On the verge of returning my 4th Macbook Pro in the last 2 months...

[duffmanth]

I'm really starting to lose faith in Apple! I've returned 3 MBP's in the last 2 months and I'm on the verge of sending back the 4th all for cosmetic issues that should've never made it out of the factory. The first one had a chip on the left edge and the finish was starting to flake off, the 2nd one had this sticky, gluey residue crap on either side of the trackpad, and the third one had an uneven part near the corner that was kind of "wavey" and not machined evenly. The 4th one I just got the other day, has a noticeable gap between the edge of the glass screen and the rubber surrounding it on the right side, while the other side is completely snug.

This might just be my OCD kicking in, but for nearly $2000, I expect a lot more from these guys. They market their computers to be the Rolls Royce of the industry, and you'd swear they had pot smoking monkeys manufacturing these things! It's almost like you have to be at the factory babysitting these workers while they're making the computers. These are only minor things that some people don't care about, but for $2000 I feel I can picky as I wanna be. I would say Apple has a serious issue with quality control after reading some of the comments on here. I've ordered all of these MBP's through the Apple online store simply because they save me $200, and it's a royal pain in the a** going through the online return process. I don't why I just can't go to my local Apple store and exchange it there when it goes back to the same warehouse?!

Has anyone gone through stuff like this? I'd like to think I'm not the only one? I've been an Apple guy for years, and will remain one, but they're really testing my loyalty!

 

[GGJstudios]

This might just be my OCD kicking in,

Might be.

They market their computers to be the Rolls Royce of the industry

Actually, they don't. They market them as computers. They don't claim that they'll be perfect, and they make no comparisons to Rolls Royce.

... I feel I can picky as I wanna be.

Yes, you can. So return them as many times as you need to in order to get one that meets your approval.

I would say Apple has a serious issue with quality control after reading some of the comments on here.

If you add up all the comments made in all the forums on the internet, they still represent a tiny fraction, compared to over a million Macs sold every month.

 

[AHDuke99]

My June 2009 MBP

November 2009: dead HD
March 2010: dead HD
October 2010: dead fan
March 2011: dead battery after 100 cycles (apple claims 1000 cycles)

Yeah, and my PowerBook lasted 4 years without one issue. This isn't acceptable for the premium I pay on this thing.

 

[CosmoPilot]

Sounds like you might be a bit OCD; however, if you're not happy...take it back! Losing faith in Apple? They've taken back 3 units so far. This is a company that wants you to be happy. With that said, have some sort of expectation that you will not receive the perfect computer.

Again, take it back if you're not happy. Don't lose faith until Apple tells you they won't work with you anymore. While not the norm, this can happen. I've been lucky enough to get great products from the get-go! Hopefully your next model will be a better experience.


Cheers!

 

[duffmanth]

My June 2009 MBP

November 2009: dead HD
March 2010: dead HD
October 2010: dead fan
March 2011: dead battery after 100 cycles (apple claims 1000 cycles)

Yeah, and my PowerBook lasted 4 years without one issue. This isn't acceptable for the premium I pay on this thing.

That sucks man. The only reason I pay a premium for Apple computers is because every time I use a Windows machine I wanna throw it at the wall at 100 mph. I love Apple's OS and their software is the best, but they need to take a long hard look at their manufacturing process. I realize they sell millions of computers, but if even 100 make it out the door with cosmetic flaws, that's 100 too many for the premium prices they charge.

Sounds like you might be a bit OCD; however, if you're not happy...take it back! Losing faith in Apple? They've taken back 3 units so far. This is a company that wants you to be happy. With that said, have some sort of expectation that you will not receive the perfect computer.

Again, take it back if you're not happy. Don't lose faith until Apple tells you they won't work with you anymore. While not the norm, this can happen. I've been lucky enough to get great products from the get-go! Hopefully your next model will be a better experience.


Cheers!

I'm not losing faith in them in the respect that they don't wanna keep me happy, I'm losing faith in their quality control and manufacturing. If these were $300-400 Windows laptops, I wouldn't care, but paying the equivelant of a mortgage payment for a computer, I expect a lot more from these guys. I also realize no manufactured good will ever be perfect, I guess I just expect a lot from Apple...maybe I'm expecting the impossible?

 

[greytmom]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Mobile/8G4)

Maybe you are just cursed. All of my Apple products have been in perfect condition when they arrive at my door.

 

[GGJstudios]

I'm not losing faith in them in the respect that they don't wanna keep me happy, I'm losing faith in their quality control and manufacturing. If these were $300-400 Windows laptops, I wouldn't care, but paying the equivelant of a mortgage payment for a computer, I expect a lot more from these guys. I also realize no manufactured good will ever be perfect, I guess I just expect a lot from Apple...maybe I'm expecting the impossible?

