posted
Ridiculously long version with some ranting starts here:
I bought a 12" Powerbook G4 about a year and a half ago. I also bought the extended 3-year Apple Care warranty.
Around the beginning of December, I left my comp on when I went to bed because it was busy ripping a DVD (not for anything illegal - I own the DVD and I'm not distributing anything). In the morning, the comp was frozen, so I turned it off by holding down the power button. I turned it back on, but it wouldn't boot up - it got stuck on the light blue screen.
I kept on trying to get it to boot up. A couple times it would get to the desktop and then quickly freeze. Most of the time it didn't even get that far. I got busy with other stuff and left it for a day or two. I then tried turning it on again and it worked. I have no idea why.
For about a week, I used it as normal, and it seemed fine until I tried burning a CD. My comp would accept a blank CD as normal and then a second later would return an error code and spit it out. Every time. It read CDs just fine. When I put a DVD in, it didn't start the DVD player (as it usually does). I could look at the files on the DVD through Finder, but couldn't get the DVD Player to recognize that it was there. I put in the start-up DVD from Apple, and my comp recognized it just fine.
I searched the internet using the CD error code and found a possible solution posted in a few places. Since it only involved deleting a few cache files, I decided to try it. I copied the files to the desktop and then deleted them from the directory they were in. The instructions said to reboot the computer, so I did. It started up and then showed (what I've since learned is) kernel panic.
I booted up my comp using the start-up DVD and tried using Disk Utility. It didn't work. I tried the 'Archive and Install' option. It didn't work.
I looked on Apple's website, but nothing there was of use. I should have called, but I didn't think of it. Since my comp's still under warranty, I decided to take it to an Apple-approved place.
I took my comp to a repair center and dropped it off. I was told they'd look at it in the next day or two and call me to let me know what my options were. They didn't call. I called them and was told all the techs were busy and they'd call me back. They didn't call. Because of a combination of finals, going home for the holidays, and laziness, I didn't call again until I got back to school (3 weeks after I dropped it off). When I did call, I was told that all the techs were busy and they'd call me back. They didn't call. I called again yesterday, and was told essentially the same thing. They called me this morning.
Short Version starts here:
The repair tech told me that my laptop needs a new hard drive, a new logic board, and possibly a new optical drive.
She said that they'd send to Apple for the repair, which would cost me $400+, and wouldn't be covered by the warranty because there's a dent in one corner of my comp which means it's been dropped. This means it's 'accidental damage' and not covered. I also owe them $80 for labor. I asked the tech if all the damage was from being dropped and was told that it could be.
I've never dropped my computer. I do carry around in my backpack, though, so it's possible it's been bumped. I know there are some scratches on the surface, but I can't recall any dents.
My computer was working perfectly fine until I left it on at night. At the point it stopped working, it was sitting on my desk and wasn't moved. Is it possible that damage from being dropped/bumped can be delayed and just pop up like that?
I've since learned that the computer center at my school is also Apple-approved (I wish I had known that earlier!). I'm considering paying the repair center for the labor and taking my comp to the one at my school. The possible downside is that I just get more labor charges and the same verdict.
posted
Take it somewhere else and don't pay them the $80. What exactly did they do? Where are you? Apple store nearby? Over 3 weeks is inexcusable. You should have an Apple campus rep also. Before giving it to your bookstore, ask them if they charge to look at it.
My campus bookstore is terrible. We constantly complained to the Apple Sales Executive about poor service and he told us typical turn around time is one day for parts, yet our bookstore repair center consistently told us they were waiting for Apple parts or Apple sent them the wrong part. We took it to another store with much better results. We never pay for our warranty repairs.
To contrast this, some PC vendors not only give you next day service, but they make onsite repair visits. I don't buy the $80 bit. Warrantly should cover it. I wouldn't be surprised if the repair center billed you AND Apple for the same charge. And a dent in the corner? When does a laptop NOT have a dent? In my experience the powerbooks dent fairly easily.
I don't really know what I'm talking about though because I never do personal repairs, and because I buy a lot of computers (I work at our library w/ 300+ Macs) I tend to get treated nicely by Apple (300 isn't that much though, so not *that* good) and so I can be really picky.
Posts: 1209 | Registered: Dec 2003
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posted
I would assume the $80 is for the inspection/diagnosis. Though since they can't tell me exactly what's wrong with it, I'm not too impressed. IF the problem is legitimately not covered by warranty, would diagnosis costs generally be covered by the warranty, even if the repairs are not?
I'm in Ann Arbor, MI, and there's no Apple store in the vicinity, unfortunately. I think I will talk to the computer people at my school before getting back to the repair tech. See what they say.
