Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Apple service

J

jayzee

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 16, 2009
12
0
I took my macbookpro to the Apple store last weekend. The graphics card was shot, they sent it in to be fixed. A few days later I got it back. Apple service downgraded my processor and video ram. I had a 2.16ghz with a 256mb ati x1600 card. Now, I have a 2.0 ghz with 128mb of ram. I called them and they said the serial number came up showing it was the entry level 2.0 ghz model. I know what I had in my laptop, Apple service basically called me a liar. I bought the laptop last summer from Ebay. I thought I could get a hold of the guy who sold it to me to contact Apple to verify the specs. He is no longer a registered user and the paypal email isn't working. Does anyone have any ideas on how I would be able to prove my previous specs?

Thanks
 
jayzee said:
I took my macbookpro to the Apple store last weekend. The graphics card was shot, they sent it in to be fixed. A few days later I got it back. Apple service downgraded my processor and video ram. I had a 2.16ghz with a 256mb ati x1600 card. Now, I have a 2.0 ghz with 128mb of ram. I called them and they said the serial number came up showing it was the entry level 2.0 ghz model. I know what I had in my laptop, Apple service basically called me a liar. I bought the laptop last summer from Ebay. I thought I could get a hold of the guy who sold it to me to contact Apple to verify the specs. He is no longer a registered user and the paypal email isn't working. Does anyone have any ideas on how I would be able to prove my previous specs?

Thanks
Click to expand...

Do you have anything else to support your claim? I mean, any printed stuff, screenshots, anything that shows otherwise.
 
If you have the original box that comes with Apple equipment, the specs should be listed on it.
 
Under the battery cover, your processor speed is printed in the lower casing of your laptop. I attached a picture to visualize (Sorry, blurry iPhone pic). If it says 2.16, then Apple f'ed up and you can go b***h at them. If it says 2.0, then not much you can do.
 

Attachments

  • photo.jpg
    photo.jpg
    93 KB · Views: 93
I checked the label by the battery it says 2.0 ghz 128mb vram and it says 80gig hard drive and 512mb of ram. WHen I got it it had a 2.16ghz, 1 gig of ram, 256mb vram and 100gig drive. There is only a few things this could be, either Apple messed up and gave it more than it was supposed to at the factory or the label and serial they put on it had the wrong specs. Or the previous owner upgraded it somewhere other than an Apple service center. I can't get a hold of him. Strange who would would waste the time and money to upgrade a 80 gig hard drive to 100gig and 2.0 processor to a 2.16? Doesn't seem worth it, so my money is on one of the previous two scenarios.
 
jayzee said:
I checked the label by the battery it says 2.0 ghz 128mb vram and it says 80gig hard drive and 512mb of ram. WHen I got it it had a 2.16ghz, 1 gig of ram, 256mb vram and 100gig drive. There is only a few things this could be, either Apple messed up and gave it more than it was supposed to at the factory or the label and serial they put on it had the wrong specs. Or the previous owner upgraded it somewhere other than an Apple service center. I can't get a hold of him. Strange who would would waste the time and money to upgrade a 80 gig hard drive to 100gig and 2.0 processor to a 2.16? Doesn't seem worth it, so my money is on one of the previous two scenarios.
Click to expand...

If it says it on the box - it's the computer in the box.

Sorry - you won't be getting a new MacBook with what you had in it before.
 
You said you got it off ebay, Is it at all possible that the seller upgraded the machine before selling it, and the Mac was originally a 2.0 GHz? :confused:
 
Mr

You said you got it off ebay, Is it at all possible that the seller upgraded the machine before selling it, and the Mac was originally a 2.0 GHz?
Click to expand...

This is probably true, but if he did it at an apple center Apple claims they would have a record of the upgrade and replace it with the equivalent specs.
 
jayzee said:
This is probably true, but if he did it at an apple center Apple claims they would have a record of the upgrade and replace it with the equivalent specs.
Click to expand...

Well then he obviously didn't do it at an Apple Center. ;)
 
Well then he obviously didn't do it at an Apple Center.
Click to expand...

I figured as much, but what is puzzling is why someone would spend $600 on that minimal of an upgrade? Why didn't he just by the next model up?
 
I got a hold of the guy I bought it off ebay from. He was selling it for a friend. The friend who owned the computer now lives in Brazil. He thinks the guy had it upgraded at a local place (non apple service center). He is doing me a favor and is going to see if they have a record of that upgrade there and will try to get a copy of the receipt. My question is if I had a receipt showing the upgrades will Apple honor it and take it back and fix it for free?
 
jayzee said:
I got a hold of the guy I bought it off ebay from. He was selling it for a friend. The friend who owned the computer now lives in Brazil. He thinks the guy had it upgraded at a local place (non apple service center). He is doing me a favor and is going to see if they have a record of that upgrade there and will try to get a copy of the receipt. My question is if I had a receipt showing the upgrades will Apple honor it and take it back and fix it for free?
Click to expand...

I think they would. It doesn't matter what the original state of the computer was, Apple REPLACES computers. They don't downgrade them. At least I hope they don't.
 
I hope they honor it

jayzee said:
I got a hold of the guy I bought it off ebay from. He was selling it for a friend. The friend who owned the computer now lives in Brazil. He thinks the guy had it upgraded at a local place (non apple service center). He is doing me a favor and is going to see if they have a record of that upgrade there and will try to get a copy of the receipt. My question is if I had a receipt showing the upgrades will Apple honor it and take it back and fix it for free?
Click to expand...

they may put it as a blame why your video card has fried. First of all he upgrade it to non apple service or no way affiliated with apple. They can use that an excuse, you are lucky apple even fix your computer, if they fix it they make sure put it back to right specs what the serial no# stated. CPU and Video card are consider non user upgradable. And that is against Apple TOS, even thou someone upgrade it if its not apple they wont honor it.
 
I just thought of the most logical reason the computer serial had the wrong specs. He swapped housings, maybe to sell it for more because it is in mint condition.
 
jayzee said:
I just thought of the most logical reason the computer serial had the wrong specs. He swapped housings, maybe to sell it for more because it is in mint condition.
Click to expand...

The damage would have had to have been catastrophic. The going rate for the entire housings would have been about 700+ in parts and labor.
 
jayzee said:
I just thought of the most logical reason the computer serial had the wrong specs. He swapped housings, maybe to sell it for more because it is in mint condition.
Click to expand...

The serial number is encoded on the logic board, so Apple should be able to tell if the board was a replacement part rather than the case.
 
if the guy you bought it from (or his friend) really had upgraded the cpu and video card in a non authorized service center... then you dodged the bullet there. Apple has all the right to refuse a no cost repair if it has been opened by someone other than an ACT.

do you have the old serial number? not the one you see in about this mac right now.. i might be able to see if you had the base model mbp or the higher spec one.
 
The serial number is encoded on the logic board, so Apple should be able to tell if the board was a replacement part rather than the case.
Click to expand...

Don't know if they even checked the serial on the logic board. They claimed the guy at the store wrote down the serial and that put in the work order. If they would of checked why couldn't they tell when they removed the old board it wasn't the same specs?
 
this sounds really dodgy to me.
If i was you i'd thank my lucky stars that apple even fixed it to begin with.

20GB of space a .16mhz of a processor really wont make any difference anyway.
 
The going rate for the entire housings would have been about 700+ in parts and labor.
Click to expand...

Not for someone who knew how to change a casing and was friends withsome at the local non-apple mac store.
 
No, as soon as I bought the computer I checked the specs myself it was a 2.16ghz and 256mb vram it still has a 100gb hard drive but the serial says a 80gig. I know what I had as far as specs.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back