My second beef with Applecare

[iPat]

Had to have my iBook's logic board replaced for the second time last week. Brought the computer into an Apple store on Saturday and it was receieved at the repair depot on the 21st......where unfortunately it has been sitting while the repair depot waits for a logic board to come (this is the 4th day it has been sitting there). Better yet Applecare has no idea when the depot will get logic boards.....there's no ETA.

Can't image it's that difficult to keep iBook logic boards in stock......These people need to relaize that time is money and that a stupid error like understocking parts can GREATLY IMPACT THE LIFES OF THEIR CUSTOMERS. That is a BS reason....I could except an accuse like we're very busy but to think that it could have been fixed on 21st if the logic board was in stock just pisses me off to no end!

How long have others waited for repairs?.....it's not the absolute time it has taken so far just their lame excuse as to why it's sitting there.

 

[Kwyjibo]

i've had two logic boards replaced and the turnaround was pretty fast. I think if they had the board they would produce them. Also when you think about it in a big picture its not like ketchup at mcdonalds. they can't just borrow logic boards from another cvompany its like waiting for custom speciality products to arrive.

 

[rainman::|:|]

you think Apple is bad??? my new (motorola) phone's external display cracked and doesn't work right anymore, i think it was weak/improperly installed to begin with as I didn't do anything to cause it... Anyway, warranty won't cover it (of course), and so it's going to cost me $90+shipping AND it will take 4-6 WEEKS! total BS. i can't be without my phone for a month and a half... it's why i got a WIRELESS PHONE for christssakes... so i can always have it on me...

i'm about furious with them. waiting 4 days for a part is nothing, sorry.

pnw

 

[ibookin']

Originally posted by paulwhannel
you think Apple is bad??? my new (motorola) phone's external display cracked and doesn't work right anymore, i think it was weak/improperly installed to begin with as I didn't do anything to cause it... Anyway, warranty won't cover it (of course), and so it's going to cost me $90+shipping AND it will take 4-6 WEEKS! total BS. i can't be without my phone for a month and a half... it's why i got a WIRELESS PHONE for christssakes... so i can always have it on me...

i'm about furious with them. waiting 4 days for a part is nothing, sorry.

pnw

If I was in your situation I'd just get a new phone. My phone cost $53 total, including tax. If you call Verizon and say you want to upgrade your phone, they will give you a discount depending on how long you've been with them. I was able to get a $30 discount out of them even though I had renewed my contract less than a month earlier.

 

[Mblazened]

They're probably having lots of ibook logic boards go bad, and that's why they are out of stock.

If its been four days already, they are probably getting to it by now.

-max

 

[RBMaraman]

iPat,
What model iBook do you have?

I purchased my iBook 500 in August of 2001, and I've only had one problem with it. The display cable was bad. Apple acknowledged the problem, and explained that it was a bad batch of connectors. It took 3 days to get my machine back.

But, my friend had an iBook 600 that he bought in December of 2001, and he's had his logic board replaced 3 times, his HDD replaced twice, and his hinge replaced once.

I think it's interesting that the first models of snow iBook's have little to no problems, and all other releases are filled with them. Very much the opposite of what normally happens.

 

[5300cs]

same here, I've got a 500Mhz iBook I got in August 2001 and it's had no problems at all. I've given it a licking and it's kept on ticking. Real nice machine.

Of course, I had the display hinges on my Wallstreet replaced, and that took 3 WEEKS. I thought they lost the damn thing it took so much time. I was ready to call the store and scream at them but they finally called me and told me I could pick it up.

I hope you get your iBook back soon.

 

[iPat]

I have 700mhz 14" iBook purchased last summer. Couldn't have been the same batch as the logic board has already been replaced once for the exact same reasons. Kid from the Apple store I brought it to called today to tell me it's just sitting there waiting for a logic board and that it would be another 3 business days. Still pissed off that the first time the logic board was replaced it took exactly 3 days from the time I dropped it off to the time I picked it up. This time it is going to take 11-12 days simply because they don't have them in stock. I have a crap load of things to do and these people are just pissing me off because I'm relatively sure I'll eventually be in for logic board number 3 and if I have to wait 10-13 days everytime Apple puts another defective logic board......I'm temped to just sell it and never recommend an iBook to anyone.

 

[rainman::|:|]

Originally posted by ibookin'@mwny
If I was in your situation I'd just get a new phone. My phone cost $53 total, including tax. If you call Verizon and say you want to upgrade your phone, they will give you a discount depending on how long you've been with them. I was able to get a $30 discount out of them even though I had renewed my contract less than a month earlier.

oh, trust me i would, unfortunately i went with a prepaid deal... so i had to pay retail for the phone. won't say how much it was, because it's embarassing. but a lot. Now verizon is basically telling me to piss off, and i have bad credit = no service plan to save money with...

btw iPat, i do understand the frustration with them not having any in stock... I would think that barring a major issue with their supplier, they should have a part like that on hand...

consumers have become too complacent and in response companies don't respect them at all. sad but true... apple's no different in this regard....

pnw

 

[iPat]

"consumers have become too complacent and in response companies don't respect them at all. sad but true... apple's no different in this regard...."