I completely understand your feelings about the price of Macs, but it just sounds funny to me that $2K is considered a lot, when I can remember buying a new Dell notebook every year or two, for $4-6K. And that was back when RAM was a max of something like 384MB! To me, MBPs are a bargain!

 

[room271]

Might be.

Actually, they don't. They market them as computers. They don't claim that they'll be perfect, and they make no comparisons to Rolls Royce.

Yes, you can. So return them as many times as you need to in order to get one that meets your approval.

If you add up all the comments made in all the forums on the internet, they still represent a tiny fraction, compared to over a million Macs sold every month.

Why are you criticising the guy? He has had a bad experience. You don't have to defend Apple. It just looks like defensiveness/insecurity if everytime someone has an issue with Apple people immediately dismiss it/try and downplay it.

Most people here are Apple-fans so you don't have to win anybody over. And Apple have their own PR department anyway.

I agree with the idea that this guy has merely been unlucky. But I have to disagree with the idea (seemingly presented by some of the above posts) that as long as Apple repeatedly exchange a unit they are providing good service and that basically the guy shouldn't feel aggrieved.

Returning goods and having to return again is a massive hassle for anybody and to have to do this repeatedly does not reflect well on any company.

Now, it may well be that on average Apple buyers encounter these kinds of issues a lot less than others (which is great) but there is no way to describe this guy's experience as anything but awful. Particularly as, given that he has had to return several items already you would expect Apple to make damn sure the next one they send is in pristine condition.

Just to clarify, I am not hating against Apple. But in this case, it is clear that Apple have provided a bad customer-experience.

ps. I hope that you manage to get hold of a pristine MBP and am sure you'll fully enjoy it when you do!

 

[GGJstudios]

Why are you criticising the guy? He has had a bad experience. You don't have to defend Apple.

I'm not criticizing anyone or discounting that they've had a bad experience. I'm not defending Apple, either. I'm just pointing out the obvious; that a small sampling of problems compared to millions of computers shipped is not indicative of a pattern or major problem. Like every manufacturer and every product, they won't all be perfect.

It just looks like defensiveness/insecurity if everytime someone has an issue with Apple people immediately dismiss it/try and downplay it.

No, it's offering a balanced view. For every one who has problems, there are countless others who have no problems. The distortion is that most will not post just to say they have no problems, so anyone reading these threads could get the false impression that most Macs are problematic, if someone didn't speak up for the silent masses who have had nothing but good experiences with their Macs.

Most people here are Apple-fans so you don't have to win anybody over. And Apple have their own PR department anyway.

I have no desire or need to "win anybody over." I don't care how many decide not to buy from Apple. It's about offering a balanced discussion, not about negating or criticizing someone who obviously has a valid concern.

 

[acfusion29]

The first one had a chip on the left edge and the finish was starting to flake off,

fair enough

the 2nd one had this sticky, gluey residue crap on either side of the trackpad, and

could've easily been cleaned up... and instead karma bites you in the ass and gives you more problems

the third one had an uneven part near the corner that was kind of "wavey" and not machined evenly.

reasonable

has a noticeable gap between the edge of the glass screen and the rubber surrounding it on the right side, while the other side is completely snug.

 

[X2468]

I'm not losing faith in them in the respect that they don't wanna keep me happy, I'm losing faith in their quality control and manufacturing. If these were $300-400 Windows laptops, I wouldn't care, but paying the equivelant of a mortgage payment for a computer, I expect a lot more from these guys. I also realize no manufactured good will ever be perfect, I guess I just expect a lot from Apple...maybe I'm expecting the impossible?

You expecting a great experience and excellent computer from Apple is very reasonable.

Apple DOES charge premium prices. They hype their products which results in elevated customer expectations, so they ARE responsible for delivering the high quality product they claim to build.

Yes, it's mass produced and not all are up to Apple's self set standard. But that should not be used as reason to accept a computer YOU paid for & are unhappy with.

Along these same lines. I bought a brand new 2010 MBP last year. It took FOUR tries to get one that did not have scratches in excess of 35mm in length and 2pm in depth.

So I too had over two months of my time invested in placing orders. Receiving a damaged computer, then having to return it, wait for weeks for my money back so I could place a new order (as instructed by Apple). A built to order machine, it could not be returned at the Apple Store just one mile from home.

Finally I got one that had smaller scratches. All of these were located in two places. On the top of the lid as well as on the palmrest. I just caved and excepted it. Unfortunately Apples inability to ship a clean new appearing computer was impossible and I'm not going to stop using a MacBook Pro because of it.

