replacement macbook pro?

[grooveattack]

hi there
today i am off to my local apple store to try and see if they will replace my mates macbook pro.

whats wrong with it you ask!?

well she has had all kids of problems, its slow, freezes randomly, and no matter how much i repair the hard drive (you know using the OSX start up disk etc.) it just brakes again. She has taken it in a bunch of times and they have replaced the hard drive and done a few other bits to it but it clearly has not worked. As its still under warranty if we go in and say 'look mate, repairs just ain't working' will they replace it?
cheers

 

[scienide09]

Apple usually applies a 'three repair before it's a lemon' rule. Generally speaking, if your computer requires three major repairs under warranty, they treat it as defective and replace it. That's three Apple repairs, not things you do yourself. It helps if the failures continue to affect the same component(s).

It's a general rule, and isn't necessarily followed to the letter.

If there's a history of defects and you get a nice Genius/manager, it could be worth pressing them on this, seeking a replacement.

 

[bigjnyc]

yeah it all depends on the genius you get, dont get testy with whoever you get... plead your case in a polite nice mannered way.... and maybe joke around a bit to lighten up the mood.

 

[grooveattack]

oh dear,
took it in and i swear we got the most useless genius you could imagine. 1st he just played around with it to try to get it to crash, nothing. So i told him it crashed when i tried a software update so he tried that. now, at this point he is running msn(idle, not even logged in) disk utility and software update. it froze. his response 'oh yeah, no surprise there...i've got 3 apps open so thats why it froze' .............i'm sorry a £1300 MacBook Pro crashes with 3 apps open?!?!?! how the hell did he work that out? dork. so he did nothing and said nothing was wrong with it.
i instructed my mate to note down everything that has happened to the computer ( disk repairs, HD replacements etc) and ring up apple care.

most aggravating.

 

[XFactorer]

I'm getting a replacement!

I'm actually waiting for my replacement MacBook Pro to come along! I have a 2.16GHz, 15.4'' one right now. It all started with the latch button failing under warranty. Got that fixed, but then the case was messed up because of the fix, so I had to send it in a second time. Then I battery troubles. The adapter needed to be replaced. Then the top case was coming off, and I had to get that fixed. And when I get it back, there's a slight crack between the top and bottom case. Whatever, they never fix it right. But when I put in a CD to burn.... oh, i was SO afraid that the CD would crack in the drive because it was SO freakin' loud! So, I called up AppleCare, complained and they're replacing it with the 15.4, 2.4GHz current models.

HOWEVER! I would imagine they'd have one of these models somewhere in the US to ship straight to me in Oregon, right? For some reason, it's coming directly from Shanghai, China... suspicious? And the product number: Z0EY... isn't it traditionally a MLXXXX number? Input?

 

[e12a]

oh dear,
took it in and i swear we got the most useless genius you could imagine. 1st he just played around with it to try to get it to crash, nothing. So i told him it crashed when i tried a software update so he tried that. now, at this point he is running msn(idle, not even logged in) disk utility and software update. it froze. his response 'oh yeah, no surprise there...i've got 3 apps open so thats why it froze' .............i'm sorry a £1300 MacBook Pro crashes with 3 apps open?!?!?! how the hell did he work that out? dork. so he did nothing and said nothing was wrong with it.
i instructed my mate to note down everything that has happened to the computer ( disk repairs, HD replacements etc) and ring up apple care.

most aggravating.

...you do know that if you're running Repair Disk in Disk Utility while doing other things it'll make the computer unresponsive...right? It has to "unmount" the disk to scan it. The genius should have known.

 

[gwsat]

I’ve had good luck with the guys working at the Genius Bar in the OKC Apple Store. They have been courteous, seem knowledgeable, and always managed to get my old PowerBook G4 fixed. Fortunately, I have not yet had to call on them concerning my MacBook Pro.

I spent well over $300 on repairs to the PB a little over a year ago because the connection between the video card and the display failed. The good news was that I got it back in about three days. Recently, one of the screws on the bottom left hand side of the display fell out. The local guys fixed it at no charge because the repairs I had paid for had been made less than a year earlier. Further, I was able to get it back the same day I had taken it in. I think I was helped by the fact that the 5 year old PB still looks brand new.

As this thread reveals, the ugly fact is that front line tech people, such as the Genius Bar crews, vary widely in both skill and attitude.

 

[grooveattack]

...you do know that if you're running Repair Disk in Disk Utility while doing other things it'll make the computer unresponsive...right? It has to "unmount" the disk to scan it. The genius should have known.

he had finished verifying the disk permissions when it froze. the green writing came up then he said 'oh its fine' then he could not quit anything or do anything, a system lock up i guess. he is still a dork and i will only 'un-dork' him when he learns about macs.

and dont get me wrong, the genius's are awesome. I have dealt with them before and they were excellent. but this guy was rubbish may have been new i think

 

[e12a]

some new guys are good. I know I went to an Apple Store and I heard the other geniuses talking of a new hire that kept offering replacements instead of repairs...so much so that people that went to the store requested this particular "genius". Shame that I didnt get him to look at my computer.