Quality control issues with new PowerBooks...particularly the 15"?

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  • Reply 461 of 588
    hey everyone, I have finaly figured out what was wrongh with my battery and why it woudlent charge properly. if you want to read a long story with an obvious lesson in the end read on :



    In contrary to what the apple people thought it wasn't a board that needed replacing it was the battery , but wait - the battery itself is perfect - its the contacts on it that are fuked - it is very slightly loose in its slot and as a result when I hold the PB in my hand (when moving it from room to room) the battery might get pushed in slightly which will cause the specific connector on it that does the charging bit to loose its contact with the male connector on the PB... if I place the machine on a flat surface and give it a slight knock on the left side palm rest - the battery will get pushed back out slightly and the contact will resume thereby resuming the charge action ---- this is crazy for a machine this price, and so simple to fix but apple could not diagnose it during the 3 weeks they had the machine for repair

    Well I called them and guess what - their customer care said that they will be happy to send me a new battery (which made me happy) and then they patched me through to their technical support techies to arrange this delivered...

    guess what happened next... the techies could not locate the PART NUMBER for the AL15" PB battery - why, you ask? because apple are not yet selling them to customers separately, its not that they haven't got those in stock here in the UK, its just that their system doesn't ALLOW them to order one direct for a customer - why? coz its still too a new a machine.... the fact that its been released 2 months ago didn't change this ridiculous statement from apple reps...

    what options did they give me?



    1. Physically go to a repair center (non near me and a very annoying and unacceptable hassle) and get the repair center to order the battery for me, wait for it to show up and then go there again to get it.- sounds like fun ..no?!! - you see, an apple authorized service center CAN order the part, but apple's own reps CAN'T - have you ever heard a more ridiculous story????



    2. Do nothing, sit around, and wait until apple update their tech support system to allow their help-desk staff to send out this part - could be another 6 months as far as anyone knows... and meanwhile use the PB as a mighty expensive desktop with a small screen (coz charging the battery is near impossible) instead of the state of the art laptop i thought i was buying.... the fact that they even dared to suggest this option goes a long way to show what a lousy mentality they have over at apple customer care!



    Obviously I was pissed-off with both options and made it clear to the apple reps that they are being arses and that if apple fuking has the part it should be up to them to get it to me rather then expect me to make my way to a repair center and wait till that place gets me one (of course i never used this pleasant lingo but I was sure as hell thinking it )...

    I also said that considering that the machine has just come back from repair after being away for 3 weeks makes it even more ridiculous and upsetting...

    The amazing thing is that of all the people i talked to at apple no one was capable of looking at the situation and saying - "yeh this situation is a joke - the customer needs a part we have that part lets just find a way to get the part to him, why should he suffer coz we have a Sh!t bureaucratic system" all they were capable of saying was how sorry they are and how they understand my problem and see how unjust the situation is -but NO ONE suggested taking and initiative and doing something about it! Apple this is a joke!!



    What did i do next? well luckily i have the number for apple's executive customer care department in the UK (got it coz my company has these sort of useful things around and rest assured apple wants to keep us happy if they have a single % of sense left in their brains) - the difference in attitude and result here was amazing - I had a quick chat with the very polite apple rep who assured me he WILL FIND A SOLUTION and call me back to let me know. sure enough within 24 hours i got a call back from him telling me he has ordered a new battery for me and that it should be on its way to me after the weekend....



    the lesson to learn from this is:

    1. Never trust apple repair engineers - always check stuff for yourself if you can.

    2. Apple customer care SUCKS if you ever need anything sorted get in touch with the third tier people - only they have the brains and the ability to do anything about anything!



    On the upside - my new screen is still perfect (one week so far) and the machine (apart from the battery issue) is just exhilarating! its the best mac i have ever used! and if apple can get the battery issue fixed I might be willing to excuse them for all the mess they have caused me with this thing for the past 2 months...





    8)
  • Reply 462 of 588
    That's wild about the battery. Do you need the part number? Are you saying that they said a consumer can't buy the battery separately yet (world-wide or in the UK)? Many people in the states have purchased a battery separately (including me).