The only reason I put up with the excruciating process is the fact I'm a true Mac enthusiast, user, and supporter. But this experience really frustrated me.

Prior to this, in ten years, I've purchased over ten PowerBooks / MacBook Pros, and experienced very few issues. Some were completely trouble free.

Candidly, I don't believe Apple has the same quality control as in years past. Ive had too many brand new ones that looked & ran like new.

The scratches are proof, since they were highly noticeable in all lighting from any angle. But it is what it is. Apple ships what they want and lowers the quality standard to meet their needs, not those of the customer.

I just received a new 11" MBA. This time I was prepared to get Dell like quality. It worked perfect since I was not expecting a premium product. I didn't even unpack it and inspect it. I just set it up, put it in it's case and went about my day. The thrill is gone. No big deal, it's just a computer.

 

[room271]

@ GL all I can say is that when I read your post it certainly came off that way. The following quotes and your responses could easily be seen as snarky/critical.

This might just be my OCD kicking in,

Your responce: 'Might be.'

They market their computers to be the Rolls Royce of the industry

Your responce: 'Actually, they don't. They market them as computers. They don't claim that they'll be perfect, and they make no comparisons to Rolls Royce.'

--

In the second case, obviously he doesn't mean Apple literally say 'we're like Rolls Royce.' But instead that (as is uncontroversially true) Apple market their products as premium/high-quality. They are more than 'computers'; they are said to be 'magical'/'revolutionary' etc etc. If Apple really marketed them simply as computers I doubt many people would be so interested!

Look, if I have completely misread you then apologies. But I am being honest when I say that I find it very difficult not to read comments like those above as critical.

 

[GGJstudios]

@ GL all I can say is that when I read your post it certainly came off that way.

Then you read it the wrong way.

The following quotes and your responses could easily be seen as snarky/critical.
You respond: 'Might be.'

I simply agreed with the OP's own observation that their OCD might be playing a role. I didn't bring it up; the OP did. I simply agreed that it might be a possibility. That's not being snarky or critical.

Your respond: 'Actually, they don't. They market them as computers. They don't claim that they'll be perfect, and they make no comparisons to Rolls Royce.'

In the second case, obviously he doesn't mean Apple literally say 'we're like Rolls Royce.' But instead that (as is uncontroversially true) Apple market their products as premium/high-quality. They are more than 'computers'; they are said to be 'magical'/'revolutionary' etc etc.

They don't market them as "magical", either. The fact is, none of Apple's marketing implies that all their products will be flawless. Rolls Royce prides itself on being hand made (although they're not anymore) and being meticulous in their attention to physical perfection (as much as possible). Apple doesn't market Macs in the same way.

The fact is, my comments were neither critical (I agreed with the OP and agreed with their statement ".. I feel I can picky as I wanna be.") nor snarky. Nothing in my post suggests that the OPs concerns aren't valid; only that Apple doesn't imply in their marketing that their products will all be flawless and that comments in a forum aren't representative of the majority of Apple users nor by themselves a valid indication of "a serious issue with quality control".

 

[Apple OC]

Has anyone gone through stuff like this? I'd like to think I'm not the only one? I've been an Apple guy for years, and will remain one, but they're really testing my loyalty!

Yes you are one of the few unlucky ones ... the majority of people have no problems.
I know many people that buy Apple products and I have never seen someone with such bad luck.

Maybe try opening it in the Store next time ... that way you will be able to walk out with a machine you are Happy with.

 

[TomCondon]

It's almost like you have to be at the factory babysitting these workers while they're making the computers.

Not their fault they are child laborers.

 

[kappaknight]

Wow! OCD much? A computer is a tool, not million dollar artwork. Instead of taking measurements of various gaps, try actually using it for computing. As long as the computer boots and functions, it's pretty much to spec. A major cosmetic thing is reasonable but I think you've gone beyond reasonable.

In the time you've returned and received your 4 or 10 laptops, people out there could have created a profitable startup, finished a featured movie or identified intelligent life on other planets. My point is, all those people who actually use their computers for computing could probably care less about minor dings and gaps. As you hold on to your laptop over time, you will accrual those anyway. Get used to them now instead of OCDing over pointless things and maybe you will find some happiness.

 

[bigjobby]

I've ordered all of these MBP's through the Apple online store simply because they save me $200, and it's a royal pain in the a** going through the online return process. I don't why I just can't go to my local Apple store and exchange it there when it goes back to the same warehouse?!

Get refund, go to Apple store, get online price match, inspect goodies, make purchase, go home, job done.

