Powerbook/iBook Battery Recall

[john_satc]

By the way, here's my advice on properly conditioning your new battery.

- install new battery
- leave laptop unplugged and allow battery to completely discharge
- plug laptop into power source and completely charge new battery
- unplug laptop and again allow battery to completely discharge

What many do is immediately charge a new battery without allowing it to completely drain it's initial factory charge. I don't charge a factory battery before first discharging it. This has always worked for me, and I tend to get much better battery performance than many of my colleagues who don't condition their batteries.

This is true. My first ever mac, my iBook, i plugged in the power cord but not far enough in (didn't no a light was supposed to come one). I didn't realise till the low battery warning came on. After fully charging it i got around 5 hours battery life at my settings.
This replacement battery I charged up straight away and only getting around 4 hours battery on same settings. Not happy.

 

[dobbin]

I phoned UPS and arranged for them to come today to collect my old (faulty?) battery to return it to Apple.

They said they'd come between 10am and 5pm. I stayed in all day (at work).

At 5.00 pm I called them to ask where they were. The operator told me that the driver had called at 15.06 and been told that the parcel was not ready. What a load of cr&p. I was there all day waiting for him.

How do they get away with lies like that? Why do Apple pay them?

What shall I do now?

In answer to my last question - nothing! If Apple want the old battery back, they can come and get it themselves. I'm not going to any more trouble on their behalf.

 

[rinseout]

Good advice - I usually do variations of this on other electronic equipment as well to help preserve battery life.

Apple's advice is to charge up first, then fully discharge. Now I'm not sure who to believe.

 

[rryan]

is return really required?

I was wondering if anyone had knowledge of whether or not Apple will really charge you if you do not return the battery. Has anyone participated in a similar recall with Apple? I personally would love to keep my old battery as a backup.

 

[jung_offender]

speaking of apple UK support

I have a problem that someone here (given all the talk of apple UK support here) may be able to help with.

Long story short, I want to write a letter of complaint regarding the service I have received from apple UK on a recent warranty claim but when I call apple, the people are only able to give me the generic uk.consumer@euro.apple.com email address or a postal address that would have the people I am complaining about answering their own complaint (ie: conflict of interest). Does anyone have the name of someone higher up at customer service that I can direct my letter to directly or an alternative route?

Thanks in advance.

Brad Martin

jung [underscore] offender [at] hotmail.com

 

[jung_offender]

I sure wish my battery was in this recall. Pretty well overnight it went from having a 2 hour charge to now at about an hour.

My understanding of this problem (common to MANY [most?] 12" PB's including mine) is that this means a cell (or several cells) in the battery has failed. Mine now gets about 20 minutes and goes from 86% to shutdown with no warning. Still, it doesn't catch fire so...

 

[ohcrap]

I have a 15" Powerbook that I bought about 2.5-3 months ago, definitely after May of this year. Does this affect me? Is the only way to know to open the panel and get the model number of the battery?

 

[ohcrap]

Ah, crap. Its a 3X448. I think that means I have some sending back to do, huh..?

 

[ohcrap]

OK, I'm filling out the form for a new battery and it asks for the battery serial number THREE times. Anyways, where can I go on my system to find the serial number? I am dyslexic so I prefer to copy and paste into that field rather than write it down and type it back in. Thanks.

 

[powerbook911]

OK, I'm filling out the form for a new battery and it asks for the battery serial number THREE times. Anyways, where can I go on my system to find the serial number? I am dyslexic so I prefer to copy and paste into that field rather than write it down and type it back in. Thanks.

Don't you have to turn off the computer, and look at the underside of the batterY?

 

[DeSnousa]

Don't you have to turn off the computer, and look at the underside of the batterY?

I can't remember very well but yes its under the battery, but i think there is a way to check it in system profiler.

 

[ohcrap]

I got it all set now. Yes, it is on the backside of the battery, and no, it cannot be found in System Profiler, according to my Apple Tech Support.