    Hope you got it resolved, let me (someone) know if you need the P/N. Sorry if I got it wrong.
  • Reply 463 of 588
    Quote:

    Originally posted by machem

    That's wild about the battery. Do you need the part number? Are you saying that they said a consumer can't buy the battery separately yet (world-wide or in the UK)? Many people in the states have purchased a battery separately (including me).



    Hope you got it resolved, let me (someone) know if you need the P/N. Sorry if I got it wrong.




    Well it took them a while but the guys on the phone did find the battery part number in the end (i actually found it for them on the tech specs page in Apple.com ).... the problem seemed to have been that in the UK they cannot send what they refer to as "user installable parts" to customers just yet.... nutty, I know!

    You can probably purchase an extra battery at the apple store while ordering a PB but they were adamant that their "system" simply does not allow them to send me one yet.... their system should first be updated (some time in the unknown future) and only then they would have been able to send it...



    The really astonishing thing is how lame and incompetent those reps have been on the phone.

    Oh well - i try to stay calm about it and think of it as funny, but it looks like Apple have some serious customer management issue here in the UK..
  • Reply 464 of 588
    Oh crap! Today, after about 1.5 months of use, I noticed the classic white spots on my 15" powerbook. I really didn't notice them before-and I looked. They are very noticable when the grey starting screen comes on. Not bad when writing in word since the background is mostly white. I don't wan to give up the laptop since I need it for work, so I'll probably deal with it later.



    Earlier I mentioned that I had seen some uneven backlighting as described and pictured up-thread. (one portion of screen appears darker). I haven't seen that again, instead I got the screen-pox.
  • Reply 465 of 588
    ast3r3xast3r3x Posts: 5,012member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Carson O'Genic

    Earlier I mentioned that I had seen some uneven backlighting as described and pictured up-thread. (one portion of screen appears darker). I haven't seen that again, instead I got the screen-pox.



    Same happened with me the other day noticed white spots. Try running your screen at a low backlight power for a while and you will probably start to notice the uneven backlighting.
  • Reply 466 of 588
    Quote:

    Originally posted by ast3r3x

    Same happened with me the other day noticed white spots. Try running your screen at a low backlight power for a while and you will probably start to notice the uneven backlighting.



    the screen backlighting appears more even in my new "fresh off the assembly line" PB15. i dont know if im imagining it, but i calibrated several times and yet the colors dont look quite the same as on the other machine i sent back. this one has less color saturation and is not as bright. they did something to the screens, but it remains to be seen if the white spot problem has been permanently resolved.



    truthfully, i dont notice a difference yet between the 1.25 Ghz and the 1Ghz model, speed-wise. (using 768mb ram in both.)



    anyone know how to take the keyboard out so maybe i can try to fix the faulty command key? aaargh! it keeps "sticking." if i have to send it back for this little crappy problem, i will not be happy.
  • Reply 467 of 588
    Quote:

    Originally posted by rashumon

    Well, mixed response from me - today i received my 1.25 15" back with a new screen - its perfect so far, it looks like they have fixed the screen problems... though i'll have to give it another few weeks to be sure about this one...

    On the other hand they were supposed to fix my battery charging problems which i don't think they have. the repair form states that they have exchanged the PMU (power management unit) on the left side of the machine but when I plugged the PB to the power adapter the battery meter just sticks to showing "calculating time until full" and the ring around the power plug stays green endlessly (instead of turning orange to indicate its charging the battery) without the battery charge percentage meter showing any upwards progress at all - needless to say I'm not happy about this and really not sure what to do - the machine has been with apple for over 3 weeks for this repair and I really don't want to send it back again - especially since it looks as though they are not doing the right thing to fix the problem



    Any suggestions you guys might have would bee most welcome, has any one else had battery charge issues with their AL15"?



    thanks

    Rash






    Rash, i am having the SAME problem now with my battery... i knew something was suspicious when i got it. the battery % drains when i unplug the cable, and when i plug the power cord in, it says "battery is charged" even though it clearly isnt, and the light stays green instead red. i read all your posts and tried jiggling the battery around and it finally started charging.
  • Reply 468 of 588
    Quote:

    Originally posted by mac's girl

    Rash, i am having the SAME problem now with my battery... i knew something was suspicious when i got it. the battery % drains when i unplug the cable, and when i plug the power cord in, it says "battery is charged" even though it clearly isnt, and the light stays green instead red. i read all your posts and tried jiggling the battery around and it finally started charging.



