I need to vent about my new PowerBook

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Comments

  • Reply 21 of 38
    You too? (the screaming at verizon thing) I hate them. They thought that it was something wrong with us and not even considered that it was there fault. They made me take apart my computer 4 TIMES just to make sure that everything connected. idiots.
  • Reply 22 of 38
    I'm perhaps as little as a week away from ordering a 15" Powerbook 1.33. Whee. This theaeee. This thread, in combonation with the arrogant staff at the local store, have gone a long way towards convicing me that these are unreliable products. In the past week I've seen four Macs screw up, two of which were in that store on demo. I can barely afford the cost of this, but I do need it... I can't afford to have a machine that screws up, or have made an AWFUL purchase choice.
  • Reply 23 of 38
    Well I have been very calm and courteous with them. I am, however, starting to lose my patience. I feel as though I am stuck in a bureaucratic rut. I don't want this to run on for another few months. I think after the four repairs, I deserve immediate action. It feels like they have had it more at their place than I have ever had it mine.
  • Reply 24 of 38
    Quote:

    Originally posted by DHagan4755

    I feel as though I am stuck in a bureaucratic rut.



    You are, and the people you are dealing with have the power to expedite your situation. You just have to press the right buttons. Depends on who you are talking to, and how you present your case history. It is vital that you make sure that you have your case history in your hand when you talk to them. On top of that, make sure that you are doing everything with one case number, not new ones. Keep that case going.

    Apples CRM system is _not_ up to the task. Ive had CSRs put me on hold for 30 min while they contact multiple departments to gather the required information. It certainly isnt a one stop shop sort of arrangement, and they may well not have all of the details of your trial in front of them. Make sure you know the whole story, and make them sit through a retelling every time you talk to them. If you can manage it, get one CSRs name, and get in touch with them.
  • Reply 25 of 38
    Quote:

    Originally posted by blackwave

    I'm perhaps as little as a week away from ordering a 15" Powerbook 1.33. Whee. This theaeee. This thread, in combonation with the arrogant staff at the local store, have gone a long way towards convicing me that these are unreliable products. In the past week I've seen four Macs screw up, two of which were in that store on demo. I can barely afford the cost of this, but I do need it... I can't afford to have a machine that screws up, or have made an AWFUL purchase choice.



    I would remeber that you'll find complaints on the web far more often than people writing in to say that all is going well. Although I've posted here that my powerbook is heading into the shop some time soon for a second time, I must say that getting it "fixed" the first time was a quick and painless experience. I just a bit down on the fact that the engineers have'nt got it really fixed for good. It's their dime and a little bit of my time and hassle.



    If you but a portable I do recommend the extended warranty since these things get more abuse than a Mac sitting on your desk.
  • Reply 26 of 38
    Well the snafu is over. I must have broken through the rut. No returned phone call as promised. So it shipped yesterday, and arrived at my house today to what I must admit was a lukewarm reception after all I have been through.



    I open it up take it out of the box and the latch on the new one is still catchy. WTF? I push the button, it catches. It does not open. I somewhat grasp the display, it sticks. It's a crap shot on whether or not I can get it open.



    WTF?!



    I haven't even turned it on and it's got a flakey latch. Alright so I maybe picky here, but after all of the things I have experienced in this ordeal....



  • Reply 27 of 38
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Carson O'Genic

    While on the subject of PowerBook screens. Has anyone else had a recurrance of the white spot problem on their 15" PowerBook? I had mine fixed in Winter. I lived with the problem for a a few months to let Apple get the problem well worked out, but i guess I didn't wait long enough since the spots are back on the new screen.



    They are back on mine as well. I haven't bothered to take the laptop back yet.
  • Reply 28 of 38
    Well a quick prowl over to the Apple Discussion forums yields this thread:

    http://discussions.info.apple.com/[email protected]



    Clearly I am not alone.



    And I think I have calmed down just a smidgen that this problem might not be as bad as I initially thought. I am charging the battery fully first and the next step will be to turn it on
  • Reply 29 of 38
    In the future, buy it from a brick and mortar store, and demand that the box be opened and inspect it carefully in the store for dead pixels, crappy screens, latches, whatever on the spot.



    I would not fork over $1000s for something that I had not verified was working and of good quality.



    That said, I've had good luck with my two macs, both of them powerbooks (wallstreet and 4th rev Tibook)
  • Reply 30 of 38
    Quote:

    Originally posted by 1337_5L4Xx0R

    In the future, buy it from a brick and mortar store, and demand that the box be opened and inspect it carefully in the store for dead pixels, crappy screens, latches, whatever on the spot.



    They won't open the box until you've bought it. I know, because I asked. You can open it up at the Genius Bar, though, and then give it back to them to fix it if there's something wrong with it. :/
  • Reply 31 of 38
    pyrixpyrix Posts: 264member
    Call Steve Jobs.



    Dont have his number? Look it up in the phone book.



