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Apple Care staff promised to replace my MacBoook Pro but now they are saying they won't!

I

iwishiwasai

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 17, 2017
5
4
Japan
My 2012 retina MacBook pro had several issues and about 5 weeks ago, I took it to the Apple Store in Ginza, Tokyo. The system would shut down intermittently, the display showed image sticking, the trackpad wouldn't work sometimes, the battery needed replacing and sometimes the SD card reader also wouldn't read cards. They offered a flat-rate repair for all the issues for 70,000 JPY (almost $700) and I decided to take that option. At their repair center, they replaced the display, the top case (with new battery, trackpad & keyboard) and one of the I/O boards. After bringing it home I noticed the computer would still shut down for no reason. So, I took it back to the store again. They send it to repair center again and I call apple care to follow up. They AppleCare person speaks to them and tells me that they are waiting for a replacement part for the machine. Next day,the apple store staff calls and tells me that they did not find any issue and are returning the unit. When I asked them about the replacement part, he said he didn't know anything about that. Once I get it back (without being fixed) I face the same issue and call the AppleCare person (a Product Specialist) and he tells me to take the unit back to the store again. This time, they replaced the logic board and returned. After 1 hour of use, the system shows a scrambled screen and goes off! Then it restarts and in certain applications, the screen is flickering with large black boxes. The MacBook works fine for another hour or so and it will show the scrambled screen and restart. I call AppleCare once again and speak to a different Product Specialist and after hearing the whole case, she tells me that they will give a replacement MacBook Pro! She said I will have to give my credit card details so that they can hold on to the value of the new MacBook while they get the faulty unit back. When I call them back with credit card details, someone else answers the call and tells me that they can not give me a replacement! I was then passed on to customer services and a quite rude person tells me that it was a mistake at their end and they will no way give me a replacement MacBook. He said, they will fix the faulty unit once again if I wanted them to, but I should forget about the replacement. I tried to make him pass me on to a senior member of the team, but he was adamant that he had the full authority and he will not do anything. When I persuaded him for another 10 minutes, he says he will speak to someone in the management to see if anything can be done or not. He said he will follow up on this on Monday when he gets back to work. I was really relieved and extremely happy when I was told that they will give me a replacement unit but now am absolutely heartbroken. Can you suggest what can I do now or whom should I get in touch with?
 
Last edited:
Your model unfortunately has documented issues with graphics failure: https://www.apple.com/uk/support/macbookpro-videoissues/

See Japanese link here -- my Kanji's a bit rusty, though I'm sure it advises the same thing: https://www.apple.com/jp/support/macbookpro-videoissues/

The repair program covers it for 4 years from the date of purchase, so either it's just outside of that, or it may well have been within that timeframe so they should have repaired it free of charge anyway. When did you purchase your Mac please?

I would recommend speaking with Apple Support to see if they can escalate the case, or even consider emailing Tim Cook about the situation: tcook@apple.com. You seem like a very polite person and of course be sure to continue that tone; though ultimately you've paid a lot of money for a repair and it's still having an issue, likely because they're using refurb Logic Boards which will eventually exhibit the initial problem anyway.

I sincerely wish you the very best of luck with getting this resolved and please keep this thread updated with how it goes. :)
 
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keysofanxiety said:
Your model unfortunately has documented issues with graphics failure: https://www.apple.com/uk/support/macbookpro-videoissues/

See Japanese link here -- my Kanji's a bit rusty, though I'm sure it advises the same thing: https://www.apple.com/jp/support/macbookpro-videoissues/

The repair program covers it for 4 years from the date of purchase, so either it's just outside of that, or it may well have been within that timeframe so they should have repaired it free of charge anyway. When did you purchase your Mac please?

I would recommend speaking with Apple Support to see if they can escalate the case, or even consider emailing Tim Cook about the situation: tcook@apple.com. You seem like a very polite person and of course be sure to continue that tone; though ultimately you've paid a lot of money for a repair and it's still having an issue, likely because they're using refurb Logic Boards which will eventually exhibit the initial problem anyway.

