G5 Lemon!
I received my 1.8 GHz PowerMac G5 two days ago, excitedly hooked it up
to my 20" Cinema flatscreen (beautiful) only to discover, upon
powering up....nothing. The computer turned on, but no picture
appeared on the monitor (though it was receiving power from the
computer). I powered down and up several times, checked all the
connections, but no luck.
Out of the box for 10 minutes, on the phone with tech support. The
guy (nice enough fellow) had me open the computer to make sure the
video card was in securely. It was. He had me remove it and put it
in again. No luck. He had me hit a hard reset button. No luck.
Might as well have been dealing with a PC, or Microsoft. I switched
to the G5 to avoid this exactly, but I suppose my excitement was a bit
naive.
So, after wrestling on the telephone with the Apple folks for some
time (they wanted me to bring it to a retailer to wait for a part and
have my brand new computer "fixed,"--I refused), I packed it up,
shipped it back at their cost, insisted on a brand new one, insisted
to be put on the front of the line (I was, though they tried to get me
to accept waiting another month (I'm customized with 1 gig and 2
250-gig hard drives, apparently Apple offers these things but can't
deliver in a timely fashion), and they'll ship the new one to me
overnight next week.
Half a day wasted, MAJOR disappointment.
I'll let you know if the next one works, or if it, too, is a $3000+
paperweight. I hope your experiences are more positive than mine.
Anyone have any similar lemon issues? Please share.
to my 20" Cinema flatscreen (beautiful) only to discover, upon
powering up....nothing. The computer turned on, but no picture
appeared on the monitor (though it was receiving power from the
computer). I powered down and up several times, checked all the
connections, but no luck.
Out of the box for 10 minutes, on the phone with tech support. The
guy (nice enough fellow) had me open the computer to make sure the
video card was in securely. It was. He had me remove it and put it
in again. No luck. He had me hit a hard reset button. No luck.
Might as well have been dealing with a PC, or Microsoft. I switched
to the G5 to avoid this exactly, but I suppose my excitement was a bit
naive.
So, after wrestling on the telephone with the Apple folks for some
time (they wanted me to bring it to a retailer to wait for a part and
have my brand new computer "fixed,"--I refused), I packed it up,
shipped it back at their cost, insisted on a brand new one, insisted
to be put on the front of the line (I was, though they tried to get me
to accept waiting another month (I'm customized with 1 gig and 2
250-gig hard drives, apparently Apple offers these things but can't
deliver in a timely fashion), and they'll ship the new one to me
overnight next week.
Half a day wasted, MAJOR disappointment.
I'll let you know if the next one works, or if it, too, is a $3000+
paperweight. I hope your experiences are more positive than mine.
Anyone have any similar lemon issues? Please share.
Comments
did you think to try a different video card in your machine hooked up to an old CRT monitor?
Originally posted by alcimedes
mine has had a few issues, but they're more dead logicboard/CPU style.
did you think to try a different video card in your machine hooked up to an old CRT monitor?
maybe it's not the G5 but the 20" cable
my G5/1.8 is great - no problems here!
Originally posted by Krassy
maybe it's not the G5 but the 20" cable
my G5/1.8 is great - no problems here!
Are Apple displays often defective? Has anyone experienced defective cables for their flat-screen monitors?
As a new Apple user, I don't have any other compatable video cards lying around. Also, one would think that spending $3000+ would get you a product that worked out of the box!
to some extent, yes. if there are consistant problems across the line, i'd say that's an issue. by the same token, i can drop $25k on a car and they still have product recalls.
they're pretty complex machines, and they're making thousands of them. i'm not shocked some have porblems. now if they can't repair it i'll be a bit more pissed, but i'll give them their shot first.
the video card should work with any AGP video card (like what would be in any PC or Mac), at least on some base level. i've never had a problem with an Apple display, i think that comment was made in jest. let us know how your new machine goes.
i guess in your case, how do you know it's the computer and not the display?
Originally posted by stujay
Half a day wasted, MAJOR disappointment.
