[iWrite]

wowok1234:

That was GREAT news!

See?

In the future don't buy refurbished from anyone other than Apple. Even the Apple Stores are themselves selling open-box items so you can pay the same as refurbished from another reseller -- but you get to buy it from Apple and are assured of good warranty service.

This is turning into a really cool thread full of a lot of positive experiences.

Crazyjohnson: If your Powerbook is under AppleCare then it most certainly will be fixed. Keep us posted.

[WiFiTi]

This is the end of this thread from my perspective.
I won't go into details but today I received not one but two personal phone calls from "high up" executives at Apple Computer, in Cupertino.
They expressed serious regard for my issue/problem and my perspectives regarding issues with repair.
They have brought my computer in for an OVERNIGHT repair -- or they will replace the entire system.
I honestly am dumbfounded. I am speechless and more impressed that I've ever been over this type of matter.
After my conversation with a particular person who is, shall we say, one of the three top ranking executives at Apple Computer, I have absolutely no doubt that Apple DOES care about it's customers. Executives may not hear about the issues but they wish that they did, that's all I can say.
After my conversation today, all I can say is that my loyalty to all things Apple has doubled.
I cannot express how genuinely nice and concerned they were. I'm actually in awe still this evening.

I am sorry, but this has to be the fastest sellout I've ever seen. iWrite, you have shot your credibility all to hell.

Hi peeps, long time lurker, first time poster. I've been following this thread and many others since the whole Bad PowerBook thing happened to Jeff a few months ago. Then of course when John Manzione's PowerBook shattered the buzz was everywhere. I have owned several G4 PowerBooks, all have had problems but I love them anyway, and anything that could clue me in on the current state of affairs always gets my attention.

iWrite, I too have been reading your posts here and at Apple, and I also support Manzione, but where we part ways is your apparent illogical reaction to a phone call. You are acting like a teenage girl who just got a call from Justin Timerblake, you are incredibly naive and easily sold. Sorry to sound so harsh but you really deserve it. Honestly.

Look, while any of us could come up with at least one good and one bad Apple support experience, you were pissed at Apple in the beginning of this thread and over at Apple Discussions, and because of one person, one phone call, Apple now, according to you, has the best of the best, the perfect support, the greatest people, and your evil thoughts about Apple have been purged. That's insane, how you could be so easily bought and sold is something I just don't understand.

Apple support isn't about ONE person or ONE experience, its about the whole experience. If some of your customers are greating great support and some are getting lousy support then your entire support structure is in serious trouble. The worst any company can be is "inconsistent" and Apple is certainly inconsistent.

You began this thread partly in hopes of finding out about other people's experience and also, from what I could tell, to vent your own frustrations about your recent experience. So people came and told their stories and you apparently listened and responded. But as soon as your own situation was handled you immediate response to this thread is:

"This is the end of this thread from my perspective."

My God, I've never seen someone who can be so easily swayed. You just negated every person's concerns in this entire thread. For every single person with a real gripe, to which you wanted to have us believe you actually cared, you just tossed them aside and told them that they were wrong.

" I have absolutely no doubt that Apple DOES care about it's customers."

This is an outrageous statement to make, based on a single call from a "top-ranking" Apple exec. For every person you "used" in this thread, you've told them in no uncertain terms that they are wrong, and you are right, all because you got "the phone call".

iWrite, I am sure you are a nice person, as am I and many others here, but I can never take anything you say seriously again because you've proved here and at Apple Discussions you have your own agenda and you disguise it. You ask of the community, they respond, some commisserating goes on, and as soon as your problem is solved off you go, happy as a lark, telling anyone who will listen that Apple support is almost 'God-like'. This is a horrible way to relate to anyone on the web.

People like Charles Morre, John Farr, Dan Knight, Dean Bromell, John Manzione, and Bob Levitus put themselves on the line everyday, and people read them and remember what they say. They are held accountable for thier words, good or bad. If any of them ever flipped their position after a single incident they wouldn't have careers in the mac world. I'm not saying anyone that posts in a forum is held to the same standards, but if you solicit opinions from people in a forum then do so with honesty, not to feed your own agenda.