I sincerely wish you the very best of luck with getting this resolved and please keep this thread updated with how it goes. :)
Click to expand...
Hi,
thanks a lot for your kind reply. I purchased my MacBook back in September 2012. The random restart issue started occurring since 2014 and I took it to an Apple Store suspecting it as one of the units with a faulty graphics card. The staff denied to fix it even though it fell within those affected serial numbers. I did not complain and accepted this as my fate. When the display started showing image sticking, the trackpad started clicking on its own and one day the battery started showing 'Replace now', I decided to check my repair options. At the store, when they explained the cost of replacing individual parts, their flat rate repair seemed to be the cheaper option. I was promised that 'every issue' will be fixed and in that phrase I trusted! Fast forward today, I receive the MacBook after 3rd repair and it comes with a replacement logic board and a new bunch of issues. I get in touch with the team again and an apparent nice person promises to give me a replacement as she believed it was enough of repairing and hassle for every party. I will call the Support team again tomorrow to see if they can do something. I can not believe that they will not stand for their words!
 
t
iwishiwasai said:
My 2012 retina MacBook pro had several issues and about 5 weeks ago, I took it to the Apple Store in Ginza, Tokyo. The system would shut down intermittently, the display showed image sticking, the trackpad wouldn't work sometimes, the battery needed replacing and sometimes the SD card reader also wouldn't read cards. They offered a flat-rate repair for all the issues for 70,000 JPY (almost $700) and I decided to take that option. At their repair center, they replaced the display, the top case (with new battery, trackpad & keyboard) and one of the I/O boards. After bringing it home I noticed the computer would still shut down for no reason. So, I took it back to the store again. They send it to repair center again and I call apple care to follow up. They AppleCare person speaks to them and tells me that they are waiting for a replacement part for the machine. Next day, View attachment 688963 View attachment 688963 View attachment 688963 the apple store staff calls and tells me that they did not find any issue and are returning the unit. When I asked them about the replacement part, he said he didn't know anything about that. Once I get it back (without being fixed) I face the same issue and call the AppleCare person (a Product Specialist) and he tells me to take the unit back to the store again. This time, they replaced the logic board and returned. After 1 hour of use, the system shows a scrambled screen and goes off! Then it restarts and in certain applications, the screen is flickering with large black boxes. The MacBook works fine for another hour or so and it will show the scrambled screen and restart. I call AppleCare once again and speak to a different Product Specialist and after hearing the whole case, she tells me that they will give a replacement MacBook Pro! She said I will have to give my credit card details so that they can hold on to the value of the new MacBook while they get the faulty unit back. When I call them back with credit card details, someone else answers the call and tells me that they can not give me a replacement! I was then passed on to customer services and a quite rude person tells me that it was a mistake at their end and they will no way give me a replacement MacBook. He said, they will fix the faulty unit once again if I wanted them to, but I should forget about the replacement. I tried to make him pass me on to a senior member of the team, but he was adamant that he had the full authority and he will not do anything. When I persuaded him for another 10 minutes, he says he will speak to someone in the management to see if anything can be done or not. He said he will follow up on this on Monday when he gets back to work. I was really relieved and extremely happy when I was told that they will give me a replacement unit but now am absolutely heartbroken. Can you suggest what can I do now or whom should I get in touch with?
Click to expand...
the person who offered a replacement should ahve given u some sort of contact info. if u keep calling and calling ur gonna gget a different person everytime. geezes stick to the one rep
 
keysofanxiety said:
Your model unfortunately has documented issues with graphics failure: https://www.apple.com/uk/support/macbookpro-videoissues/

See Japanese link here -- my Kanji's a bit rusty, though I'm sure it advises the same thing: https://www.apple.com/jp/support/macbookpro-videoissues/

The repair program covers it for 4 years from the date of purchase, so either it's just outside of that, or it may well have been within that timeframe so they should have repaired it free of charge anyway. When did you purchase your Mac please?

I would recommend speaking with Apple Support to see if they can escalate the case, or even consider emailing Tim Cook about the situation: tcook@apple.com. You seem like a very polite person and of course be sure to continue that tone; though ultimately you've paid a lot of money for a repair and it's still having an issue, likely because they're using refurb Logic Boards which will eventually exhibit the initial problem anyway.

I sincerely wish you the very best of luck with getting this resolved and please keep this thread updated with how it goes. :)
Click to expand...

keysofanxiety said:
Your model unfortunately has documented issues with graphics failure: https://www.apple.com/uk/support/macbookpro-videoissues/

See Japanese link here -- my Kanji's a bit rusty, though I'm sure it advises the same thing: https://www.apple.com/jp/support/macbookpro-videoissues/

The repair program covers it for 4 years from the date of purchase, so either it's just outside of that, or it may well have been within that timeframe so they should have repaired it free of charge anyway. When did you purchase your Mac please?

I would recommend speaking with Apple Support to see if they can escalate the case, or even consider emailing Tim Cook about the situation: tcook@apple.com. You seem like a very polite person and of course be sure to continue that tone; though ultimately you've paid a lot of money for a repair and it's still having an issue, likely because they're using refurb Logic Boards which will eventually exhibit the initial problem anyway.

I sincerely wish you the very best of luck with getting this resolved and please keep this thread updated with how it goes. :)
Click to expand...

