Yes, at my company it is usually the same three or four people who have problems, and most of them are due to user error.
I am one of them, but am a power user and have used computers for almost 30 years; though I occasionally have probs with apps, I can usually figure them out on my own, even with new apps that I have no experience with.
My problems have all been shoddy hardware, poor service and shoddy repairs and even the refusal to admit that there is a problem.
A brand new MBA that dies after two weeks of use is a hardware (manufacturing) issue. A screen that is badly tilted is a hardware issue. Ditto for a nano with a tilted screen. Ditto for a PB keyboard that comes unglued after two months. Ditto for a Power Mac that was DOA (had two of the same model) and that died within the first year and was eventuall replaced (after a major, major hassle). Ditto for the iBook that couldn't record audio over USB when my wife's could. Ditto for the PB that required three new motherboards in a two month period. Do I need to mention the Japanese input on 2.0.0? The list is long.
Shoddy service is the call center not knowing that a product is an Apple product, reading directly from the Help menu (after I said I had already tried that), saying there is no problem with my iBook without ever looking at it. Also is that the director of the Call Center said she would have Customer Relations call me; that call has not come after months of waiting. This is the short version.
Apple also claims that my nano screen is perfectly within specs (nice how those specs were changed to include the tilt) and therefore they won't fix it or replace it and I'm stuck with an inferior device that is difficult to look at and an embarrassment to carry around.
Bad Karma? Yeah, I guess so. I have certainly gotten more than a fair share of rotten Apples, but for some reason keep buying stuff.
However, Lexus started out on the wrong foot but cleared the problem carefully and now have a dedicated group of customers. If Apple clears up the current mess quickly and well and takes responsibility for it, then they will come out ahead. Hopefully, they will work hard to overcome this current period of less than stellar performance.
Aforementioned little brother coming in to slap someone upside the head... don't mind me...Moving parts do break down. Seriously. I've seen them do it.Note the curious lack of time information on both this and the above; I'm guessing out of warranty.I'll call bullshit on the refused repairs because I had the same problem and received three separate logic boards before settling on the one that worked until the PSU blew and I bought an aluminum iMac. And why should they give you an entirely new computer? Your logic amuses me.They replaced it. Your point?And this, genius, is why you buy AppleCare to extend your warranty BEFORE it expires. You get a year. I get three. Which one of us ends up better off now?
Listen...there's no need for all your attitude - considering you know absolutely NOTHING about my experience with Apple, so please spare us your "insight."
The G3 PowerBook died a little outside the 1yr timeframe. Say what you want, but it was my firt Mac and I had never had any issues with previous laptops or desktops from other PC vendors. Nor did I have any clue about AppleCare at that time, as the reseller hadn't offered it to me.
The eMac experienced a dreadful screen flickering while still under warranty. It was a relatively common issue on a limited run of eMacs. My recollection is that not very many folks who were talking about it online at the time were getting help from Apple. That was my experience...not yours, clearly. But no, they were not "both out of warranty."
As for your (and my) iMac woes...your ridiculous comments only indicate that you have a very high threshhold for accepting crappy products.
Apple fixed my machine three times and it was still not working 100%. The point here is, regardless of whether one year had elapsed or not, Apple should have "done the right thing" (just like someone mentioned about a PBP battery replacement earlier) and simply replaced the unit as it was clearly a lemon (even one of the Apple phone agents said as much - just not a supervisor). The original problem occurred under warranty and then the very same parts kept blowing out (which in turned caused me some other problems with my system).
It doesn't matter what freakin' company it is...if a consumer is dropping about $1200 on a product, they should reasonably expect it to work...instead of having to take it in for repairs.
In the future, I suggest you try posting something about the topic at hand without all the sarcasm...you'll come across a lot more intelligent...particularly since I very much doubt you were evesdropping on anyone else's service calls to Apple.
In the future, I suggest you try posting something about the topic at hand without all the sarcasm...you'll come across a lot more intelligent...particularly since I very much doubt you were evesdropping on anyone else's service calls to Apple.
Someone dial nine-wahh-wahh and send out the wahhmbulance!
