My brand new MBP must go back.

[4theking]

My first Apple experience has been mixed. After the long wait for my machine, I joyfully unboxed a great looking notebook and jumped into the world of the Mac OS.

I love it! As a certified Microsoft professional I guess the best way to summarize my experience thus far is that the Notebook and OS is just cooler. Not a very technical term, I know, but it seems right.

Anyway, I have to send it back. The superdrive crunches like the owl and the tootsie pop. Some of the keys are attached at strange angles, especially the eject key. I have a dead pixel near the very center of the screen. Not what I was expecting after 2 grand and a three week wait. I suspect Apple will make it right and I will keep this thread current as I venture through my first Apple Care experience. Good luck to me!

 

[Squonk]

Bummer

Sorry to hear about your less than perfect MBP. Thanks for not firing up the bashing wagon! Hopefully you'll be in a much better machine soon.

 

[bld44]

I thought my superdrive made strange noises too. Is this not normal? Should it be almost silent?

 

[aristobrat]

I've had a PowerBook and a MacBook go back for service and they were both fixed promptly and properly. Hope you have the same experience!

 

[4theking]

I thought my superdrive made strange noises too. Is this not normal? Should it be almost silent?

I spoke with a store tech yesterday and he said there should be some whirring but not the loud punching noise I described. It sounds like it is trying to engage something and the plastic keeps catching creating a loud clicking noise.

It is quite disturbing but when I figured out how to make my MBP tell me knock knock jokes via voice command I nearly forgot about it.

 

[4theking]

Update #1

I decided to phone Apple Care on the way to an appointment and after 15 minutes was connected with a tech. 15 minutes of hold time in the middle of the day after a holiday isn't that bad. Having to listen to hip-hop hold music for the majority of it is that bad.

I explained my problem and the tech asked that I pull out the MBP so we could troubleshoot. I explained I was driving and that the issues are hardware related and there is nothing to troubleshoot. The pixel is dead and the keys are crooked. There's nothing to troubleshoot. We go back and forth for a bit and I learn of Apple's "must troubleshoot" policy. Okay.

I was a little firm about my disappointment and I reemphasized that even if I was with the machine there would be no troubleshooting options. I also stressed that I am not asking for help repairing my brand new machine. I want a brand new machine that is working properly out of the box. He then informed me of Apple's "we don't assist customers while they are driving" policy. Nice.

I'm not overly excited about my experience right now. Once I carve more time out of my day to work toward getting what I paid for I'll update with the results. I'm currently wondering if I would be better off with a slick Vaio. I'm sure they have QA and service issues too though.

For a company(Apple) that practically has a brand on "switching" they aren't making it a seamless experience.

 

[other]

I'm not overly excited about my experience right now. Once I carve more time out of my day to work toward getting what I paid for I'll update with the results. I'm currently wondering if I would be better off with a slick Vaio. I'm sure they have QA and service issues too though.

For a company(Apple) that practically has a brand on "switching" they aren't making it a seamless experience.

If you aren't too attached to OS X, return the Mac and get a regular PC while you still can. Seriously. I'm on my seventh Mac now since November, just because I want OS X. I kind of wish I never would've tried it. Well, what I really wish is that Apple would deliver me a good computer, but besides that.

 

[Cybergypsy]

Yea I bought a awesome Vaio, now again I am back to mac and will never leave again, had more issues on the vaio then I have had on macs in 20 years....I have had issue with macbooks, but not as many as with a vaio.....good luck

 

[Sopranino]

Update #1..... Having to listen to hip-hop hold music for the majority of it is that bad.

**chuckle**

I explained my problem and the tech asked that I pull out the MBP so we could troubleshoot. I explained I was driving and that the issues are hardware related and there is nothing to troubleshoot. The pixel is dead and the keys are crooked. There's nothing to troubleshoot. We go back and forth for a bit and I learn of Apple's "must troubleshoot" policy. Okay.

I actually agree with this process. Doing diagnostic work over the phone is quite difficult, with most of the difficulty arising out of the difference in the meanings and interpretations of the words that people use. It helps immensely to get both sides onto the same page at a very basic level. Going through a set of specific troubleshooting tests puts the tech in a better position for diagnosis as it will help narrow the scope of the problem. A lot of callers that contact Apple have very little technical background so that process makes a lot of sense.

.... He then informed me of Apple's "we don't assist customers while they are driving" policy. Nice.

I think that Apple has a twofold position here. 1) They don't want the remotest chance that an accident occurs and subsequently getting their name in the news as being on one end of a call at the time. 2) Detailed conversations while driving are very difficult......the driver needs to be paying attention to the task of DRIVING.