I understand your upset cuz you had to wait so long etc.. But, giv'em a break. Some times things get screwed up. I mean if your computer was shipped to you the shipping company could have dropped it or something <knock on wood, mines coming today>. I do feel your pain though
When I read the thread title I thought Lemon Bon Bon got a G5
Originally posted by stujay
Are Apple displays often defective? Has anyone experienced defective cables for their flat-screen monitors?
hmm i don't know really - mine's fine too - but i heard that the display-connector-plug could make some problems...
I can't be certain that it was the computer. The Apple techsupport fellow said that it almost definitely was, if for no other reason than because the monitor was receiving power from the computer.
If I have the same problem with the next one, I'll exchange my monitor for another and hope for the best....
DOAs are an unfortunate "characteristic" of the mass production process that keeps prices low. We all complain about the price of Apple kit, and whilst I appreciate that $3000 is by no means a small amount of money, if every machine were tested prior to shipping, the price would be considerably higher.
This is all very easy to say when you're not the one on the receiving end of a lemon.
It's a pity that as always, in these unfortunate situations, the manufacturer's priority is not the customers satisfaction, but instead the path of least resistance (for the manufacturer).
I'm disappointed that Apple didn't bend over backwards to bring this situation to a satisfactory conclusion, but I'm quite frankly alarmed that they expected YOU to take the faulty to unit to a dealer, and to then leave it with them whilst the replacement part made it's way through the system. That's not proactive customer support.
To ask you to join the back of the queue, is completely and utterly unacceptable. What the hell were they thinking?
Whilst I appreciate that you didn't want the unit repaired, had I been handling the situation, I would have explained to you at length the benefits of having the faulty unit repaired - chiefly that a qualified technician would go over it with a fine-tooth comb and ensure that everything was a-okay before you were presented with the unit. In many respects, you would end up with a unit that was better than new, simply because it had been thoroughly tested. I can guarantee that the replacement unit you receive from Apple will not be "tested", but rather batch tested, and will fall of the end of the production line just like your first machine.
I would not have waited on the replacement part to arrive from Apple, but instead taken a stock machine of the shelf, tested it, and then fitted your BTO components to it, tested it again (with you present) and then made sure you were entirely happy with the machine. You would have left with the machine the same day and that would be the end of the matter.
The stripped, faulty machine, and the trail of paperwork created by this approach is quite frankly Apple's problem. The most important thing is that you receive a machine that you are happy with, in the shortest period of time, and the least hassle to you. I can also bet, that when the time comes to replace your G5, my dealership would be at the top of your shortlist rather than the AppleStore!
In the years that I worked for the dealership, and the years since where I have purchased a lot of Apple kit and supported a hell of a lot more, I can say that Apple kit is astonishingly reliable. Indeed, the only problem I can recall from my time at the dealership was a batch of Performa 630s which had two number 2s on the numeric keypad.
I am confident that your new machine will work perfectly, and that you will enjoy the whole Macintosh experience.
Whilst I appreciate that you didn't want the unit repaired, had I been handling the situation, I would have explained to you at length the benefits of having the faulty unit repaired - chiefly that a qualified technician would go over it with a fine-tooth comb and ensure that everything was a-okay before you were presented with the unit. In many respects, you would end up with a unit that was better than new, simply because it had been thoroughly tested. I can guarantee that the replacement unit you receive from Apple will not be "tested", but rather batch tested, and will fall of the end of the production line just like your first machine.
Precisely. Who knows? It could be a shorted lithium-ion battery or a loosened wiring connection. It's a waste of one's own, Apple's, and FedEx/UPS/USPS/whoever's resources to send the machine back for another new one. A local repair would be much faster and safer.
I did have a slight prob with the keyboard (it wouldn't work when it was plugged into the Studio Display), but it would work plugged to the comp itself. But it works with the display now.
sure it's not likely, but it's a real risk.
(not to mention after seeing the thread w/the cinema display box/shippment, i'm not too keen on sending my G5 via FedEx or anyone else)
Originally posted by Eugene
Unscientifically of course, once fixed, I'd expect the machine to be less likely to suffer some kind of failure down the road.
Man, no kidding unscientifically.
