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Furious Apple Care Call

Abraxsis

Abraxsis

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Sep 23, 2003
425
11
Kentucky
So I called Apple about my Medium Write Error problem that I'm having with my MBP. They "fixed" it once but the horribly crappy Superdrive they put in there is doing it yet again, only 10 months later. So I called today thinking I might get lucky and Apple would fix it again since its such a common problem.

But NO, they couldn't help me, and instead offered me a ballpark figure of 800.00 (YES, EIGHT HUNDRED DOLLARS) to replace the Optical drive ... W. T. F.? A 50.00 optical drive and 2 hours worth of precious Apple time is worth 800 bucks? I think not. If I was going to spend that I would just get an external Blueray/DVD burner and save myself 400 bucks.

If a hardware failure happens 2x in less than a year, and it is a KNOWN issue Apple should feel obligated to correct it with the customer, thus keeping him happy, instead of this garbage. I know 2 things now, if I do decide to buy another Mac it will have Apple Care on it, and second I will for sure not be as Pro Apple as I once was.
 
Try calling again (Sometimes you get actual helpful people) or hitting up a local Apple store. I'm sure you'll have better luck if you keep trying...
 
wait, so is this computer still under warranty?

For out of warranty repairs, you might want to check with a service center. Often times their flat rates are lower than Apple's.
 
e12a said:
wait, so is this computer still under warranty?

For out of warranty repairs, you might want to check with a service center. Often times their flat rates are lower than Apple's.
Click to expand...

They are really cheap. My out of warantee 2.16 Yonah MBP had a flickering screen problem, and the superdrive was acting up, just like the OP's with the medium write errors and even refusing to read off dvd's at time.
I went to a local Apple Store, chatted with a genius, and he sent my MBP away for repairs. When it came back, they read off the list of things they changed and fixed, and it turned out they replaced the screen, the superdrive and the logic board. All that ran me $330 with tax.
 
Wirelessly posted (Apple Communication Device: Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU like Mac OS X; en) AppleWebKit/420.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.0 Mobile/4A102 Safari/419.3)

when all else fails write Steve@apple.com or some variation thereof.
 
hotsauce said:
Wirelessly posted (Apple Communication Device: Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU like Mac OS X; en) AppleWebKit/420.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.0 Mobile/4A102 Safari/419.3)

when all else fails write Steve@apple.com or some variation thereof.
Click to expand...

Ive thought about it some, and I think I like the idea of getting an external DVD drive that is MUCH faster than a super drive, and then replacing the superdrive with one of those hard drives with the surround made to take the OD's place. I wouldnt mind a 20x DVD+-RW/DL burner and laptop with 240GB in it for about 300.00. The other option is replace the burner in the laptop for 139.00. This wouldnt be the first 'Book Ive cracked open and fixed myself.
 
Blubbert said:
When it came back, they read off the list of things they changed and fixed, and it turned out they replaced the screen, the superdrive and the logic board. All that ran me $330 with tax.
Click to expand...

I'm not doubting your experience or anything, but something is odd about this. I'm not even sure you can *get* your hands on those three components for that little money. That seems really suspicious to me (that they padded the list of things they fixed for some reason, and did not replace all those things).
 
Abraxsis said:
Ive thought about it some, and I think I like the idea of getting an external DVD drive that is MUCH faster than a super drive, and then replacing the superdrive with one of those hard drives with the surround made to take the OD's place. I wouldnt mind a 20x DVD+-RW/DL burner and laptop with 240GB in it for about 300.00. The other option is replace the burner in the laptop for 139.00. This wouldnt be the first 'Book Ive cracked open and fixed myself.
Click to expand...

Stop the presses. I can replace my SuperDrive with something useful? Links to this product anyone? Sweeeet
 
mkrishnan said:
I'm not doubting your experience or anything, but something is odd about this. I'm not even sure you can *get* your hands on those three components for that little money. That seems really suspicious to me (that they padded the list of things they fixed for some reason, and did not replace all those things).
Click to expand...

Well, the price was a flat rate of $310 with tax at the beggining of the whole thing. Now i know for a fact that they did some work on the screen, as it no longer flickers when moved, and i know that the superdrive has been tinkered with, as it sounds different and read off DVD's without a problem ( it also fixed the medium error i had been getting).

