MacBook Exchange?

Hey guys --

Long story short: I bought a brand new MacBook about a month ago and it came with a defect so I brought it to an Authorized Apple Store, which literally damaged my MacBook even more in front of my eyes. (Not to mention he was extremely rude and dipolar). I'm understating everything, by the way. I called up Apple Corporate, who told me that they would fix it, but when I got it back, it was more cosmetically damaged --;

Basically, in the end, Apple replaced the MacBook 3 times as of now (because the ones they kept sending were damaged -- 1st one came with the infamous crack on the top case on both sides, and the 2nd one came with a bulging battery and a dent on the side). So, they gave me another one at the Apple Store, and then they even gave me a receipt stating that the "Return Date" is April 17, 2008.

I've posted a picture of the receipt.

Does this mean that I can continue to just exchange the latest MacBook I got without any hassle by just bringing it in? (Unfortunately, the latest MacBook I got has this extremely irregular fan noise -- it's not a normal noise, and I can try to upload a video on YouTube if you guys want.)

By the way, I've found that Apple has great customer support as long as you try to reason with them. I know for other companies, you will probably just waste hours/days/weeks of just staying on the phone or waiting for a call back, but Apple is pretty good at keeping their customers happy. I'm just assuming I was on this extremely unlucky streak of receiving defects =(

Also, although this post is my post NBR post ever, I have been reading on this site literally everyday ever since I've registered. Thanks for just a great forum.

 

damn.....1 more thread of a person getting lots of defective laptops by apple. What's happening to their QC tests?
u should keep on getting it replaced till u get a perfect one.

Next time open it at store n verify it

 

Hey Kaushal --
I've read your thread when you bought your MacBook lol. Did yours come with absolutely no defects (i.e. misaligned case, bulging battery, dead pixel(s), improperly sealed top case, etc)?

I'm just wondering because the MacBooks I have received so far have all had some kind of cosmetic defect.

 

Touch wood my macbook is perfect or I am too ignorant to notice one...lol

I got mine from an apple store in new jersey & I opened my mac there n only after I was satisfied with it, I took it.

 

Thanks cool --

Does anybody know if this receipt they gave me allows me to go exchange my MacBook without any hassles?

 

Hrm... Thats actually the 3rd or 4th person on here who has reported the same type of issues.

I believe that the blame has been put on a 3rd party repair location that Apple has been sending their MB's. Not 100% sure of that... but if I had this happen, I would accept nothing less than a brand new unit.

 

The best part about defective units is Apple takes CARE of the customers WITH defective units...thats worth the cash and a headache once in a while.

 

Speaking of how Apple does take care of their customers, I might as well tell the full story:

As soon as the 2.4 Ghz (Penryn) MacBooks came out, I went ahead and bought a 2.2 (Merom) White MacBook off of Amazon.com because I got a great deal (slightly under $990). When I received it, I noticed that the top case was improperly sealed and there was a 1 mm gap between the top and bottom casings. I didn't have time at the moment because of schoolwork to get it looked at, but over Spring break, I was in the Princeton area, so I brought it to a local Authorized Apple Service Location there.

The reason I brought it there rather than the Apple Store was because I've heard a lot of compliments towards 3rd party service providers versus all the unpleasant stories of Mac Geniuses. Anyways, when I stepped in, the technician took my MacBook, and when I asked him if it could be fixed, he says, "Maybe." He literally plops down my laptop on his desk upside-down (which caused a lot of scratches since he did this more than once), and I told him to be more careful with my MacBook, to which he replied, "Why?" He attempted to "straighten" out the top casing by bending it with a screwdriver; however, it caused a considerable dent on the bottom casing where the shaft of the screwdriver put pressure on the case. I pointed it out to him, and he began to use the handle of the screwdriver to try to "smoothen" the case back up. Afterwards, he gave it back to me to inspect, and of course, I was not satisfied.

