Gav2k
macrumors G3
Not on discontinued products
So AppleCare took my computer away...
- Thread starter nikhsub1
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Not on discontinued products
They screwed up, tired to sort it with another 17", you found out, they went one better and gave you a top spec retina. From my experience NO other company would have handled the situation as 'well' as this.
Accidents happen, in my opinion you benefitted from the mistake, big time !
Enjoy your new machine! 8)
Accidents happen, in my opinion you benefitted from the mistake, big time !
Enjoy your new machine! 8)
The screw up was missing the fact that the machine had aftermarket upgrades. I also would be quite puzzled if I send in a computer with 1TB SSD and get a stock HDD one back
David58117
macrumors 65816
So even though the 16GB RAM + 1 TB SSD in your 17" were aftermarket parts - Apple matched them and set you up with something similar? That is pretty cool actually, and I think this post is making AppleCare look more appealing.
I never saw a 17" in person, but I would absolutely love to.
I never saw a 17" in person, but I would absolutely love to.
- This doesn't appear to have anything to do with the extended AppleCare coverage one can purchase. From what I can see the machine in question is too old to fall under any AppleCare coverage.
Its GPU issues were covered under Apple's extended repair programme.
I am blown away that you could possibly be upset at the slightest.
Even if you would have gotten your 2011 model back, the wear and tear it has experienced from 3 years of use means you couldn't expect a whole lot of longevity in the coming years.
For example, lithium batteries that come in the MacBooks are only expected to last about 1000 charge cycles. Considering your 17" started at around a 5 hour battery life, you probably had around 700-1000 charge cycles already and were probably getting just a couple hours of battery life per charge anyway.
All the other parts on your 17" had hundreds of hours of use too. The other parts could have gone at any moment.
Now you have a brand new top of the line 15" model with zero charge cycles, brand new everything. Battery life of 8 hours, 22nm architecture with quiet running asymmetrical fans, better graphics etc.
You know the saying don't look a gift horse in the mouth? Well in this case its like Santa Claus showed up at your house with a big present and personally delivered it to you, then you gave him the stink eye for not giving you 2 presents!
Even if you would have gotten your 2011 model back, the wear and tear it has experienced from 3 years of use means you couldn't expect a whole lot of longevity in the coming years.
For example, lithium batteries that come in the MacBooks are only expected to last about 1000 charge cycles. Considering your 17" started at around a 5 hour battery life, you probably had around 700-1000 charge cycles already and were probably getting just a couple hours of battery life per charge anyway.
All the other parts on your 17" had hundreds of hours of use too. The other parts could have gone at any moment.
Now you have a brand new top of the line 15" model with zero charge cycles, brand new everything. Battery life of 8 hours, 22nm architecture with quiet running asymmetrical fans, better graphics etc.
You know the saying don't look a gift horse in the mouth? Well in this case its like Santa Claus showed up at your house with a big present and personally delivered it to you, then you gave him the stink eye for not giving you 2 presents!
duervo
macrumors 68020
The screw up was missing the fact that the machine had aftermarket upgrades. I also would be quite puzzled if I send in a computer with 1TB SSD and get a stock HDD one back
I thought the same initially, until I noticed this:
So, they actually aren't "out" the 1TB SSD and 16GB RAM. Those were apparently removed before it was sent in for service (as the phrase "I installed my ..." would seem to imply, at any rate.)
If that had happened to me, I would be happy, and I certainly would have never expected to get a brand new, top-spec system as a result. Being upset about getting that as a resolution? Why? That's something I don't think I will ever understand, TBH ... no matter what the justification is.
scaredpoet
macrumors 604
OP might have reason to be mildly annoyed that he's losing his 17 inch MBP. But even if, somehow, they managed to find his original 17 inch MBP, in exactly the same condition, and managed to fix it, I would still choose the brand new top of the line 15" MBPr any day.
flur
macrumors 68020
This reminds me of the insurance commercial with the girl who named her car "Brad," LOL.
I feel your pain. I get emotionally attached to my electronics too, especially if they're quite literally irreplaceable. But the loss will fade pretty quickly once you start getting used to your awesome new machine.
I feel your pain. I get emotionally attached to my electronics too, especially if they're quite literally irreplaceable. But the loss will fade pretty quickly once you start getting used to your awesome new machine.
nikhsub1
macrumors 68030
You are correct. My apple care ended just over a year ago.
What you don't seem to understand about my point of view is that I replaced the battery with a brand new OEM unit. The rest of the computer that you say 'could go at any moment' would have been replaced with the logic board... This new rMBP is still not an AG 17" which is the issue I'm wrestling with.
