Thread: A Warranty Story... why some people keep paying Apple.

I thought I'd tell you all a story about a Mac Book Pro..... not my latest and greatest new one.... but One I bought 3 years ago.

It got used by me as my tool of trade every day for 2 years - when I wasn't at work.. it got thrown in the car on trips as the mobile photo editing platform / research device. It did not have a particularly easy life.

After 2 years - I decided to move to another platform for a while and the trusty Macbook was inherited by the youngest. It promptly got thrown in a back pack and dragged around Europe for the next 10 months.

As I said... this machine has not had an easy life.

Just before Christmas I realised the Applecare warranty on it was just about up..... so I had a chat with the boy about whether it had any dramas...

We came up with a list:

• 1. "Power supply had karked when I was in Romania dad"
• 2. "The left side of the keyboard is a bit dodgy dad"
• 3. "Before I'd given it to him, I'd seen a few intermittant issues with a thunderbolt port - that he had never noticed.

( He'd bought another power supply to make do as there was no apple supplier to claim from.)

So off to the Apple Genius Bar we go....

Issue 1... "No problem.. here's a new power supply... sorry the other one failed" (Without even checking we were telling the truth.)

Issue 2....We can't get it to actually misbehave in the shop.... the apple staff member listens to it closely.. plays around.... "you are right doesn't sound right.... we'll come back to this".

Issue 3.... Intermittent port wont play up and it passes all diagnostic tests...

Apple staff member.... "Have you noticed the screen doesnt' look right.. see this mark?..." Both son and I struggle to see what she is talking about , but she assures me the screen has a fault.

She then goes on...."It seems you've had a few problems with this machine.... let me just take it out the back and get the back off it to make sure it hasn't had liquid spilt in it.... then we can work out what we can do."

She checks.... and no sign of liquid ... I knew the first 2 years were clear.... but wasn't so confident about the globe trotter

So she comes back and starts typing on her tablet.. " we'll need to book it in... I've ordered a new screen for it.... and a new top case.... (the keyboard comes with the top case and battery apparently.). I'll also order a mainboard and the techs can double check when they have it all apart!.

Long story short... 7 days later, we pick up a 3 year old Macbook pro, with a brand new screen, topcase, keyboard and battery, mainboard and power supply! Over $2K in parts.

And that my friends is why the $350 I spent on Applecare a few years back was a bloody bargain

Apple have their faults.... but from my experience, product support is not one of them.

my 2013 Macbook pro is the worst for wear, I've dropped it a couple of times & is very dinted underneath, still running like a charm though the hard drive is a little noisy, however about 6 months ago I was tossing up as to weather I should replace it as the lettering on quite a few keypad buttons had worn away .

Unfortunately I spent my new computer money allowance on a milling machine so bought a new $50 keypad on eBay & followed the youtube video on how to replace.

Oops that film I ripped was the keypad backlight , never mind , joined it with sticky tape.

put back together and bugger me it all works including the backlight - go figure.
who needs apple geek desk .

would not have any other computer.