Wow, this is why I'm glad I bought a Mac (excellent customer support!)

Thank you Sam and unnamed for recommending I exchange this macbook. I'm so impressed with apple's service and I just wanted to share my experience with you guys here.
I just got off the phone with sales support. I was on the phone no more than 5 minutes with them. I just explained (as best I could ) about the picture being drawn being slightly warped. Immediately he said because its obviously a defective item, he will process an exchange immediately. Not only that, he said, fedex will send me a return shipping label, and once I've sent out the box, once fedex scans the label Apple will immediately send me out a new macbook, Apple doesn't have to have the old one back first.
Wow. I'm thoroughly impressed by Apple's service, and I'm so glad I bought from them this time. This was the major reason I went with apple, because I have heard of their great customer service (not only their great products too ).
+1 to Apple.

Oh, and another question I asked. I was a little concerned that I didn't recieve a "new" item, considering I noticed mine was prepackaged on oct 16 (2 weeks before I ordered mine). He simply stated, they ship out orders as they become available from where ever their warehouse is, so I indeed recieved a new item.

 

Yes, definitely all I've heard from Apple customer service has been great. I've never had to use it personally, but its always good to know they will actually be helping me out and not just trying to get me to hang up and accept whatever issue I have as "acceptable". Glad to hear you're getting it replaced!

 

I had to call them a few weeks ago. My MacBook was out of warranty, I didn't buy the extended. The hard drive died, I figured that was what it was probably. I called support, and even out of warranty, they helped me and told me what I needed to do.

 

See, that's what I had happen with Dell. My notebook was starting to have overheating issues. They not only denied there was a problem and refused to fix it, but they were actually very hostile to me, both the tech support guy and his supervisor. I still had 2.5 years left of the warranty too.
With Apple, it was a completely different and positive experience. I think they have found a new customer for life.

 

Yea, that's pretty much the same situation with me. I really do love my mbp, but it's the customer support that really makes it an even better experience. I've had stuff fixed with my MBP, and had no problems at all getting it done.

I've heard tons of horror stories about dell and other companies, and im glad I didn't have to deal with them.

I know one friend whose battery died within warranty. Dell wouldn't replace it, unless he sent his laptop in for them to "analyze" and make sure the battery was really dead, and it wasn't just his laptop. I mean comeon, taking away a students laptop during school time, is just ridiculous, especially just to replace a battery, within warranty.

But yea, customer support = one more reason I'm sticking with apple for a long time.

I think thats one of the advantages of buying some companies over others, is that the customer support is better then the cheaper competitor.

 

Man, I wish Apple AU had Apple US' standards. Over here, Dell is customer service king and Apple are the frustrating ones. Now that I own an Apple, I would like that to be reversed.

 

The service you get depends on where you are in the world... It is well known you get by far the best service in the U.S. What is a red nice Apple in one place, is a rotten one somewhere else.

I can just imagine the hazzle coming into a reseller store (no real Apple stores in my country) and tell them I have a dead pixel or something, and want to replace the machine... *sigh*

 

In every other way my macbook is perfect. I hope the replacement I get wont have any issues.

 

My macbook was alright too except for that really tiny chip at the outer edge (the black edge) of the screen, which would contrast from the rest of the black outer edge as it was shiny (as small as a pixel but could be spotted easily as I saw it the first time I open up my screen). Thought it was a chipped glass display cover but the problem was behind it....didn't bother with it though unless i look at the place where it was at. As good the customer service of Apple is, they aren't likely to replace me a new macbook. But hey, from you story, +2 to Apple's customer service even though I dun hope to have a chance to deal with them

 

just beware of apple store genius support. i have found them consistently arrogant and even aggressive and rude (i guess it depends on who you get)

apple phone support is great though- they are always nice and helpful.

 

I was at the Apple store picking up my MBP, my disc drive went bad and was replaced under Applecare warranty.

A guy next to was getting helped by Someone at the Genius bar for his Mac. He explained that all this spyware and virus infected his Windows XP bootcamp partition and was wondering if they can help him clean it up. The Genius Bar specialist says, "yes I can help with that."