Brought my iMac in today for the aforementioned XP-related graphical problem. They have no clue. So I get a new logic board, new GPU, two new sticks of RAM (there's a weird POST beep string coming when I boot from XP to X but not X to XP or cold start to X or XP), and no hassle on any of it. Not to mention XP is specifically not covered.
Man, Apple must really hate you. Maybe they read this forum and all your whining.
Quote:
Originally Posted by winterspan
Not to be an ass, but seriously WTF?
*templesrubs* Let me slow this down for you. The peoples of of central and northern India use the Hindi language (as does Fiji, Mauritius, Guyana and Suriname), most modern call centers are located in Hindi speaking regions.
I am surprised at such a relatively large number of posts here because I think it should be beyond question - to anyone who has had at least some minor knowledge/experience of owning Apple products in comparison with other brands - that Apple's after-sales service is certainly among the best in the computing industry. This may have increasingly to do with the 'real-life' service feel afforded by Genius Bars in Apple stores - which lacks so much elsewhere in this era of inhuman 0-800 calls - so this advantage may be less apparent to those not fortunate enough to have an Apple Store nearby. But my experience with Apple's call-centre (when I had a problem in Paris last year) was nothing short of top-notch.
When I called the US Call Center, yeah, I got great service immediately, though they couldn't do anything because I had bought my machine in Japan. They did, however, listen very well about my experiences with Apple Japan and then very simply replied that I should write a letter because that simply shouldn't happen. I asked, To whom? Steve Jobs.
My local electronics shop dreads calling the Japan Call Center, and many of their customers give up on the call center and just return their computers to the shop, leaving the fun up to them.
I guess this is consolation for all those Apple customers who've been dicked over by "consumer grade" excuses, thermal grease, oozing green slime, mooing, whining, disappearing threads on the Apple discussion forums, et. al. OTOH it speaks volumes about how good these surveys really are.
Funny, but if you search a few of my very recent posts (iPhone 2.02 software update thread), you will see that I was involved in a rather emotional fight with some 'true' Apple fanboys (I call them cheerleaders, btw).
Just wanted to give Apple respect where it's due.
But as my grandmother has always said - "Life is Unfair" ...
When I called the US Call Center, yeah, I got great service immediately, though they couldn't do anything because I had bought my machine in Japan. They did, however, listen very well about my experiences with Apple Japan and then very simply replied that I should write a letter because that simply shouldn't happen. I asked, To whom? Steve Jobs.
My local electronics shop dreads calling the Japan Call Center, and many of their customers give up on the call center and just return their computers to the shop, leaving the fun up to them.
You may a have point - in European Union it's better as there is no difference where you bought your devise, and the warranty applies regardless. So your machine gets repaired no questions asked even the devise was bought in another EU country. And as far as I can remember, Apple only has one call centre for Europe (In Ireland).
Find one better, then. Please note that "best in the industry" compares Apple to their peers, not to the pinnacle YOU wish them to achieve. They have flaws, yes, but they're better than what else is out there. Here... have a STFU bar, it's on the house...
Personally, my recent history with Apple customer service has been extremely positive:
Problem: G5 iMac would randomly turn off
Result: Was just out of AppleCare, but Apple replaced the power supply anyways
Problem: 1st gen MacBook Pro battery would get to 80% or so, then the computer would shut off
Result: Apple replaced the battery
Problem: 1st gen MacBook Pro whining noise
Result: Apple replaced the motherboard
Problem: MBP battery problem again
Result: Over 1 year out of AppleCare, but Apple still replaced the battery for me
The very last one was really a bonus. I wasn't expecting them to give me a battery for free, but the guy at the genius bar took a look at the low number of battery cycles, spoke with the store manager about it, and did it because (in his words): "it's the right thing to do".
So while I've had my share of problems with Apple products, I'm very happy with how they've responded to those problems. So this article isn't a surprise to me.
Well the customer service is good, I find it disturbing to see all of those HW issues, really that's just bad. Good customer service to make up for shoddy HW is great, but doesn't feel me with a lot of confidence.
I've had the APP replace a dead 5g iPod, and I got the APP for my Mini, but I just find it poor practice to buy extended warranties for computers, but I don't think much of Apple's quality, it's just seems like the thing to do with Apple.