    Mac's girl, this sounds exactly like my problem - read further down from the post you quoted and see more info about it - I traced the problem to the fact that the battery is slightly loose in its slot (which means that when pushed in the contacts on the battery become weak) - a simple fix I have applied successfully is to simply place a folded piece of kitchen paper (you know, the non fibber shedding type...) between the bottom of the machine and the battery, this forces the battery out a little thereby enhancing the contacts between the battery and the PB, with the paper in place the battery is absolutely firm in its slot with absolutely no play - so far this simple and rather elegant fix totally sorted my problem - at least until apple send me a better fit battery....



    I can now consistently get about 3+ hours from this baby - What an Ace machine this is!
  • Reply 469 of 588
    Quote:

    Originally posted by mac's girl

    anyone know how to take the keyboard out so maybe i can try to fix the faulty command key? aaargh! it keeps "sticking." if i have to send it back for this little crappy problem, i will not be happy. [/B]



    The keyboard doesn't come out on the Alu PB (it does on the ti PB). I guess this is because of the backlighting, but it also makes the keyboard feel more solid, which is nice. I think you can probably pop the keycap off with a screwdriver or something. But be careful, I haven't tried this on my pb. You might also try contacting Apple and seeing if they can talk you through a fix on the phone.



    -Spyky
  • Reply 470 of 588
    I just called Apple to send in my PB for the second whitespot repair. I'm going to have it repaired next week because I have a week long fall break at my university, and I won't need my computer during this time, so it seems like a good time to try a repair.



    I was cautioned by the tech I spoke with that I should not carry the computer in a case that puts pressure on the screen. I asked explicitly if they could ensure that my computer would be repaired and not have the spots reappear like last time. The tech was not able to give me any more information about the repair and was very quick to say that no one could tell me if the repair being done this time was any different than before. I was told that if the problem reappeared they would elevate it to the "engineering department" and they would take "photographs of the shipping box" and such. I mentioned that I would exchange my computer for a 12" or 17" that don't exhibit such problems if after repair the spots reappear, the tech didn't have anything to say in response.



    I've seen some comments that seem to indicate that newer pb 15" don't have this problem anymore. I hope that this repair will really fix the problem. It seems like they've had enough time to find a permanent solution, but I'm a bit concerned because the technician wouldn't say, "yes, it was an issue, but it has been fixed" or something like that. He also cautioned me to not put pressure on the screen, which seems to me to be saying that the problem still exists.



    Can anyone reassure me that it will really be fixed this time? Even though I don't *need* my computer over the break, I'll be sad to not have it, and I will be really upset if the spots reappear after the repair.



    Luckily my parents just bought a 14" iBook, so I can use that when I am home over break. This is my first mac, and the iBook is my parents first mac. I hope we bought the right computer, and Apple will really fix mine.



    -Spyky
  • Reply 471 of 588
    Quote:

    Originally posted by rashumon

    Mac's girl, this sounds exactly like my problem - read further down from the post you quoted and see more info about it - I traced the problem to the fact that the battery is slightly loose in its slot (which means that when pushed in the contacts on the battery become weak) - a simple fix I have applied successfully is to simply place a folded piece of kitchen paper (you know, the non fibber shedding type...) between the bottom of the machine and the battery, this forces the battery out a little thereby enhancing the contacts between the battery and the PB, with the paper in place the battery is absolutely firm in its slot with absolutely no play - so far this simple and rather elegant fix totally sorted my problem - at least until apple send me a better fit battery....