 

Amen twice over. Apple 'phone' customer service is excellent!! In fact, it's really beyond excellent. I've called twice now and both times the service received was amazing. Heck, I got myself all bent out of shape when i learned my MBP was going to arrive 3 to 4 days later than what I was told when I placed my order. Someone from apple called me a few days later and apologized, and even offered me 50% off of Office for mac, bringing my cost to only $72!!

Service at the counter in the apple store is not even close to what you (at least I) got on the phone.

 

You're happy you bought an Apple because they sold you a defective product?

I bought two Dell laptops and got a defective product too. They offered the same service you got (advance replacement), but I just sent it back and got a Thinkpad instead.

Who needs more defects?

I have a MBP too, but of course now I'm worried about the nvidia fiasco.

 

Obviously no one wants a defective product...he's happy that along with his purchase, he got peace of mind, that he's not really "on his own" the moment the MacBook got into his hands. He's happy that by buying a Mac, he also got Apple's customer service that goes with it.

 

Yeah, sure. But why did he get a defect in the first place? I'd be pissed, and I was, even though Dell offered just as good of service. Then I voted with my feet.

I think people sometimes can't see (or just deny it) the forest for the trees.

 

Not everything in the tech industry is perfect. They make thousands of them, and theres bound to be a few that slip out with a defect.

And I think that this is really a rare thing, because the white macbooks have been coming out for years now. It's not like a RROD on the 360's or something. It just seems like a random defect in the product.

 

didnt know they also fix windows problem

 

I'm happy I got very good customer service from Apple, and that I will only be without a computer for a few days.
I'm worried about getting a system with nvidia also, and that was just one of the reasons I opted for the white macbook instead of the new aluminum one.

Just because mine had a defect doesn't mean everyone else's is the same, or that it's even a common problem. The fact is, Apple's customer support made a VERY GOOD first impression on me (they say first impressions are the most important ). Also, just because you got great service from Dell, doesn't mean everyone has an equally good experience with them (mine was VERY BAD, and they lost me as a customer forever). To each his/her own.

 

I had the exact same experience with Apple as the OP did. I bought the new Alu Macbook online and it had a dead pixel in the middle of the screen. I called Apple customer service and they gave me no hassle whatsoever. They immediately emailed me a shipping label, told me the moment Fedex scanned the box I was sending back they would ship my replacement even before they receive the defective one back.

After I got the replacement (which I got 2 days later) it worked fine but I didn't want the Macbook because I wasn't too crazy about the screen. I called Apple again and explained that I preferred the Macbook Air and again they gave me no hassle and accommodated me waiving the restocking fee and sent me out another shipping label and took my order for the new 1.6 Ghz/SSD CTO Macbook Air.

After taking Philflow's advice I decided I wanted the 1.86/SSD Macbook Air. I called Apple once again and explained that I wanted to go for the top model. They emailed me yet another shipping label to send back my CTO MBA (unopened). Apple generally doesn't allow returns open or not on CTO items but this time they did and my new Macbook Air is being delivered tomorrow on Monday.
Apple is answering to the bad economy by taking good care of their customers without hassle.

 

I guess it is some kind of conspiracy by Apple against the APAC (Asia-Pacific) region ...
When I had minor niggling issues with my Dell, one small phone call was enough for Dell to send a fully equipped technician to my house on a friggin saturday...
He gladly replaced my mobo (since I could perceive a minor hum from the board running on DC) and also replaced my keyboard and palmrest panels while he was at in (he said they look discolored)

I can't imagine getting that kind of service from Apple considering they have mostly resellers handling their business in India

And I guess I am in the same boat as you are since I recently sold off my dell and waiting for the new Alu Macbook and hoping Apple at least gets at par with Dell (though I admit it would be bring me some amount of Schadenfreude if a reversal were to happen )

 

:laugh:

Maybe it's as you say, because there are just mostly resellers there? That kind of frightens me actually as I'm leaving for europe soon, and I want to know I'll get great service there too if I need it.

