at the apple store today and it is going to be about a week until I get it back. :mad: To top it all off yesterday I tried to connect a monitor I have kicking around to the powerbook and Apple sent me the wrong connector with my order. Instead of a mini DVI- VGA adapter I was sent a VGA adapter for a iBook. :mad:

WTF!!! This is the second straight substandard powerbook Apple has sold to me. I love the computer but Apple's lack of quality control has left me disgruntled.

[latergator116]

I hear ya' I was without a computer for 6 months and when I got my iBook (also a refurb), it had troubles charging and I had to send it back the next day. Thats sucks though... twice in a row for you. Just try to remain patient (which I know can be hard) and it will pay off when you get your PB back and you also get your cable returned. Good Luck. :)

[jsd]

My 15" has had problems upon problems—five repairs! Luckily, it all seems to be worked out now. Apple needs to get their act together. I've been and Apple customer since 1984, and maybe I've been lucky, but this is the first computer that I've ever had a problem with. Something went wrong with this last batch of PowerBooks, that's for sure. My girlfriend's PowerBook 12" 1GHz had a problem where it wouldn't start up...she had to send it in. Luckily these repairs only take a day, and Airborne/DHL picks up and delivers anywhere.

[Redline13]

I gave Apple a call today on my lunch break to get the correct cable sent to me that I should have had in the first place. The first rep I talked to told me that the mini DVI - VGA adaptor cable only comes with new and not refurbished Powerbooks. After protesting he aggreed to ship me the cable as a customer satisfaction issue. He set up the order and and gave me the tracking number so I could see it's status online. Ten minutes later I checked the status of my order on Apple's website only to find he had inputed the wrong item!!! Instead of a mini DVI to VGA adaptor he sent me a full size DVI to VGA adaptor.

After muttering a few choice words under my breath I picked up the phone and gave Apple a call back and got the order straightend out. The funny thing is that even though I called back just a few minutes later it was to late to stop the first order so I will be getting both cables on top of the Ibook cable that I mistakenly shipped in the first place. They don't want the incorrect cables back. I guess it not worth it for them to pay for the return shipping. I don't know what I will do with them as as they are not particularly valuable. Maybe I will put them on ebay anyway.

Next time I wonder why Apple charges a premium for it's products I will remember this whole episode. I wonder how much all these errors are costing them?

[Redline13]

I got home today and was suprised to find the cables had arrived. Unfortunately... THEY SENT THE WRONG FRICKING CABLE AGAIN!! I got a Mini DVI- Video adapter and a DVI-VGA cable instead of the Mini DVI-VGA adapter I should have been sent.

I think I am going to give up and just buy the cable and try to get something for these on ebay. At this point I fully expect someone to have taken a dump on my Powerbook when I get it back :mad: :(

[iJon]

I got home today and was suprised to find the cables had arrived. Unfortunately... THEY SENT THE WRONG FRICKING CABLE AGAIN!! I got a Mini DVI- Video adapter and a DVI-VGA cable instead of the Mini DVI-VGA adapter I should have been sent.

I think I am going to give up and just buy the cable and try to get something for these on ebay. At this point I fully expect someone to have taken a dump on my Powerbook when I get it back :mad: :(
call and complain, they might overnight you one for your trouble and patience.

iJon

[Redline13]

call and complain, they might overnight you one for your trouble and patience.

iJon

That's what I did. I didn't get the right cable in my initial order. I called and asked for it and after a giving me a hard time they sent me the wrong cable twice!

[aswitcher]

That's what I did. I didn't get the right cable in my initial order. I called and asked for it and after a giving me a hard time they sent me the wrong cable twice!

Well third time lucky. :) Just don't pay anything further, like shipping cables back etc.

[Torajima]

Has anyone been down this road before or have any advice? Do you think I can get Apple to spring for free expedited shiping to compenate for my lost time?

Sometimes refurbs arrive DOA... that's the chance you get when you buy a refurb.

My company bought a refurb G5 recently, and while it wasn't DOA, it was still unusable in an office environment... the fans were stuck on high, and it sounded like a jet was about to take off.

Rather than send it back to Apple (or Smalldog, where I actually bought it), I took it to a local repair shop and they fixed it free of charge (refurbs still have full one year warranty). I had it back in 3 days.

[Redline13]

I got a call from an Apple tech this morning informing me that the damage to my screen was a result of some one setting something on it and it was not covered! I had to explain to him that I only had the thing a week and it arrived with the white spots. At that point he looked at the case info in front of him and saw that I was correct and it was in fact covered. He then apologised and told me I should have the computer back in 3 or 4 days.

