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Apple Warranty Experience 5 Stars.

I

Illicit

macrumors 6502
Original poster
May 14, 2007
267
0
Waterloo, ON
Just wanted to share with you all my delightful Apple experience and perhaps it may help some of you with your problems.

Dilemma:
Last week, after 2 years of owning the SR2.2 mbp, the battery seemed to give in.
It wouldn't hold a charge more than 20 minutes long, and would shut down abruptly without the "low-capacity" message. I had all the symptoms described in this article: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1359?viewlocale=en_US , but did not qualify for a free replacement. Disappointed, I opted to continue using the mbp without a battery, since $143+tax was too deep for my pockets.

(Read more about the battery issue here: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/684652/).

Whether or not it was a pure stroke of luck or karma, 4 days ago, my video card (8600MGT) also died. the mbp would not shut down properly. After a forced reset, the screen stopped displaying anything. This time, as per article TS2377 (http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2377), I was qualified for a replacement.

Solution: I took it to the Campus Tech shop at uwaterloo and after confirming the graphics card was dead, they called Apple for a free replacement and I got it back the next day - a brand new logic board :). But get this, the technician helped me call in for an exception and they even threw in a free brand new battery! I did not have AppleCare, and my manufacturer's warranty expired last year, but Apple still repaired everything free of charge! Thanks Apple! :)

P.S. If you're in the area and looking for a skilled technician, I highly recommend Dale Kentner of Campus Tech!
 
Glad to hear you have a happy ending, me on the other hand, not so happy.
But during the whole predicament, I have to say that the geniuses were always extremely friendly, always very helpful and apologetic, I can't lay blame on them if apple's hardware/parts are so faulty and frankly, just pathetic.

I had taken my MBP in for repair 2 weeks and a few odd days ago for a mouse button issue and a display problem (light bulbs leaking at bezel, you could see the strips of light bulbs!) Anyway, due to the easter break they told me it'd take 5-7 days to repair, fine by me as I was going on holiday anyway.

Come collection day, I headed in to pick up my machine, all looked fine at first until I reached home to inspect the machine fully. My express slot had been bent, the lid didn't close properly, it needed to be pushed hard to latch, and the machine randomly froze every couple of hours and overheating.

So once again I headed back to the apple store, they said they will replace the bottom case, the top case (again) and the logic board, no mention of the screen not latching!

Back to collect the machine from it's second repair in 1 and a half weeks, logic board not replaced but top and bottom case are replaced. Lid still not closing properly, I brought it to the attention of the genius who acknowledged the fault and who noticed that my screen was in fact bent, the bent screen was installed in the first repair. Everyday whereby my computer sits in repairs means thousands of £££ in potential income lost. I agreed to take it home so I can get some work done and bring it back at a time best suited to me.

Later that night, I sat down with my bent screen laptop to do some work and had the lights dimmed, all of a sudden my screen starts flashing and so does the backlit keyboard, I also noticed the backlight leaking through the speaker grills, yet another problem.:eek:

I was also experiencing heat issues which was one of the reasons it needed a logic board repair, so to make sure the problem was sorted out, I left it on overnight (clamshell mode) and through to the next afternoon, upon my return at 12:30pm, I opened up the laptop and my keyboard had melted, not entirely, but towards the left side it was warped and keys were falling off.

The very next day (yesterday) I took it in for yet, ANOTHER repair, making it the 3rd in 2 weeks. The very sympathetic genius noted down all my problems, I showed him a video of the sporadic keyboard backlight and LCD as well as the melted/warped keyboard. He is as confused as I am looking at those melted keys, and the source is now yet to be confirmed. The laptop runs cool most of the time but suddenly just shoots up and gets extremely heated up, I took a screen shot of istat but he said everything looks normal (everything at 50+ degrees?) except the airport card which was at 90 degrees. The unit had probably cooled down quite a bit by the time I got home and took the screen shot.

I called customer relations at applecare and am expecting a call today in regards to the next step in this quandary. I find it hard to believe the fact that apple doesn't seem to recognize how important having a working computer is, and by sending my laptop in for 2 issues which initially meant 5-7 days without a computer, has led to 5+ issues and 17 days (so far). :mad::mad:

Any thoughts?

NB: I am not, by any means, criticising apple's service, that being the sales assistants, geniuses, repair agents, customer service agents and customer relation agents. I am however, criticising Apples despicable quality control.
 
@mmoosa
Sorry to hear about your predicament. But often the case is when your computer has gone for repair that many times, if you call AppleCare and request to speak with the higher-ups, they'll authorize to replace your whole computer. And frankly, that's what they should do anyway seeing how your laptop would cost more to repair than to just give you a new one.

Explain to the superiors that you initially requested a mouse and display issue that escalated to a poor repair job that required nearly every component to be fixed or replaced. Also explain to them the hazardous possibility that if the laptop was hot enough to literally melt plastic, should you have used it on your lap, it could have caused anything from blisters to first degree burns.

Remember to be patient, and speak with courtesy. Don't ramble, but convey your argument so they know exactly how urgent and serious you are.

Good luck.
 
HAHA, you'd never believe what they just told me in regards to my concern if it had been on my lap, apparently laptops are not meant for use on your lap or in bed, they're meant to be on a desk :confused: sure!
Other than that, still no progress, even though I have been as patient and courteous as humanly possible. I had a problem with my VAIO laptop last month, they called me non stop until I sent it in (via pre paid shipment) after which I received updates on the repair, 2 days later I received it in tip-top condition with absolutely no problems, and a call from CS to find out if everything was in order. A world of a difference in comparison to apple!
 
mmoosa said:
HAHA, you'd never believe what they just told me in regards to my concern regarding if it had been on my lap, apparently laptops are not meant for use on your lap or in bed, they're meant to be on a desk :confused: sure!
Click to expand...
Not meant to be on a lap? That's a load of bullocks. They sell magsafe power connectors designed for air travel use, so they expect you to use their notebooks on a plane...JUST not on your lap. I guess if the notebook does burn your lap on a plane, you should complain to the airline for not including desks with every seat.
 
Illicit said:
Not meant to be on a lap? That's a load of bullocks. They sell magsafe power connectors designed for air travel use, so they expect you to use their notebooks on a plane...JUST not on your lap. I guess if the notebook does burn your lap on a plane, you should complain to the airline for not including desks with every seat.
Click to expand...

So true! I'm expecting a call tomorrow from the person I was dealing with as she was out today, without even informing me of her day off :mad: If my niceness is being abused then I will be forced to get consumer direct involved, too much stress and work to be going round and round in circles. I have a presentation to give tonight which requires software on my mac for rendering etc in real time, but I'm without a laptop and apple is to blame. I'll have to borrow a friends. Their negligence is MY loss and inconvenience.

/rant
 
Just an update: The most important thing for me was having a working computer, and as they realised that my current unit wont deliver on that requirement, they are replacing it. So, perfectly titled thread! I spoke to my reps supervisor to let them know how polite and helpful they were. Doesn't hurt to say thanks. After all, they deserve it.
 
mmoosa said:
Just an update: The most important thing for me was having a working computer, and as they realised that my current unit wont deliver on that requirement, they are replacing it. So, perfectly titled thread! I spoke to my reps supervisor to let them know how polite and helpful they were. Doesn't hurt to say thanks. After all, they deserve it.
Click to expand...

Congratulations! A little patience and courtesy went a long way for you.
Good luck with your new replacement.
 
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