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4th MBP goes back...

S

seanofford

macrumors member
Original poster
Jun 14, 2007
51
0
I've just arranged a return for my 4th MBP, which I received today. The original one (pre SR) had a dodgy return key. Second one (SR LED) had constantly flickering screen (and misaligned return key). Third had severely yellow bottom left corner and wireless connection problems (and misaligned return key). The latest one I haven't even opened the lid on. It has a huge scuff mark on it that I cannot remove, and a lid that is raised off the keyboard 3mm more on the left than on the right. I'm slightly tempted to look at the screen on this latest one but I'm now so annoyed by these computers that I don't even want to get it out of the box again.

Apple's quality control is pathetic for these new MBPs. I have arranged for a refund. I've had several Apples before without problems and I expect I'll buy again if and when they sort out these issues, but if there was any way to get Apple's OS without Apple hardware I'd be doing that from now on.
Sean
 
Sounds like you should've kept the first one if all that was wrong was the return key! FWIW all three MBPs I bought had the misaligned return key too but I didn't even take any notice of that as they all had much more serious stuff wrong with them. Are you gonna buy a 5th or give up? I haven't bothered with a 4th one yet...
 
can you show pictures of the misaligned return key?

if thats what you returned it for, wow, a bit picky.
 
seanofford said:
I've just arranged a return for my 4th MBP, which I received today. The original one (pre SR) had a dodgy return key.
Click to expand...

If you returned it for a "dodgy" return key, you were asking for trouble...really.

seanofford said:
and a lid that is raised off the keyboard 3mm more on the left than on the right.
Click to expand...

Oh no, say it isn't so!!!!

seanofford said:
but if there was any way to get Apple's OS without Apple hardware I'd be doing that from now on.
Sean
Click to expand...

Good luck with that.

Seriously, no wonder people see us Mac users as snobs...this is a perfect example!
 
lol you asked for a full refund because of a "misaligned" return key. You could have just gotten the keyboard replaced.

And on your fourth one, they could have just replaced the outer casing.

I can see returning it if it has a defective screen, but asking for a full replacement for some tiny issue that could be fixed easily is pretty stupid.
 
Do people give desktops the same sort of treatment? I've not bought one in years.

I can understand wanting an investment to begin life as perfect as possible and touch wood my MBP appears fine. But it seems a world away from checking out desktop units.

Imagine taking a desktop back because the rear ports were misaligned or the internal cabling was not neat. They'd say it was substancially exactly what you had paid for.

I suspect seanofford should go into a store and pick one that has no problems rather than get infuriated by Apple's shipping timeframes.
 
dcv said:
Sounds like you should've kept the first one if all that was wrong was the return key! FWIW all three MBPs I bought had the misaligned return key too but I didn't even take any notice of that as they all had much more serious stuff wrong with them. Are you gonna buy a 5th or give up? I haven't bothered with a 4th one yet...
Click to expand...

Yes I do actually wish I'd kept the first one - although since the product was "upgraded" to SR chip then day after I received it I'd probably have returned it anyway to get the "upgrade"!

To the person above who said it is "stupid" to return a product which is faulty rather than repair it - I must just have higher standards than you - like expecting something I pay a thousand pounds for to not need immediate repair! ;)

Sean
 
zioxide said:
lol you asked for a full refund because of a "misaligned" return key. You could have just gotten the keyboard replaced.

And on your fourth one, they could have just replaced the outer casing.

I can see returning it if it has a defective screen, but asking for a full replacement for some tiny issue that could be fixed easily is pretty stupid.
Click to expand...

i don't agree with that. if i'm spending +$2000.00 on a computer, i should expect a computer that doesn't need something replaced as soon as i open the box, but hey, that's just me.
 
thefoo said:
I suspect seanofford should go into a store and pick one that has no problems rather than get infuriated by Apple's shipping timeframes.
Click to expand...

I live a long way from an Apple shop (3 hours) and also cannot get as good an education discount in a shop (I'm a teacher). Also, my spec was not standard.
 
TimJim said:
you should have kept the first one.
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Yep!

dcv said:
Are you gonna buy a 5th or give up? I haven't bothered with a 4th one yet...
Click to expand...
I'm giving up for now. I'll make do with my white iBook and see if these quality control issues/airport driver/yellow screen etc etc get sorted in the next few months. What are you going to do about yours?
 
I got a core duo MBP a few weeks after they were first released. Everything was working well the first few months except for the whine. However, over time, probably due to expansion of the battery (after which was replaced by the recall), the trackpad started to bulge and the whole laptop just started to bow. The MBP was sent in for repairs (casing, logic board and trackpad) 3 times but Apple was unable to resolve the issue. Not sure why since a new trackpad and casing were installed. They replaced my MBP with the new SR MBP which i sold after deciding to get a tablet pc instead.

I have to agree with you that Apple's build quality for their laptops have declined. The powerbooks didnt seem to exhibit those problems (at least the 12" and 15" ones that i had). I don't know if its a flaw in the engineering design or just a problem in their assembly line. But until it gets resolved, i am staying away from the MBPs for now.

Although, i must add that the MP and iMacs (i've owned the G5) have been built really well. Have had no problems with them so far. So kudos to Apple for that.

To the OP, i guess everyone judges things differently. A big flaw to you might seem like a small one to another person. If it makes you feel better to get a refund, go for it. I hope that Apple rectifies some of their production problems with their MBPs soon. Good luck.
 
joekix said:
i don't agree with that. if i'm spending +$2000.00 on a computer, i should expect a computer that doesn't need something replaced as soon as i open the box, but hey, that's just me.
Click to expand...