What will you say the next time Apple pisses you off?

Lisa

[MusicalTone]

Very well put Lisa. I agree.

[JayTay]

Firstly let me prefix this by stating that I'm in the UK, anyway on with my tale of woe..

I recently had to send my 400Mhz Ti PowerBook off for repair under AppleCare as I had the vertical line problem. I've had the 'Book since they were released so it's done quite well.

It was sent off to a company named Amsys who carry out Apple's AppleCare repairs in the UK and they informed me that they'd fixed the display problem and also replaced the logic board due to an unrelated problem of which I was only vaguely aware (I'd had a few kernel panics of late). They told me on 1 April that they would be sending it back to me that day.

The package containing the PB was dispatched from them on 1 April and a delivery was attempted at my home address on 3 April by the delivery company, however I was not home at the time. I called the local depot and arranged to collect the package on 5 April. On 5 April I went to the depot where a guy there retrieved the parcel and placed it on the floor in front of me ready to sign for, at this point I had a look at the parcel and saw that it was sealed and all was, I assumed, well. I signed for the package and gave the delivery slip to the guy who then returned to his work, I then picked up the package (thinking it was rather light as I did so) and returned to my car. On opening it I discovered that the PB was not inside (I have inspected the package and can find no sign of it having been tampered with or having been previously opened). I was not best pleased and assumed that Amsys had forgotten to pack it.

The following Monday I rang Amsys who assured me that the computer was contained within when it left their office and that the package was sealed. I spoke a few times with someone there over the course of the week who stated that the matter was being resolved and that they would be issuing a cheque, on teh Friday of that week I got a letter from them stating that as the package was sealed and the computer inside at their end there was nothing more they could do for me and that I should take the matter up with the delivery company.

As my contract was with Apple I saw no reason to chase after everyone involved in this so phoned up Apple Customer Relations and relayed the story and informed the police as well. A week or two later Apple pretty much told me that there was nothing they can do for the reasons above (package was still sealed etc) and that I'd have to hope the Police resolve the matter.

I'm now seeking legal advice and writing to Apple in the vain hope that I may finally get some form of compensation from all this.

Since this happened I've bought myself a new PowerBook. No AppleCare as yet though....

[melman101]

My advice is to let the Apple Store take care of it, cause you can show them the problem, and then they will ship it for you. It's much easier, and i wish i did this first.

[iWrite]

Lisa

First of all, I don't care about being credible. What do you think this is -- an online magazine where writers are published daily or weekly? I don't have a credibility issue with respect to this FORUM because it is a FORUM to express IDEAS.

If you don't find my IDEAS credible then that's your opinion. You're merely a blurb of IDEAS at this FORUM.

I'm not trying to be insulting, but you seem like you're taking this issue a little seriously.

As I said at the get-go I did NOT want this thread to turn into a rant against Apple, remember?

Second of all, I have never been in the same "place" as John Manzione or anyone else with respect to having Apple issues. With that much said, I supported him inasmuch as I could: I do not disbelieve him and I find him to be a nice guy.

There are plenty of people here who do NOT believe Manzione.

With that much said, you're welcome to espouse your opinions about me and Apple.

I have had an issue and it was taken care of. I have explained the how and the why and how I dealt with it.

My experience was, fortunately, excellent.

Have a good day.

[iWrite]

Just got back in and read that post over again.

Jeff knows me. In fact, I just received photos of his son and his lawn in Puyallup, Washington (nice house, by the way). He congratulated me on the fact that I had my issue resolved so well.

In fact, I'm one of the people who called on Jeff's behalf when his issue arose.

I even tried to intercede on John's behalf by writing a letter.

What Apple decided to do or not do with respect to both of them is Apple's business and I'm not privy to Apple's private and legal issues with respect to them: I stand firmly in the middle.

Lisa, you said:

WiFiTi said:
This is an outrageous statement to make, based on a single call from a "top-ranking" Apple exec.

The truth is, aren't you assuming a lot about me?

Did you call Apple on Jeff's behalf?

Did you write a letter on John's behalf with respect to his privacy being invaded by an Apple employee who disseminated his information on the internet?

