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Is this true, cause i dont believe it...

S

Sideonecincy

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Sep 29, 2003
421
0
Alright, I was talking to some people and they told me "If you buy a Apple laptop and Applecare, during the Applecare, if you send your laptop in 3 times claiming that there is something wrong with it, whether it be hotspots on the screen, power adapter plug screwed up...etc (mainly claiming anything is wrong with it). On the 3rd time, they will tell you that your computer is now considered to be a lemon and they will replace it with a new model. One of the kids who told me this, told me that his room mate did it...

If I had a 1.25 and three things went wrong, at the 3rd time they would give me a new powerbook (which would be a 1.5 now)...

I asked my friend who worked at the apple store and he never heard anything of it, but apparently it is a well known fact at DAAP (DAAP is the art section of University of Cincinnati)...

So who has had work done by apple, to the point where you had to send it in? and has anyone had to send their in 3 times? or has anyone heard of this? I find it hard to believe...but both of them are claiming minor things so they can get their laptops replaced...
 
I'm not 100% sure but I do recall hearing something about this before. Not sure if this only applies to a new laptop or during the whole course of AppleCare....
 
That is not the case. There are instances where people need four or five meddlings with AppleCare before (and after considerable persistence) they will send a new product. Those cases are usually for major issues that don't seem to be resolved (i.e. logic board failures, LCD issues, motherboard replacements).

It's not worth trying and then being left with a lot of time without a laptop. And also no one likes ignorant people.
 
I believe that it's the 4th time you send it in for the same issue. So if a logic board continually failed, they'd class it as a lemon and give you a new one. But if you sent it in for one logic board, one white spot screen, one dodgy Superdrive, you wouldn't get it.

Bear in mind, that if you send it in and there's nothing wrong with it (regardless of what you claim), it's unlikely they're going to hand you a new PB.
 
No, This is not true, there has to be something wrong with it several times and it depends on what is wrong with it each time.
 
I was speaking to a Genius Bar technician about this once, and he said that it usually takes about 5-6 times, but eventually it *will* happen. Just don't count on it.
 
Look, there aren't any "rules" about this. The Genius team and the service centers have guidelines on when it's appropriate to replace a computer that has been serviced multiple times. But in the end it's a judgement call that AppleCare makes on a case-by-case basis. Generally, if your computer is a lemon, Apple will likely take care of you.

Imagine your PowerBook has had a battery replacement, new feet glued on and a replaced Superdrive. Two out of three of those repairs were for wear-and-tear items that would have broken on any other PowerBook, so it makes no sense to deem that computer as a lemon and replace it.

I think it's a shame that folks would try to work the system (as it were) to get computers they didn't really deserve. Makes me wonder if when there's a person that really does have a lemon, will they'll be unnecessarily scrutinized because of scammers like your friends?

If I were you, I'd focus more on AppleCare as a very smart call. Especially when buying a laptop, as one out-of-warranty repair can easily eclipse the cost of AppleCare. But looking for ways to exploit the system system only makes things worse for the rest of the Apple community.
 
It has to be for the same problem 3 times, and it has to be within a certain time period.
I'm not from the US, but its probably different in the US, and even within the US, its probably different in many states.
 
A lemon is a computer, or anything else, that has one or more parts continuously fail on it, even after several (attempted) repairs.
Case in point, one of my parents' VW Rabbits (pre-Counterfit ;)). The dealership installed the A/C system on it, but messed up on something, leading to the compressor needing replacement several times.

With Apple, it depends on how you play it out. A friend of mine managed to get his 400MHz TiBook replaced rather than send it in a second time for a screen replacement. Of course, by this time, the 667MHz gigabit model was his replacement :p
 
I had a 12 inch 1GHz Powerbook that a bad hinge. After the third attempt to fix it Apple replaced it with a 1.5 12 incher. I was lucky.
 
I had a friend that sent his iBook in 9 times in 2 years. They gave him a G4 from a G3 upgrade after the 3rd time, and a 12" Powerbook after the 8th time (this included an email to sjobs@apple.com, which got him a call from a CSR)
 
No, it is a corporate guideline for Apple that if your computer has been in repair 3 times for the same problem and it is still not fixed you are entitled to a new machine of choice. IBM has the exact same corporate guideline, I know, I got them to give me 2 brand new T42p Thinkpads for the 2 T23s I had sent in. Now if its in there for the 3rd repair you can get a new computer BUT they won't offer this to you, you have to push for it.

Be polite, keep asking for the next person up the chain and explain the situation.

It all stems from the Consumer Protection laws governing purchases whether they be cars or computers. It is for high priced items. An expensive TV would fall under this act.

So keep pushing for a new machine. It worked for me and IBM, will work for you and apple, besides I have heard numerous people say that apple gave them a new machine or that they were eligible.