The Logic Board replacement seemed odd to me too, as i didnt think there was anything wrong with it, cause the computer ran fine, but it seeing as it was a flat rate, it seems odd that they would inflate the number of things they did to the computer...

P.S. They also exchanged the bottom casing, which had a ding in it and the aluminum by the latch was bent outward and repaired the left latch that didnt work since day one.
 
Abraxsis said:
So I called Apple about my Medium Write Error problem that I'm having with my MBP. They "fixed" it once but the horribly crappy Superdrive they put in there is doing it yet again, only 10 months later. So I called today thinking I might get lucky and Apple would fix it again since its such a common problem.

But NO, they couldn't help me, and instead offered me a ballpark figure of 800.00 (YES, EIGHT HUNDRED DOLLARS) to replace the Optical drive ... W. T. F.? A 50.00 optical drive and 2 hours worth of precious Apple time is worth 800 bucks? I think not. If I was going to spend that I would just get an external Blueray/DVD burner and save myself 400 bucks.

If a hardware failure happens 2x in less than a year, and it is a KNOWN issue Apple should feel obligated to correct it with the customer, thus keeping him happy, instead of this garbage. I know 2 things now, if I do decide to buy another Mac it will have Apple Care on it, and second I will for sure not be as Pro Apple as I once was.
Click to expand...

If you don't have extended AppleCare, are past the 1 year complimentary AppleCare, and past the 90-day repair window then yes, it is going to cost a lot of money because it is out-of-warranty. This is no different than anything else being out-of-warranty in that it is going to cost a heck of a lot more. With laptops you should always get the extended coverage.
 
crees! said:
If you don't have extended AppleCare, are past the 1 year complimentary AppleCare, and past the 90-day repair window then yes, it is going to cost a lot of money because it is out-of-warranty. This is no different than anything else being out-of-warranty in that it is going to cost a heck of a lot more. With laptops you should always get the extended coverage.
Click to expand...

I agree with having to pay for something out of warranty, that is not what I am complaining about. I am complaining that Apple is telling that a 50.00 part is going to cost me 800.00 to replace. Especially not after spending 2000.00 on the laptop in the first place.
 
crees! said:
If you don't have extended AppleCare, are past the 1 year complimentary AppleCare, and past the 90-day repair window then yes, it is going to cost a lot of money because it is out-of-warranty. This is no different than anything else being out-of-warranty in that it is going to cost a heck of a lot more. With laptops you should always get the extended coverage.
Click to expand...

I was out of the 1 year apple care deal and didnt have apple care, and the massive ammounts of repairs done to my laptop totaled $330, because the genius reccomended an authorised repair shop that had a $310 flat rate repair.
 
crees! said:
If you don't have extended AppleCare, are past the 1 year complimentary AppleCare, and past the 90-day repair window then yes, it is going to cost a lot of money because it is out-of-warranty. This is no different than anything else being out-of-warranty in that it is going to cost a heck of a lot more. With laptops you should always get the extended coverage.
Click to expand...

90 day repair window? do you mean the 90 days of free phone support? or are you saying that apple will only repair free of charge in the first 90 days after youve bought your mac? Im sorry you just confused me lol.
 
dallas112678 said:
90 day repair window? do you mean the 90 days of free phone support? or are you saying that apple will only repair free of charge in the first 90 days after youve bought your mac? Im sorry you just confused me lol.
Click to expand...

No, no. You get with the computer a 90 day phone support contract, you also get one year parts and labor. If you opt to get AppleCare you get 3 years phone, parts, and labor.

Now lets say you get a repair out of warranty or at the end of the warranty, Apple warrants the part for 90 days or for the remainder of the warranty period which ever is longer.
 
If you put the entire purchase on an american express or visa/mastercard, i would check with them to see if they have an extended warranty policy. I know my AMEX will automatically double the manfacturer's warranty for free.
 
I dont want this to sound like devils advocate but you cant expect a company to replace something out of warranty. Reason being is what if 10 years down the road your computer died, they would have to replace it. This would skyrocket the price of computers.