So, the tech snatches the MacBook out of my hands and says, "You know what? I'll just open this **** up, and you come back in an hour." The whole time, he was using expletives, which I use all the time, but this was a business. Well, since I'm furious, I come back about 7 minutes later, so that I can watch him "fix" it. My MacBook is sitting in this cardboard box (the ones that your A4 computer paper comes in), and the tech goes "Oh, you're back already. I've tried to see what's wrong, but I don't know." I look at my MacBook, and the casings had severe gaps all around. I point this out, and he angrily snatches the computer from my again and yells, "Well, why don't you sit down here *points at the dirty floor next to him* and watch me take this apart." He takes off the top case, and then tries to tell me how since I look like an Engineering student that I should know this stuff. Well, as a Biomedical Engineer, I don't care how Apple MacBook's top casing fits into the bottom casing -- I just want my products well-made, which is why I decided to buy a MacBook.

The underside of the top case has lots of grease marks and fingerprints because he was throwing it off to the side onto this really greasy pile of unknown stuff, and when I asked him to please clean it off, he asked "Why? It doesn't affect anything." At the time, I was so angry, but I held it back somehow and said, "Because I'm anal and want my products clean."

I left furious and with my MacBook with three new cosmetic damages: a dent, several severe scratches on both the top and bottom, and big gaps between the casings.

I called up Apple Corporate, and the agent told me to bring it to the Apple Store, which will fix everything up for me. So, I brought it in, and after a week, I get my MacBook back, and the top case wasn't even replaced like they said they would. (On a side note, they even delayed my repairs saying they have to charge me to put it back under warranty for "accidental damage." I had to clear this up with a call to AppleCare and told them to look at the case notes.)

I called up Apple Corporate one last time, and after a thirty minutes talk with the agent, he told me that he would call back later to give me a decision. I got a call back the next day, and apparently, all they could do was repair it again. So, I spent about an hour reasoning with him why I should just get a complete replacement, and finally, he agreed (after the manager gave permission). I had to send my laptop out, and got a new one via FedEx.

This new MacBook came with a cracked case on both sides of the palm rest. I called the agent up again and sent him pictures, and he said send it in and a new one will be sent. So, I got another one via FedEx, which came with a battery bulging out so much that it couldn't rest on the desk properly.

After a few days of trying to contact my agent, I got a hold of him, and he managed to speak with the local Apple Store to replace my MacBook. So, I brought it, and they exchanged it for a cosmetically okay MacBook. However, when I turned it on, there was extremely unusual fan noise consisting of normal fan noise, squeaks, high pitches, and clinks. I took a video of this and brought it in today to show to a Mac Genius, who had no idea what it was due to, so I got it exchanged again.

I brought home my 5th MacBook just now, and I hope everything is okay albeit there is a gap between the casings, I don't care anymore.

I still believe that I'm on this extremely unlucky streak of receiving defects, but I do like MacBooks. I don't blame Apple because any other company's customer service would have been extremely terrible, but Apple at least tried to assist me.

I agree with an above comment on how the money spent is worth it because defects can be taken care of. It's just that I feel "ripped off" in a sense, not monetarily, but my weeks of my time was taken away from my very busy schedule due to this misfortune.

 

QUOTE [[[(Not to mention he was extremely rude and dipolar). I'm understating everything, by the way. I called up Apple Corporate, who told me]]]

What is "dipolar"... All I could find on google is the following...


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dipolar_polarization

 

I think he means bipolar.

 

I did mean "bipolar." Sorry, I was typing fast, but it's cool how people actually read everything.

 

I'm on my 4th Macbook Pro now in 2 weeks after a string of defects so you're not alone. To be honest the 4th is not perfect but I don't want to go through the hassle again. I've posted about this but all 4 have been totally inconsistant. Fan noise, drive noise and lid warping all different on all of them. You'd think apple, with their supposed reputation for excellent build quality, wouldn't let stupid simple defects like this out the door considering the price you pay for them.

 

I was on my fourth MBP and returned it. I really got tired of making trips to the Apple store. They were extremely nice about it BTW, but I figured why put myself through more misery. Luckly enough, the one purchased by my work is perfect (knocks on wood). I would keep exchanging it until you are satisfied. Apple is suppose to be a superior product. However, I am a little concerned about their quality control.

 

and what does dipolar or bbipolar or what ever you it,what does it mean

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bipolar_disorder

I'm suprised at how badly the third party tech treated you. When I was a tech, we had to wear dress shirts and a tie, be extremely friendly, etc..

Now, the one thing I don't quite follow though... You said you bought a 2.2GHz from Amazon, but your receipt from Apple said they gave you a 2.4GHz...