Maybe I wasn't clear - I had a Samsung 1TB SSD and 16GB of Crucial RAM in the machine running for years. I did NOT remove these when I sent the machine in. When I got the replacement 17" back my SSD and 16GB RAM were included in the box with the computer but were not installed in the machine.
Fair enough, curious as to why though? Same HD and RAM just a better GPU and CPU.
Paradoxally
macrumors 68000
17" screen size is sweet but nothing beats a sharp and crisp display like those on the rMBPs. Apple just did you a huge upgrade. Quite frankly, the retinas are pretty good against glare too, compared to the old glossy MBPs.
duervo
macrumors 68020
Thanks for clarifying. So, in the end, you were not "out" your 1TB SSD and 16GB RAM, since they sent them back with the replacement unit.
FWIW, getting back a refurb unit that was not in same or better condition would certainly suck bigtime, and I would have complained too. I just don't understand getting upset after they have done probably the most they could do given the circumstances, that's all. In the end, I think it's due to us merely having different attitudes regarding our devices, which is not that big of a deal in the grand scheme.
nanogirl21
macrumors 6502a
im not sure why you are complaining when you came out on the better end...
nikhsub1
macrumors 68030
No I was not out my RAM or HD, they sent that back. I think that is exactly why the manager at the Apple store offered me the computer he did as it matched my HD and RAM specs.
As has been said, unless Apple comes out with a new 17" machine I would have to go with the 15 at some point anyhow.
To be clear - I'm think apple handled the screw up in the best possible way, make no mistake there. I am just not sure that the new machine suits my needs (right now) as much as my 17" is all.
duervo
macrumors 68020
Ahh, ok. Then I would sell it, if I felt the same, and find a 17" on eBay or something (ie local reseller, etc) and pocket the rest of the cash.
Correction. I had a Bose LifeStyle 38 that was repaired for minor hang-ups a few times. Call customer service concerning the repairs and the senior representative ask me 'what can he do to make me a happy customer'. I told him to take my old home theatre and replace it with a new model. And he said 'done'.
Bose overnighted a $3,999 machine on a Sarurday FREE of charge. Some companies will do this for you and Bose and Apple will make it right.
Similar situation with my then 2008 Mac Pro. Had the machine in due to failure of the 256MB graphics card. I had also bought a 30" Aplle Cinema Display. Love it! But after several attempts at fixing the problem, and speaking to the manager, Apple replace my 2008 with a 2010 model and replace the 30" with a 27".
Great company in my book.
canucksfan88
macrumors 6502a
LOL wtf apple...
I went from a 17" -> 13" and it took a while to adjust.
at least their "make good" solution was decent.
enjoy your new machine =)
I went from a 17" -> 13" and it took a while to adjust.
at least their "make good" solution was decent.
enjoy your new machine =)
KUguardgrl13
macrumors 68020
I can certainly understand your initial frustration with the crappy refurb replacement. If nothing else they should've called and told you a refurb was coming.
Personally I would take the new rMBP replacement, but that's just me. My mid-2009 13" was plagued with issues, and I gladly would've accepted a 13" rMBP replacement if I were in the same situation. I ended up buying one anyway
Personally I would take the new rMBP replacement, but that's just me. My mid-2009 13" was plagued with issues, and I gladly would've accepted a 13" rMBP replacement if I were in the same situation. I ended up buying one anyway
What's most upsetting is that Apple tried to bluff you into taking a substandard replacement.
Only when you complained did you get a replacement.
Pretty insulting, actually.
And the proof of how bad the insult was, is that the manager went directly to top-of-the-line. He must have felt really bad that Apple tried that with you.
Only when you complained did you get a replacement.
Pretty insulting, actually.
And the proof of how bad the insult was, is that the manager went directly to top-of-the-line. He must have felt really bad that Apple tried that with you.
NOT-A-FANBOY
macrumors newbie
Only on MacRumors someone would complain about receiving a brand new, top of the line $3200 laptop which is the most powerful Apple have in production.
Hieveryone
macrumors 603
This is false. Dell has really good customer service. I know a guy who got a new laptop after his old one was 3 years old and the service guy put a scratch on it.
New model, everything new and maxed. Dell from what I hear is GREAT.
To the OP, you got a $3,199 computer as a replacement for your 17"
Was your 17" worth that much?
Also, if you don't like the 15" as much as the 17" then I would be mad. Otherwise, it's OK.
New model, everything new and maxed. Dell from what I hear is GREAT.
To the OP, you got a $3,199 computer as a replacement for your 17"
Was your 17" worth that much?
Also, if you don't like the 15" as much as the 17" then I would be mad. Otherwise, it's OK.
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Well I can understand the frustration but if I was offered a maxed out computer, even if I didn't want it I'd see that as an opportunity to make a LOT of quick cash.
I'd leave the new one sealed and sell it. Then I'd take that money and buy a spotless 2011 17" again.