You do realize that Apple doesn't actually make their hardware, right? Even before the Mactel age, their hardware was a mishmash of components from other manufacturers just like a Windows computer, albeit with some fairly proprietary stuff (since nobody else used PowerPC architecture and therefore all their logic boards and processors were made just for them).
If Western Digital has a run of bad hard drives, how is that Apple's fault? They replace them for you to compensate for the screw-up of their supplier. Intel drops the ball on making a CPU, you get it replaced by Apple even though their only error was signing to receive a shipment over at the assembly depot. Batteries... look at how many have been recalled across EVERY manufacturer of laptops. My brother's $500 Dell "I just need to run Word so I can write" laptop and my iBook both suffered from that one.
I've seen remarkable inconsistency with mother/logic boards across PowerPCs, Mactels, and x86 and x64 PCs, so I feel particularly sympathy for them trying to make the best of a bad situation there as well. Perhaps we should be hating on Intel, because they manufacture the custom logic boards that malfunction.
Quote:
Originally Posted by guinness
but I just find it poor practice to buy extended warranties for computers
Then no offense, but you're a moron. A year of free warranty with Apple is the longer end of the spectrum; Dell offers as little as three months on some of the lower-end units like the vaunted and much advertised $500 laptop specials. That boggles my mind... if you got it for Christmas, with your brilliant plan, if it bit the dust on April Fool's Day, you'd be screwed.
You do realize that Apple doesn't actually make their hardware, right? Even before the Mactel age, their hardware was a mishmash of components from other manufacturers just like a Windows computer, albeit with some fairly proprietary stuff (since nobody else used PowerPC architecture and therefore all their logic boards and processors were made just for them).
If Western Digital has a run of bad hard drives, how is that Apple's fault? They replace them for you to compensate for the screw-up of their supplier. Intel drops the ball on making a CPU, you get it replaced by Apple even though their only error was signing to receive a shipment over at the assembly depot. Batteries... look at how many have been recalled across EVERY manufacturer of laptops. My brother's $500 Dell "I just need to run Word so I can write" laptop and my iBook both suffered from that one.
I've seen remarkable inconsistency with mother/logic boards across PowerPCs, Mactels, and x86 and x64 PCs, so I feel particularly sympathy for them trying to make the best of a bad situation there as well. Perhaps we should be hating on Intel, because they manufacture the custom logic boards that malfunction.
Compared to the likes of Dell or HP, Apple's volume is very small. 2.5-3 million computers is nothing to them, but I when I look around at people suggesting those particular PCs, I don't see them also suggesting extended warranties, but primarily just with Apple PCs.
A PC is a PC, a Mac is just a PC in different clothing. I know that by an large, a HD will fail after 3-5 years, and typically they're only guaranteed for 1, I think Seagate or WD does 3 years.
Of all the PC's I've used or built, I've never had a complete motherboard failure, I would think the mobo would arrive DOA. Same goes with RAM or HDs, they can arrive DOA, but you just RMA them back to the seller/OEM. Batteries fail too. But I've only had HD failures, but they have moving parts, it's expected, but then again, I can easily open my PCs to replace it.
My Mini requires a putty knife. Yeh.
Apple designs their computers, they also sell them and package them, so it is up to them to replace the parts under warranty. and they also sell more expensive PCs than the typical Dell or HP. Most PCs are sold under $1000, most Macs over, but they both use the same basic HW. It's no different when something breaks on a Sony or Toshiba, they fix it.
I don't feel bad that Apple has to replace their defective parts, but things like faulty mobo's are disturbing, as it really should not happen very often.
And I liked the bit about calling me a moron. Thank you for proving your point so eloquently, when in doubt, call people names. Bravo. But, you made me look it up, and Dell does come with a limited 1 year warranty on those $500 laptops, adding in-home for one year is an extra $70:
Oooh, they've upgraded it. Not enough to make me want a Dell over an Apple, but... yeah, not really worth knowing either.
As for faulty logic boards, again, take it up with Intel. I-N-T-E-L. Say it with me, friend. Intel. Apple does not produce the motherboard, they just buy them from a manufacturer and use them. That's like saying you're at fault for buying a Mac when it suffers hardware failure.
