[kastaway99]

Am I being unreasonable?

I purchased my 17" Powerbook G4 in April, 2004. From the moment I received it, it had the defective latch, which was famous:
http://www.macsimumnews.com/index.p.../2281/item.name
http://www.byte.com/documents/s=891...0/1110_bar.html
http://forums.appleinsider.com/show....threadid=30942

In addition, it had extraordinarily wide gaps all around the screen, except where it dipped down to the latch area. So when the lid is "closed", it is like the lid is u-shaped, causing a "wing effect", or "wide gap" similar to what is mentioned several times in this discussion:
http://www.macintouch.com/pbg4reader19.html.

When I bought the machine and had it shipped to me, I was living in Iqaluit, nearly at the Arctic Circle. I called about these issues, and was told to just take it in to a Service Centre. I explained where I was, but was told there was no box-shipping possible; I could only take it in personally. Well, that wasn't going to happen, obviously. So I lived with my defective, $4k machine. OK, it wasn't the end of the world. But I knew I would get it fixed one day, right? Ha.

Since then, I've moved to the US, and the hard drive also failed. That was the last straw -- now the computer was unusable, and I sent it in for repair. Guess what? It turns out Apple will not repair it, because it is "damaged".

Take a look at the pictures which THEY sent me -- these are high-resolution, where the corner of my 1-inch PB fills a monitor. Even on these pics, the dings they are talking about are tiny, I'm attaching them. No matter what explanation is given, it's obvious that those dings did not cause a problem with the latching mechanism, nor did they cause a big gap between the lid and keyboard all around the computer.
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthre...93#post1538193

QUESTION: Am I being unreasonable, or is this a method of doing business? Find some wear-and-tear, and then refuse to fix items which have been known defects for the Powerbook line?

QUESTION: How many other people have been denied warranty repairs because of bogus reasons? Am I alone in this?

QUESTION: When I get my machine back, where can I take it for another assessment? The Apple Customer Service rep just kept quoting "Apple Policy" for me, and it turned into an abstract discussion.

Thanks for whatever you can suggest.

[asodamiac]

Originally Posted by rickvanr

My question; to replace this latch, would they have to replace the places where you have mistreated your powerbook? If so, I completely agree with them. Also, you living up north, away from easy access to postal services, I can see why you didn't mail it in, but from Apple's or any other company's point of view I can see how they may think you've made up the story in part or in whole.

that was quoted from the guy from the macrumors thread. i posted about zealous mac owners before, but why is it that everyone has to justify apple, in everything that they do? i ordered the tiger upgrade disc after i purchased my pb in april. i was expecting to get it by the release date, but didnt get it until a few days later. i asked a friend (mac fanatic) about it and he incriminated me for not purchasing the full version.

i think that apple should repair the latch, but i guess its hard to prove that the latch was broken when you received the pb. if you are still under apple care, does it cover the latch and hd? if so, shouldnt they fix it? good luck.

[dissapointed]

You must have dropped it to get that damage?

no wonder they dont want to fix it. it says in the warranty they wont repair it if you accidently damage the machine.

[simmonstwin]

Originally Posted by dissapointed

You must have dropped it to get that damage?

no wonder they dont want to fix it. it says in the warranty they wont repair it if you accidently damage the machine.

Apple Zealot!!!

[bighead]

Originally Posted by kastaway99

Am I being unreasonable?

Yes.

Originally Posted by kastaway99

I purchased my 17" Powerbook G4 in April, 2004. From the moment I received it, it had the defective latch, which was famous.

It's not that common, but I've seen it before. Meh.

Originally Posted by kastaway99

Take a look at the pictures which THEY sent me -- these are high-resolution, where the corner of my 1-inch PB fills a monitor. Even on these pics, the dings they are talking about are tiny, I'm attaching them. No matter what explanation is given, it's obvious that those dings did not cause a problem with the latching mechanism, nor did they cause a big gap between the lid and keyboard all around the computer.

Impact that is strong enough to cause dents in the Aluminum case is definitely strong enough to cause the hard disk to fail. Also, there may or may not be cause for repairing the latch, because the latch is a combination of the display housing and the bottom case, both of which have physical damage to them.

Originally Posted by kastaway99

QUESTION: Am I being unreasonable, or is this a method of doing business? Find some wear-and-tear, and then refuse to fix items which have been known defects for the Powerbook line?

No, but when there is damage to components that are causing or indicative of the cause for a failure, it is reasonable to pay for those components when the damage isn't covered under the warranty.

Originally Posted by kastaway99

QUESTION: When I get my machine back, where can I take it for another assessment? The Apple Customer Service rep just kept quoting "Apple Policy" for me, and it turned into an abstract discussion.

You can take it to another service provider to see if it would be less expensive, but I think it is ridiculous that anyone thinks that damage that quite obviously led to component failure should be covered under warranty. I sure as heck wouldn't cover this if it was my job to do so.

[kastaway99]

1) You have an agenda that I don't understand, if you are trying to downplay the latch thing.
2) Your opinion is very similar to what Apple said: everything is my fault, so there is no warranty coverage.

Curiously, I have yet to find anybody, other than yourself, who thinks those pathetic marks signify real damage. Even the Apple rep on the phone said "that doesn't look very big to me, but our policy..."

3) You avoid the whole issue that most of my problems came with the computer. Just like for so many others. But somehow, if there are scratches, Apple tries to avoid their responsibilities?