I second that...I'll be getting one beginning of August and if it has anything wrong, I'll definitely be asking for a replacement or get it fixed from Apple for free. Money does not grow on trees and when I make an expensive purchase, I want everything right. Take the car example everyone talks about, if you bought a car w/ a big scratch on it, or if the trunk didnt open or close correctly, or anything else that was wrong with it, would you keep it or send it back for a new one...I guess you might just get that one fixed...But, that's not the point, when I and most other people buy something "NEW", we don't want any immediate problems with it, and honestly we dont "want" any future problems either.

No one should have to settle. My two cents.
 
seanofford said:
Yes I do actually wish I'd kept the first one - although since the product was "upgraded" to SR chip then day after I received it I'd probably have returned it anyway to get the "upgrade"!
Click to expand...

Ahh, well that's fair enough then, it wasn't even the same model.

seanofford said:
To the person above who said it is "stupid" to return a product which is faulty rather than repair it - I must just have higher standards than you - like expecting something I pay a thousand pounds for to not need immediate repair! ;)
Click to expand...

Whilst the 'fault' is cosmetic and could be ignored I have to agree with this. Something that you've paid such an amount of money for shouldn't have these issues, no matter how trivial they may be. As I said I've noticed this on all 3 MBPs I had, but they were returned for faults relating to airport kernel panics/dodgy displays/faulty power management/other issues. I could've lived with *just* a dodgy return key but I can see how it could be annoying, as it was certainly more noticeable once the keyboard backlight kicked in.
 
seanofford said:
I live a long way from an Apple shop (3 hours) and also cannot get as good an education discount in a shop (I'm a teacher). Also, my spec was not standard.
Click to expand...

3 hours drive away and you call that far ?? you don't know what far is i tell you, i am probalby two planes away from the nearest Apple store :eek: so do yourself a favor and drive there and get yourself a prefect laptop, don't go back to the darkside.
 
Bummer but....

I have to agree with you that Apple's build quality for their laptops have declined.
Click to expand...

It is a heck of a lot better than the Dell's I get at work. The things most mac users will complain about fall within "working as intended" levels for most Laptop vendors. Then again the big chinese manufacturers DO NOT CARE about build quality and cannot afford to on their margins. They care about volume.

That said, the only issue my MBP had was the left side gap between the lid and case was larger than the right side by a few millimeters. A little gentle "pressure" and it went away.
 
deadpixels said:
... so do yourself a favor and drive there and get yourself a prefect laptop, don't go back to the darkside.
Click to expand...

So, is "the darkside" the newest slang for the Apple internet store?




I agree though, with the OP. If there is some big mark on a NEW laptop....something is wrong. That's like having to replace the carpet in a BRAND NEW car because it was stained by one of the factory guys. That should be fixed before it's set out for sale! Or, like having to have a pickup rewired in a new Les Paul because the wire wasn't connected at the factory. Or like paying someone to paint your house, them painting over all of your windows, then the judge not making them pay to fix it in court. Or, it's like paying $2000 for a new computer and having it arrive with a poorly installed keyboard, bad monitor hinges or a marked up case. Its one of thsoe things that just shouldn't happen!
 
katorga said:
It is a heck of a lot better than the Dell's I get at work. The things most mac users will complain about fall within "working as intended" levels for most Laptop vendors. Then again the big chinese manufacturers DO NOT CARE about build quality and cannot afford to on their margins. They care about volume.
Click to expand...

The Dell that i get from work is built pretty well. It doesn't have the aesthetics or the power of a MBP but i have to say that the build quality is good.

It's not up to the supplier/manufacturer to decide on what the quality of a product should be, regardless of nationality. Apple should be the one who imposes the QC regulations to ensure that their products are made to within the specifications of Apple. Afterall, it is the Apple brand name that is being sold, not the supplier/manufacturer's.
 
Oh and I think people forget that on UK keyboards (if I recall from other threads, the OP is British?) the return key is a funny upside-down L-shape that spans two rows, so it is quite noticeable when it's crooked.

Still a very minor "issue"... but still, it shouldn't be so.
 
dcv said:
Oh and I think people forget that on UK keyboards (if I recall from other threads, the OP is British?) the return key is a funny upside-down L-shape that spans two rows, so it is quite noticeable when it's crooked.

Still a very minor "issue"... but still, it shouldn't be so.
Click to expand...

For me it wasn't totally minor - it stuck on the keyboard surround so was depressed (like me!!) much of the time. I just wish I'd driven to a shop and had a "genius" (I hate that term) realign it - I bet it would have been a 5 min job. And I just don't care about SR or LED screen. (Cry) I just want a computer that works on wireless and has a screen doesn't look like I'm staring through a urine stain...
 
The left side of the lid on my MacBook Pro is raised up a bit when closed too. Doesn't affect performance one bit. And not if, but WHEN (it's pretty much inevitable that every portable goes in for service at least once) I'll just tell them about it then. It's an easy fix.

Sorry to hear about all your troubles though. Don't give up! There are good MacBook Pro's out there.
 
As the OP with the problems, out of interest (and since a similar question was deleted from the Apple Discussion forum - along with the entire thread about my problems - censorship eh?), can I ask my fellow Mac users - what make of pc notebook would you get if you were not going to get an Apple - and why?
 
seanofford said:
As the OP with the problems, out of interest (and since a similar question was deleted from the Apple Discussion forum - along with the entire thread about my problems - censorship eh?), can I ask my fellow Mac users - what make of pc notebook would you get if you were not going to get an Apple - and why?
Click to expand...

I'm curious about this as well since I'm on my third MBP, and the screen is no good. I'm asking for a refund because computer buying should take no more than two purchases, in my opinion.

You might be better off making a thread about this, as most people probably won't see the question.
 
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