And since you seem to have an overabundance of free time, sit down and assemble a directly comparable Dell, using the same parts as in a MacBook, an iMac, or a Mac Pro. Oh wait, someone did for the former and you're conveniently ignoring that post.
EDIT: Also... I kinda like being able to bring my stuff in and get it fixed at the store, as opposed to the whole "Call us, we'll get you hooked up with an RMA, you ship it to us, we fix it and ship it back" system. Especially given the way stuff gets beaten up in shipping. I've got a picture somewhere that my brother took when he worked at UPS; a piece of their machinery (properly working) moved a shifting divider to redirect packages to a new truck and literally cleaved a Dell tower in HALF. Imagine what that could do to your laptop.
I am surprised at such a relatively large number of posts here because I think it should be beyond question - to anyone who has had at least some minor knowledge/experience of owning Apple products in comparison with other brands - that Apple's after-sales service is certainly among the best in the computing industry. This may have increasingly to do with the 'real-life' service feel afforded by Genius Bars in Apple stores - which lacks so much elsewhere in this era of inhuman 0-800 calls - so this advantage may be less apparent to those not fortunate enough to have an Apple Store nearby. But my experience with Apple's call-centre (when I had a problem in Paris last year) was nothing short of top-notch.
I just read your reply to my Bad Karma post.. and wow!... I must admit that if I had the same probs as you've had... I probably wouldn't be overly enthusiastic about stating my anology of Mac to Porsche either (or at all!).
However... I did think somethin' was fishy here, considering you spelled Bergermeister wrong (you don't live in Germany, I do, and it's Bürgermeister) and you claiming a certain "Southern" Paradise as your location. So after your last reply, and seeing that you're dealing with Apple Japan... now I know the source of your problems.
In Europe, we had to deal with some pretty shoddy manufacturing of Apple products for a few years when they moved into Ireland. They've cleaned up their processing and quality control amazingly well over the years. Also, the Apple Call Center here in Germany was also "lacking" in knowledgable people, as well as a "customer service oriented" attitude. I must say that of this writing, and my last dealing as of March... they have also improved tremendously.
We can only hope for similar improvements in the future, for you folks in the "Southern Paradises" of the world.
I speak German (four languages, actually) well enough to know that my name is not German (nor any of the other three), and was not intended to be such. It's an old joke from high school that only a few people would get. Works for me, though.
Yeah, I can only hope that Japan improves. As it is, they absolutely suck. It was so bad at one point that I got the distinct feeling that they were selling refurbished machines as new, even if they contained problems.
Comments
Yes, at my company it is usually the same three or four people who have problems, and most of them are due to user error.
I am one of them, but am a power user and have used computers for almost 30 years; though I occasionally have probs with apps, I can usually figure them out on my own, even with new apps that I have no experience with.
My problems have all been shoddy hardware, poor service and shoddy repairs and even the refusal to admit that there is a problem.
A brand new MBA that dies after two weeks of use is a hardware (manufacturing) issue. A screen that is badly tilted is a hardware issue. Ditto for a nano with a tilted screen. Ditto for a PB keyboard that comes unglued after two months. Ditto for a Power Mac that was DOA (had two of the same model) and that died within the first year and was eventuall replaced (after a major, major hassle). Ditto for the iBook that couldn't record audio over USB when my wife's could. Ditto for the PB that required three new motherboards in a two month period. Do I need to mention the Japanese input on 2.0.0? The list is long.
Shoddy service is the call center not knowing that a product is an Apple product, reading directly from the Help menu (after I said I had already tried that), saying there is no problem with my iBook without ever looking at it. Also is that the director of the Call Center said she would have Customer Relations call me; that call has not come after months of waiting. This is the short version.
Apple also claims that my nano screen is perfectly within specs (nice how those specs were changed to include the tilt) and therefore they won't fix it or replace it and I'm stuck with an inferior device that is difficult to look at and an embarrassment to carry around.
Bad Karma? Yeah, I guess so. I have certainly gotten more than a fair share of rotten Apples, but for some reason keep buying stuff.
And the rating if taken now would be?