[bighead]

Originally Posted by kastaway99

1) You have an agenda that I don't understand, if you are trying to downplay the latch thing.

I don't have an agenda. I'm just saying that I don't see very many latch failures on 17" PowerBooks that are well cared for and maintained.

Originally Posted by kastaway99

2) Your opinion is very similar to what Apple said: everything is my fault, so there is no warranty coverage.

It's probably because I'm certified for working on the machines that the technicians at the repair center are certified for, and I agree with their findings.

Originally Posted by kastaway99

Curiously, I have yet to find anybody, other than yourself, who thinks those pathetic marks signify real damage. Even the Apple rep on the phone said "that doesn't look very big to me, but our policy..."

I had a 15" with intermittent latching issues that I dropped. I paid the tier 3 cost to repair it, they replaced the case parts and the logic board, and the latching issue went away. Similarly with your PowerBook, paying the tier 3 repair cost would repair the hard disk as well as the case parts that are causing the latching problems. That is the solution to your problem.

Originally Posted by kastaway99

3) You avoid the whole issue that most of my problems came with the computer. Just like for so many others. But somehow, if there are scratches, Apple tries to avoid their responsibilities?

It sucks that you weren't able to send the unit for a latch repair before the drop damage occurred, since Apple may have repaired it under warranty. However, when there are problems, as your book currently has, and there is physical damage that would cause such problems, and your book has damage, it isn't covered under the warranty.

Interestingly, even without the latching issue present (before or after the "bump"), your machine would still be a tier 3 repair due to the drop damage and the dead hard drive. Getting the latch fixed would be an unintentional, though welcome, consequence of paying the tier 3 cost to have the machine fixed. It seems to me that you beat up your PowerBook, inadvertently as it may be, and want Apple to pay for the damage. I don't think that's fair to the people who pay for repairs with similar damage who acknowledge that the abuse is what caused the unit to fail.

[kastaway99]

It's irrelevant that you had a machine which you broke the latch on, because I don't have a machine like that.

I have a machine which had a defective latch, a huge gap that causes the front of the display to dip down, and a hard drive that failed.

My machine also has some very minor dents, which never would have caused any of those EVEN IF they had not been factory defects. If Apple would have given me some way, any way, of accessing their warranty service, I would have sent them the machine immediately. But I couldn't.

[dissapointed]

Originally Posted by kastaway99

1) You have an agenda that I don't understand, if you are trying to downplay the latch thing.
2) Your opinion is very similar to what Apple said: everything is my fault, so there is no warranty coverage.

Curiously, I have yet to find anybody, other than yourself, who thinks those pathetic marks signify real damage. Even the Apple rep on the phone said "that doesn't look very big to me, but our policy..."

I think those pathetic marks signify real damage. Did you drop the machine?
My powerbook fell from a desk landing on tiles and i did less damage to the case than you did. I didnt even bother trying to get apple to repair it because i read the warranty conditions and realised it wasnt even worth trying, but it ended up being covered by my C/C insurance. Anyway, if you can find any electronics manufacturer that'll cover faults caused by accidental damage (or perceived to be casued by acidental damage from their perspective) without extra insurance (e.g., dell's accidental damage insurance) then let me know.

Originally Posted by kastaway99

3) You avoid the whole issue that most of my problems came with the computer. Just like for so many others. But somehow, if there are scratches, Apple tries to avoid their responsibilities?

Scratches, my arse! Isn't the only real problem the fact that the hard drive doesnt work? In which case APple is perfectly entitled to suggest that perhaps it broke when you dropped the computer and therefore, they aint going to fix it. Dude, you're unlucky cause you were living in the middle of nowhere and couldnt get the latch fixed and know because you damaged the machine and fecked your hard drive you're angry at apple because they're standing by their own policy. Stop whingeing and just pay to get the hard drive fixed.

Be honest and let us know how you caused those small scratches

[kastaway99]

Unlucky? A person buys a premium machine, pays a hefty charge for extended warranty, just where does "luck" enter the picture??

Why is me trying to get warranty fulfilled, "whinging", but you, who actually broke stuff, are a clever lad for getting your CC company to pay?

[bighead]

Originally Posted by kastaway99

Unlucky? A person buys a premium machine, pays a hefty charge for extended warranty, just where does "luck" enter the picture??

You're not too bright, since extending the warranty is not the same as having insurance whose purpose is to cover accidental damage.

Originally Posted by kastaway99

Why is me trying to get warranty fulfilled, "whinging", but you, who actually broke stuff, are a clever lad for getting your CC company to pay?

I refer to my previous post about insurance. I, unfortunately, did not have credit card insurance on my purchase. The other poster is smarter than either one of us in this regard. I just take more responsibility for the damage that I caused.

[kastaway99]

Thanks for (again) making my point for me.

This will be my last post, but I want to point out that if you buy a Powerbook, with extended warranty, it is entirely possible that you will not be able to get problems fixed. (For example, if you are in a rural area.) Then, when you are in a situation to get problems fixed, Apple will say that all the problems were your fault. They will misdirect attention to scuffs and evidence of wear and tear.

When you try to point out to Apple that the problems came from the factory, and that your other Powerbook, and iBook, and iPod all do not have similar problems, and that these problems are probably not a frivolous claim, because you did not make frivolous claims on any of those other machines, they will (metaphorically) shout you down and shut you out.

I wanted to find other explanations, or viewpoints, to help me understand where I was wrong. But I now understand that I am not wrong. Thank you.