Ive been a tech for a very long time and always buy the warranty on all of my stuff because I know how much the repairs are. Your fix sounds simple but its really not in a macbook pro.

The case has to be dismantled completely to change the drive, thats where the labor cost factors in and itll be a while because they have to take care not to scratch anything. Then you have to pay for the part and the labor to put it back in. Then theres the hidden "insurance cost" that every company has so if they jack up your system its affordable to replace it. $800 does sound high, I was guessing more around $300 - $450.

Not saying this is your case but many consumers have the 100% false theory that "if it doesnt break within a year it wont break" and they dont buy the warranty. When you think of all a laptop is exposed to, dust, dirt, heat, vibration, etc, you start to see that all of these elements will wear down and break a machine. A warranty is usually equal to $10 a month for three years for coverage for three years. Its worth it.

Also I second taking it to an apple store but BE NICE! Seriously, as bad as it sounds only the nice people get help in any computer repair situation. If your nice to the tech, they help you more.
 
eyespii said:
If you put the entire purchase on an american express or visa/mastercard, i would check with them to see if they have an extended warranty policy. I know my AMEX will automatically double the manfacturer's warranty for free.
Click to expand...

Oh wow .. I did buy this laptop with an AMEX card. Thanks, I was unaware of that possibility. Ill look into it.
 
chrono1081 said:
I dont want this to sound like devils advocate but you cant expect a company to replace something out of warranty. Reason being is what if 10 years down the road your computer died, they would have to replace it. This would skyrocket the price of computers.

Ive been a tech for a very long time and always buy the warranty on all of my stuff because I know how much the repairs are. Your fix sounds simple but its really not in a macbook pro.

The case has to be dismantled completely to change the drive, thats where the labor cost factors in and itll be a while because they have to take care not to scratch anything. Then you have to pay for the part and the labor to put it back in. Then theres the hidden "insurance cost" that every company has so if they jack up your system its affordable to replace it. $800 does sound high, I was guessing more around $300 - $450.

Not saying this is your case but many consumers have the 100% false theory that "if it doesnt break within a year it wont break" and they dont buy the warranty. When you think of all a laptop is exposed to, dust, dirt, heat, vibration, etc, you start to see that all of these elements will wear down and break a machine. A warranty is usually equal to $10 a month for three years for coverage for three years. Its worth it.

Also I second taking it to an apple store but BE NICE! Seriously, as bad as it sounds only the nice people get help in any computer repair situation. If your nice to the tech, they help you more.
Click to expand...

Before I was a Graphic Designer, I was a MS in Psych student, before that I was a computer tech for nearly 5 years. In fact the fix is really quite simple, people have this preconceived idea that laptops are harder to fix, which just isnt the case. I could, and have, disassembled a Powerbook 12" almost completely, and have it reassembled and running in 2 hours easy. I replaced the HD in my old one, and I was back up and installing the OS in 1.5 hours. I changed the fans in my friends 15" MBP in 30 minutes. Yes, you have to be a little more careful to ensure against scratching and such, but I would not hesitate to tear any laptop in front of me down and fix it myself.

All that being said, I don't expect free stuff and prolonged warranties and the like. But I do expect a 2000.00 computer's primary components to function longer than a year. Had the OD went out NOW for the first time, I wouldn't be here complaining AT ALL. I would order me one up and replace it straight off. But if it is a KNOWN issue with the drives, and 2 different drives fail in the SAME way in less than a year's time, then yes I do expect some overreaching warranty work. If you bought a 40,000.00 Lexus and had the Transmission go out under warranty, they completely replaced it, and it went out again 8 months after they fixed it you would like to see Lexus step up and maintain your loyalty, perhaps eating a portion of the 2000.00 replacement/rebuild cost of newer electronically controlled transmissions.

Like I said, this all comes down to 2 points ..

1. This is a KNOWN problem with these drives.
2. I had 2 drives die in the same manner in less than a year's time.
 
juanster said:
I love amex, its saved me more than once on a lot of things.... my parents amex that is....
Click to expand...

I think everyone should get at least a credit card that offers such a great benefit. I myself have taken advatage of the benefit and best of all it is hassle free. :rolleyes:
 
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