mac pro "on site" service/warranty

[sbb155]

1. Is it true that for the mac pro, applecare is ON site warranty?
2. Has anyone used it this way?
3. Can someone elaborate on experiences with this?

 

[CaptainChunk]

To my knowledge, on-site Mac Pro service is largely dependent on area and the capabilities of your local AASP. The best thing to do is call AppleCare and ask.

I can't really elaborate any further than that, because my local AASP is only a couple miles away so carry-in is no problem for me.

 

[Tesselator]

For North America:

Onsite service is available for many desktop computers if the location of the Covered Equipment
is within 50 miles/80 kilometers radius of an Apple authorized onsite service provider located in the
United States or Canada. Apple will dispatch a service technician to the location of the Covered
Equipment. Service will be performed at the location, or the service technician will transport the
Covered Equipment to an Apple Authorized Service Provider or Apple repair service location for
repair. If the Covered Equipment is repaired at an Apple Authorized Service Provider or Apple repair
service location, Apple will arrange for transportation of the Covered Equipment to your location
following service. If the service technician is not granted access to the Covered Equipment at the
appointed time, any further onsite visits may be subject to an additional charge.

Notice it does NOT say "Apple Store" it says "Apple authorized onsite service provider". I dunno how many people this rules out but I've never heard of a case where On Site service was provided myself - I'm sure someone got it at least once, somewhere.

If you're not in N. America see here: http://www.apple.com/legal/applecare/appgeos.html.

I think this page is pretty funny: http://www.apple.com/support/products/payperincident.html

For $695 USD, you may purchase a single-incident of phone support for system and network configuration issues including mixed-platform integration support or assistance with command-line interface tools.

But if you want to know their technical level of phone support; I called up in early 2006 to confirm that the X5355 was socket compatible with the X5150 that the machine came with. I was told that it maybe but that they were unsure - but that it was impossible to actually do because the heat-sinks needed to be removed and that would fry the computer. LOL

 

[justflie]

1. Is it true that for the mac pro, applecare is ON site warranty?
2. Has anyone used it this way?
3. Can someone elaborate on experiences with this?

Well speak of the devil, I just had my first on site yesterday!

I had talked with a tier 1 person online who had tried some troubleshooting. I then brought it to the local apple store and left it for a few days. They couldn't figure it out. My tier 1 rep scheduled an on site appointment for me.

The guy came yesterday with a bunch of parts. He ran the ASD, found a couple of things that failed, replaced them, etc. Still didn't fix the problem after all was said and done so I might be getting a replacement.

Regardless, on site repairs exist. The guy was very pleasant. He looked to be of college age or just out of college. He was knowledgeable and friendly so no complaints here. I asked him about the on site stuff because I had never even heard that it existed. He said that it was for desktops since laptops are easy enough to carry in. This might vary from region to region around the country but I live within an hour's drive to Boston, MA so there are plenty of Apple stores in the 30-60 minute driving range. But who wants to lug a Mac Pro around on the T (our subway)?!

 

[Dr.Pants]

But if you want to know their technical level of phone support; I called up in early 2006 to confirm that the X5355 was socket compatible with the X5150 that the machine came with. I was told that it maybe but that they were unsure - but that it was impossible to actually do because the heat-sinks needed to be removed and that would fry the computer. LOL

Yeah.... wonder why they would think that? Working on Sun systems for so long that the concept of turning off a computer to replace a processor was a foreign concept? Its this sort of thing that REALLY begs the logical side of my mind to avoid Apple support at any and all times; in fact, I'm dreading a trip to the Apple store soon. I understand that not everybody a store can hire (such as the Apple store) can be technically savvy, but seriously - train the phone people, at least.

And for phone service, part of me wants them to have some sort of certification. Not the best job to land after knowing how to use computer systems, but it would make a world of difference.

 

[Tesselator]

Yeah....

Yeah, as you say, his answers weren't logical - and I could tell that he actually didn't know. As he kept having to put me on hold after each bit of stammering and scratching his head. I just wanted confirmation on the physical compatibility, and I wanted to know the size of the torx wrench needed for the heat-sinks. I got neither answer and he was an actual "Phone Support and Service Tech" guy.

justflie's anecdote seems to suggest the same thing by reading the end result. But it at least shows that there are some people getting on-site service and that Apple is cool enough to replace it for him when the tech guy failed. That part's good.

 

[gugucom]

I never knew something like this existed. Anything except a logic board failure on my Mac Pro I would repair or replace myself (THX Tesselator for providing the PDF). I have a very good specialist for power supplies 150 miles from my place if that is needed. For a CPU replacement I wouldn't bother to ask Apple service. For a logic board replacement I have a very good AASP 2 miles from my home. I only discovered that when I needed a FW 400 to 800 cable some days ago.

 

[TheStrudel]

My school had onsite service - a couple months ago a G5 with a fried power supply was fixed. We did have to send a mac pro away once, though. I'm not sure why, but I wasn't managing those machines except for software additions, so they didn't give me details. There was an  store within range.

 

[nanofrog]

Well speak of the devil, I just had my first on site yesterday!

I had talked with a tier 1 person online who had tried some troubleshooting. I then brought it to the local apple store and left it for a few days. They couldn't figure it out. My tier 1 rep scheduled an on site appointment for me.

The guy came yesterday with a bunch of parts. He ran the ASD, found a couple of things that failed, replaced them, etc. Still didn't fix the problem after all was said and done so I might be getting a replacement.

Regardless, on site repairs exist. The guy was very pleasant. He looked to be of college age or just out of college. He was knowledgeable and friendly so no complaints here. I asked him about the on site stuff because I had never even heard that it existed. He said that it was for desktops since laptops are easy enough to carry in. This might vary from region to region around the country but I live within an hour's drive to Boston, MA so there are plenty of Apple stores in the 30-60 minute driving range. But who wants to lug a Mac Pro around on the T (our subway)?!

It's rather sad though, as to the amount of effort and time required before an onsite tech showed up. I guess you should consider yourself fortunate though, as many areas won't have any available (can't get sub contractors as a guess).