 

Conspiracy . No, I absolutely understand your point. I think it has to do with where the market is for Apple, and that's mainly North America and UK in Europe. Japan is really the only big seller of Apple products in Asia, the rest of Asia aren't as crazy about the Macs or about the iPods. So since the business is not huge there, I assume that's why Apple doesn't invest a lot in the customer service.

Not backing Apple for doing so, just my take on why it is so, as Apple has obviously proven it can do exceptional customer service if it wants to!

 

i was just given a replacement MBP for one that i purchased in september 07... the replacement was a brand new one. apple customer service is pretty sweet

their smug/arrogant commericals, on the other hand, not so sweet. seriously make me want to sell this thing and buy a gateway m 6862 from my friend for $380.

 

I don't mean to be party pooper, but whenever I see people rave about Apple support I cringe. I don't mean to sound snooty, but back in the PPC days then nobody talked about Customer Support because it was unnecessary. I ran a small office of PPC Macs and those machines were bulletproof so you'd go 5years without once calling for support.

But after the Intel switch then the quality of hardware is at a point where, if you haven't gone for support yet, you will. It's great that Apple has good support, but the best computer experience is when you don't ever have to call.

 

But that's a moot point, because we are talking about customer service here, and in your scenario, there would be no need for it. The fact that Apple has great customer service in case you do need it speaks volumes to me.

 

Is there a computer maker that makes products that never need customer support?

There's always gonna be a problem, at some point in its lifetime, or someone else will run into one.

 

Gotta love dealing with companies that will take care of its customers. It makes everyone more likely to buy from them. Too bad so many companies don't seem to get that and just want to move a product and leave it as is. Too many companies treat you as a "one time" customer, where once the sale is made, that's it, and then when you dont cme back they dont seem to realize they are losing $$$ in the long run. Go apple.

 

Im going to see how awesome Apple's support is tomorrow. Decided to try my luck to see if I can get a better screen. Also wanted to see if they can give me a free DVI adapter until the Dual Link one comes out. Was told it will be out "in a week"... so much for that. Not to mention some of the keys on my keyboard is crooked. Not too impressed with Apple's quality right now but if the support is good I wont complain too hard.

 

I just had a nice encounter with the Apple Support team at a store.

They fixed my old-MBP nVidia-dead computer, replaced my keyboard, trackpad and top case, a total of $620, for free

 

Probably because you had warranty.

 

I feel like going to the dark side. But I already spent to much on my current setup. Maybe i'll just spend a bill on the OS X just to see how it is b4 it make the switch.

 

I have been using PCs for years and have never once had to call tech support regardless of brand. A blanket statement that Intel products will always fail makes me wonder how many PCs you've actually used for any period of time. I've had Dells, Sony's, and custom built, laptops and desktops. You might wonder how come I've had so many, but since my first computer was a Tandy XT1000 with 4 MB RAM and a 20MB hard drive, that should explain it. Don't get me wrong, I am happy so far with this Macbook Pro experiment I'm playing with, but the argument that Apple hardware is the holy grail of non-failure is, in my humble opinion, somewhat ridiculous.

 

I interpreted that as meaning they thought APPLE'S Intel based systems were less reliable, not Intel in general (which obviously isn't the case!)

I don't think that's true though. Apple's reliability ratings haven't done anything strange since the switch that I'm aware of.

 

Well, fedex picked up my macbook yesterday, and the new one is already "prepared for shipment". Crossing my fingers that I get it by friday.

 

Nope, my computer was out of warranty for almost half a year...
They repaired the mainboard because of the nVidia failing for free, but they didn't have to add the new keyboard, trackpad and top case.

And it was all done in a week.

 

Ok this is rediculous. I got my replacement macbook this morning. The dvd drive doesn't want to read half my discs, it makes a screeching sound whenever I insert a disc (they all read in another computer fine), and the battery doesn't sit all the way in the bay, it sticks out a little.
Should I send for yet another replacement? Atleast the screen on this one is perfect.

 

Yea, get a replacement.

