My MacBook AppleCare story

[helical]

For anyone who doubted the importance of AppleCare:

OK, so first of all, i am someone who has been at the receiving end of laptop failures before, and definitely regretted not getting AppleCare.

So last Monday I'm surfing the internet and listening to iTunes when the music pauses and the spinning wheel of death appears. Immediately I assume the worst, which is confirmed by the clicking coming from the palm rest and doubly confirmed by the "Question Mark at start-up" of death. So yes my HD had died on my 14 month old MacBook.

Now, normally this wouldn't be too much of a problem, however currently living in Japan and not speaking the language is pretty hard in a normal situation but trying to get the MacBook repaired would be one hell of a task. So the next day i set out to the local PC Depot which has a mac specialist area, having fumbled with my language guide eventually a english speaking staff member came and said "we cant service hard rives here, send to maker".

So being two hours away from the nearest Apple Store i used the stores demo iPhone and got the Ginza Store contact details and gave them a ring and eventually came to an option for English and got the AppleCare section. I spoke with one guy and he arranged to have the laptop picked up the following Friday - which it was at 7pm.

Fast-forward to Monday morning (3 days later - and a bank holiday weekend here) and I'm woken by the delivery man with my repaired MacBook!

I can't believe the level of service and efficiency here, and i know this may not be the case everywhere as i know apple discontinued the mail-in repair service in the UK but i never expected the repair to be done this quick!

 

[The Samurai]

Well done, I hope I never have to use them - but if I do (I hope they are as good as people say it is).

Thanks for sharing the info , its always good to hear positive comments from people.

 

[skorpien]

I agree with The Samurai. Upon reading the title of the thread, I thought it would be another rant, but I'm glad that you've proven me wrong. Great to hear everything went well and glad to see you helping others in this forum who may not be familiar with Apple Care (or are potential Mac buyers) realize that it's not all horror stories when you buy a Mac.

 

[whiskers]

QUESTIONs.

Do you shut down the MB or just let it sleep after closing the lid?

If you let it sleep, do you wait for the light to pulse before moving it?

Is there anything you could think of that may have contributed to the HD failure?

I'm looking to buy AppleCare someday.

Congrats on the story.

 

[helical]

thanks guys, normally i wouldn't be too bothered but being stuck in Japan on my own the MacBook has become my life tool, so to speak, tv, music, entertainment, skype etc

Regarding how i use my laptop i normally just close the lid put it to sleep and put it in a bag, walk around move it without concern (not anymore!). also i noticed i tend to hold the MacBook by the right hand side of the palm rest when moving it, which is where the drive is, this can't do it any good.

Glad this helped some people, although i must admit i didn't buy AppleCare initialy, i waited until my year was just about up which i think is a good way to do it.

 

[skorpien]

Glad this helped some people, although i must admit i didn't buy AppleCare initialy, i waited until my year was just about up which i think is a good way to do it.

I really don't see how this is true, unless that is you lack the funds to purchase AppleCare and need the year to save up. You're still getting 3 years from the date of purchase either way. Though I've heard of people saving money by buying the AppleCare from eBay.

Also, I'm glad you took the time. Most people can't be bothered to post their positive experiences, which is why these message boards are so saturated with the negative ones. Glad this experience left that strong of an impression on you to make you post though.

Edit: Unless, of course, within the year you return your Mac. Then you wouldn't have bought the AppleCare for nothing. So I guess I retract my previous comment, but if you know you're keeping it for good, there's no point holding out.

 

[whiskers]

Regarding how i use my laptop i normally just close the lid put it to sleep and put it in a bag, walk around move it without concern (not anymore!).

My friend's MBP HD died. He feels it's because he would close the lid and go, disregarding the light.

The manual says the light (when closed) indicates the hard-drive spinning, and thus recommends waiting for it to pulse (about 7 seconds) before carrying it off.

By the way, I got this strange message in my inbox:

"If you let it sleep, do you wait for the light to pulse before moving it?"

hahahha, you joke

you probably do wait for it to pulse

do you clean and wax your macbook every day too?

haha

I don't know who this person is, but I think it's been following me ever since this golden thread??

 

[skorpien]

By the way, I got this strange message in my inbox:


I don't know who this person is, but I think it's been following me ever since this golden thread??

That would be a special species of troll. The one that trolls via IMs instead of posting in public. Don't let his/her/its ignorance get to you. You should wait for the light to pulse to make sure the hard drive is spun down. The head parking doesn't work when the computer is going to sleep (as far as I know) and any shock or movement could damage your HDDs platter. He/she/it is just trying to get a stir out of you, and in my opinion should be banned for sending unsolicited, derogatory private messages to you or anybody. It's those type of people that make forums a nightmare for the sane, rational, intelligent individuals that like to post here.

</rant> (and fully expects to be flamed)

 

[silverblack]

I don't know who this person is, but I think it's been following me ever since this golden thread??

To whiskers, if you feel offended, you have the right to report this to one of the moderators. See forum rules:

Instantly Bannable Offenses
These can be one-time bannable offenses for which you will not get a warning.

Insults. Direct personal insult of another member, i.e., "You are an idiot." and all the variations. Why? Because this isn't grade school. People should be able to discuss or even dispute other's posts without insulting people. And the only purpose of a post like this is to incite other people. You may dispute somebody's opinion, but not attack/flame the person who stated it. There are a lot of other non-direct-personal insults that won't necessary get you banned instantly, but depending on the context/nature may lead to post editing, post deletion, warnings, or time-outs. They include telling people to shut up, or being extremely or repeatedly rude or sarcastic. Bottom line -- don't try to tick off others. Although we do not read Private Messages sent between forum members, the rules for appropriate and inappropriate content apply to them as well.