Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

What should I do? Im on my 4th Macbook

E

el3ctone

macrumors member
Original poster
Jun 28, 2008
51
0
I would like to see what kind of input you guys here can give me. I'm a new Mac user, and a new member to this forum.

I purchased my macbook a little over 2 weeks ago, and i have had nothing but problems.

I bought my macbook on the Apple Online Store, and when i arrived via fedex, it wouldn't boot. I contacted Apple Support and they determined it DOA, and they processed a replacement for me.

my 2nd macbook arrived, and it had a defective keyboard and crooked lid.
I took it directly to the local Apple Retail Store, and the genius went ahead and processed me with an instant replacement. I was happy right?

I went home booted it up, hmm everything works fine, the way it's supposed to, but guess what, a new problem... dead pixel.

Took it back to apple store again, the guy was shocked that it was my 3rd macbook already, and was sorry for the trouble i have been through, and assured me the replacement i get today, will be free of any problems.

So i went home with my 4th new macbook, and VOILA, not 1 dead pixel, but THREE!

Up to this point, i felt that it was a "gamble" in buying a new computer.

What can I do or should I do, i feel very sad that i've been through 4 macbooks, in which all four had one issue or another.
 
I am very surprised that has occured. Usually every single Apple products s top notch, but getting four in a row with defects is almost unheard of. I got a 24" iMAc with not a single dead pixel or a defect, I guess you could blame it on luck, but after four products, it must be getting tough to say "Oh yeah, its just luck and it happens sometimes."
 
If I were in your condition, I'd have stopped buying Apple laptops two or three Macbooks ago. Unless you absolutely need OS X, you'd probably have better luck with a Thinkpad.
 
riiight...

heatmiser said:
If I were in your condition, I'd have stopped buying Apple laptops two or three Macbooks ago. Unless you absolutely need OS X, you'd probably have better luck with a Thinkpad.
Click to expand...

Yeah, cause they're totally comparable.

OP, take it back. Keep taking it back until you get exactly what you want. Remember to mention the hassle, it's possible that they will compensate you in some way.

Remember, be firm and assertive, but don't make a scene or act like an ass. Negativity won't help, even if you're right. The Apple retail employees don't make the rules or the computers, but they are definitely allowed to bend them (the rules that is, not the computers).
 
Go in for your 5th, ask to speak to the manager, and if you end up getting another one, boot it up and check it out in store with the manager, just to remove any chance of them blaming you (even though that is hard to do with dead pixels).
 
robbier said:
I am very surprised that has occured. Usually every single Apple products s top notch, but getting four in a row with defects is almost unheard of...
Click to expand...
Almost... my first iBook took two attempts to get right and still died within 3years of a failed logic board. iBook two required a new logic board within 6months. MacBook (current) arrived with faulty optical drive, has been back under warranty several times for new 2xlogic board, 1xoptical drive, 1xbattery and the lower case has been replaced three times and it's going back for number four next week. My Apple Premium Reseller has sen it in action, but been unable to find the cause for the MacBook not being able to sleep, ever, and it runs ludicrously hot. Oh, and the magsafe power cable is split.

I have a friend, a member here, who took their MacBook Pro back to Apple four times before getting one that worked out of the box, and it's going back again cause the rarly used optical drive is faulty. Both their iMac G5 had warranty work within 12months, and recently they purchased 4xIntel iMacs, it took a ridiculous 4xreturns to get working machines all round.
robbier said:
I am very surprised that has occurred....
Click to expand...
I'm less so:rolleyes:
 
Dead pixels really aren't that big of a deal unless they're in the center of the display. And even then, they're not still not that noticeable unless you're looking for them. Nearly EVERY LCD will have at least one. Otherwise they would be unbelievably expensive to produce.

I waited long enough to get my MacBook and one dead pixel wasn't enough for me to want to take it back.
 
barnettebw said:
I waited long enough to get my MacBook and one dead pixel wasn't enough for me to want to take it back.
Click to expand...

Myself and the OP probably think the exact opposite of you. I have waited this long and expect a flawless computer and will settle with nothing unless but that.

So i say if a Mac is what you want then take it back and ask for compensation of some sort. If not then 4 replacements is unacceptable by any standards and maybe you should look elsewhere.
 
i agree with shackler completely, i paid and waited, and i expect nothing less than perfection. The first replacement took over a week to get to me, basically i purchased it and wasn't able to even USE a mac until 1 week after the original one arrived.

Im thinking i should probably be looking at getting a refund, or somehow get a compensation and get a discount or something off a macbook pro. It shouldn't take more than 1 attempt to get a perfect computer, 2 at most,,, but here i'm talking about FOUR.
 
appleretailguy said:
Yeah, cause they're totally comparable.
Click to expand...