Why is nothing I do with this company going smoothly? I am trying to give them the benefit of the doubt but Apple is scewing up at every avaible opportunity . Is there a special customer satisfaction hotline I can call and complain? I am not looking to get anything out of it I just want to share my dissatisfaction at there bungling in hopes it will lead to someone not having to go through what I am.

[flyfish29]

Why is nothing I do with this company going smoothly? I am trying to give them the benefit of the doubt but Apple is scewing up at every avaible opportunity . Is there a special customer satisfaction hotline I can call and complain? I am not looking to get anything out of it I just want to share my dissatisfaction at there bungling in hopes it will lead to someone not having to go through what I am.

Wow, I do have to say you have been more than patient with this debacle! If I were you I would copy all your notes from this thread into an email and send it to steve Jobs himself. Someone in another thread who I believe lived in the UK did this *search for it- he had an issue with a computer taking months to repair at apple through applecare I think...can someone help me out here if you remember this thread* anyway, he sent Jobs an email and had a reply from him within a very short time. I totally believe your situation warrents some free goodies...maybe an iPod mini at the very least. You have spend hours on the phone and been very patient...I would not have been as patient. I would go in with the same attitude you describe above about not wanting anything in particular, but spell out how many hours you have spent trying to fix the problems, etc. He will most likely do something for you...I hope at least as you are a terrific mac customer to go through this and still believe in Apple...at least to some extent. :D

[603]

i feel your pain. my situation is different from yours, but this is also my first Mac, and we have the same machine. to put it nicely, my introduction to the world of Apple has not been a pleasant one.

during the month of February i sent my 12" PB (Rev B) back to Apple 3 times. on the first return, they replaced the hard drive, which was clicking and beeping and readying itself for failure. no problem, it's not Apple's fault that Hitachi or whoever had a bad batch of drives. however, the repairmen scratched up the lid and the bottom of the case pretty bad. i returned it for the scratches, and they replaced the bottom and underside, but scratched the LCD in the process. so i sent it back a third time. no scratches on the LCD, but now it won't go to sleep half the time and there's a clicking noise when i open the lid. something is clicking inside the hinge... i suspect that it's pinching the video cable. sometimes the LCD will not come on when it's awakened from sleep... sometimes it won't even to go sleep unless i put it to sleep through the GUI. the edges of the LCD are also yellow, on all four sides.

on top of all this, the lid is warped and the latch doesn't engage properly. each time i've returned the computer, i also requested that the lid and latch be repaired... it never happened. i've heard suggestions about bending the lid after warming up the computer - i shouldn't have to do that to a $2000+ computer. (by the way, Apple now says that warped lids are normal: http://www.thinksecret.com/news/warpedlids.html)

the people i've talked to at Apple are nice and have told me that this is "not the experience we want you to have"... but their techs botched it up three times in one month, and i had little confidence that it would come back without another problem. after checking out the machine for a few minutes, the local Genius said that i was probably due for a replacement.

so i called again last night and explained the problems. the first guy i talked to was friendly, as usual, and reviewed my cases. i told him i wanted a replacement, that my machine had been "Frankensteined," and that i'm worried that it will develop new issues in the future thanks to the number of parts that have been replaced. (they replaced the HDD each time i sent it in, replaced the logic board the third time, replaced the lid/display housing twice, the LCD once, and the bottom housing twice.) he agreed, and escalated my call to a senior tech. great guy. he said that he's not even sure what they would fix this time since almost all the parts are new.

so i'm getting a NEW machine. lucky for me, they didn't have any old stock in that matched the specs - my original machine was BTO. i'm eager to see if it has Panther and iLife on it (i was two days away from getting the 19.95 upgrade last year - argh).

between the stories about heat death, rubber feet falling off, latches not catching, wobbling on perfectly flat tabletops, keys melting, etc... i should have been smarter than to think that i would somehow avoid all the problems and get a perfect computer. i thought i would be spared if i waited until the Rev B came out, but it seems like they solved some problems and created new ones.

if i had to do it over again, i would not get a PowerBook of any size. i would also not recommend a PowerBook to anyone i know. i 'sold' two 17" iMacs before i got my PowerBook, and if my friends and family had bought something with as many problems as my PowerBook has had, i would be getting a lot of flack about my ill-fated recommendations. fortunately, both iMacs are totally flawless and the owners like them a lot. i'm actually considering selling the new PowerBook and buying a flat-panel iMac of my own. i'd love to trade up to a G5 but there seem to be all sorts of issues with G5s as well... whether those problems represent a minority of all G5s out there or not, i'm not going to convince myself (again) that i won't be the person who gets a lemon instead of an Apple.

