I am the proud user of an iBook 12".One day, it just refused to turn on at all. Go down to the Apple Store (Fashion Show for anyone keeping track) and after waiting 2 hours in the queue, confirm with the genius that it is in fact in need of a new logic board and off it goes.
Comes back relatively quickly and lasts 3 days, then no boot. Fails fsck -fy. 2.5 hour Genius Bar queue wait and the Genius reinstalls OS X.
Lasts through the weekend, dies again. This time the HD fails outright. 1.5 hour Genius Bar queue for the Genius to spend 2 minutes with it, agree with my diagnostic and send it out. That was April 5th, that was the last time I saw my iBook.
3 days later, the Depot finally gets to my iBook and decides that the logic board failure can only be explained by water damage. Rather testy phone rep who calls tells me that it will be $610 and that even if this machine hasn't worked right since it came back, it *can't be their fault*. After avoiding the pressure to spend that money right then, I tell him I'll call back.
Finally after getting a new rep, I am told that Apple will do an investigation by taking pictures of the logic board and sending them to me and the rep. 3 days go by before the rep tells me that apparently Apple can't do that. They will fix the logic board though.
I expect my machine will be back soon! Wrong...
Apple takes 3 more days to get to it, and then says that the repair is complete - for an hour- then the status page changes to "Waiting For Part". The heralded repair depot doesn't have a part my computer needs. 7 days later. Apple gets the part and my iBook is done! Of course, that doesn't mean I should expect it any time soon. The iBook has been pending shipment for two days until Apple will release it to DHL to send back to the store. The Repair rep refuses to say officially, but earliest estimate have it to the store on the 2nd. 25 days since I've seen my iBook.
Now, I've always sung the praises of AppleCare. I've told everyone I know that its worth it, and that the Apple Store is a great place to deal with as a front end for getting help, but after this experience, I'm not sure either of these are true. Questions that wander my mind:
*Is it too much to expect that if a machine comes back from the depot, the problem should be fixed?
*Has the move away from local Mac shops to Apple Retail stores harmed the warranty experience for the end user? I see no reason why my local Authorized Repair shop couldn't do this repair.
*Should Apple expect customers to put up with 2.5 hour wait times at the Genius Bar and then be surprised when customers complain? Sure, you can file a reservation online, but be sure its the first thing you do when you wake up. About 1 PM recently I was told the Genius Bar was fill for the rest of the day.
*Am I alone in my criticism of Apple's "world-class" warranty?
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