Well, I did.

And I did it nicely.

Incidentally, right now, at this moment, Apple has about 25 Macs registered under my own personal name. That's not including the Macs that the company owns, approximately 93 more at various offices (counted about three months ago).

I have had 10 YEARS of dealing with Apple.

And I've been dealing with Apple with respect to corporate issues for the last two years.

On top of that, I frequently purchase Macs that are on sale or donate Macs that we are disposing of (out of warranty) to local schools and/or libraries and/or daycares. (To be fair, I also donate PCs.)

With that much said, I started this thread under the pretense of concern. I, too, have had a lot of issues previously with Macs, Powerbook in particular, but the problems were always rectified. This thread started because my perception was that Apple's customer care was declining and I was concerned.

And, that, specifically was the message I wanted to get across to Apple and Apple's representatives.

Now, maybe it's because I have a positive demeanor when tackling problems -- it's part of my nature. Maybe it's because I continue to work through problems -- if one person doesn't give me the attention or respect I need then I go to someone else. If that doesn't work then I go higher up in the corporate structure -- nicely.

As far my decision as to whether Apple's customer care is declining, that's for everyone to decide: This is a thread to post the positive and the negative. So far we've heard from both sides.

But, I have yet to hear from someone who actually says, "I think their customer care is declining," and why they think Apple's customer care is declining.

My own personal perspective is that it seems to be the same: I've always enjoyed a positive experience and when I ran into a bump in the road, so-to-speak, Apple fixed it.

I just wanted to clarify this and if you're so peeved, why don't you post about your issues instead of attacking another forum member instead of addressing the topic?

Have a good day, all.

[wowok1234]

Hi all,

First of all, thanks for the help.

Well I got the PB back today. From the invoice, they replaced the combo drive, the top case (where the keyboard is), and the bottom case. Haven't done extensive testing, but now the combo drive reads CDs it wouldn't read before.

However, they also messed something up. On the left side the gap still exists, whereas on the right side there is no gap. Also, one of the screws holding the hinge is loose! Included are pictures.

Should I complain some more? They have been nice to me, and I don't want to overburden them. I need advice here.


Pics are in the next post. Have to move to the PB now.

edit: I can actually see the sheet metal of the insides of the PB! Or is that shielding?
edit: Go here to see the pics.
http://homepage.mac.com/wowok123456/PhotoAlbum1.html

[iWrite]

Heck, yes, call Apple and tell them. Only call Apple Customer Relations: 800-APL-CARE and go to the extension for Apple Customer Relations (I think it's option #3 then you ask to be transferred to Apple Customer Relations.)

Once you get through to them be nice and ask the rep you're speaking to if you might email the rep a link (or digital pictures) of what you're referring to.

They'll help out. Glad they fixed it for you!

[wowok1234]

Thanks for the support, iWrite. I will call them when I get the opportunity to. Only thing is that I don't want to send my PB in unless they can reassure me that this time will be the last time that this sort of thing happens. Aargh!

On a sidenote, do you know any cheap and durable sleeves for the PB? I've been looking at the PowerSleeve and Brenthaven's designs, as well as Willow Design's sleeves and the Acme bags(don't like the design). The TiBag(http://www.tibag.com) looks good and it could be worn like a backpack. Are there any others?

[iWrite]

I like the Marware Sportfolio II bag in black.

It's $39 through DrBott.com and probably even cheaper on eBay.

Other than that I like the Booq15 but they're continually out of stock.

So, I have to say that I like the Sportfolio II for the Titanium in black. It's cheap, looks awesome, and best of all, it protects very well -- and it's basically waterproof since it's made out of neoprene.

[wowok1234]

I spoke too soon. A screw just fell off the bottom of the PB where the case sep. issue occured. Damn! If i put it back, will apple void my warranty?

[Musti]

PowerBook G4 667 MHz DVI.
Purchased June, 2002

. Combo Drive replaced, July-August 2002.

. Bottom and Top Case replaced, February 2003.

. Combo Drive (2nd time), Keyboard (crack) and Display Assembly replaced, June 2003.