 

Back in the days I had to send in my 667 ghz Titanium 7 times for flaking paint initially, getting it back with other structural problems. Yes, its good to know eventually Apple will fix the problem, but very depressing to know by these posts that things have not changed at all with their quality control, especially since I just sent in my MBP for a logic board replacement.

 

My first macbook had three dead pixels. I simpy returned it. They even allowed me to swap the HD so I didn't loose any data/settings/etc.

 

So, when the 2.4 Ghz MacBooks came out, I went ahead and bought the 2.2 Ghz MacBooks. The first time Apple Corporate decided to replace it, they told me they'll just send me a 2.4 Ghz (stating, "Since you bought the middle one, we'll give you the middle one").

What I mean by bipolar is this tech guy would snatch the MacBook from my hands, yell at customers, and then 10 seconds later, would try to "make up" for his mistake by trying to bust out a lame joke.

Here's an example -- when I told him that he had made more gaps in the casings, he suddenly grabbed my MacBook from my hands, told me to sit on the floor in front of him while pointing at the ground, and then a few seconds later says, "Do you know what tool is the official tool used to take out the battery? A quarter! Hahaha ..." And obviously, I thought there's something wrong with him.

 

I bought my MB and got it delivered on the 16th or the 17th of March and it has gone faulty already the dvd drive has conked out. I will be getting my money back and i am not sure if i will buy another one. The OSX is really nice and i like using both operating systems but the overall look of the MB i am not that keen on anyway.
The dvd drive refuses to play any CD's anymore both on the MacOSX/Vista side the dvd drive just skips through the tracks.
I rang up technical support and they tried to help and they suggested i tried getting it repaired but i did not want to do this for a computer that was less than a month old. Also this would mean that i would be without a computer for at least 7 days+ so soon after buying the computer and that was not really ok with me.
I bought my MB new and it also came with a scratch on the lid.
I also have had a MBP before that developed a couple of faults under six months old.

 

Wow. What a horror story. I picked up a Macbook about a week before the new Penryn's came out. I exchanged it for a new Penryn. No problems with either machine. No scratches. No gaps. Nothing.

If I purchased a used or refurb unit, I wouldn't worry about scratches if it worked fine. But scratches on a new unit would arouse my suspicion that I was being sold a refurb as new. Mine came carefully packed and wrapped to avoid scratches or marks of any kind so I'm at a loss as to how you could receive a scratched unit unless it was a refurb. Is it possible the original Amazon unit was a refurb and every one since then has been as well? Those 5 units you have been through are all going to be available for sale at Apple. I'm sure the descriptions will include some disclaimer about cosmetic damage. That would mean some scratch, ding or discoloration that has nothing to do with the sturdiness or usability of the machine. A separated case or deep gouge is not something I would characterize as cosmetic damage.

My Macbook is the best computer decision I ever made. The more I learn about it the more I like it. I hope you're satisfied in the end.

 

Amazon sold me a brand new MacBook -- not refurbished. It came in the regular box, and the serial number started with W.

Funny thing is, I had to call Apple so many times that I've memorized my case number, two serial numbers, phone numbers, option codes, and extension numbers.

I have the same MacBook as you r0k -- the 2.4 Ghz White MacBook, and it's really nice. I wish there was no gap between the casings, but at this point, I'm worn out. I've spent way too much time on the phone and traveling back and forth from the Apple Store.

By the way, what did you mean when you said the gaps aren't "cosmetic" damages? What would you classify them as because it doesn't actually affect the functionality of the laptop.

 

Damn that sucks. I havent had one issue at all. Not to brag. but really thats really rude of them sometimes.

 

I must say you're lucky.

Or I was just on these ridiculous streak of bad luck.

I've also heard that the MacBooks are going to be redesigned (according to AppleInsider). I thought that Apple is extremely secretive about these things ... how does AppleInsider know this?

 

And there goes my plans to buy a new Macbook within the next two months... Thanks for the heads up lol

 

Yea, but the thing is it's not certain. I think some people at AppleInsider are speculating a redesign, but who knows.

 

I'm just curious as to why you bought a Macbook off of Amazon anyway...
Wouldn't it just be safer to get it from Apple themselves?
That's just my opinion, I guess...

 

You can read in my story that Apple replaced my MacBook with 4 faulty ones. These are MacBooks coming straight from Apple.

I bought my original one from Amazon because I got it for less than $1000 brand new.