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Can I exchange my "new" uMBP for a newer MBP?

S

SebZen

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Apr 12, 2009
360
0
I got pretty screwed. I bought the newest (late '08?) 15" uMBP for $1999 on 4/23/09, only a month and a half ago. And now the new model was released with 3 extra hours of battery life and better specs.

I went to Best Buy today (where I bought it) and asked if I can exchange it. They said no because they can only exchange it within the first 14 days. I went to another Best Buy and the manager said she could but I would need to pay 15% restocking fee which comes out to $300 which is crazy.

It's only been a month and a half for crying out loud. I don't even care it's cheaper/faster because I already upgraded to 4GB and a 7200RPM drive, I really just want the longer battery life at this point (3 extra hours... that's a lot) but from what I understand I'll now be stuck with older battery life

Can Apple replace this for me or anything I can do?
 
Nope sorry, You better take up the offer that best buy gave you, I'm surprised they even offered it.....
 
It's a 14 day return policy for Apple as well, but you would have had to have bought it directly from Apple for that to matter anyway. There's nothing you can do.

But in all reality, you still have a very nice machine. Don't overlook that.
 
NRose8989 said:
Nope sorry, You better take up the offer that best buy gave you, I'm surprised they even offered it.....
Click to expand...

The upgrade is not worth a $300 restocking fee. The OP's MBP is a fine machine.

I really don't understand why people are complaining about this. Stores have policies.
 
No, who cares its still a amazing machine. How could you expect any company to replace products for free everytime they upgrade their existing line up.

If your so worked up about it being "only a month and a half", sell it on eBay and buy a new one then. But seriously, your question is a bit stupid.
 
SebZen said:
I got pretty screwed. I bought the newest (late '08?) 15" uMBP for $1999 on 4/23/09, only a month and a half ago. And now the new model was released with 3 extra hours of battery life and better specs.

I went to Best Buy today (where I bought it) and asked if I can exchange it. They said no because they can only exchange it within the first 14 days. I went to another Best Buy and the manager said she could but I would need to pay 15% restocking fee which comes out to $300 which is crazy.

It's only been a month and a half for crying out loud. I don't even care it's cheaper/faster because I already upgraded to 4GB and a 7200RPM drive, I really just want the longer battery life at this point (3 extra hours... that's a lot) but from what I understand I'll now be stuck with older battery life

Can Apple replace this for me or anything I can do?
Click to expand...

Try calling 1 800 APL CARE and saying something is wrong with the computer. You'll send it in and if they can't fix the nonexistent problem they'll ship you out a new computer model.
 
Dang :( I know, the manager was doing me a big favor but as I said $300 for 3 hours of extra battery life is much too much (especially considering I spent $150 on the hard drive and RAM as well).

Perhaps Apple will release the better battery in a removable form sometime but I doubt it because what made it possible was the fact that they used the removable space for extra batteries.

It is a great machine don't get me wrong but... 3 hours :(
 
spaceboots06 said:
Try calling 1 800 APL CARE and saying something is wrong with the computer. You'll send it in and if they can't fix the nonexistent problem they'll ship you out a new computer model.
Click to expand...

:confused: they'll just ship the computer back because there would be nothing wrong with it.
 
SebZen said:
:confused: they'll just ship the computer back because there would be nothing wrong with it.
Click to expand...

Yeah, and the fact that it's dishonest and fraudulent.

Just keep you MBP, spend the money on an extra battery for travel. It will take a while for your battery to degrade anyway.
 
SebZen said:
:confused: they'll just ship the computer back because there would be nothing wrong with it.
Click to expand...

Possibly, but I can vouch that they send new iPhones to you even if there is no problem. My friend shipped his edge phone in with absolutely no problem. And they gave him a 3g one. He told me something about Apple's secret 3 problem rule, where if you have the same problem 3 times in a row they upgrade you for no cost.

For the record, he told them that every so often the phone turned itself off even when there was battery power and that it was inconvenient.
 
Unprocessed1 said:
Yeah, and the fact that it's dishonest and fraudulent.

Just keep you MBP, spend the money on an extra battery for travel. It will take a while for your battery to degrade anyway.
Click to expand...

Well I only use this laptop at home and sometimes I take it to work anyway, I have no use for an extra battery.