 

[HBOC]

Why don't you just go to an Apple Store and buy it in person, so you can physically inspect the machine before you leave? Even if the closest Apple store is a few hours away (I am just assuming), wouldn't it be way more worth the hassle to get it right in person, than deal with this mess of shipping back and forth.

 

[Funkymonk]

My June 2009 MBP

November 2009: dead HD
March 2010: dead HD
October 2010: dead fan
March 2011: dead battery after 100 cycles (apple claims 1000 cycles)

Yeah, and my PowerBook lasted 4 years without one issue. This isn't acceptable for the premium I pay on this thing.

They just work!!

 

[sandylp]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Mobile/8G4)

Maybe you are just cursed. All of my Apple products have been in perfect condition when they arrive at my door.

Mine, too. I've had two Mac-Pros and two MacBook Pros, all perfect. My 3 iPods and 2 iPhones have also been pristine. I look them over carefully, and if I saw anything amiss, I would return it asap. I've read posts from others who have had experiences such as this, and I don't doubt them. I've always bought Apple Care, paying as much as $300, but never had any cause to use it. I'll keep my fingers crossed that my luck will hold out.

 

[iThinkergoiMac]

If you add up all the comments made in all the forums on the internet, they still represent a tiny fraction, compared to over a million Macs sold every month.

That's not even the heart of it. People generally only post when there's a problem. While there are plenty of posts from people happy with their purchases, there are far, far more posts from people unhappy. So what you see in the forums is very, very much biased.

 

[davmcn]

I understand where your coming from, if your paying that kind of price for a Macbook or any computer, you want to make sure it's perfect.

 

[Noctis]

My MBP 15 2.2 has some clicky keys on the F row (about 3) and the backlighting on the 7 is ever so slightly dimmer than the others with respect mainly to the halo around the key.

Now that's OCD .

I wouldn't consider sending it back for a "perfect" MBP because everything else has been good. If anything goes wrong then I'll just warranty it.

 

[kappaknight]

Quality control is not keeping up with increasing number of computers Apple manufactures and sells. Sure they make great computers if you can actually get your hands on a well made one, prime example 12 replacement 27" iMacs last year.....sigh. Say whatever fanboy claptrap you want - those factory workers really are under the pump to churn out a ton of Apple goods, end result we all play the Apple lottery. For what you pay I'd expect more, at the very least a more streamlined returns/replacement policy...

You do realize it's the machines who are making most of these computer parts, right? Also, if you take it in for repairs at an Apple Store, it's a U.S. based person who is personally looking after your machine. I don't get why everyone is blaming the factory workers like they're personally messing up these machines.

On a personal note, I have definitely had my fair share of broken parts in the MBP's. I wouldn't say it's more, but definitely on par with other laptops I've owned. The only difference is that I actually care enough to fix mine whereas the other laptops I've owned, I've just upgraded and junked the old one.

In the end, these things are just computers, and we just want them to work. Demanding perfection is impossible until we invent Star Trek's replicators and can clone these things down to the particle.

 

[kushed]

I'm really starting to lose faith in Apple! I've returned 3 MBP's in the last 2 months and I'm on the verge of sending back the 4th all for cosmetic issues that should've never made it out of the factory. The first one had a chip on the left edge and the finish was starting to flake off, the 2nd one had this sticky, gluey residue crap on either side of the trackpad, and the third one had an uneven part near the corner that was kind of "wavey" and not machined evenly. The 4th one I just got the other day, has a noticeable gap between the edge of the glass screen and the rubber surrounding it on the right side, while the other side is completely snug.

This might just be my OCD kicking in, but for nearly $2000, I expect a lot more from these guys. They market their computers to be the Rolls Royce of the industry, and you'd swear they had pot smoking monkeys manufacturing these things! It's almost like you have to be at the factory babysitting these workers while they're making the computers. These are only minor things that some people don't care about, but for $2000 I feel I can picky as I wanna be. I would say Apple has a serious issue with quality control after reading some of the comments on here. I've ordered all of these MBP's through the Apple online store simply because they save me $200, and it's a royal pain in the a** going through the online return process. I don't why I just can't go to my local Apple store and exchange it there when it goes back to the same warehouse?!

Has anyone gone through stuff like this? I'd like to think I'm not the only one? I've been an Apple guy for years, and will remain one, but they're really testing my loyalty!

Buy a new one online BTO. ive never once had a problem with a BTO macbook. not that it matters but it does seem like a lot more people have minor issues like this with macbooks that are sold from apple rather than a BTO. and yes i know they all are manufactured at the same plant and blah blah but at the same times numbers dont lie. and more people have problems with a store opposed then receiving your computer fresh from the mint in shanghai