people generally don't like to hear these horror stories. a lot of people out there can either accept that their machines are flawed and move on, or wil comment to say that i'm in the minority... i disagree. some machines might be better than others, but the whole Powerbook line seems fraught with problems. and don't even get me started on OS X's UI... i'll let Jef Raskin take care of that: http://ist-socrates.berkeley.edu/~frank/BerkeleyGroks_Raskin.htm

[Mac User]

Given all the Bad and Ugly stories on this thread, esp. about PowerBooks, I wanted to let all of you know I purchased a 17" PowerBook for my office in January and overall I've had a wonderful experience. No problems--knock on wood--so far with the computer and it is a great experience to use. That said, it did not access our MS 2003 server shared files at all reliably (as the latest PR suggests it will), though my IT support thinks it was mainly the fault of the MS Server Mac services module (or whatever it's called). A nice, though expensive, little app. named DAVE fixed all that. Still trying to figure out how to make the VPN work, but I'm optimistic.
Have to also mention, though, that the G4 iMac I purchased for my retired mom back in October 03 died in early February--it was fixed in a couple of days at an authorized service provider at no charge and has been working fine since then. Apple does need to get better, but the March Consumer Reports--as unbiased a source as we're ever going to find--rated Apple as best in computer reliability as well as service. Guess that doesn't leave us any "greener pastures"...

[benpatient]

not as much as the iPod ads...

hehe.

[Redline13]

Thank for the replies everyone. I understand that every company has customers that have positive and negative experiences and I am a little sad that this ordeal has to be my first impresion of Apple. I think I will document this whole situation and try and report it to someone. maybe I will right a letter...

I will keep this thread updated with any changes in the situation. Thanks for the support.

[sinisterdesign]

sorry to hear about the long journey to a new laptop. it's SUCH a pain in the arse, i know. i've owned many a Mac & the only one i've really had problems w/ was my TiBook. it was the first rev of the G4 laptops, so i chalked it up to that & swore that i would never buy the 1st rev of ANY machine anymore (waited until the iPod hit 20GB, waited on the PowerMac G4 to top 1Ghz, and now waiting on a new rev of the G5).

my view is that Apple really pushes the envelope w/ their hardware design & there are a lot of little issues that they just don't forsee until we beat the hell out them for a few months and then they get swamped w/ calls & forums like this. take the iPod, that little scrollwheel is AWESOME, but if they had thought about the ballbearings getting grimey after a while, i'm sure they would have gone solid state from the begining. my TiBook's optical drive has this flimsy little edge where the plastic meets the titanium casing. it ended up eating a couple of CDs before the drive itself was replaced. i noticed they threw the drive bay on the side of the new AlBooks, i'm sure in response to issues like mine.

so, sorry you've had some DOA issues. i ended up sending my PowerBook back about 3 times w/ half of the machine replaced: DVD drive, entire LCD clamshell, and finally the motherboard (that's what was making my LCD blink out, not the display itself. who knew?). it sucked. every time i thought it was fixed & i'd be all stoked to start installing software, something would freak out. all i can say is it's the (bad) luck of the draw. i've had plenty of friends that never had issue 1 w/ their PowerBooks.

good luck...

[VicMacs]

Apple machines are really die hard little puppies... but even the best of things dont come out as planned... and he/she who has to pay for this is just a random person... redline... just consider yourself very unlucky that THESE things happenned to you... that little apart.. i mean.. its weird.. but i dont blame you... ive had my share of problems too, from my first imac SE that just drove the dvd-rom insane, and i had to replace myself because i bought it in the us and live abroad.. to the power supply from hell on my "Windtunnel" which i didnt send back while i had the opportunity and later just went dead on me... and of course the faulty philips combo drive that made me get a 4x DVD+- Superdrive... All there was to it was patience and knowledge that I was fixing what to me was the best machine that MY money could get, and since I know what apple does for my life everyday, it was really a fun taskto fix these problems... of course that you havent had the apple experience, and it sucks to get "new" products that dont work... or dont perform normally.. give yourself a month, hang in there with the Alubook12 and in time you will forget the february/march from hell that just passed... and all your dreams will come true.. AppleStyle...

[Redline13]

I got a call from my local Apple Store last friday saying my powerbook was ready for pickup. After happy hour I made the trek over and picked it up. The screen was as good as new and things have been smooth since. I am keeping my fingers crossed that I won't be adding to this thread in another week or so.

I have decided to write up this whole ordeal and send a letter to Apple. Does anyone have an address for Apple's customer relations department?

[flyfish29]

Send the story to Steve Jobs himself. See my post above, but you really should go to the source and let him know what a cluster F*#@ this has been for you! I applaud your patience! Good luck and let us know how it turns out.