Maybe it would help you psychologically, but that's about it!
Originally posted by Eugene
Precisely. Who knows? It could be a shorted lithium-ion battery or a loosened wiring connection. It's a waste of one's own, Apple's, and FedEx/UPS/USPS/whoever's resources to send the machine back for another new one. A local repair would be much faster and safer.
The Apple rep who I spoke with told me that every machine is tested before it is shipped. Interesting.
I did not get it repaired because I purchased a NEW computer. Not one that has to be refurbished before I ever succesfully turn it on. I believe that if one thing is wrong with the computer, there is a marvelous chance that something else is wrong with it too. Perhaps this is unreasonable? I don't know. In my experience, that is the nature of "lemons," whether they are computers, automobiles, or homes. I just don't think it's too much to ask for any manufacturer that holds itself out as making a high-quality product to deliver one that actually functions. As far as wasted resources are concerned, it was simpler for FedEx to ring my doorbell and pick up the computer--at Apple's expense--and send me a new one--at Apple's expense--then for me to shlep to "Computer Land" or whatever it's called, downtown, with a 50+-lb. box under in my arms, (which will ultimately be jostling around in the trunk of a New York City cab) and hope that it could be fixed.
If something went wrong a couple months down the line, that's fine. But out of the box? No thanks--I'll try another.
Originally posted by stujay
The Apple rep who I spoke with told me that every machine is tested before it is shipped. Interesting.
I did not get it repaired because I purchased a NEW computer. Not one that has to be refurbished before I ever succesfully turn it on. I believe that if one thing is wrong with the computer, there is a marvelous chance that something else is wrong with it too. Perhaps this is unreasonable? I don't know. In my experience, that is the nature of "lemons," whether they are computers, automobiles, or homes. I just don't think it's too much to ask for any manufacturer that holds itself out as making a high-quality product to deliver one that actually functions. As far as wasted resources are concerned, it was simpler for FedEx to ring my doorbell and pick up the computer--at Apple's expense--and send me a new one--at Apple's expense--then for me to shlep to "Computer Land" or whatever it's called, downtown, with a 50+-lb. box under in my arms, (which will ultimately be jostling around in the trunk of a New York City cab) and hope that it could be fixed.
If something went wrong a couple months down the line, that's fine. But out of the box? No thanks--I'll try another.
And you should. If they tested it beforhand, the culprit is the shipper. The way they handle any package is disgraceful. It is most likely it worked.
Since they are all tested before shipping, something happened along the way. Either the testing was faulty, or only applied statistically (one of every X units tested for Y and Z).
Simply put, Lemons tend to come in batches. On items like computers, they are often the result of human error (new employee inserting item X wrong all day their first day on the job), or worn out robotic part making an error happen. Either way, if any other part of the subsequent assembly relied on the work done by the faulty part, then those suvsequent parts are more likely to not work.
The items that fail are not items that a techie can usually find with a fine-tooth comb. Breakdowns that are mircoscopic may work fine when in a test situation, but never work at home. And these microscopic breakdown tend to propagate, not remain static.
In short, if you get a LEMON, return it for a brand new unit. Let someone else get a refurb-quality piece of kit.
I ordered a 19" CRT a few years back and the thing got lost for a few days. Well, when it arrived the box looked like it was rolled from the East coast rather than shipped. It wasn't a square box it was a torn mess with styrofoam pieces falling out of the broken corners. Worried of what my big monitor looked like, I peaked inside one of the holes before signing for it. Hard to believe, but the monitor was fine. Every one of the styrofoam packing inserts was broken. It was just floating around inside the box. The monitor worked, but got replace on warranty about a year later becuse it woke up all fuzzy one morning. Things can go wrong on the shipping front, very wrong.
Originally posted by stujay
The Apple rep who I spoke with told me that every machine is tested before it is shipped. Interesting.
...
If something went wrong a couple months down the line, that's fine. But out of the box? No thanks--I'll try another.
I had a friend that worked for UPS. He used to tell me how they would drop TVs down staircases and anything marked 'fragile' would be put in a box throwing contest.