Ouch.
However, Lexus started out on the wrong foot but cleared the problem carefully and now have a dedicated group of customers. If Apple clears up the current mess quickly and well and takes responsibility for it, then they will come out ahead. Hopefully, they will work hard to overcome this current period of less than stellar performance.
There should be a lot of over-time being put in.
Aforementioned little brother coming in to slap someone upside the head... don't mind me...Moving parts do break down. Seriously. I've seen them do it.Note the curious lack of time information on both this and the above; I'm guessing out of warranty.I'll call bullshit on the refused repairs because I had the same problem and received three separate logic boards before settling on the one that worked until the PSU blew and I bought an aluminum iMac. And why should they give you an entirely new computer? Your logic amuses me.They replaced it. Your point?And this, genius, is why you buy AppleCare to extend your warranty BEFORE it expires. You get a year. I get three. Which one of us ends up better off now?
Listen...there's no need for all your attitude - considering you know absolutely NOTHING about my experience with Apple, so please spare us your "insight."
The G3 PowerBook died a little outside the 1yr timeframe. Say what you want, but it was my firt Mac and I had never had any issues with previous laptops or desktops from other PC vendors. Nor did I have any clue about AppleCare at that time, as the reseller hadn't offered it to me.
The eMac experienced a dreadful screen flickering while still under warranty. It was a relatively common issue on a limited run of eMacs. My recollection is that not very many folks who were talking about it online at the time were getting help from Apple. That was my experience...not yours, clearly. But no, they were not "both out of warranty."
As for your (and my) iMac woes...your ridiculous comments only indicate that you have a very high threshhold for accepting crappy products.
Apple fixed my machine three times and it was still not working 100%. The point here is, regardless of whether one year had elapsed or not, Apple should have "done the right thing" (just like someone mentioned about a PBP battery replacement earlier) and simply replaced the unit as it was clearly a lemon (even one of the Apple phone agents said as much - just not a supervisor). The original problem occurred under warranty and then the very same parts kept blowing out (which in turned caused me some other problems with my system).
It doesn't matter what freakin' company it is...if a consumer is dropping about $1200 on a product, they should reasonably expect it to work...instead of having to take it in for repairs.
In the future, I suggest you try posting something about the topic at hand without all the sarcasm...you'll come across a lot more intelligent...particularly since I very much doubt you were evesdropping on anyone else's service calls to Apple.
In the future, I suggest you try posting something about the topic at hand without all the sarcasm...you'll come across a lot more intelligent...particularly since I very much doubt you were evesdropping on anyone else's service calls to Apple.
Someone dial nine-wahh-wahh and send out the wahhmbulance!
Brought my iMac in today for the aforementioned XP-related graphical problem. They have no clue. So I get a new logic board, new GPU, two new sticks of RAM (there's a weird POST beep string coming when I boot from XP to X but not X to XP or cold start to X or XP), and no hassle on any of it. Not to mention XP is specifically not covered.
Man, Apple must really hate you. Maybe they read this forum and all your whining.
Not to be an ass, but seriously WTF?
*templesrubs* Let me slow this down for you. The peoples of of central and northern India use the Hindi language (as does Fiji, Mauritius, Guyana and Suriname), most modern call centers are located in Hindi speaking regions.
When I called the US Call Center, yeah, I got great service immediately, though they couldn't do anything because I had bought my machine in Japan. They did, however, listen very well about my experiences with Apple Japan and then very simply replied that I should write a letter because that simply shouldn't happen. I asked, To whom? Steve Jobs.
My local electronics shop dreads calling the Japan Call Center, and many of their customers give up on the call center and just return their computers to the shop, leaving the fun up to them.
Apple's after-sales service is certainly among the best in the computing industry
Oh bollocks. Fanboy hysteria.
Oh bollocks. Fanboy hysteria.
Funny, but if you search a few of my very recent posts (iPhone 2.02 software update thread), you will see that I was involved in a rather emotional fight with some 'true' Apple fanboys (I call them cheerleaders, btw).
Just wanted to give Apple respect where it's due.
But as my grandmother has always said - "Life is Unfair" ...
Japan is very, very, different.