I totally agree with you. Companies try to get away with as much as their customers allow. I have been told numerous times, "if you think Apple is bad you should see Dell, or HP, or IBM". My problem with this way of thinking is just because Apple's service may suck slightly less than the others doesn't make their service good! Unfortunately, most people I talk to are willing to accept very slight improvements in service as good service. Essentially their arguments are that Apple tried to screw me less than Dell so Apples service is superior and we (Apple customers) have nothing to complain about and should shut up.

I understand it's all about the bottom line. I understand Apples commitment to innovation has nothing to do with bettering my life and everything to do with selling more computers, and service policies are a mixture of keeping the customer just happy enough and minimizing expenses.....It would just be nice to have a company who tries to go beyond the industry standard of bad service.

I fear that too many companies step over dollars (in this case satisfied customers who will eventually purchase another $1500-$3500 computer if they feel as if they have received decent service) to pick up pennies (charging people a $300 flat fee when all they need is a $2.00 part....minimizing the supply lines for logic boards and other COMMONLY replaced parts so much that customers have to unnecessarily wait for repairs....pretending their is no problem with a part (cough..iBook logic boards) and spending tons of money replacing logic boards over and over again and eventually giving away new iBooks). I think it is just bad business sense in the long run. Business 101....if you defy the expectations of your customers, you minimize your chances of forming a meaningful relationship (meaning a supportive repeat customer).

 

[ewinemiller]

Originally posted by iPat
[BI totally agree with you. Companies try to get away with as much as their customers allow. I have been told numerous times, "if you think Apple is bad you should see Dell, or HP, or IBM". My problem with this way of thinking is just because Apple's service may suck slightly less than the others doesn't make their service good! Unfortunately, most people I talk to are willing to accept very slight improvements in service as good service. Essentially their arguments are that Apple tried to screw me less than Dell so Apples service is superior and we (Apple customers) have nothing to complain about and should shut up. [/B]

Except from my personal experiences I don't think Dell should be on the list of the "screws you more than Apple" I've had a bunch of Dell machines, they've never once gave me any trouble fixing stuff through the time of my warrenty, including stuff that was obvious abuse. Most of the time the part is there the next day if it's something I can replace, if it's not there's a guy there the next day to fix it. I saw them send a free power cord to a guy who had lost his!

I have been thinking about buying the wife an iBook to replace her aging Dell latitude, but I keep seeing these stories above folks who get the logic board replaced multiple times and are quoted hundreds of dollars because a rubber foot falls off the bottom and think why bother.

 

[iPat]

If it makes people feel better replace the specfic companies in my little rant with "other computer industry members" or pick your most hated PC company.

Actually I agree with you about Dell.....however, they are always a favorite target when people are telling me about companies that are worse than Apple. No doubt every company has problems with service....I know as many people who love Dell's service as I do people who hate Dell's service. It is usually dependent on the service tech they get on the phone. But the problem is in the inconsistency. If I average these out....Dell has an average service record....dare I say acceptable. But it is still sad that acceptable at the top of the industry standard for service. I don't want acceptable...what about good or great service? The other thing to remember is even though your service at Dell is dependent on the phone person you get, company policy doesn't dictate their bad service. Using your example about sending out a free power cable to the person who lost his....Dell's policies muct allow for the phone tech to make this decision. Apple would have a company wide policy prohibiting this (as is the case with the little rubber feet on the bottom of iBook...one person even said that Applecare told them that Apple investigated the matter of the rubber feet and determined they didn't fall off due to manufacturing problems and therefore they would no longer be provided free). What? How much money did they spend looking into whether or not the rubber feet was a manufacturing defect? Could they have just used that money to provide free rubber feet and kept their customers happy?

To be honest I'm typing this on a 3 year-old Dell Dimension desktop and have never had any problems. Most people I know have Dell laptops and have never had a problem and a few have had real problems. My father-in-law has a 5 year old Dell laptop that is still used as the email computer in the kitchen and it works great. I know that company policies are never going to be perfect...computers are never going to be perfect....but companies need to realize that their customers are their company. Without us there is no reason for them to go to work.

For a company like Apple who is trying to gain market share and who is an obvious "under dog", they need to be doing it better than the rest. Innovation gets new Apple users to the door but service and quality of product keeps customers coming back.

 

[iGav]

The longest I've had to wait wait for a repair on my old Rev A TiBook was just over 2 months....

November 2001 until Jan 2002....

All for a replacement screen....

The best is less than 48 hours.... and it had to go from London to Germany to be repaired.... Picked up Wednesday Afternoon, and I had it back by the Friday morning....