You'd probably come out $1000 ahead if not more.
I'd leave the new one sealed and sell it. Then I'd take that money and buy a spotless 2011 17" again.
You'd probably come out $1000 ahead if not more.
I can actually understand both the OP's point of view as well as the majority of respondents to this thread who don't understand what the big deal is.
OP clearly valued the physically larger, anti-glare screen above and beyond any of the benefits he would currently get from a newer model, whether that be the (glossy) high-DPI screen or the higher performance of all components (OP keeps saying the only upgrade he got in the new machine was the CPU because the RAM and HDD capacity were matched to his aftermarket upgrades, but you have to look past capacity: the fact is if he bothered to benchmark RAM and PCIe flash performance and compare them to his old 17" model, the new machine would SMOKE the old in terms of performance, and that's *completely* leaving aside the CPU...the current PCIe flash drives are AMAZING). So because he doesn't value those "upgrades", in his mind, the new machine is not really an upgrade for him. It's just, from this perspective, the next-best thing (other than finding and returning his original machine to him) Apple could've done to make things right.
I personally disagree, but that's because what I value in a portable computer is clearly different than what OP values. When Apple announced the first 15" Retina MBP, I ordered it sight-unseen because I wanted that display. I also loathe bulky 17" notebooks...15" is the absolute biggest I'd ever want to go, and if I had to be honest with myself, if I could get my 15" rMBP configuration (including quad-core i7 and dGPU) in a 13" model, I would probably prefer to go even smaller.
I guess the part that baffles me about this whole story is, why didn't Apple depot service simply replace the logic board in his original machine? Why do a chassis swap? If I had taken pristine care of my machine, and sent it in for service expecting them to replace only the defective part, I would be mad, too, especially if the display was not the defective part that the machine was sent in for service over and a worse specimen was sent back to me.
I suspect that the moral of this story is that if you are particular about your computer, and don't want to run the risk that Apple will swap components on your machine (or the entire machine) other than the one that needs servicing, then insist that your local Apple store order the parts and perform the repair in-house rather than send it to the depot, even if depot repair jobs are supposedly "faster".
-- Nathan
OP clearly valued the physically larger, anti-glare screen above and beyond any of the benefits he would currently get from a newer model, whether that be the (glossy) high-DPI screen or the higher performance of all components (OP keeps saying the only upgrade he got in the new machine was the CPU because the RAM and HDD capacity were matched to his aftermarket upgrades, but you have to look past capacity: the fact is if he bothered to benchmark RAM and PCIe flash performance and compare them to his old 17" model, the new machine would SMOKE the old in terms of performance, and that's *completely* leaving aside the CPU...the current PCIe flash drives are AMAZING). So because he doesn't value those "upgrades", in his mind, the new machine is not really an upgrade for him. It's just, from this perspective, the next-best thing (other than finding and returning his original machine to him) Apple could've done to make things right.
I personally disagree, but that's because what I value in a portable computer is clearly different than what OP values. When Apple announced the first 15" Retina MBP, I ordered it sight-unseen because I wanted that display. I also loathe bulky 17" notebooks...15" is the absolute biggest I'd ever want to go, and if I had to be honest with myself, if I could get my 15" rMBP configuration (including quad-core i7 and dGPU) in a 13" model, I would probably prefer to go even smaller.
I guess the part that baffles me about this whole story is, why didn't Apple depot service simply replace the logic board in his original machine? Why do a chassis swap? If I had taken pristine care of my machine, and sent it in for service expecting them to replace only the defective part, I would be mad, too, especially if the display was not the defective part that the machine was sent in for service over and a worse specimen was sent back to me.
I suspect that the moral of this story is that if you are particular about your computer, and don't want to run the risk that Apple will swap components on your machine (or the entire machine) other than the one that needs servicing, then insist that your local Apple store order the parts and perform the repair in-house rather than send it to the depot, even if depot repair jobs are supposedly "faster".
-- Nathan
nikhsub1
macrumors 68030
I'm not complaining about the end resolution of the problem so much as the ****** service I received on my 17" machine. If you can't see the difference you won't go far in life.
Yeah but searching for that unmolested one... at least the rMBP is flawless - and super fast. I am starting to settle into it now.
Nathan, your post is very thoughtful and spot on to my thinking - there is a dichotomy with the situation for sure and I do see both sides too.
For everyone saying I'm complaining about the new machine - you don't read properly or you are just dense. What I was most upset about is what Nathan mentioned, having Apple try to pass off a POS refurb on me as if that was OK. I fully expected to get MY machine back with it's pristine case and screen. As I've said numerous times before Apple made the situation good the best way possible and I truly appreciate that, no doubt. I just didn't appreciate the service I received on my old machine.