When I called the US Call Center, yeah, I got great service immediately, though they couldn't do anything because I had bought my machine in Japan. They did, however, listen very well about my experiences with Apple Japan and then very simply replied that I should write a letter because that simply shouldn't happen. I asked, To whom? Steve Jobs.
My local electronics shop dreads calling the Japan Call Center, and many of their customers give up on the call center and just return their computers to the shop, leaving the fun up to them.
You may a have point - in European Union it's better as there is no difference where you bought your devise, and the warranty applies regardless. So your machine gets repaired no questions asked even the devise was bought in another EU country. And as far as I can remember, Apple only has one call centre for Europe (In Ireland).
Oh bollocks. Fanboy hysteria.
Find one better, then. Please note that "best in the industry" compares Apple to their peers, not to the pinnacle YOU wish them to achieve. They have flaws, yes, but they're better than what else is out there. Here... have a STFU bar, it's on the house...
Personally, my recent history with Apple customer service has been extremely positive:
Problem: G5 iMac would randomly turn off
Result: Was just out of AppleCare, but Apple replaced the power supply anyways
Problem: 1st gen MacBook Pro battery would get to 80% or so, then the computer would shut off
Result: Apple replaced the battery
Problem: 1st gen MacBook Pro whining noise
Result: Apple replaced the motherboard
Problem: MBP battery problem again
Result: Over 1 year out of AppleCare, but Apple still replaced the battery for me
The very last one was really a bonus. I wasn't expecting them to give me a battery for free, but the guy at the genius bar took a look at the low number of battery cycles, spoke with the store manager about it, and did it because (in his words): "it's the right thing to do".
So while I've had my share of problems with Apple products, I'm very happy with how they've responded to those problems. So this article isn't a surprise to me.
Well the customer service is good, I find it disturbing to see all of those HW issues, really that's just bad. Good customer service to make up for shoddy HW is great, but doesn't feel me with a lot of confidence.
I've had the APP replace a dead 5g iPod, and I got the APP for my Mini, but I just find it poor practice to buy extended warranties for computers, but I don't think much of Apple's quality, it's just seems like the thing to do with Apple.
If Western Digital has a run of bad hard drives, how is that Apple's fault? They replace them for you to compensate for the screw-up of their supplier. Intel drops the ball on making a CPU, you get it replaced by Apple even though their only error was signing to receive a shipment over at the assembly depot. Batteries... look at how many have been recalled across EVERY manufacturer of laptops. My brother's $500 Dell "I just need to run Word so I can write" laptop and my iBook both suffered from that one.
I've seen remarkable inconsistency with mother/logic boards across PowerPCs, Mactels, and x86 and x64 PCs, so I feel particularly sympathy for them trying to make the best of a bad situation there as well. Perhaps we should be hating on Intel, because they manufacture the custom logic boards that malfunction.
but I just find it poor practice to buy extended warranties for computers
Then no offense, but you're a moron. A year of free warranty with Apple is the longer end of the spectrum; Dell offers as little as three months on some of the lower-end units like the vaunted and much advertised $500 laptop specials. That boggles my mind... if you got it for Christmas, with your brilliant plan, if it bit the dust on April Fool's Day, you'd be screwed.
You do realize that Apple doesn't actually make their hardware, right? Even before the Mactel age, their hardware was a mishmash of components from other manufacturers just like a Windows computer, albeit with some fairly proprietary stuff (since nobody else used PowerPC architecture and therefore all their logic boards and processors were made just for them).
If Western Digital has a run of bad hard drives, how is that Apple's fault? They replace them for you to compensate for the screw-up of their supplier. Intel drops the ball on making a CPU, you get it replaced by Apple even though their only error was signing to receive a shipment over at the assembly depot. Batteries... look at how many have been recalled across EVERY manufacturer of laptops. My brother's $500 Dell "I just need to run Word so I can write" laptop and my iBook both suffered from that one.
I've seen remarkable inconsistency with mother/logic boards across PowerPCs, Mactels, and x86 and x64 PCs, so I feel particularly sympathy for them trying to make the best of a bad situation there as well. Perhaps we should be hating on Intel, because they manufacture the custom logic boards that malfunction.
