(X-Post) My final update on eMachines M6811 lemon (Hellmanns!!!)

Cross-posted from Gateway/eMachines forum of NBR:

Previous posts most recent to less recent (to get you up to speed):
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=64124
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=61697
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=59106
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=50980


So it's been about 6 weeks. I got my purchase price refund, they didn't refund PSP since they gave that as the reason for doing the exchange (doesn't matter, it was sort of a wash considering the mail in rebates), and I ordered, received, and am happy with my new MacBook Pro.

I wrote the company a thank you letter for the exchange and to give kudos to the two Geek Squad staff who really went to bat for me on this. They were strong advocates from Day 1, even if I didn't think they would get what I wanted from corporate. And even still, it did take me writing a letter to the president of Best Buy along with a few other folks AS WELL AS my local Geek Squad Guy massaging his network of friends in high places to get this done. So I told Best Buy that these two really went above and beyond (they truly did, even to the extent of giving us their personal, non-work contact information so we could get in touch more easily) and deserved a pat on the back.

I got a standard "thank you for your feedback - see you in the store again soon!" email and I wrote another email explaining that although I got the best resolution I hoped for, I was nervous about making major purchases at the store again and proceeded to detail my reasons why. It was clear to me the person on the other end of my email didn't know I actually had trouble for the entire time I owned the machine; she only knew about the PSP warranty repairs, not the stuff done through the eMachines manufacturer's warranty. So I wrote her back and explained the real problems (Best Buy dropping the ball repeatedly during the process they were supposed to be following) and copied and pasted my service records and a list of actual tangible and intangible personal costs to me above the purchase price. I also detailed all the places where Best Buy spent too much money on this lemon and why they should have replaced it MUCH sooner.

They felt I was absolutely correct and apologized for dropping the ball and took a lot of my comments into consideration (I was polite and informative, not whiny and complaining without merit), and are also sending me a $200 gift card for my trouble.

I cannot BELIEVE it! (Actually, I probably WON'T believe it until it arrives, and then probably even then not until I'm in the store and it works at the register!) I'm still wary (won't be buying anything expensive through them again for a LONG time, if ever), but their gesture of goodwill went a long way to my at least being willing to possibly give it another try.

Can you believe it? I got a HUGE company to listen to my concerns. And THEY AGREED WITH ME!

Anyway, its been a long couple years and I'm glad to be on a new machine now that appears to be stable and runs well. Just thought you might be interested to know there was further resolution even after the refund/new machine.