    I can now consistently get about 3+ hours from this baby - What an Ace machine this is!




    hey rash,

    i read all of your posts and i did try to jiggle the battery around...thats how i even got it to start charging. there is very little play in my battery however. i'll try the paper trick if it happens again. but i think i may have a PMU problem. the hard disk refuses to spin down even with the energy saver option on. it keeps whirring around and making noises even when i am doing absolutely nothing. and my battery drains rather quickly. i will call apple tomorrow and see what they say. the white spot issue notwithstanding, this PB seems inferior overall to the one i sent back. i wish i had kept it, even tho it was the 1Ghz/combo drive model.
  • Reply 472 of 588
    Quote:

    Originally posted by mac's girl

    the screen backlighting appears more even in my new "fresh off the assembly line" PB15. i dont know if im imagining it, but i calibrated several times and yet the colors dont look quite the same as on the other machine i sent back. this one has less color saturation and is not as bright. they did something to the screens, but it remains to be seen if the white spot problem has been permanently resolved.



    truthfully, i dont notice a difference yet between the 1.25 Ghz and the 1Ghz model, speed-wise. (using 768mb ram in both.)



    anyone know how to take the keyboard out so maybe i can try to fix the faulty command key? aaargh! it keeps "sticking." if i have to send it back for this little crappy problem, i will not be happy.




    My 15" PB keyboard has pretty massive problems. If the sticking you're referring to is the actual keyboard sticking then you have my problem. When I hit my "/" key, the entire keyboard sinks and on release it makes a sound consistant with tape becoming unstuck. Also, the entire right center of the keyboard sinks when any of the keys are pressed. They also make the key sticking sound, but the sinking is a lot more extreme. This is my 3rd keyboard in 2 weeks and it's really pissing me off how they can say it's fixed after a repair like this.
  • Reply 473 of 588
    Been reading about other problems with the latch. Mine just fell out last week (spring, latch and all). Now PB AL12" does not sleep and battery is always dead.



    Besides this I have some very interesting contours in the sides of my PB despite the fact that I carry it in a padded belkin sleeve within my knapsack....



    Despite all this, it is more rugged than my original PB 15" 400Mghz.
  • Reply 474 of 588
    Quote:

    Originally posted by jfried

    If the sticking you're referring to is the actual keyboard sticking then you have my problem. When I hit my "/" key, the entire keyboard sinks and on release it makes a sound consistant with tape becoming unstuck.



    yep, thats exactly it with mine too, but now the problem has spread so its affecting the space bar and everything to the left of it on that bottom row. sometimes that entire row sinks down a little when one of the keys is pressed. do you know what they actually claim to do in the repair-- do they replace the whole keyboard or just try to fix the affected keys? it sucks that they havent successfully fixed yours yet.
  • Reply 475 of 588
    Quote:

    Originally posted by mac's girl

    yep, thats exactly it with mine too, but now the problem has spread so its affecting the space bar and everything to the left of it on that bottom row. sometimes that entire row sinks down a little when one of the keys is pressed. do you know what they actually claim to do in the repair-- do they replace the whole keyboard or just try to fix the affected keys? it sucks that they havent successfully fixed yours yet.



    I can't be exactly sure what they do, but both times I sent mine in the invoice said that the entire keyboard was replaced. Mine has spread to the space bar too. It feels like the keyboard is going to fall off eventually. One time they tried to tell me that they couldn't find anything wrong with it in the repair until I gave them more info. I'm not sure what causes this though. All I know is it's really annoying.
  • Reply 476 of 588
    Following on from my lower slot RAM problems (see HERE), white blotches on the screen (only appeared in the last 2 weeks) and non sticking lock, I contacted Apple UK about replacing my 6 week old 15" 1.25GHz Powerbook.



    To say I hit a brick wall is an understatement! Apple UK's arrogance is amazing



    They basically told me that I have no chance of having the computer replaced, and that they're 'not in the business of loaning out computers' (I hadn't even brought up this subject...).



