Battery recall validator
The battery recall validator also rejected my battery, which is clearly in the range advertised on the web site. When I called the support lines yesterday, they didn't even try to take the call. Today I got through, and I got told by "Rachel" that there were a small number of batteries in the ranges that were manufactured by someone other than Sony. She couldn't tell me who, and when I asked for further information, she escalated the call.
The next guy, whose name I didn't catch, basically said the same thing. When I explained that I would like something from Apple indicating that the public listing on the recall didn't apply to me, he said that sometime in the future (unstated) this will get updated on the website. Since my primary reason for wanting it is to avoid potential airline troubles, that wasn't too great answer. His next suggestion, to print the validation failure, was funny, but not very practical. I fly about once a week, and I've already seen the dell guys being asked not to work on the plane. I don't want to be in that club, so I was pretty insistent that they write something down.
I asked them to send me something (even by fax) that simply said that my battery was not subject to recall, despite the fact it fell into the consumer product safety commission recalled range and Apple announced range (still up, with no amendment, by at
https://support.apple.com/ibook_powerbook/batteryexchange/index.html). He could not.
I next got sent to Kelly, in customer service, whose attitude was about the least customer-service related of any of them. She tried to read out the web site to me, and got very frustrated when I pointed out that it did not say what she wanted it to say. It does not say that there are batteries in the ranges that are fine. It says at least twice that if you have a battery in the range you should send for a replacement and not use it. I pointed out to her that the trouble ticket I'd opened covered the ground nicely, and that all I wanted was a statement of the result: "Apple's support staff has worked with this customer and has established that the battery Serial No. XXXX is not subject to the recall on Sony-produced batteries". Or whatever language they like.
She agreed that this was truth, but said she could not provide any documentation. She also declined to escalate further.
Given that the validator has said no to people who should have gotten yes, relying on it as the last word is a bad idea. Get a real person on the phone. But even then, be prepared for frustration if you would like
anything but an oral assurance that the battery you have is good.
