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Crap repair job by Apple Store/Genius

MowingDevil

MowingDevil

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Jul 30, 2008
1,588
7
Vancouver, BC & Sydney, NSW
So I was having some graphics issues on my new MBP and after lengthy troubleshooting a Genius decided it would need a new logic board (the problem appeared to be the 9400). It should have been replaced outright as it was only a week old but the unit was perfect otherwise so I didn't argue. I was to leave it for a few days as the logic board needed to be ordered, no big deal. So 2 weeks later (they needed to order a 2nd part) its finally ready (no phone call, I found out by looking it up online) so I head in to pick it up. Much to my disappointment, the graphics glitch is still there, in fact its now worse.

WTF?!? How can a tech seriously do all this work, and then declare it "fixed"? How do you miss be red & blue artifacts on the screen? There goes 2 weeks of work down the drain for nothing. So in the end another machine has been ordered, hindsight is 20/20 but I should have just done this from the beginning. The Genius who helped me was good, he's not the guy who did this "repair" I should add.

Oh and on top of all this, my left fan is now inactive. Great. So when running COD4 for about 5 minutes (to test it out) the right fan was screaming at 6000rpm while the GPU and CPU were over 70 each. I'm not sure if thats normal or not but only running one fan was making me nervous as the one fan was getting louder & the machine was starting to cook a bit.
 
Sorry to hear about it. If I were you and willing to give them a second chance, I'd go back in there and calmly explain the entire story and your frustrations. If you have a good store, they'll make it right. I've found that logical pleas work far better than emotional ones for getting reasonable repairs or replacements. Remind them you've been a good customer and want to continue. Ask them about alternatives to another repair, such as a replacement, within reason, and explain why you think so. None of that is unreasonable, but sometimes it takes a good prodding to convince someone else.
 
They're handling this correctly, after I had a discussion w/ a customer services rep. At first they wanted me to hand in this machine and then order another CTO which was unacceptable to me. I need this machine for composing music and had already been without it for 2 weeks now...after the previous fiasco when my original machine was stolen before it arrived. So that was an additional waiting period there. In the end I've got to sign some documents but I'll be able to retain my defective machine until the replacement arrives. AppleCare and their customer service is still top shelf imo, their repair work not so much in my experience here.
 
That's good news in an otherwise unfortunate experience, yeah? I recall once Apple overnighting me a replacement and asking me to ship the defective unit in the box they provided with a return label and all.

In fact, I've had great success with even my worst Macs (my last MBP was actually a nightmare in retrospect) in getting first class support, in and out of warranty. Man, I must be, like, insanely charming or good-looking (haha).
 
In my experience, Apple repair is somewhat incompetent of recent, but at least they want to satisfy the customer. A few repairs they broke my computer more. Last time my computer wouldn't boot anymore.
 
MowingDevil, I see that you have had a tough start with your MBP. First it was snatched out of the shipping box and now hardware issues. Sometimes the fix is more challenging than the problem but hang in there. It appears that Apple will make sure that it works for you to your satisfaction. I have had issues with previous Macs and they made it right, although it was a difficult process getting there.
 
It is my experience to NEVER let an Apple *Store* do your repair work, I know you said it didn't work into your schedule/etc.. but mailing it in only takes 5 days tops for even the most difficult issues, but they do better work than those guys in the back room.

The Store *dropped* failed to repair my girlfriends laptop twice, and after the second time it came back worse than it was when we left it there, as if it had been dropped, the hinge wasn't right, the plastic didn't line up, it was terrible, and they handed it to me like nothing was wrong, I was so pissed off I made the manager cry. Seriously, that is absolutely unacceptable.

So we mailed it off instead, and it came back *better* but not the way it was, so at least I know they tried but couldn't fix it after what the store people had done.

So this time I gathered all my photo evidence, put it on an email with a huge rant about all that we had gone through and the repeated lying of the store about what repairs they would do, when it would be done, and how it would be done and the absolutely ruining my girlfriends laptop... to sjobs@apple.com and steve@mac.com and 2 hours later, I had a call from the stores *owner* who replaced her's AND my laptop with new alum top end MacBook's (backlit kb/2.4/250) and full 3 year AppleCare, which I turned around with some cash to some guy for a base model MBP.
 
Ampidire said:
It is my experience to NEVER let an Apple *Store* do your repair work, I know you said it didn't work into your schedule/etc.. but mailing it in only takes 5 days tops for even the most difficult issues, but they do better work than those guys in the back room.
Click to expand...

I would agree you know, I had the left IO board replaced on my now last gen MB Pro i the Apple store, unfortunately they didn't allign the holes on the left hand side of the case with the holes of the sockets correctly so I had to take it back to an authorised reseller.
Anyway, my point is in the UK you cannot post your machine to the official Apple repair centre UNLESS you have Apple care and that includes from day one of ownership. Apple only use post for replacing your computer or if you want to return it for a refund from new.
 
I don't think it's universal about getting a better repair at a store or the repair center. A couple of years ago I sent a PowerBook to the repair center three times and it kept coming back with a different problem each time. Finally had the local Apple store repair it and they did a good job.

I think it's the luck of the draw in getting a competent repair person who isn't being pressured to get it done quick. Good or bad things can happen either way.
 
