Did Apple repair your MBP?

[tyoelin]

It works, I emailed the well known email address and one day later received a call from the executive office.

I would also appreciate this email address if you are allowed to give it (pm?). I have a powerbook with severe problems that are not being fixed (my post is currently in this same forum titled "Sad Mac Experiences, Input? Advice?")

 

[thegreatluke]

I have a 15" MBP that I ordered on January 11th. It had the screen buzz, the CPU whine, the fan moo, a very bright line along the dock area of the LCD, and a faulty logic board. I went in to the Apple store on Saturday. The Genius said they'd replace the logic board and screen, and that all of my problems would be fixed. I'm assuming (or rather hoping) that they'll apply the thermal paste correctly, as they're replacing the logic board and people are saying they're fixing the thermal paste when they're getting their MBP fixed.

 

[macbook123]

Hey Greatluke, please keep us posted on this thread when you will get your MBP back, and which of the issues you have will get repaired. I hope it won't take them more than two weeks to get it back to you.

 

[thegreatluke]

Hey Greatluke, please keep us posted on this thread when you will get your MBP back, and which of the issues you have will get repaired. I hope it won't take them more than two weeks to get it back to you.

They quoted me 7-10 business days, but I'm thinking it might be more on the high end, since it seems all the Apple stores are swamped with people with problems.

I'll post again when I get it back.

 

[cheekyspanky]

They quoted me 7-10 business days, but I'm thinking it might be more on the high end, since it seems all the Apple stores are swamped with people with problems.

I'll post again when I get it back.

I was quoted 7 - 10 business days on my last "repair" but actually got the machine back within 3. At least they fixed the mooing noise, which must be faulty fans as they replaced them and the hard drive this time.

I think the only parts left of my original machine are the lower case and the screen..they've replaced the keyboard, upper casing, hard drive, hard drive flex, and left and right fans and the logic board...and the squealing noise is still there..

 

[MACDRIVE]

I have read this entire thread, and I have to say that I'm in a state of disbelief and shock from all the horror stories I have read. I also feel a touch of anger by the way some of you have been so unjustly treated by the employees at the Apple stores. Has there been this level of a quality issues with Mac notebooks in the past? Right now I am writing with a PB G4 that is over 3 years old and has only had an optical drive and hard drive replacement, nothing else and operates flawlessly.

Are these new MacBooks being manufactured in a new location and by different people apart from the Mac notebooks of past generations?

 

[Icewind]

I currently have a 15" Powerbook G4 (and am totally in love with it). However, I've been itching to order up a new 15" MBP, primarily for the speed increase, but I've been sort of put off by reaing all the problems in these forums. I'm shocked at how many issues there are on these new MBP's. Someone asked if Apple had used a new manufacturing squad to build their MBP's. I would love to know if this is true. Looks like they have... and possibly opted for cheaper assembly process. It's a shame really. I think I'll stick with my 15" Powerbook G4 for another year or so

 

[thefunkymunky]

Hey everyone, I have a Week 7 MBP 15-inch.

I sent my MBP into Apple because I had the infamous whine, screen buzz, excessive heat issues. I got it back today and this is what they told me.

Apple have replaced the logic board with a newer revision "D" board but I still have a whine when running on battery. I don't think they have replaced the inverter for the screen buzz as I still have a buzz when the brightness is on anything bar off and full.

The heat they said is normal and happens to all MBP so I'm guessing they just applied the thermal paste according to the manual when replacing the logic board. .

A few other things too. My serial is not longer displayed in the "About This Mac" box. It just says "Serial Number: SystemSeumb".

I have and OSX and XP partitioned drive. Now, the XP drive is no longer listed as an option at startup. When I run Boot Camp it says my firmware needs updating. So I download the firmware again and for some reason it wont update, so I can no longer use the XP partition.

I think I'm gonna call AppleCare and ask for a new machine or a refund now. It ridiculous that they cant repair their machines properly.

Thanks, Nick.