    Even when I explained to them that I am a final year uni student and at the end of a uni term (therefore the busiest time of year) they were not in the slightest bit bothered - very much adopting a 'take it or leave it' attitude.

    They offered to fix my computer, but stated that it was highly likely that my computer would be away for 2 weeks plus

    Being the final 3 weeks of my uni term, this isn't much use...

    Besides, a £2k laptop shouldn't have this many problems 6 weeks into ownership!!



    I've contacted my credit card company and asked them to look into this matter. They have said that it is highly likely that I will be able to get my money back



    This year alone I've spent more than £4k at the Apple Store. After today I won't be spending a penny more there. They may offer lower prices (education discount), but their customer service is the pitt's. I'd prefer to pay the extra money and receive a good service...

    Aside from this, in the past Apple Store UK have lost my Powerbook in transit (more TNT's fault to be fair...) and have faffed about on sending Panther out to me (receiving it only last week), even though I ordered it on the day it was announced.



    Those of you in the UK - I would urge caution when buying from The Apple Store UK. True their prices can be significantly cheaper if you're an education buyer, but if something goes wrong you're likely to be given the finger by The Apple Store.



    As there is a shortage of 15" 1.25 Powerbook's in the UK, today I bought a new 17" Powerbook from MacWarehouse who I found to be extremely helpful!

    Those of the UK considering buying anything Apple should definitely make these guys your first port of call!



    My biggest piece of advice: Don't bother with The Apple Store UK!
  • Reply 477 of 588
    My AL 15" had three white spots on it and I sent it in for repair last week. It just shipped out to me and I will let everyone know how it works when I get it back...



    In case anyone is interested, here is the daily status of the repair:



    Quote:

    11/17/2003 19:54:52 PT

    Closed



    11/17/2003 08:59:00 PT

    Unit Shippped/Completed



    11/15/2003 07:19:00 PT

    Begin Testing



    11/15/2003 07:19:00 PT

    Ready to Ship



    11/14/2003 11:04:00 PT

    Return to Repair



    11/11/2003 18:29:00 PT

    Hold - Awaiting Part



    11/11/2003 16:53:00 PT

    Begin Repair



    11/11/2003 10:59:00 PT

    Unit Received



    11/04/2003 17:08:00 PT

    Request Acknowledged



    11/04/2003 14:08:51 PT

    Repair Requested



  • Reply 478 of 588
    Thanks, AppleMaster.



    I was just about to go to bed, but I checked my order status (replacement PB) --- I've already checked it today, and it said "on or before 12/2", but you know how it is.... It shipped FedEx!



    I have heard around the horn that these guys are getting a spacer or some such in the center of the lid (as in, where the Apple shine-through is).... sounds heinous, but we shall see.

    Something else I guess I didn't realize: when the display gets replaced, it is the whole lid assembly, not just a screen replacement. This would better explain why earlier repairs didn't fix anything.



    I guess I'd better back up this puppy now.
  • Reply 479 of 588
    well 5 weeks after the 2nd return of my 15", they're back. I noticed one spot on a plane trip the other day and now there are 4, same position as before. The screen was replaced early October.



    I also found it almost impossible to work in After Effects - the app would quit out whenever I tried to scrub the timeline of a not particularly complex project. Any ideas what might be causing this? It happened every 5 mins, to the point where I had to give up and wait till I got home to finish the work, which was very useful.
  • Reply 480 of 588
    Hello,

    Just received my new 15" G4 (1GHz) yesterday directly from Taiwan (is that common?).

    No complains so far, the screen is perfect, no white spots, it closes all right, and the battery life after calibration lasts for about 3 hours, it says.

    My order status was changed twice to finally on/or before 12/2/03, but then shipped out last Friday from Taiwan (ordered BTO 10/21/03).

    Noticed, that not everything for X11 (binaries) are installed on arrival, Panther was preinstalled.

    Just thought to let you know and keep you posted in case of appearing white spots.

    - Stephen
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