Apple's Build Quality

[JAYDMF]

Originally Posted by EdRyan

I have just picked it up off them. After ringing yesterday and being told the parts were not being delivered due to problems with the retail centre's delivery lifts, I was told it wouldn't be ready for days.

So I went to work in Coventry, thinking I might as well earn some pennies whilst its gone. They rang me back just after I'd got there, saying it had been fixed...wtf...

THe final total with VAT was £405. It has now cost Apple more to fix the thing then it did for me to buy it.

Yeah that will be to the customer. we get the same sort of reports but we can look at what its cost the repair centre and its usually abaout a quarter to a third of what the customer is quoted.

Still bloody steep. comeback over to side of resovable problems

[terminal3]

Well, the Superdrive on my Macbook Pro is hosed. DVD-Rs inserted are seen as "blank" by the system (if I'm lucky and they're not just ejected entirely) and it will not burn at all, have tried three different brands of disc. Just spits out the disc with an "unknown device error" in DVD Studio Pro - the disc is actually un-lasered, it worked just fine for a new burn in a different drive so I think it's safe to say the laser's just gone.

Need to take it in (have Applecare!) but I'm so flat out busy right now I can't be without a computer for more than an hour or so. In my experience they do turn them out quick but it could be 36-48 hours minimum and I've got deadlines!!!

[JAYDMF]

LG do an 8 speed slim type USB ext for about £60 which is pretty damn good as a back up

[terminal3]

Originally Posted by JAYDMF

LG do an 8 speed slim type USB ext for about £60 which is pretty damn good as a back up

I've got an old beast of a Lacie drive... bought it back when it was the first dual-layer drive that was somewhat affordable, this was before Apple was putting dual-layer burners in their machines! So at least that works, still. But it's still very annoying.

[kay7]

Never had a problem with my macs. I use macbook pro 17, imac 24 and a mac pro. Honestly!? Never had Apple Care! dont need it! I can take care of my macs. Windows ? ermm...came recently from Amsterdam- Armada Studiosand they were using macs ONLY!
Switching back to windows !? Oh man ! You`ll be back , trust me !

[EdRyan]

My macbooks next trick.

The battery is seemingly knackered. It wouldn't charge at all yesterday. It is now charging, but with a 'service battery' warning.

That will be another £97 per-lease Mr Steve Jobs

[EdRyan]

And as usual, the Apple Store is full of 12 year olds that have dropped their Ipod in the bath. Spend £140 on an ipod, get seen instantly. Spend a few grand on a computer, upgrades and software....be ignored !

I wouldn't mind but I only need a battery. It should be a 2 minute in and out job. I've been sat here for 15 minutes and not even been acknowledged.

[ecc83]

I know nothing of macs (want to even less now!) but I do know something of the retail electronics service industry.

Basically there isn't one, at least not as it used to be where almost every shop had its own service department, usually at the biggest store, and service went hand in hand with sales and "customer care".

Then there is the basic flaw in extended service warranties. You are almost always dependant upon the service agent of the insurers choice. They know this and so they can **** you about forever.

Much like engineering itself, service/maintenance has a very low satus in this country. Low wages and very little career path opportunities to go further in a company. Maybe with the move toward a "greener" world repairing things will once again become important?

Dave.

[EdRyan]

Well the battery has only partially fixed the problem.

When the battery is nearly flat, the machine is supposed to save some energy to hibernate and keep the system recoverable in a low power state. However that doesn't happen. It just does and then when I reconnect the screen doesn't switch on. So I restart, only to find the image I had set as desktop and obviously the apps/docs I had open had been stopped without saving.

[terminal3]

Originally Posted by ecc83

Then there is the basic flaw in extended service warranties. You are almost always dependant upon the service agent of the insurers choice. They know this and so they can **** you about forever.

Well, in Apple's case it's Apple themselves - Applecare is their own extended warranty. Every Applecare plan I've ever bought has paid for itself several times over, all but one machine have needed replacement parts/fixing...!

[EdRyan]

This is very true.

My mac so far:

3 Cases - £140 a repair
1 Screen Inverter - £35 ish
1 Superdrive - £300 ish
1 Battery - £97

Case is on the way out again. I will probably need another battery before Applecare is done. Screen still flickers, so that will be goign in for another look soon as well. All in all...its been worth it. Otherwise I'd be left with a machine that looked rubbish with holes in it, didn't charge properly, couldn't burn a cd/dvd and only charges up when it feels like it.

[ecc83]

"Every Applecare plan I've ever bought has paid for itself several times over"
That would indicate then that they have a build quality problem!

Dave.

[terminal3]

Originally Posted by ecc83

"Every Applecare plan I've ever bought has paid for itself several times over"
That would indicate then that they have a build quality problem!

Dave.

Not disagreeing with you there!

[EdRyan]

Same here. First one, but it has paid for itself easily 3 times now in terms of cost.

Sadly, replacing the battery has revealed a new symptom/flaw. My mac now doesn't hibernate properly when the battery dies. When I reconnect it starts charging ok but the screen often doesn't come back on. I have to restart the machine, and when I do it has forgotten my desktop picture.

[terminal3]

Originally Posted by EdRyan

Same here. First one, but it has paid for itself easily 3 times now in terms of cost.

Sadly, replacing the battery has revealed a new symptom/flaw. My mac now doesn't hibernate properly when the battery dies. When I reconnect it starts charging ok but the screen often doesn't come back on. I have to restart the machine, and when I do it has forgotten my desktop picture.

How many times has your computer been in for service? I've heard that if they can't fix stuff fully after 3 tries there's sort of an internal policy to just give you a new machine...