 

[Sutekidane]

Well, the serial number thing is normal when you get a new logic board, since it's tied to it.

 

[MACDRIVE]

Someone asked if Apple had used a new manufacturing squad to build their MBP's. I would love to know if this is true. Looks like they have... and possibly opted for cheaper assembly process.

I too would like to know if these MB's are being built at a different factory or by a different contractor other than where the PB's came from. It sounds to me like Apple is taking some short cuts at the expense of the consumer.

 

[thefunkymunky]

Well, the serial number thing is normal when you get a new logic board, since it's tied to it.

Yes. True. But Apple are meant to reprogramme the new logic board with the machines serial number. They obviously havent in my case.

 

[macbook123]

I should try this with my 15" MBP. It makes the whine, even though it's not that bad. But, if I can get a brand new replacement....

All of the new MBP's (as well as the MB's) seem to have the whine. Some people claim that their's don't have it, however that doesn't make any sense, as why would some computers build in the same week in the same factory have the problem, others not.

So if nothing else is bothering you about your laptop, there's no good reason to try to get a replacement.

 

[dollystereo]

I have a similar story, I went to the states in March and got a MBP in San Francisco apple Store in March 8. I live in Chile, so I dont have an apple store here, and the resellers that are apple "certified" tecs dont know a sh$t. I want my whinning, heating super boiling MBP to be fixed or exchanged but I see that very hard because they kinda sux ond customer support here. Could I have the "well know email" to try to find a overseas solution?
Thx.
Anyway the Machine Rocks! Is fast and beautiful.
(Current temp 69 C, just surfing MR)
If they dont fix the service manual, the paste will continue to be bad applied anyway!

 

[macbook123]

If they dont fix the service manual, the paste will continue to be bad applied anyway!

I would mention this if you write an email to them.

Greetings to Chile!

 

[drake]

Write a letter to Steve Jobs. Call Apple and ask for Steve's FAX number. They WILL give it to you. Fax him the letter and wait 3~5 days. You WILL get a call from the Executive Relations office.

I've done this twice now. The "geniuses" are morons. Make sure you let Steve know that the noise is NOT ACCEPTABLE.

Steve Jobs is higly unlikely to ever see that fax, they'll have people who read the faxes and send them off to the appropriate dept.

This is, however, an effective way to deal with such an issue, once you've tried further down the chain. For example, I sent a Canon "L" lens to Canon Canada for repair last year. After waiting a month for them to send it back, I called to find out the status of the repair. They kept transfering me to people who don't answer their phones, so I left voicemail messages for nearly two weeks (nearly twenty long distance calls). No one ever replied. So, I then faxed off a letter to the President of Canon Canada. Got a reply from the repair depot in a half hour. They send they'd fast track the repair . A week after that they called to tell me they'd lost the lens (hense the reason no one would talk with me on the phone). They did end up sending me a cheque for the lens, but not replacement value.

So when things get "stuck" go to the top.

 

[macbook123]

Today an Apple representative called me, trying to convince me to purchase Apple Care. It turns out that if indeed you have a software issue that you think Apple can help you better with than e.g. this forum, you can purchase Apple Care on the spot when calling in to speak to a specialist, and this way avoid having to pay the $49 fee.

Concerning potential hardware problems, I'm beginning to wonder why I should pay for a repair service when close to 80% of people (according to this poll) don't get back a fixed computer?

I'm wondering, has Apple Care always been as bad as with the Macbooks Pro's? One reason I turned to Apple was because I heard the opposite.

 

[LastZion]

Could I have the "well know email" to try to find a overseas solution?
Thx.

Is the email you guys are talking about the obvious one?
The first name of the guy and the company he started?

 

[macbook123]

Any more people who tried to have their MBP's (1.83, 2.0, or 2.16 GHz) repaired by Apple? If we can get a bit better stats here perhaps I could this thread as a letter to Apple. Perhaps this will contribute to them addressing the issues. Currently it looks like 80% of folks don't get their MBP's fixed by Apple Care.