. Inverter Board replaced, one day after the above repair because they forgot to replace it first and check, June 2003

. Display scheduled to be replaced again next week, sleep light is not working.

What I have done:

. Sent an e-mail to Mr.Jobs, which was forwarded to Apple XR, from where I received a call that "they were looking into this", to which I had to call back and follow-up,

. Sent an e-mail to my AASP's boss,

. Talked to Apple Canada again. "This will be the last repair you'll get. At this point, it is faster for us to authorize the repair than to authorize the replacement. If anything still happens, we will replace the PowerBook", and "I strongly suggest you get AppleCare warranty",

My AASP gave the heads-up saying it was usually after 3 defective parts that Apple considers replacement and I had a strong case.

All this on a machine that is the sole machine of a home-based computer consultancy.

This is my...5th Mac, after an iMac, a PowerBook G3 (I still miss it to this day) and several stuff.

In two weeks, rumour-based speaking, new mid-range PowerBooks will be announced, if not released. I'll probably get the AppleCare the last day. The machine will break down again, and I'll get one of the newest ones?

Does this make good business sense to you?

It makes good business sense to Apple.

I am very frustrated.

[iWrite]

Musti:

Sounds like a plan, I guess. If they said they'll replace it then, yeah, wait for the newest version.

Wowok1234: You DEFINITELY need to call Apple Customer Relations and make a big deal. It's nonsense that it came back semi-repaired.

Call Apple Tech Support today and get another case number and tell them the screws are falling out -- literally -- they'll overnight a box to be there and on Monday call Apple Customer Relations.

I wouldn't suggest putting the screw back in. It's falling out for a reason and you don't want to aggravate the problem.

Sorry, guy.

[Mac Zealot]

Actually iWrite, I found it ironic how you 'ended the thread' since you seemed to be publicly asking.

I say apple's support falls between sony and HP..

HP replaces stuff when they're supposed to (after about 3 repairs), sony doesn't do much at all and they like to blame other people.

Dell is better then all 3 since they'll give you things to shut you up (if your comp breaks they'll try to give you a new HD or more ram or something)..

My experiences with apple, to say the least, have been LOUSY. Yes, L-O-U-S-Y. For stupid simple things like keyboards, cords, etc, they're great... like any other company, except faster.. BUT.

A 5 minute matter takes longer. I actually managed to get the power cord on my bro's imac replaced after the 90 day phone thing ended (hrmm lessee yeah its' a hadware problem XD)

But what irritates me at times with apple is how you have to escalate over something so stupid! For me, I find the average call in ends up having me go to customer relations to resolve the issue, and that's when I'm being SUPER nice.

From what I read, it seems to be the same, and iWrite, I know you have dealt with well over 100 macs, but lemme put it this way.

Needing to send the computer in one time... OK.

Second time.. Still alright, as long as it wasn't caused by something the first time.

Third time.. Now I'm starting to worry.

Fourth time: Anything further is totally unacceptable.

Fifth time: I really wish this would end.

Sixth time: start taking it up with outside help.

Basically, that goes with any other manufacturer, I seriously don't think apple lives up to their marketing, in fact I think they let it down every time!

For example: My g4 is nearing 2 years old, the cinema display I bought with it needs YET ANOTHER replacement (the screen has all sorts of crazy fading and discoloration defects)..

The ram is defective [least I think it was... I have gotten common kernel panics ever since it was replaced]

and the superdrive is slower then any other superdrive I've used (avg SD rips CDs at around 12x.. mine does them at 3x).

But basically, they've addressed everything else. The hard drive, albeit having a slightly abnormal seek sound, is great, quiet, and works well, and I think I've gotten over the fan noise for now.

But 3 issues, and my g4 has been in the shop 5 times that I can remember, who knows how many times I've had to call in about that monitor (The current one is #4. 2 of them I sent in 3 times to apple's service!!!)

I'm planning to call apple abou my monitor next week finally.. I was VERY busy with schoolwork as things were coming to a close and didn't have time to handle that.

Actually... lemme get a pic of that defect to show ya

http://www.spymac.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=29247

The 'funkiness' on the screen is the biggest problem, several big fading spots and etc. When the screen is black it's almost like staring at an inverted cow. MOO!