Compared to the likes of Dell or HP, Apple's volume is very small. 2.5-3 million computers is nothing to them, but I when I look around at people suggesting those particular PCs, I don't see them also suggesting extended warranties, but primarily just with Apple PCs.
A PC is a PC, a Mac is just a PC in different clothing. I know that by an large, a HD will fail after 3-5 years, and typically they're only guaranteed for 1, I think Seagate or WD does 3 years.
Of all the PC's I've used or built, I've never had a complete motherboard failure, I would think the mobo would arrive DOA. Same goes with RAM or HDs, they can arrive DOA, but you just RMA them back to the seller/OEM. Batteries fail too. But I've only had HD failures, but they have moving parts, it's expected, but then again, I can easily open my PCs to replace it.
My Mini requires a putty knife. Yeh.
Apple designs their computers, they also sell them and package them, so it is up to them to replace the parts under warranty. and they also sell more expensive PCs than the typical Dell or HP. Most PCs are sold under $1000, most Macs over, but they both use the same basic HW. It's no different when something breaks on a Sony or Toshiba, they fix it.
I don't feel bad that Apple has to replace their defective parts, but things like faulty mobo's are disturbing, as it really should not happen very often.
And I liked the bit about calling me a moron. Thank you for proving your point so eloquently, when in doubt, call people names. Bravo. But, you made me look it up, and Dell does come with a limited 1 year warranty on those $500 laptops, adding in-home for one year is an extra $70:
http://www.dell.com/content/products...=19&l=en&s=dhs
As for faulty logic boards, again, take it up with Intel. I-N-T-E-L. Say it with me, friend. Intel. Apple does not produce the motherboard, they just buy them from a manufacturer and use them. That's like saying you're at fault for buying a Mac when it suffers hardware failure.
And since you seem to have an overabundance of free time, sit down and assemble a directly comparable Dell, using the same parts as in a MacBook, an iMac, or a Mac Pro. Oh wait, someone did for the former and you're conveniently ignoring that post.
EDIT: Also... I kinda like being able to bring my stuff in and get it fixed at the store, as opposed to the whole "Call us, we'll get you hooked up with an RMA, you ship it to us, we fix it and ship it back" system. Especially given the way stuff gets beaten up in shipping. I've got a picture somewhere that my brother took when he worked at UPS; a piece of their machinery (properly working) moved a shifting divider to redirect packages to a new truck and literally cleaved a Dell tower in HALF. Imagine what that could do to your laptop.
I am surprised at such a relatively large number of posts here because I think it should be beyond question - to anyone who has had at least some minor knowledge/experience of owning Apple products in comparison with other brands - that Apple's after-sales service is certainly among the best in the computing industry. This may have increasingly to do with the 'real-life' service feel afforded by Genius Bars in Apple stores - which lacks so much elsewhere in this era of inhuman 0-800 calls - so this advantage may be less apparent to those not fortunate enough to have an Apple Store nearby. But my experience with Apple's call-centre (when I had a problem in Paris last year) was nothing short of top-notch.
I just read your reply to my Bad Karma post.. and wow!... I must admit that if I had the same probs as you've had... I probably wouldn't be overly enthusiastic about stating my anology of Mac to Porsche either (or at all!).
However... I did think somethin' was fishy here, considering you spelled Bergermeister wrong (you don't live in Germany, I do, and it's Bürgermeister) and you claiming a certain "Southern" Paradise as your location. So after your last reply, and seeing that you're dealing with Apple Japan... now I know the source of your problems.
In Europe, we had to deal with some pretty shoddy manufacturing of Apple products for a few years when they moved into Ireland. They've cleaned up their processing and quality control amazingly well over the years. Also, the Apple Call Center here in Germany was also "lacking" in knowledgable people, as well as a "customer service oriented" attitude. I must say that of this writing, and my last dealing as of March... they have also improved tremendously.
We can only hope for similar improvements in the future, for you folks in the "Southern Paradises" of the world.
Yeah, I can only hope that Japan improves. As it is, they absolutely suck. It was so bad at one point that I got the distinct feeling that they were selling refurbished machines as new, even if they contained problems.