[Rain]

Call me weird but I feel uncomfortable leaving my brand new pb alone at the repair shop and not knowing what's happening to it They won't purposely create other problems or steal any of my parts will they? Hate to see it come back with a loud fan or scratches on its case

I was hestitant about it, but then I realized the abnormal noises was driving me crazy, so I *had* to have it looked at before I go nuts.

If they have to replace the logic board, do you think they'll replace it with a refurbished part? I mean, rev b. is fairly new so I don't think they'll have any refurbished 1g p4 board laying around - or am I mistaken?

Exp. notebook people who has ever had to send their book in for repair, please put my mind at ease!

[HouseSold]

The only way I would worry is if Squidward, Patrick and Sponge Bob were at the counter when you took it in.

Just kidding !

Apple Techs are generally excellent and respectful and they like and appreciate Apple technology too.

My experience was previously with a titanium 800 that left for Houston in an Apple supplied carton on a Monday and arrived back on Thursday better than new to California, replaced keyboard and Superdrive. They even cleaned the case and screen as well.

I never should have sold it. sniff sniffle; Was like my first love.

[Rain]

Dude, don't kid like that. Now I have visions of Sponge Bob running off with my pb

Ehhh...I'm still worried. The receptionist didn't leave much of a good impression when she continually poked at it, and flipped it upside down and poked at it some more - think about it, upside down on a countertop with no cushion on the lid while she pushed it down against the countertop *sigh* I seriously don't feel good about this now now that I remember that incident with the receptionist

[The Placid Casual]

I would just chill out.

To be an Apple repairer people have to achieve a certain standard and be of a specific competency. It should be fine with them.

Also, what point would they have to repair it badly or damage it? None, they will just be making hassle for themselves that they would have to sort out at a later date... No company wants that.

As for the receptionist, if she treated the machine badly, or in a way you didn't like, by god tell her! You get no points for not talking about these things and letting people trample all over you.

I'm sure it will be fine.

Peace,

Marc

[HouseSold]

Treat it like a family member is in hospital for some tests or a car in for diagnosis at a shop. I used to check out a shop before I needed service by seeing how they handled others. I recently had somone call me, that I didn't know, to list their home for sale, because they had checked me out during another open house I held.

Follow-up (find out) who will be handling your powerbook ultimately and find out a/the specialists' name and try to be friendly. (You probably have to do this all by phone, if it's not local) If you can't speak to the actual technician, try to speak to someone who can. Share your experiences first hand and request careful handling and show appreciation. Note who you talk to from beginning to end, paying attention to who has the most authority or clout.

After you have your Powerbook back, remember your experience for future. Like a kid out all night on their first date. Everything will be good or Apple will make it good. Their reputation is based on high marks in customer service. But you have to ask.

[Rain]

I got my pb back. I had to call them to find out it was done They didn't fix anything. Wobble's still there, clicking still going on (I don't care what they said, the sound ain't normal). There was one black line on the apple logo which freaked me out, but turned out it was just dirt and can easily removed with water. And there's some brown marks on the bottom - you'd think they'd at least wipe it clean before returning it to me. Yeesh. Guess this chapter of my PB is over. Thanks for reading it

And, I think I did over react a smidge earlier...lets blame PMS for that, haha - tmi, eh? lol

[buddy1065]

You should count your stars you got off so lucky...apparrently your PB fell into the brown stained hands of that infamous Apple tech Chocolate Charley. Someone else complained of the chocolate stains also and it happened to me too. But for me sending my 15" to the Apple repair Center was quite a hideous horror story....


...it all began when my little 667 DVI caught the paint shedding disease. I sent my precious baby to the Apple hospital and the quacks returned it crippled; the hinge was misaligned and scraping paint froom the lid. The second time it came back with the same problem. The third time it returned with an ugly scar on the lid. The trademark chocolate stains let me know Choco Charley was working on it. The forth time I can't even remember why I had to send it back, I guess the memory of it was too traumatic. Now I remember (SOB!) it was a broken USB port. The fifth time it finally returned looking brand new but only after my continual complaining each time I sent it in. Don't be fooled by what these guys are telling you like sure, everything will be alright. You lucked out BIG TIME in my opinion. I would never send my 17" in for the minor complaints you described...never.