This ordeal is the complete opposite of my last (and only) repair experience. Over the summer, my AirPort stopped working. I took it to the Apple-approved store, the tech opened it up in front of me, fixed the internal antenna, and I walked out with a working comp. Never had to pay a cent. Unfortunately, that place is in Massachussetts.
Posts: 2149 | Registered: Aug 2000
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posted
Pay the $80; unless ya wanna waste a LOT of time&money trying to get a bad mark off your credit report, and probably failing.
If you wish to express your dissatisfaction with the repair service, take the owner to small claims court for the cost of a new machine. Check to see if there have been similar complaints filed with a consumer watchdog site. Point out that a laptop is like a car, there is nearly zero chance that an owner would have missed seeing a new scratch, let alone a new dent.
At worst, you might lose a small amount of time and the filing cost. But even then, you will have caused the owner to lose some of his own working time, ie money. Cuz if he doesn't show up, the default judgement is in your favor.
Posts: 8501 | Registered: Jul 2001
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posted
What school do you go to? UMich? They are one of the biggest Apple schools in the nation I believe. There are many techs there who would know what to do. I can refer you to several if you want.
Yeah, $80 should be covered by warranty. See, that is what I don't get. I've never had to pay to have someone look at anything unless they told me up front: "not under warranty, it will cost you X". What on Earth did they do to it? Did they take it all apart?... They shouldn't have done anything without your approval.
Did you sign anything?
You may want to *ask* another store before paying. If you can sick Apple on that store, that is a serious threat. Stores have to train and meet certain standards to stay Apple Certified. I believe the certification is intended to avoid exactly what you are experiencing.
Posts: 1209 | Registered: Dec 2003
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quote:We constantly complained to the Apple Sales Executive about poor service and he told us typical turn around time is one day for parts, yet our bookstore repair center consistently told us they were waiting for Apple parts or Apple sent them the wrong part.
It's worth noting that we constantly complain to our Apple Sales Executive about poor service, and he too tells us that turnaround time should be one day for parts. And yet, despite the fact that we pay for a premium account with them, they consistently send us the wrong parts or delay shipment of replacement parts. So it may not entirely be that store's fault, as certainly our certified Apple techs wind up waiting ages for Apple to get its collective head out of its collective nether region.
Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
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posted
Which would be baffling, since we're a licensed affiliate. We pay them MONEY for the privilege of ordering parts from them. And then they don't ship us parts on time -- or even necessarily correctly.
Last week, the four G5s we were supposed to receive "arrived" as a case of iPods. I think they're just sending us whatever they have lying around.
Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
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posted
That is funny! I ordered a power supply once (personally) and then sent me an airport card. I called them and they told me to keep the card and sent a power supply.
Doesn't the repair shop's behavior sound strange still? In my experience taking work computers to the shop and my own stuff is a totally different experience. So I don't really know much about this as I've only paid for one personal job. They were completely up front on the costs, told me exactly what they were going to do, and how long it would take. And I tried not to act like I needed special attention (which I sometimes make a point of acting like when I do stuff for work... ).
Miro's experience still strikes me as intolerable in my opion. I guess there isn't much he can do but pay them, but it sounds like they are ripping him off.
Posts: 1209 | Registered: Dec 2003
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posted
Unless you're been throwing your backpack around and using it as a makeshift weapon in times of need, simply carrying it around in your backpack shouldn't hurt it too much. If the dent had been the cause of your problems you would have noticed it as soon as the machine got dented.
You also have to look at it from their perspective though: They can't know for sure if you're telling them the truth or not. To them, you could be lying about the computer just dying on you after you let it sit overnight and since there's a dent in it, there's enough reason to believe it may have caused the damage since they have no timeframe for the events.
Posts: 459 | Registered: Mar 2005
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posted
I realized that I never told you guys how it worked out.
I eventually made it down to pick up my computer from the repair place. The guy who got my comp for me (apparently a new guy) was just as confused by the diagnosis as I was. Fortunately they didn't charge me anything. I'm not exactly sure what the deal was, but I definitely wasn't going to make a fuss.
So I then took my computer the school repair shop. First thing they told me was that my computer wasn't under warranty. Apparently, I never registered my extended Apple Care warranty. Oops. Why the first place didn't realize that my computer wasn't in the system or why they didn't tell me, I don't know.
Anyway, I dealt with the paperwork with Apple and got my warranty registered. I dropped my computer off at the school repair shop and a week later I got my computer back with a new hard drive. They even managed to save all my data.
I love having a computer.
(Btw, human, I'm a she. )
Posts: 2149 | Registered: Aug 2000
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