Read Part I here:
http://alleyesonjenny.com/2010/01/27/bad-apple/Read Part II here:
http://alleyesonjenny.com/2010/02/25/bad-apple-part-ii-alternatively-titled-im-going-crazy/
I’m sure having a Part III to this story already tips you off to the fact that things are not looking good. In fact, things look a lot like this:
They look like that but with a whole lot of freezing, and shutting down, and screens going black. But I couldn’t really find a photo to illustrate all that (as well as me in the background pulling out my hair.)
Yup. That’s my MacBook Pro. Back at the Genius Bar. AGAIN. And that jumpdrive looking thing? An nVidia test. Which my MacBook Pro – year and a half old MacBook Pro – FAILED. With flying fail-y colors!!
Sidenote: I made a joke to my boyfriend as we were standing at the Genius Bar watching my laptop go through this nVidia test that “How funny would it be if my computer just said “FAIL!” blinking on the screen in bright red? GUESS WHAT? IT DID. I am NOT kidding even a little. At the end of the test the word “FAILED” appeared in gigantic type across my screen. I may or may not have screamed and pointed at my laptop “I KNEW IT! YOU FAILED! I KNEW IT! SEE!! EVERYONE LOOK!!! IT FAILED!!! IT SAYS IT!! THERE’S PROOF!! SOMEONE TAKE A PICTURE!!!”
So no one took a picture, but the Genius did give me a print out that documented that not only had my laptop FAILED the nVidia test IN HIS PRESENCE, but also that he witnessed the keyboard and trackpad failure as well.
(Click for a larger, legible version)
I HAVE PHYSICAL, HARDCOPY PROOF. I HAVE A GENIUS BAR FULL OF WITNESSES. I AM NOT CRAZY. I may be GOING crazy dealing with this, but at least now it is in the system that my laptop that I paid over $2,000 for and loaded up with $1,000 in software is a big, fat, disgusting FAIL WHALE.
Just to recap my laptop drama, let’s take a look shall we?
(Again, click to see a larger version)
So at the end of my millionth (ok 9th or 10th) Genius Bar visit, the recommended course of action is to send the laptop out for part replacement. I’ve already had the entire top half of the machine replaced. I’ve already had other parts replaced. Now they want to replace my keyboard. They want to replace the entire top case. They want to install a new nVidia card which are well documented as PARTS THAT FAIL AND WILL FAIL.
I’m at a total loss for words (and patience) at this point. Everyone who works at Apple can easily log in to my profile and see all the trouble I’ve had with this machine. Since the day I purchased it. And they still want to keep replacing parts, and sending it in for repair, and observing the issues I’m having with it.
Haven’t I dealt with enough time lost? And lost enough work? And sunk enough time and money in this machine? It’s not like they don’t know that this is happening now. It is all on record. It has all been witnessed and documented.
I’ve always loved Apple and their products, but this customer service experience and this lemon of a MacBook Pro have put me at my wits end.
Now if you’ll excuse me I have more AppleCare phone calls to make and more Apple emails to write … now with FAIL REPORTS! Weeeeeeee….. ugh siiighhhhh.
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
Wow I don’t even think I could imagine what your frustration level is at. At some point, someone at Apple has to realize that replacing parts is not the answer. And something else needs to be done.
Kinda makes you wonder why you should be a loyal customer sometimes.
Hm. I have a business Apple Contact at that store. I am wondering if I should send him this link…..
why don’t they just give you a new laptop off the shelf already? sounds like you got a lemon!
side note – i took the MBP i bought because the Airport didn’t work at. all. and after research I wasn’t about to travel down this road of Apple Care and Genuis bar to get it fixed. $2700 [cdn] for a computer, it should work right out of the box.
I don’t know why they didn’t give you a new one a while ago…that would be way cheaper for them than fixing this one over and over again. And would make you much less annoyed.
But for real? Let’s stop talking about this and talk about the boyfriend a little bit more. He’s cuter than a computer anyway!
Disclaimer, I am not an Apple Laptop user.
I once tried to start using an Apple (an IMac desktop) a few years ago. It worked OK for awhile while I was using it in parallel with my windows laptop (can’t go cold turkey). After 6 months it started crashing. Then it would just turn off for no apparent reason. I took it to the Genius bar three times and each time had to fight with the “genius” after being told that the extra memory I had installed had been causing the problem. (it was Kingston memory and it didn’t have the pretty Apple logo on it, to which he told me was why it was failing since Apple puts their memory through much more strict testing). I asked him to test the memory… was told they didn’t test “other people’s memory”. I knew full well this was BS and finally got them to run a mother board test… it failed. They kept for a few days and replaced the motherboard. Worked OK for a few months.. then started happening again. Now it is a giant paperweight. I can’t IMAGINE how pissed I would have been if I relied on it for work.
My opinion is that Apple is NOT equipped to deal with small business customers…. and with more and more small design businesses starting up that live and die by Apple hardware, I don’t feel that Apple considers the “small businesses” worthy of real business support. Thus, Apples makes the small businesses abide by the “Genius Bar” way of life.
Conversely… my IBM laptop once had the screen go bad. I called them, next day there was a box at my door. Took my HD out of laptop, sent them. on 4th day it was back.. new screen, new video card, new daughter card. Works just fine.
Business support should = “no excuse, just fix it”
Don’t get me wrong, problems will come up. It’s all how you deal with those problems and time after time I hear that Apple gets a giant FAIL in this respect.
Jenny- just so you know, some of us think that Apple even willing to try and replace your parts is amazing customer service. My computer is broken and I would KILL for someone to offer to replace the parts that aren’t working (screen). I’m just sayin’, you have it pretty good.
Well I paid for a warranty, so they’re just doing what they have to. They aren’t offering to replace parts out of the goodness of their hearts — they’re fulfilling a contractual obligation (again the warranty that came with the machine as well as the additional coverage of Apple Care which came at an additional price). I don’t think the run around I’ve been given is “amazing customer service” – as all my blogs on this topic illustrate, my machine is a year and a half old, is failing and contains documented faulty parts.
What I don’t like that is that by fulfilling their contractual obligation their solution is to replace faulty parts with the same faulty parts (which I know for a fact – the evidence is all over the internet — which I’ve linked to here: http://alleyesonjenny.com/2010/01/27/bad-apple/). Trust me, I’ve done my research.
If you paid for a warranty and your machine is failing, then you should fight for the same — it would be your computer company’s contractual obligation. Especially if the screen issue is something documented or covered under your warranty. (See Dan’s comment above — he did the same with more success) Have you made any calls to start the process? If Dan had luck, you may too.
…and that photograph was taken with an iPhone, right? :)
On the plus side, he keeps his work surface tidy.
I have a Sony system at home, plus a Sony laptop and a high end Mac book. For some time now, the Mac fanatics in my world have been telling me to dump my regular Windows things, etc. onto the Mac in that marvelous parallel MacUniverse of theirs. I have opted to keep it all separate. Call me “wary.” Your story strengthens that resolve.
Of course. Haha. That’s the funny/sad part.
The people I know who are Mac people are FANATICAL about Macs. Like, “if only it were human, I would marry it” fanatical. One of the things they always insist on telling me (not that I ever ask) is that they NEVER break and nothing ever goes wrong and they never need updates and they are like magical unicorns with leprecauns riding on their backs, they are just-that-wonderful.
I was excited to hear a Mac-fail story, but am sad for your loss. They should have definitely traded it out for you LONG ago!!!
psst.. you misspelled observed in your laptop drama image. I hope Apple pulls through for you. You are the biggest Apple rep I’ve met, I’d be uber pissed if I were you.