Otherwise.. *still laughing* my bro's imac has been great. The only thing I'm considering is maybe switching the fan out as I think it's kinda noisy (though alright).. man I wish I was that lucky!

EXCEPT the 'halo' plastic thing around the LCD.. the bottom left seems to be a little smaller then the rest of it. Weird.. but ok. I always thought it was my mind playing tricks on me anyway

But depending on how these last issues play out, (i do have applecare on my g4/cinema display), I MIGHT/Might NOT buy another apple product. While there has been much good I'm just too scared of buying an apple laptop, coming home sooo excited, and finding issues.

Not to mention some people have had structure problems with 1.5 year old laptops and billed it as wear and tear.. THAT is bad!

But considering it, the current crop of powerbooks seem to be pretty strong, I actually like the tibook myself (apparently the paint problem was fixed).

Now thinking about it.. most PC laptops are made out of plastic, and CONSIDERING that the build quality is almost identical (sometimes these things are assembled in the same places as dells and HPs to begin with), the metal wins

So I'm not too worried. I have a 10 year old IBM laptop that's made out of some funky plastic and it STILL works out of it's original parts to this day. If an IBM can do that I'm sure an apple can.

But there's still that twinge of uncertainty. I'm sure steve jobs has heard of at least a few of my issues before as I've had sooo many calls to apple LOL.

Hopefully the repair place takes care of my LCD this time, but I have a feeling they won't, and it'll be another 3 times/finally replacement thing.

And hopefully this time it isn't an off-the shelf 22". LOL it's like the last 2 have been left overs

[wowok1234]

I'm going to call AppleCare about the loose screw, and am also going to mention to them that maybe the cause of it is because the case is separating at that spot.

as for the one on the hinge, it was just a loose screw. tightened it back up again.

otherwise, it looks like everything else is fine.

[Mac Zealot]

wowok I'm betting that thing has a stripped screwhole and it's not holding the screws.

That sucks. means the part of the case with the screwhole needs to be replaced.

[iWrite]

Mac Zealot:

I've had great customer support from Sony.

In fact, I deal with Sony exclusively as Sony is our PC of choice for the business environment.

In fact, I'd put Apple and Sony neck-in-neck for quality customer support.

I think that what it all boils down to is that the customer support experience is different with different people.

About the screw, yeah, sounds like a stripped screw hole. Apple will take care of it.

[Mac Zealot]

lol dude you'd probably have great customer support with JC Morris company

XD

You really look on the bright side. "yeah they were really nice to me even though I lost $1800. It wasn't their fault after all it was western unions!"

[iWrite]

<blink>

Western Union?

<blink>

Lost $1800?

<blink blink>

I've never used Western Union and I've never lost $1800. Maybe you're thinking of Transit?

Yes, I'm an optimist and as a general rule yes, I have a good attitude. I get p*ssed off too, but I try to abide by the "Three C's Rule: Calm, Cool, and Collected."

[gametime10]

My experience so far:

I purchased my first Mac, a Powerbook (1Ghz, 1GB) on eBay. The guy sends me it in a cardboard box w/ no software and only the power adapter and DVI adapter. The problem is that the current OS X installation is really messed up and keeps crashing. I just want to re-install everything from scratch. Unfortunately, he won't send me the software. I finally break down and go to CompUSA and buy OS X. But when I try to install it, everytime I boot from the CD the computer crashes. I call up Applecare and they walk me through some steps and they can't fix it. They're sending me a box to ship it off in this week and hopefully things will be taken care of...

[lisantica]

My YaoBook went in for evaluation/repair on Thurs. I'm expecting it back tomorrow. I had one semi-large gap at the left front of the laptop....so much so, that it made the lid wobble up and down as I carried it. It also had the battery not sitting flush on the bottom problem. When I read the repair notes on the Apple site, it said, "Unable to Duplicate Problem" hmmmmmmm...then later on that day it said "Repaired". I don't know what to expect tomorrow, I'm hoping for the best. I'll post a follow up to this one once it arrives.

[Mac Zealot]

hahahah lis wanna hear a story about that?

