Repair Disaster Please Read - Apple Shop Cardiff

[rhysjones81]

Yeah, it's just terrible, that techician is actually trying to provide customer service!

Seriously, drop it now. If any store in the U.S. had a machine that long for a repair they would be burned to ground by angry owners. Seriously, seven weeks? There's nothing to justify a keyboard repair taking that long.

Then I hope your repair goes well

 

[eyespii]

It's true that there is only a certain amount of troubleshooting that you can do remotely, but it's been in my experience that a good tech can troubleshoot and even diagnose most computer problems over the phone. You said it yourself in your post - it might not be the LCD - it could be the cable, the inverter, mainboard, or maybe the connection is just loose.

So what is dell going to do? They're not only sending the LCD, but to cover their bases they're also going to send along the cable + inverter at the same time. The tech decided to rule out a mainboard problem by having me plug the computer into an external monitor.

So at the very worst, the problem won't be fixed by a new LCD/cable/inverter, and they'll have to reschedule another repair for the mainboard. That's a minimum of 2 days/maximum of 4-5 days for my LCD problem, and my computer doesn't have to leave the comfort of home.

Ask Tyler what he would prefer - getting a replacement KB and DVD drive in 2 days and taking the small chance that it might not fix his problem, or sending the computer away for a minimum of 4 weeks for a more "proper" diagnosis? Ask yourself what you would prefer for your own machine.

Dell's at-home service really spoils the customer. But I don't want a computer for the warranty - that's why I bought a MBP

 

[rhysjones81]

Granted, problem with Tylers repair was the intermittency and the fact that the Keyboard issue is software, if your LCD problem was intermittent unless the company simply takes your word for it and replaces the part they'd likely have a long time on their hands waiting for it to fault and then establishing a good fault pattern to diagnose with.

Either way, we are required to see the fault ourselves, if it doesn't fault we can't replace. Both the superdrive and keyboard issues had to be dealt with separately its still a time consuming process.

Also the main problem with our situation is that we are unable to stock any replacement parts for repairs, so we can't just hot swap things or replace them the second they go wrong, too expensive to do this. As you can imagine again this adds time.

 

[rhysjones81]

and yes Macbook Pro's are very nice.

Its a shame because Applecare provides at home warranty for desktops but not for laptops in the UK not sure about you guys in the US.

 

[Thetics]

and yes Macbook Pro's are very nice.

Its a shame because Applecare provides at home warranty for desktops but not for laptops in the UK not sure about you guys in the US.

Shouldn't you be repairing macs instead of wasting time making excuses. (whether you are right or wrong, i don't care) Maybe this is why it takes 7 weeks to repair a damn keyboard, you seem pretty experienced with "repairing" keyboards, maybe you should have thought about the insulation prior to ordering the part, but i don't blame you, thinking doesn't seem to be your strong suit.

Also, you have done more damage to your company than this customer, it is completely rude to go and post about specifics of a job, you should know better. point is... you do warranty work.. don't make it out to be more than it is. your job is to diagnose the problem, determine if its a warranty job or not, and upon the approval of the customer, FIX IT! if you take too long, you will get complaints. end of story. Ta-ta!

 

[AceWilfong]

I guess that's what you get for living in the far-flung reaches of the Empire.

 

[flashy-cat]

Ignoring the service hassles. I'd say that if you depend on your mac for your livelihood, you should have a backup.

Maybee just a mac mini or a low end imac. But you definitely should have a spare. It sounds like it would have already paid for itself.

Don

Agreed, very good point.

 

[seej]

Found this thread whilst looking for an alternative to authorised Apple repair for an out of warranty piece of kit.

Hilarious.

I too had disappointing experience with this outfit ...

 

[ccashman92]

Hello all,
havent been here for a while. Heres my story, ill try to keep it as short as possible, and would really appreciate some ideas of what i can do next.
Also i took it to my local apple shop in cardiff south wales in the UK.

About 3 months ago my keyboard broke, The middle line, A - L stopped working, but CAPS ; ' \ and ENTER still worked fine.

I take it into apple about a month after th problem, and used an external keyboard in th meantime, as i had projects to finish.

Day1 - take it to apple, they said i would get my machine back in 4 weeks maximum, 3 weeks minimum, and that theyd contact me to keep me updated.