    Seriously though, that is really cruddy customer service.
  • Reply 32 of 38
    aplnubaplnub Posts: 2,605member
    It is all about who get on the phone with Apple.



    I purchased DVD Stuido Pro back on Dec 1. I get an email saying that it has shipped with tracking number.



    December 12 rolls around and no package and the tracking info. sayd FedEx still hasn't picked it up.



    I made 3 phones calls during this time because it was shipping from a place in TN just a few hours away from my house.



    The last person I talked to helped me out, they resent me a new copy of DVD Studio Pro 3 since the other is stuck in space somewhere and didn't charge me a dime!! It was on the house. Way to go Apple!



    Keep calling, and get one of those hobbit sounding support people on the phone. They are really nice.



    Eric
  • Reply 33 of 38
    Send it back to them certified return receipt requested with a letter telling them that the book's performance breaches warranties of merchantability and implied warranty and that you demand a replacement book stat.



    That should get their attention.



    Nat



    Quote:

    Originally posted by DHagan4755

    I need to vent.



    About a month ago, I purchased a brand new 17-inch PowerBook.



    It has been to Apple for repair two times. Both times to fix dark areas of the screen. It came back today after its second repair, still with dark spots coming from the top of the screen. Now the case is bent too. It's like they bent the superdrive area upward. The screen touches the base on the right side when closed and when it's open, and you're typing, it wobbles.



    I think I am going to go insane. I'm going to call Apple again on Monday to complain and demand they fix it.



    What's the chances that third time's the charm?



    I'm not a happy camper.




  • Reply 34 of 38
    This is not what I wrote. Who is tampering with the excellent legal advice I, who as a lawyer, am qualified to offer this poor guy with a major lemon on his hands? Jeeeez.



    Send this thing back via certified mail, return receipt requested, delivery confirmation; and enclose a letter to them demanding a new machine for the breach of implied warranty and warranty of merchantability.



    Then see how they come back with a much better (i.e. brand new) machine.



    Nat



    ps - I have done this before as well.



    Quote:

    Originally posted by nathanberkowicz

    Depending upon where you live, you may be able to either demand a replacement (i.e. brand new machine) or to void the entire transaction on an implied or merchantability warranty argument. I would have none of this garbage. You paid a ton of cash for it, they delivered junk, you have given them two opportunities to fix their piece of junk, you should be entitled to your money back so you can start this process over and get it right the second time.



    When you are not cruising around and about the moon, where do you reside?



    Nat




  • Reply 35 of 38
    Since I see this topic has resurfaced, I will provide an update.



    Since receiving my replacement PowerBook on September 10th, it has been in for repair three times.



    1. It just died. Couldn't turn it on, nor could Apple Support help me. So I sent it off for repair.



    2. They shipped the unit back to me and the screw in the bottom right corner of the display was loose and fell out, lodged between the screen and the base and wouldn't shut properly. It damaged the enclosure back there, and torqued the hinge.



    3. PowerBook kernel panicks and dies yet again. I send it off to Apple for a third time. This time I bitch and moaned to Apple Customer Relations. No dice.



    I have had the PowerBook back for a little more than a month now with NO problems. But I doubt ? given Apple's horrible repair center ? that this thing won't die on me again. If it dies again I receive yet a 3rd replacement ? or so Apple says. I don't know if I want a replacement for the replacement... ugh!



    Meanwhile in between time, the Airport Reception on this thing is worse than on my Rev. D Ti867. I can call up web pages about two seconds faster on the Ti than I can on this thing. It's a real annoyance, esp. since my job is a lot of networking and remote management of OS X Servers (makes loading the user database slow sometimes). I occasionally plug in via Ethernet when I am planning to do a lot of work.



    So I cannot wait for Apple to put out another PowerBook because I have had nothing but nightmares with the aluminum PowerBooks going all the way back to the debut of the 15-inch alu's in Sept '03. Meanwhile I have urged co-workers to buy them and outside of the whitespot problem which they didn't notice til I pointed it out (and don't seem too concerned), there's have been troublefree \
  • Reply 36 of 38
    powerpcpowerpc Posts: 109member
    email Steve Jobs with your case and pics.









    *shrug* worked for me once. They replaced my mom's hard drive for free.
  • Reply 37 of 38
    neutrino23neutrino23 Posts: 1,561member
    Probably too late for your case but in general, if you purchase your machine with a credit card you can perhaps get some help from the credit card company. Check with the card company before making the purchase.



    I purchased a 15" aluminum PB October 2003. I had two problems. First, the airport reception was terrible. They repaired that quickly. Next, I had the white spots problem. I waited till January 2004 to fix that. It was fixed very quickly, about two days. At the same time they also fixed a squeaky hinge. Since then it has worked wonderfully.
  • Reply 38 of 38
    Just got my box to send my PB in for the 2nd time to fix those darn white spots. Otherwise it works to my satisfaction.
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