I'm not overly excited about my experience right now. Once I carve more time out of my day to work toward getting what I paid for I'll update with the results. I'm currently wondering if I would be better off with a slick Vaio. I'm sure they have QA and service issues too though.

You are right, having a brand new (expensive) device fail to deliver on form and functionality is quite disappointing. Give the Apple Support line a chance to resolve the problems, they are actually quite good at this. Apple's products are generally fantastic and well worth the premium price tag.

For a company(Apple) that practically has a brand on "switching" they aren't making it a seamless experience.

Unfortunately having problems like this on the first try really does sour the experience. I do hope this resolves favorably for you.

Sopranino

 

[4theking]

Update #2

Thanks for the helpful comments everyone. Being able to vent and receive feedback is much appreciated.

After about an hour on the phone and a few different departments I have been offered a replacement. Sadly I will have to wait until I can provide proof that the current machine is making the voyage back before they will release the new one. I have to allow for a 7-10 day build time before the new one ships. Thankfully I have other options for my computer needs while I wait the additional time. I feel bad for Apple customers that don't have options and have to endure the same process.

My biggest complaint is that all of this could have been avoided by decent quality assurance procedures. A quick glance at the keyboard and one of the problems is easily identified. Apple's lack of QA forces me into that role and it is unfair that we have to report the defects and wait for them to get it right. It took nearly three weeks for the first one to ship. Someone could have tested the drive and stuck an eyeball on the keyboard during the build time.

In addition, the first individual I spoke with wanted me to return the machine for repair. Obviously I want a machine that works out of the box. If I wanted a broken machine that was fixed I would have purchased a refurb.

Sadly, I have no guarantee that the next MBP will be functional. What will they do? Are they going to spend extra time making sure everything is right before shipping the replacement? Doesn't everyone deserve that level of attention from the very beginning?

I feel that if Apple would put as much care and "genius" into production as they put into design I would not need this thread.

I think I'm done crying now.

 

[majordude]

Yea I bought a awesome Vaio, now again I am back to mac and will never leave again, had more issues on the vaio then I have had on macs in 20 years....I have had issue with macbooks, but not as many as with a vaio.....good luck

I had a super sexy 12" (maybe smaller?) VAIO that came with about a hundred $%S&*! programs I didn't want... AOL, MSN, Yahoo Messenger... a whole lot of bloat like the Apple ad says.

I formated the drive and then had to do it four more $%S&*! times (took a whole day) because if you install the $%S&*! SONY drivers in the wrong order the little VAIO locks up or crashes or worse.

And the great $%S&*! thing is that SONY doesn't bother to tell you what order to install the drivers so you have to figure it out yourself!

Brilliant!

 

[majordude]

After about an hour on the phone and a few different departments I have been offered a replacement. Sadly I will have to wait until I can provide proof that the current machine is making the voyage back before they will release the new one.

I bought a MBP back in March and when I received it the case was screwed up (and the screen wasn't centered but that was less obvious). I went through the same scenario you did. I think it took about three days to find a person who was sympathetic to my situation. He declared it "DOA" so that I wouldn't have to have the one I had fixed... I'd get a new one.

It was surprisingly fast to get a new one. I think I shipped out the bad one on Tuesday and by Friday I had my new one.

 

[xpovos]

Update #2

...

Sadly, I have no guarantee that the next MBP will be functional.

...

Sadly, you are quite correct. My own personal MacBook Pro "failure rate" is 83.33% (n = 6). All issues encountered were fairly serious (warped bottom casing, exploding battery, logic board defect, etc...) To be honest, the only reason I continue to use a Mac (iMac & black MacBook) is because when they are problem-free, they are better than sex. If OS X weren't so incredibly good, Macs would have no appeal beyond the visual.

FWIW (and anecdotally, based on my own personal experience and that of colleagues, friends, and MacRumors forum members) the MacBook Pro seems to have by far the worst track record for quality assurance of any currently selling Apple products. Most iMacs and gen-2 or gen-3 MacBooks seem to be very solid products, while the MBP seems to suffer (STILL!) from nagging defects at an alarmingly high rate. A real shame, since there's just something about the MBP that seems to make it the "coolest" Mac on the market.

 

[hohohong]

Honest, I really love Mac OS. My first time using Mac couple months ago, when i bought my MBP. But I literally spent over 80 hours dealing with the QA problems that I finally decided to return it and wait till the production stabilized.

Apple care phone support has really mixed review. Some are helpful and considerate, other: "Tough luck!"

Genius? Maybe I was unlucky to get inexperience Genius who just know the basic troubleshooting stuff.

I'm not Appless and stressless! And ......

computerless!

 

[majordude]

To be honest, the only reason I continue to use a Mac (iMac & black MacBook) is because when they are problem-free, they are better than sex.

Try a female some time.