Good luck.
 
wow, i can't believe that if they replace a product that they will actually replace it with a superior one....that really doesn't make any ssense from a business standpoint other than for customer satisfaction
 
biohazard_6969 said:
wow, i can't believe that if they replace a product that they will actually replace it with a superior one....that really doesn't make any ssense from a business standpoint other than for customer satisfaction
Click to expand...
Actually, it does make a lot of sense, especially if you're dealing with a situation like the one with the chronic logic board failures in the iBooks G3's. After a while, it's more cost-effective to replace th machine with a new one, rather than keep fixing problems on the old one and footing the bill for each repair. They would rather give the customer a new product that, hopefully, has gotten rid of the bugs of the previous revision.
 
it is true if it is the exact same problem each time, not seperate problems, for example i am told that i can bring my g5 in for a replacement( i will be doing it soon) it has had its processor/board replaced 3 times so far and still is like a windtunnel so apple is going to replace it, but it does not apply to three seperate problems...sorry



Sideonecincy said:
Alright, I was talking to some people and they told me "If you buy a Apple laptop and Applecare, during the Applecare, if you send your laptop in 3 times claiming that there is something wrong with it, whether it be hotspots on the screen, power adapter plug screwed up...etc (mainly claiming anything is wrong with it). On the 3rd time, they will tell you that your computer is now considered to be a lemon and they will replace it with a new model. One of the kids who told me this, told me that his room mate did it...

If I had a 1.25 and three things went wrong, at the 3rd time they would give me a new powerbook (which would be a 1.5 now)...

I asked my friend who worked at the apple store and he never heard anything of it, but apparently it is a well known fact at DAAP (DAAP is the art section of University of Cincinnati)...

So who has had work done by apple, to the point where you had to send it in? and has anyone had to send their in 3 times? or has anyone heard of this? I find it hard to believe...but both of them are claiming minor things so they can get their laptops replaced...
Click to expand...
 
so if my logic board were to break for the fourth time on my 700mhz G3 they would replace it with a 1.25ghz ibook? wow, I dunno If I really deserve that though :-/ kinda scammy imo.
 
jadam said:
so if my logic board were to break for the fourth time on my 700mhz G3 they would replace it with a 1.25ghz ibook? wow, I dunno If I really deserve that though :-/ kinda scammy imo.
Click to expand...
That's about the average for replacements. I've heard stories of more repairs prior to replacement, and I've heard stories of fewer repairs prior to replacement. I just depends on your situation, but generally four is the average.
 
id say no. i had my iBook in 3 times for the logic board problem and got nothing out of it, except for infinatly more logic boards! fortunatly nothing has happened to my PB! my gf's brother also had the logic board problems and before the settlement sent it in 5 times and never got a new one. he had so many replacements that the mac address stickers under the keyboard (that identified the mac address of the logic board) cause a lumb to form under his keyboard and it was noticable when he typed! he has been insisting on waiting for the PB G5. . . but i havent talked to him since the intel anouncement, maybe now he has decided to trade in his old iBook!!!
 
Sideonecincy said:
Alright, I was talking to some people and they told me "If you buy a Apple laptop and Applecare, during the Applecare, if you send your laptop in 3 times claiming that there is something wrong with it, whether it be hotspots on the screen, power adapter plug screwed up...etc (mainly claiming anything is wrong with it). On the 3rd time, they will tell you that your computer is now considered to be a lemon and they will replace it with a new model. One of the kids who told me this, told me that his room mate did it...

If I had a 1.25 and three things went wrong, at the 3rd time they would give me a new powerbook (which would be a 1.5 now)...

I asked my friend who worked at the apple store and he never heard anything of it, but apparently it is a well known fact at DAAP (DAAP is the art section of University of Cincinnati)...

So who has had work done by apple, to the point where you had to send it in? and has anyone had to send their in 3 times? or has anyone heard of this? I find it hard to believe...but both of them are claiming minor things so they can get their laptops replaced...
Click to expand...

i am not sure the amount of time, but i have been around computer repair long enough to know that if it cost more to fix it then to get them a new one; you get them a new one. cost includes repair tech, phone support, parts etc.
 
only if you had applecare,

jadam said:
so if my logic board were to break for the fourth time on my 700mhz G3 they would replace it with a 1.25ghz ibook? wow, I dunno If I really deserve that though :-/ kinda scammy imo.
Click to expand...
 
Well my dual 1.8 powermac g5 has had it's motherboard replaced under applecare three times already. If it happens again, I am gonnna request a new machine...hopefully a dual 2.0 or better.
 
MacTruck said:
No, it is a corporate guideline for Apple that if your computer has been in repair 3 times for the same problem and it is still not fixed you are entitled to a new machine of choice. IBM has the exact same corporate guideline, I know, I got them to give me 2 brand new T42p Thinkpads for the 2 T23s I had sent in. Now if its in there for the 3rd repair you can get a new computer BUT they won't offer this to you, you have to push for it.

Be polite, keep asking for the next person up the chain and explain the situation.

It all stems from the Consumer Protection laws governing purchases whether they be cars or computers. It is for high priced items. An expensive TV would fall under this act.

So keep pushing for a new machine. It worked for me and IBM, will work for you and apple, besides I have heard numerous people say that apple gave them a new machine or that they were eligible.

Good luck.
Click to expand...

Just to add to MacTruck's point about the origin and varying use of the consumer protections: Volkswagen has a similar lemon guideline (certain number of times into the shop for a problem) - Although my secretary at the time had to look it up and insist on it, document it, and get a little nasty about it, they replaced her Passat with a new model after a year of agony.
 
What you have proposed would be on a case by case basis. More likely to occur if it's the same issue occurring three times. It is Apple that will make the determination.
 
The actual exchange process is a little more involved than what is being presented here. Yes it must be the same problem and multipul times. Furthermore, there is a lengthy process apple goes through to verify that the computer is defective and its not just you blowing smoke up their behinds (they even try to scare you citing the $100 fee they charge if you send in a computer to applecare that does not have problems). Eventually however, you will get your computer about a week after the replacment order is issued, then you have to call applecare and transfer your applecare coverage from the old computer to the new one :)
 
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