Thank you so much for your support. I spoke with their Customer Relations and along with an apology, they offered to fix the MacBook once again! So, I had to wait for 3 days for my appointment and then dropped off the machine at the Apple Store in Ginza, Tokyo last night. The staff determined that this time, they are going to replace 5 parts and do the repair in-house. They are replacing the Logic Board, Display, Top-case Assembly and both cooling fans. I am hoping this time the machine will be fixed good and I will not need to seek any more repairs soon!
 
Update:
Apple has replaced my MacBook Pro!

Long story in short:
  • Out of warranty mid-2012 Retina MacBook Pro was repaired for flat-rate fee
  • Display, Top case assembly & I/O board replaced
  • Problem persisted, sent for repair (no charge)
  • Did not find problem, sent back
  • Problem persisted, sent for repair
  • Replaced Logic Board (no charge)
  • Showed scrambled screen, fan made clucking noise
  • Was offered a replacement machine
  • Was denied a replacement machine
  • Contacted Tim Cook, Executive Liaison called offering apology for giving false hope
  • Sent for repair
  • Replaced Logic Board, Display, Top case & both Fans (no charge)
  • Keyboard backlight was not working
  • Tried to fix for over an hour
  • Replaced with 2016 MacBook Pro!


I had a 2012 rMBP. The display and battery needed replacing. The trackpad and SD card reader had several issues, plus the system would randomly shut down and restart. I took it for a repair on 20th January 2017. I decided to use their flat-rate fee service and paid 70,000 JPY (around $700) to get it fixed. They replaced the display, top case and an I/O board. But, after the repair, the computer was still shutting down randomly. I spoke to AppleCare and they advised me to bring it back. I took it back to the store and they sent it for another repair. 2 days later I was told (by AppleCare staff) that they are waiting for a replacement part. Next day, I was told (by the staff from the store) that they did not find any issue and are sending it back to me. When I asked about the replacement part, they said it was a mistake to pass a wrong information to me! Once it was returned, I faced the same shut down issue and called AppleCare again. The product specialist told me to take it back (again!) and they sent if for another repair! This time they replaced the Logic Board (quoting ‘Video issues’) and returned the machine. I had a feeling that it was the Logic Board which was causing the issue (my machine was within the serial number of the failing GPU list, but they did not find an issue when I took it to them 2 years ago!) and was relieved that it was finally replaced! The computer worked fine for about 1 hour and then shut down showing a scrambled screen and making a noise from the speaker. I also noticed that one of the fans was making a constant clucking noise. This happened 3/4 time within next 3 hours and I got panicked! I called the same AppleCare staff (by then we were almost friends!) but could not get hold of him. I left a voice message and then got hold of another product specialist. This lady heard everything and offered to replace the computer with a brand new one. Great! I was very happy. I was told to wait for a callback, till she finished the paperwork. During that wait, the first AppleCare staff (whom I was speaking over past 3 weeks!) calls me back (following up on my voice mail) and tells me they can not give me a replacement machine! He then passes me on to customer relations where the representative says, there has been a mistake and we can not give you a replacement. We can again fix your computer if you wish. So, I booked another appointment (which was 3 days wait) and decided to send an email to Mr. Tim Cook expressing my frustration. 2 days later, I got a call from Executive Liaison! This person offered an apology for giving me false hope and said a repair was the only solution they can provide. I took the computer to the store (again!) and was greeted by the store manager (he was informed about the case by Executive Liaison) and he promised to fix this once in for all. They decided to replace every part they previously replaced and the cooling fans on top. They also decided to do this repair in store and not send the machine to the repair center. 4 days later I went to pick the machine up and was very happy (again!) to finally have it sorted. Once I got back to work, I noticed the keyboard backlight was not working! I checked all of the settings but no joy! I went to the store again, found the Manager (we both were quite embarrassed by then!) and he suspected it was a ribbon which was not connected. He thought it would be a 5 minute job and got his best men involved. Let alone 5, they could not figure it out in next 45 minutes. By then, the store Manager had to leave for a meeting. He left me in the hands of their 2nd Manager. They took another 30 odd minutes at the back and came back to me saying it needs another repair! The Manager then says, No, we will not repair it anymore. We will give you a replacement. Within the next 15 minutes they gave me a 2016 MacBook Pro and apologized for all the trouble I had faced over last 5 weeks. I thanked them for their patience and dedication.

I am happy that I now have a computer that works as it should. After all of what I had to go through, I just don't feel overwhelmed on the fact that they gave me a new machine. I was stressed like never before, my blood pressure rocketed high up and my health worsened.

But am glad that Apple does look after the customer; no matter what!
 
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My thing is if they really did promise you a new machine, then they should've honored that right away. Anyway, I'm glad they gave you a new machine. Congrats!
 
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