 

Yeah, they're sending me out another one. He wanted to give me an ipod (I have no use for one) so I opted for a bag instead.
I really hope this is the last time I have to do this.

 

Wow, I hope that your next one is good! At least they're trying to make it up for you, I'd definitely like a new iPod .

 

Well, I have to hand it to them for taking care of it and even trying to make up for it!

Build quilty on the Macbook I played with at Best Buy seemed really nice.

I HATE that chicklet keyboard on the iMac keyboard though, but it's sort of okay (for a laptop keyboard) on the Macbook. The Sony chicklet keyboard on the 16 and 18" ones seemed slightly better still.

 

Not to sound mean, but I found this almost hilarious. I was thinking something like "ok what if he gets a replacement that has another defect... ", and so you did. That probably says something about the overall QA of the notebooks being shipped these days. Good luck with next one though.

 

2 out of hundreds of thousands? I'd call it bad luck more then anything.

It's not often that people post on these apple forums with major hardware issues out of the box, if that helps at all.

 

Given your numbers, indeed a very bad luck...

 

good luck man,I hope that this one will be perfect...and if not,ask them to give you free upgrade to aluminum ones

 

A third time I'll probably be asking for a refund.

 

I'm sorry for "talin"'s misfortune. I personally know the aggravation.

Calling it bad luck though, well, you say tomato, I say crap QA. And for the record, talin's at 100% failure after his initial report. The "truth," of course, is somewhere in the middle (100% and 2 in thousands)

Keep loving that customer service though, looks like you're gonna need it.

 

Interesting. Too bad the CS reps and "morons" at the Apple Store have been unhelpful with the issues on my '06 MBP. Talk about incompetent!

 

Err, me & my forked tongue

I purchased my Aluminium MB and got it to India only to discover a rather weird glitch on the system
When I disconnect the AC adapter, the system displays the battery icon for a few seconds, then reverts back to the AC icon
System profiler states the power source as AC adapter and reports the battery as not charging, even though the system is running from a battery

Anyway, spoke to Apple Support and turns out they aren't as bad as I thought they are

They said they could have arranged for a test (to verify it is indeed a hardware issue) followed by an immediate swap at the nearest Apple Service provide outlet if the system was locally purchased

they can also arrange for an immediate repair if I was OK with it

However, since it is still within the DOA period, I wanted a replacement so the technical Rep (Bangalore based) transferred me to their customer relationship department (based in Sydney)

The customer relationship guy was also quite helpful, and he suggested I take the notebook to the nearest Apple service provider (there is one just a couple of kilometers away from where I live)
He recommended I ask the ASP to do a battery swap to see if it fixes the issue, and if it doesn't, the ASP would need to send a mail with the details to Apple care so that they can initiate an International DOA

I went to the ASP, and a battery swap didn't fix it so now I need to wait till my DOA replacement arrives at the ASP

Meanwhile, I at least get to retain this system while the replacment arrives

 

That's good to know superczar. Apple support is great. Today fedex comes to pick up the macbook, and apple will send another. Hopefully this one will be better. I'm seriously considering calling apple sales support and asking them to ship me a refurb instead of a new one (atleast I know those go through rigorous QA ).

 

Well, just an update. I recieved my replacement macbook today (the second replacement now!), and so far it seems to be ok.
The screen is slightly warped at the top, but not near as bad as the first one. The battery sticks out a little at the bottom, but also not near as bad as the second one (the last one I sent back). I can deal with those, everything else seems fine, the optical drive reads discs fine so I'm sticking with this. The screen picture being drawn doesn't have a "warped effect" like the first one, so I can definitely live with it.
I also requested a backup set of install discs today and they were more than happy to send them out to me free of charge.
All in all, I'm happy.
Just a question though out of curiosity. The first two macbooks I recieved, disc 1 was version 1.1, whereas this one, disc 1 is version 1.2. Is there much of a difference if any between the two? I imagine it's just slightly newer software versions, or perhaps newer bootcamp drivers. Also, in About This Mac, it says OS X version 10.5.4 build 9E29 if that means anything.