If there is a problem with the repair then you should
Ask to see a head genius or a manager and someone will make it right
 
Just received an email that my new unibody MBP will be ordered tomorrow. Amazing to think this will be my 3rd one here in Auz and I also had a 4th one in Canada which didn't arrive in time for my flight over here. Eventually they'll get it right, I have hope in that.

This is just ridiculous as one side of my computer is hot enough to fry an egg and the right fan is screaming along at 5000+rpms and all I'm doing is typing on this forum. I have no idea what the Genius did to this thing but I'll take my chances w/ a new replacement.

Kind of takes the thrill out of the first euphoric 'box opening' that day. The way this is going its going to be old hat.
 
I love apple support. Regardless of how much their repair sucks they will just keep on trying to please. I had a 3rd gen ipod. On my 6th replacement i got a good one just as my warranty ran out. About 9 months into this one it stopped working. My mum (quite a persuasive woman to say the least) called up apple support and told them what was going on. Said it was unacceptable for a product to last 9 months when out of the box it was meant to last more than a year. They apologized and sent me out a 40gb (previous was a 20). I was happy and have spouted pro-apple statements since. I am an example of why they do it. I was so happy with it i decided on an MBP when i needed a laptop and will buy anything else that they sell over other brands.
 
Just keeps getting better...

So in addition to them replacing my logic board and *not* resolving the graphics issue...and my left fan now being MIA...I just realized I have NO backlight for my keyboard. I seriously just thought the setting must have been off but no its nonexistent. Wow, well done...its almost impressive how absurd this repair job is turning out to be.

Honestly, a trained monkey could easily have done just as competent a job and probably alot faster thus saving me 2 weeks. Ridiculous.
 
The wonderful thing about Apple repairs is that if they happy later in your warranty period, you can be pretty sure that they'll mess up the repair so many times that they'll have to offer you a new unit. :) Not so much fun if it happens in the beginning though....
 
Unbelievable

Thank goodness they're giving me a replacement. On top of everything else I mentioned, I've now got popping from audio in the headphone jack. When I dropped this machine off there was ZERO audio issues, the channel was clean as fresh snow.

So lets recap this wonderful repair job shall we.

1) graphics glitch NOT fixed, in fact now worse
2) backlight for keyboard no longer works
3) left fan no longer works
4) audio now has constant crackle & pops out of headphone jack

Wow, whoever did this job should not be employed by Apple at all. This is unbelievable. Is that really who they want working on behalf of their name? Technicians who take their products in to fix and then destroy them? Seriously, they replaced a logic board...that should be straight forward for a trained technician...and they should TROUBLESHOOT the product, make sure everything works. Is this not common sense?
 
5) small nick/indent/dent on the right hand side (wasn't there before)
6) oscillating/repetitive noise seems to be coming from the one remaining fan that works (it was not there prior to fix as the unit was quiet as can be).
 
Pretty horrific repair service that.

If my new laptop went faulty within 2 weeks, I'd be demanding a replacement there and then.
 
When they messed up my GF's laptop I went in there and told the manager they lost me as a customer because they failed to repair her machine and would not own up to it and the machine was worse off now than it was before, and then I shot the email to steve jobs, 2 hours later I got a call from that stores OWNER and was walking about with 2 brand new top of the line MacBook's for her AND me (I didn't even need a repair he just felt bad that I went through all of this for nothing).

They do take care of you even if it does take a while. I'm convinced the laptop repair for me was an isolated incident at this store because at that store I had previously had nothing but great service and care and they're always more than happy to help me out, etc..

Anyway... apparently I made that manager cry, keep in mind I never yelled or was mean, I just told her what I needed done, why, and what the problem was, very business, nothing more, oh well... if you're that affected by customers maybe you shouldn't be a manager...
 
Ampidire said:
When they messed up my GF's laptop I went in there and told the manager they lost me as a customer because they failed to repair her machine and would not own up to it and the machine was worse off now than it was before, and then I shot the email to steve jobs, 2 hours later I got a call from that stores OWNER and was walking about with 2 brand new top of the line MacBook's for her AND me (I didn't even need a repair he just felt bad that I went through all of this for nothing)
Click to expand...

I find that hard to believe..
 
Kilamite said:
I find that hard to believe..
Click to expand...

Ok? What could I tell you? That's what happened. He asked me if I had a Mac because he knew this wasn't mine, he asked if I had any trouble with it, I mentioned a line across the screen where the LCD meets the keyboard/trackpad seperator (Penryn X3100 based BlackBook), he said bring it in too, and replaced both of them with shiny new ones.

I had no repair initiated, I was otherwise totally satisfied with the machine as it was already a warranty replacement from a Core Duo BlackBook. This was the stores owner, who's card I keep in my wallet now, and he even wrote his cell # on the back for me. He saw my families customer history and understood that keeping me happy would mean more business for him and his company/store?

I was the one making all the phone calls and taking her machine to the store over and over again because she had work and was otherwise busy and I didn't want her to stress over it so I took charge, she deserves much better than the service she was given initially and I don't like to see her unhappy, we've been dating for 3 years this month and I can't think of anyone else I'd rather see smile than her...

But anyway... these are my blog entries for the event, and the first one listed is almost exactly what I emaild sjobs and steve emails (with some editing to make it seem directed at him, rather than just a rant/recount).

http://www.therawr.com/?p=21

http://www.therawr.com/?p=26

I'm sorry if you find it hard to believe, that's exactly what happened, word for word. Also, what exactly would I have to gain from making something like that up?
 
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