To me, they are. I'm just saying what I would have done. I read some stories here of people exchanging computers four or six or eight times. I could never do that; each person has a different tolerance point for that kind of thing.

appleretailguy said:
OP, take it back. Keep taking it back until you get exactly what you want.
Click to expand...

See, this is nice in theory. But you know as well as I do you wouldn't take your computer back 36 times if you got 35 bum laptops in a row; you'd have retrieved your money long before then and tried something else. Maybe you should put yourself in the OP's shoes before robotically telling him to keep taking it back over and over and over again.
 
well...

heatmiser said:
See, this is nice in theory. But you know as well as I do you wouldn't take your computer back 36 times if you got 35 bum laptops in a row; you'd have retrieved your money long before then and tried something else. Maybe you should put yourself in the OP's shoes before robotically telling him to keep taking it back over and over and over again.
Click to expand...

I should phrased it differently. I didn't mean keep taking back the same model every single time. After a few exchanges, I had better be getting something for my time.

But I don't think a Thinkpad would solve his problems. He has terrible luck, but the entire line of Macbooks isn't defective.
 
barnettebw said:
Dead pixels really aren't that big of a deal unless they're in the center of the display. And even then, they're not still not that noticeable unless you're looking for them. Nearly EVERY LCD will have at least one. Otherwise they would be unbelievably expensive to produce.

I waited long enough to get my MacBook and one dead pixel wasn't enough for me to want to take it back.
Click to expand...

Well, this is 2008, not 1998. Dead pixels are inexcusable. If something that costs me $1400 after taxes has even one minor flaw it is getting returned and exchanged for a flawless product or a full refund. Especially when you consider the MacBook doesn't have a lot of standard features that other PCs have, like dedicated graphics, HDMI output, memory card readers, user upgradeable optical drivers, etc.
 
appleretailguy said:
I should phrased it differently. I didn't mean keep taking back the same model every single time. After a few exchanges, I had better be getting something for my time.

But I don't think a Thinkpad would solve his problems. He has terrible luck, but the entire line of Macbooks isn't defective.
Click to expand...

I gotcha now. And it's true, not all Macbooks are this way. Hopefully he has better luck with the next one.
 
Get a replacement, sell the replacement, and try your luck with another brand.

Or do the altogether more risky approach of ringing up Apple customer relations, talking to them about your situation, and humbly requesting an upgrade to a Macbook Pro.
 
Yeah get a replacement, don't open it, and sell it as close to retail as you can.

Then get another brand.

For the price you pay for a MacBook you can get other brands with GeForce 8800M GTS GPUs.

Or lower end GeForce 8400M GS (still light years ahead of any upcoming Intel card) and blu-ray drives.
 
robbier said:
I am very surprised that has occured. Usually every single Apple products s top notch, but getting four in a row with defects is almost unheard of. I got a 24" iMAc with not a single dead pixel or a defect, I guess you could blame it on luck, but after four products, it must be getting tough to say "Oh yeah, its just luck and it happens sometimes."
Click to expand...

I don't want to be sarcastic, but my first MacBook (2006) has had its invertor (twice), its battery, and it's LCD replaced. It also experienced random shutdown. All this during it's first year or so. Apple finally agreed to replace it. First replacement had a bad trackpad button. Second replacement had a bad keyboard. It took them three tries to get me one in good condition.

If I were the OP, I would open the MacBook in the store, and work with for an hour or two before leaving the store. An hour or two might seem like a long time, but it's nothing compared to the time lost configuring a computer to one's preferences.
 
appleretailguy said:
Yeah, cause they're totally comparable.

OP, take it back. Keep taking it back until you get exactly what you want. Remember to mention the hassle, it's possible that they will compensate you in some way.
Click to expand...

I'm sorry but I would demand some type of compensation for the hassle. For how much apple computers cost and for all the hassle you have went though you should even have to ask for compensation. I"m not the type of persone to demand it if it happens once but for you too have this happen 4 times and take 3 trips to a apple store to get it resolved is bull.
 
Yeah I'm sure they'll at least give you a mighty mouse or something for your time, some sort of accessory.
 
heatmiser said:
If I were in your condition, I'd have stopped buying Apple laptops two or three Macbooks ago. Unless you absolutely need OS X, you'd probably have better luck with a Thinkpad.
Click to expand...
I have owned all kind of laptops over the past 15 years and the only laptop I ever purchased that had a dead pixel on it was a Thinkpad. Not sure why people still think Thinkpads are super quality nothing can go wrong laptops, but they are hardly perfect. Maybe they were back in the day when IBM still made Thinkpads but that's been a few years.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back