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Powerbook Nightmare!!

J

jonomo

macrumors regular
Original poster
Apr 28, 2005
197
0
I had a nightmare experience with my new Powerbook Purchase...

I got the new 1.5 Combo drive PB a few weeks ago. I took it out of the box and everything seemed fine, but the DVD drive was DOA. So I took it to the Apple Store, went through the worse customer service experience I ever had at the "Genius Bar"... Sat there for over 40 minutes even though I had an appointment while some geek in a black shirt was flirting with a girl with an ipod... Finally they got to me, did a BUNCH of trouble shooting, which took another hour... And they gave me another Powerbook...

So I take the second powerbook home and everything seems fine, but 1 week later, it stops booting, it gets stuck on the grey screen... Once again, I take it to the "Genius Bar"... they do a bunch of trouble shooting, mysteriously it works again... the 'Genius' gives me some cryptic reason why it wasn't working... shows me it boots again, and then sends me on my way (another 1.5 hours wasted)...

2 days later I try to boot up my powerbook at a meeting, and it freezes, doesn't boot again, so i make ANOTHER trip to the "genius bar"... more trouble shooting, more updating, more re-installing the OS, and they send me on my way....

That NIGHT it stops working again... next day... ANOTHER trip to the 'EEDIOT BAR'... another 1.5 ours wasted while geeky guys in black shirts, 2 or 3 ipods in their body, all goofing off looks at my computer... now i have to leave it there for 3 days... no loaner, no nothing... not even an apology... i come back and they say its a dead HD...

I now demand a refund cause I'm just fed up with this... and they say I can't get a refund cause its exceeded the 14 days since I bought it... but it NEVER worked... and when I demanded a refund.. they wanted a 10% restocking fee... WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO RESTOCK A BROKEN COMPUTER!!!!... so now they just give me ANOTHER PB....

I bring it home... its now updating (third time i'm doing this in 1 month) and I have to reinstall ALL of my software.. AGAIN... and I notice the frame of the PB doesn't match UP!!!! it doesn't close properly... so FRUSTRATED... HOW DO I GET A REFUND??? I don't want this piece of junk anymore!!!!

I called Apple Store again, and they said every model is expected to have 'slight' variations in its finish!?!?!? CAN YOU BELIEVE THESE GUYS!?!?!? I WANT A REFUND!!!!

My g/f was planning on buying a iPod and iBook.. but NO WAY!!! she's getting a VIAO!!!!
 
issues and experiences like this are not the norm, im sorry that you have had problems, but things do go wrong sometimes. hope you get the issues resolved and find whatever happiness you are looking for
 
Have you tried calling tech support? I believe their phone tech support is better than the "genious bar"
 
Support

Yes, I've used the phone support a few times and they are really quite helpful.

By the way, longhorn will suck.
 
That Sucks!

I purchased a 15" 1.5g powerbook in March. Upon opening it up and typing on this forum how great it is, the u button just came off. I tried popping it back on but it never set quite right. I went in to the apple store and they put a new button on the key board but it still sets slightly higher then the other keys. I know there are slight imperfections, but come one this is Apple, and if you pay two grand for a system you should get perfection! or a full refund.
 
shane-o-mac said:
I purchased a 15" 1.5g powerbook in March. Upon opening it up and typing on this forum how great it is, the u button just came off. I tried popping it back on but it never set quite right. I went in to the apple store and they put a new button on the key board but it still sets slightly higher then the other keys. I know there are slight imperfections, but come one this is Apple, and if you pay two grand for a system you should get perfection! or a full refund.
Click to expand...

You are going to get this with almost any laptop you purchase. If the key comes out, it takes a lot of fiddiling around with it to get it right. Usually if it sticks out with use, it goes back into place.
 
shane-o-mac said:
I purchased a 15" 1.5g powerbook in March. Upon opening it up and typing on this forum how great it is, the u button just came off. I tried popping it back on but it never set quite right. I went in to the apple store and they put a new button on the key board but it still sets slightly higher then the other keys. I know there are slight imperfections, but come one this is Apple, and if you pay two grand for a system you should get perfection! or a full refund.
Click to expand...

nothing is perfect. nothing. i like some of the small quirks of my 'book because it makes it mine and unique
 
First off, it is unfortunate that you have had such a supposed streak of horrific luck. It is quite puzzling that you happened to have 2-3-how many powerbooks that were all, for one reason or another, on the fritz - and we're not talking about logic board problems here that will effect an entire line manufactured at a certain time...

Second, where are you located that the Genius Bar service was so bad? Give up the location because other people on this forum might have similar or dissimilar experiences with not only the store but the staff as well. I have never had a problem with The Genius Bars nearby whether it was over a bad power adapter or just a quick Q and A. If the service is so poor, I'd recommend contacting Apple and giving names because the whip should crack...

Third, why are you rebooting your powerbook so often? I'll reboot maybe once a month and that is if there is a software update or something that requires a reboot.

Fourth, why are you criticizing the black t-shirts and iPods dangling off the people? What does that have to do with anything? Rather be serviced by some clown who just got promoted from the vacuum cleaner/home appliance division?
 
Third said:
What does it matter how often I boot? Is that a weakness in a Mac? You should reboot as little as possible? Hey... I'll boot 10 times an hour if I feel like it, and it shouldn't effect the PB.

The people in the black shirts and ipods were clowns!!! Thats my point!
Click to expand...
 
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