How many cycles does this battery usually last for? I have 72 already
 
Unprocessed1 said:
Yeah, and the fact that it's dishonest and fraudulent.

Just keep you MBP, spend the money on an extra battery for travel. It will take a while for your battery to degrade anyway.
Click to expand...

He asked if there was anything he could do. He sounds a little desperate too considering that his specs seem nice yet wants a new computer. When people are desperate they use unethical methods of achieving what they want.

Just putting that out there.

Edit: Say your hard drive or something makes funny noises and vibrates a lot when you're transferring files for a long time or something. Something that's hard to replicate.
 
spaceboots06 said:
Possibly, but I can vouch that they send new iPhones to you even if there is no problem. My friend shipped his edge phone in with absolutely no problem. And they gave him a 3g one. He told me something about Apple's secret 3 problem rule, where if you have the same problem 3 times in a row they upgrade you for no cost.

For the record, he told them that every so often the phone turned itself off even when there was battery power and that it was inconvenient.
Click to expand...

Interesting. Wonder if this is true. But even if it is it would take a long time to process it 3 times. It's like a week for them to recieve it (if not 2) then another week or two to get it back so it will take 2-3 months to get it replaced this way.
 
Yep... there will always be leeches in society mucking things up in the world at large. Sad individuals.....

Unprocessed1 said:
Yeah, and the fact that it's dishonest and fraudulent.

Just keep you MBP, spend the money on an extra battery for travel. It will take a while for your battery to degrade anyway.
Click to expand...
 
spaceboots06 said:
He asked if there was anything he could do. He sounds a little desperate too considering that his specs seem nice yet wants a new computer. When people are desperate they use unethical methods of achieving what they want.

Just putting that out there.

Edit: Say your hard drive or something makes funny noises and vibrates a lot when you're transferring files for a long time or something. Something that's hard to replicate.
Click to expand...


Do you just not get it? It's lying, and fraudulent. He didn't ask for less than ethical methods of obtaining a new MBP...
 
If it means that much to you, pay the $300. You will sleep better at night.
 
spaceboots06 said:
Him being a consumer grants him the right to be as picky as he wants. Don't forget, I'm not making decisions for him. He makes his own decisions!
Click to expand...

That's not being picky, that's just plain old lying. He bought the laptop 2 months ago, companies wouldn't update their products if they granted returns months after the return period was over.
 
Consider what you have now.

SebZen said:
Dang :( I know, the manager was doing me a big favor but as I said $300 for 3 hours of extra battery life is much too much (especially considering I spent $150 on the hard drive and RAM as well).

Perhaps Apple will release the better battery in a removable form sometime but I doubt it because what made it possible was the fact that they used the removable space for extra batteries.

It is a great machine don't get me wrong but... 3 hours :(
Click to expand...

I see your main concern is the extra battery life. Well, according to this review: http://gizmodo.com/5287179/macbook-pro-2009-review yes, you do get more battery life, but with a workload of watching video files, you just get roughly 1 hour more for with new 15" Pro. (Admittedly with a lighter workload the delta would be longer but I doubt 3 hours!)

I've tested it myself by looping the 1080p Star Trek trailer and I got a result very similar to theirs; 2 hrs 50 mins for my late '08 MBP. So the reviewers got 3 hrs 46 mins; 1 hr more. Get yourself a cheap 2nd battery from eBay for US$85 and boom, 5 hrs 40 mins of playback time and you beat the new MBPs by a mile. And if you have a lighter workload, a 2nd battery would give you much more than 2 extra hours on your current MBP compared to the new ones. If you make use of this feature, you'll have no battery envy. But if you're not interested in carrying a 2nd battery, I understand your wishing to upgrade.

For what it's worth, you currently get full 3 gigabit SATA II speeds compared to the newer's capped 1.5 gigabit SATA speeds. AND when USB 3 comes out, you should be able to get an expresscard for your MBP while the new ones can't. And changing batteries on the late '08 MBPs is so much easier, quicker and cheaper! It seems you'll be racking up charge cycles on your MBP batteries.
 
...how many of these threads do we have to have posted... if you buy it, you had to walk into the store and purchase it/make the contract with the company... now if you lye to return it, that's fraud = enjoy your 2 month old UMB.

What's the cardinal rule? (never buy rev A products)...
 
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