3 weeks and 4 days later, i ring them, and ask them whats going on, they said the parts had been ordered in, and i should get my machine back within 5 days.

2 weeks on, i ring them again, they said the parts had been ordered a few days ago, and that they wouldnt like to estimate how long it will be, because apple HQ are hit or miss with timing. i said id been told theyd been ordered in 2 weeks ago. They said they hadnt and i had been mis informed. GREAT.

2 weeks later, i ring them, they said my laptop was ready to be picked up. WHY THE HELL DIDNT THEY RING ME? They had had it for 2 days, and hadnt rang me, im always home in the day, and had no missed calls on my mobile. very annoying. Total time 7 weeks and 2 days in reapir.

Anyway im glad to have my laptop back. First day it is fine, 2nd say its fine. 3rd day keys stop working, cant login due to password. get external keyboard, as i have work to do. Go away for a few days, come back today, not working still.
I ring apple HQ he suggests some things to do. Now they have rang me back and are arranging a collection on th machine to repair. They said due to the problems before they will do it asap, which i am happy with.
But i am not happy with the service at the apple shop in cardiff.
Each time i rang them i had to ring 2 numbers off their website(at computers - apple reseller) i had to ring each number at least 10 times to get through.
What can i do?
I plan on writing a letter to apple, documenting everything from taking my laoptop to them to phone calls, with dates etc.
Is this worth doing? Or should i write to apple directly instead of the store.
When the laptop was in repair for 7 weeks, i told a client i can do work for them in 5 weeks, giving apple a spare week just in case. I then had to call off that job, and due to them not repairing it properly am going to lose more jobs now.
AAny help appreciated

I recently had a similar issue. The Apple Store in Annapolis, MD took my Macbook Pro in for RAM replacement. I was told it would take 15 minutes. I went in and they said they would call me when it was done. No call for a couple hours. I was like ok I guess they had a lot of repairs. So I waited a few days, called still hadn't been touched. Another few days after it was ready but I had to call.

It didn't even fix the problem. I had to come in over 5 times to find out what was up with my laptop and we still don't know whats wrong. (It beach balls me randomly while just surfing the internet.) They finally said they'll replace it but it'll take 2-3 weeks for my exact specs to come in.

By the way does anyone know if the replacements are new or refurbished?

 

[mrwonkers]

If I lived in Wales I would think of becoming a certified Apple Technician just so rhysjones81 would not ever have to repair or even touch my Mac. Customers should not have to chase up egomaniacal repair agents to get an "update" on the status of their repair. Oh and as for coming in here and acting liking a total nob, not really the sort of thing that inspires confidence in consumers.
Soundz like Wales is in dire need of an Apple retailer/repairer with some integrity.
Monopoly = Bad
Competition = Good

 

[WelshBluebird]

If I lived in Wales I would think of becoming a certified Apple Technician just so rhysjones81 would not ever have to repair or even touch my Mac. Customers should not have to chase up egomaniacal repair agents to get an "update" on the status of their repair. Oh and as for coming in here and acting liking a total nob, not really the sort of thing that inspires confidence in consumers.
Soundz like Wales is in dire need of an Apple retailer/repairer with some integrity.
Monopoly = Bad
Competition = Good

Not really. Since last year there has been a proper Apple Store in Cardiff, so the quality of service you get should be much better than the third party places this thread is about.

 

[molala]

Just want to say I've had the opposite experience from all Apple repairs I've had before. Just deal with Apple UK directly.

I've had repairs (screen replacement and then a front bezel replacement) with the Apple Store in Cambridge last year for my MacBook. Both times, they didn't take the machine in right away, the genius said they would phone me back when the part came in so I could still use my laptop. They phoned me promptly when the part came in and again when the repair was done. They even diagnosed a left speaker fault and replaced that too (I never noticed).

Before there was an Apple Store in Cambridge, I needed a logic board replacement on an iMac G5 in which the fan was always on and very loud. Diagnosis was done over the phone with Apple tech support (I had AppleCare), they sent the box two days later. Two days after that, a technician phoned me and confirmed it needed a logic board replacement. A few days after that, I get another call that the repair and retests have been done and I got my iMac back after a week. I really appreciated being kept up to date.

Unless it is completely unusable, there is no reason to hang on to a customer's laptop for 4 weeks when you still don't have the part in. And no excuse for not contacting the customer and keeping him/her informed of its status.