 

[sjshaw]

Not only did nothing get fixed, they created 2 new defects:

1. Broken left speaker
2. Unresponsive keyboard

 

[Saluki Alex]

Mines at the repair depot right now. I sent it in for the whine (both CPU and LCD related). I called today and they said they couldn't replicate the LCD whine, which I'm not too concerned about it since it doesn't always do it anyway, but they are replacing the logic board to "fix" the CPU whine. But now they have to wait for the logic board to come in, any idea how long that will take?

 

[mcygn]

SystemSeumb as serial number and replacement logic board tackiness for macbook pro's.

Hey everyone, I have a Week 7 MBP 15-inch.


Apple have replaced the logic board with a newer revision "D" board ...

A few other things too. My serial is not longer displayed in the "About This Mac" box. It just says "Serial Number: SystemSeumb".

I had my logic board replaced and can no longer read the searial number, get "SystemSeumb" where the serial no. should be. According to apple, all the replacement logic boards have blanks where the serial no. is and they have no way of coding in the old serial no. onto the new logic boards. They suggest reading it from "under the battery area." Ya. ok.

Thus a brand new computer, with a brand new replacement logic board means that the computer is LESS effective than before. As a colleague said, no longer being able to read the serial no. in the system profile is just "tacky"

The change of board also means that SMC firmware update must be reinstalled as must firmware update 1.0.1 - which you may have installed previously. They certainly didn't do this in the shop - or leave a note to say be sure to install these two firmware updates - one of which does NOT show up in software update.

The new board also changes your ethernet MAC address - so if any of your systems require your mac address to identify you on the network, check that, too. At least that no. shows up in the Network system prefs panel.

Tacky is right.

 

[Saluki Alex]

I had my logic board replaced and can no longer read the searial number, get "SystemSeumb" where the serial no. should be. According to apple, all the replacement logic boards have blanks where the serial no. is and they have no way of coding in the old serial no. onto the new logic boards. They suggest reading it from "under the battery area." Ya. ok.

Thus a brand new computer, with a brand new replacement logic board means that the computer is LESS effective than before. As a colleague said, no longer being able to read the serial no. in the system profile is just "tacky"

The change of board also means that SMC firmware update must be reinstalled as must firmware update 1.0.1 - which you may have installed previously. They certainly didn't do this in the shop - or leave a note to say be sure to install these two firmware updates - one of which does NOT show up in software update.

The new board also changes your ethernet MAC address - so if any of your systems require your mac address to identify you on the network, check that, too. At least that no. shows up in the Network system prefs panel.

Tacky is right.

Sounds like I'll be in that same boat, that is, whenever my MBP comes back. I like how they say it will take about 3 days and then once they have your notebook, they spring the "We had to order a part, it may take up to 10 days." excuse on you.

My question to you is, is the whine gone? If the whine is gone, I could care less about the serial number issue.

 

[mark!]

I'm glad I didn't have any issues

 

[macbook123]

For those interested in the reliability of Apple Care, there is also discussion of this topic under

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=518739&tstart=0

 

[LeSorcier]

I have only called Apple about the whine issue, and they told me that the only thing I could do is to take it to an Apple store where a Genius could listen to it.

That solution is ********, because 1) Apple stores are noisy places, and I do not want a Genius determining that Apple can do nothing about the whine when it is likely he won't even hear it in the store and 2) I shouldn't have to take time out of my day to drive it an hour away just to have them say they can't hear the whine.

I don't know what to do about the situation, as the sound is bothering me, but I don't know if it is bothering me enough to have to deal with the stress and time of arguing with Apple over it.

That was exactly my experience with the Apple Support Hotline! My MBP (Week 21) has the whine issue while it's running on battery and the noise of the harddrive or the left fan (I am not exactly sure about what it is) drives me crazy.

And it's getting hot (55 - 60 °C) underneath!

So as I am very dissapointed about the quallity of the MBP and there are several Service Porviders within 10 min on bike near my home I am going to do the run through the Service Providers and the Hotlines until the MBP will be replaced at the end!