If it was a one time occurance I would say sure just a little bad luck; but 5 CONSECUTIVE TIMES??? No way; their repair center is lame. Search the Apple forum threads if Apple hasn't erased them.
Here is just one:

http://discussions.info.apple.com/We...18@.599836c5/5

This guy sent his in and it returned with dead pixels.

http://discussions.info.apple.com/We...4@.599836c5/28

[hsr]

I lost my first AppleCare Powerbook -- a refurbished 540c from an Apple dealer some years back, at the time cost about $1300. AppleCare (then in New York) had it five times in a year; the last time it came back with the case screws stripped out so the batteries would fall out, and no sign of the added RAM. Apple agreed to take it back and find a replacement. Two years later they charged me another $2000 to replace it with a Lombard. (The Apple Austin guy also quietly mentioned that the Seven Dust virus I'd gotten back with it one time with "was no longer a problem with AppleCare" and they'd dropped the New York service center, now doing AppleCare at Austin. He also found my 'missing' 540c RAM, when he got the 540c from me and opened it up. He said New York had put the chip in "backwards.")

The Lombard crashed a lot, made five AppleCare trips in a year, coming back the last time with the case loose, a spangle of hot pixels of various colors on the screen, and still crashing often. AppleCare took it back and thought over whether to replace it and with what, no Lombards available. That went on for a long while. Then one day someone called me and offered an exchange -- their top of the line Pismo, saying I'd have to do it TODAY to get this deal. I asked for a few days to think it over, and the next day I said yes. That same day Apple announced the 10-GB and 500 mhz Pismos. Several months later AppleCare sent me a 6-GB 64mb 400 mhz, and when I protested insisted that was the deal I made, for the top of the line model on the day they asked me about it (not the day I agreed or the day I sent them the agreement.

AppleCare has had the Pismo four times, each time just wiped the drive and reinstalled the then current OS, never found the problem with its sporadic crashes. I finally removed Apple's 64mb RAM and replaced it -- the crashes are now daily instead of hourly, which is better. I have a month or two left on AppleCare, but don't feel like letting them have another crack at it.

My first Mac was a 512kE, and I have liked them up through the SE-30 and the Pbook 150/180. Since then, I feel like they're Edsels.

But they're really pretty to look at.

"If you can't make it good, make it look good." --Wm. Gates, 1995

[romeosc]

.... some other worries!

1. Some tech getting all your passwords and credit card info....

2. Some tech finding all the porn sites you visited!

3. Some tech ....



Sometimes we worry too much!

[nagromme]

FWIW, my lovely shiny eMac came back from Apple repair somewhat scratched. Lots of small scratches. I think they set it on its face with no cloth under it!! Next time I need repair, I'm not sure what to do about that. Or maybe I never will...

I did not ask Apple to address the issue since in some light its not noticeable--and I don't like the thought of wasting a big chunk of plastic. But it's still sad--the eMac is such a great design! Oh well, I don't think other people notice, only me...

[The Placid Casual]

A few years ago I sent a new dual USB iBook in for repair as the battery didn't fit properly...

8 weeks later it was returned and looked like it had been dragged around the parking lot and then used as a coffee table for 7 weeks.

Apple refused to replace it. They still hadn't fixed it, but now it had another 4 faults!

In the end I emailed the 'special' address, and it was returned to me with a totally new enclosure, keyboard, screen, insides, and a gift voucher...

Happy ending, but I doubt I would send my Ti in until it is absolutely necessary. Indeed, I have a small issue with it at the moment, but it is going nowhere...

Peace,

Marc

[HouseSold]

Nagromme,

Sorry to hear about your eMac. If the scratches aren't gouges, a good polish will remove them, as in auto finishes. I remember reading that someone had used electric razor sharpening compound to polish scratches. Haven't tried that, but used to restore antique cars and we used ordinary corn starch to take out fine scratches in lacquer finishes before a car show. A product called Gel Gloss used for polishing fibreglas finishes, like spas, also works very well. Only an Apple owner lover can appreciate our tools like we do. My Toshiba laptop made of black boring ABS plastic, I could care less of the finish since we can't polish it or chrome the wheels.

[nagromme]

Thanks for the tips. I'd had the thing for most of a year before it happened, which eases the pain And they certainly aren't gouges.