I think it was cinema #2, it was on it's 3rd send in, and I got a hold thing, finally I got a little irate when the rep told me (for the 2nd time) that they couldn't reproduce the problem.

My response, "Well what the heck? Are the blind or something? The whole freaking left side of the monitor is faded yellow! Do you hire blind people?"

The rep broke out laughing and finally we got it replaced. XD

[iWrite]

Why would Apple allow their "Repair Depot" people to do this repeatedly? Because, if you'll remember, that's partially what initiated this thread: The fact that Apple sent back my Powerbook with that very same comment: "Unable to duplicate problem." That was also what prompted me to call Apple Customer Relations AND why Apple Executive Relations became involved. Same thing as Mac Zealot: The screen/LCD/display had something very wrong with it -- and it was very apparent.

It costs a LOT of money to ship these products back and forth.

Apple should audit their repair department and see how many "Unable to duplicate problem" issues end up coming BACK to Apple for repair. I bet it's a VERY high number.

That was my complaint at the beginning: What IS going on with Apple repair department?

[prodigy1387]

ive had 2 excellent experiences with apple repair. the dvd drives in both my old lombard powerbook and snow iBook went bad and had to be replaced. I sent the computers in, waited about a week and got them back working perfectly again. no problems, no complaints, all went well, so id have to say ive had two great experiences. hopefully i wont have a third streak of bad luck with my new powerbook set to arrive tomorrow....

[lisantica]

Update to my other post. I received my PowerBook 12" back today from Apple. The biggest problem has been repaired. That was the large gap where the lcd and keyboard should meet. It is now snug against the little rubber grommet. The second issue, the non-flush battery is still slightly non-flush, but I think it's better. The repair says they replaced my battery...very good by me. And they also replaced my hard drive. I don't know why, but perhaps it was running too hot and caused the warping. All in all I'm very pleased with the service I received from Apple's repair center.

[wowok1234]

Originally posted by Mac Zealot:
wowok I'm betting that thing has a stripped screwhole and it's not holding the screws.

That sucks. means the part of the case with the screwhole needs to be replaced.

Thanks for the suggestion, Mac Zealot. They've replaced the casing (top and bottom)2 times already, so I doubt that's it. I noticed this happeneing when I got it back from replacing the LCD assembly, though, where they also replaced the casing, so I'm not sure what's going on. I showed them the pics on my website. The product specialist explained to me that a "slight" separation was normal because the machines are torqued by human beings when it comes in for repair (have no idea what that means), but that still doesn't explain why there's no gap on the right side. Otherwise, the techs and the product specialists were being very courteous and helpful.

iWrite: Thnaks for your help. I should've called Customer relations, but I was too tired to do it. So now it's going back to Apple. Hope they give it back to me in time, because I have an Avid seminar to attend Monday.

Question: should there be a slight gap? or shouldn't there be?

[vsurfer]

Good here.

A/c adapter fried and died under warranty. Took it into Apple Store where I bought it. They looked up my info easily enough, replaced it, and tested the replacement, all within the time it took to fill out the forms and answer the routine questions.

Minor stuff I realize, but some apple-kudos anyway.

[iWrite]

Yeah, I found out that the iBook VGA adapter wasn't in the box and they sent it to me -- overnight.

Who does THAT anymore?

[Musti]

Just to give you guys an update:

This week my PowerBook G4 667 DVI was replaced with a brand new PowerBook G4 867 by Apple Canada.

The best part in all this suffering, apart from getting a new PB, was my wife's question:

<sweet tone>"Do you *really* have to send the old one back?"</sweet tone>

Sorry. It'll be on its way, and it'll even be missed despite the problems (as you never forget your PBs).

All the people I've talked over the phone at Apple Canada have been real professionals, and now that no PBs are announced, things made a bit more sense.

Thank you Apple.

Back to work now

[tbear]

I've begun to follow this thread with interest this morning when I was searching for any mention of problems with the 12 inch PB.

Yesterday afternoon mine appears to have died. I've had it for about two months now and from the start it ran Very Warm, but I had heard this is the way these models came.

Still it struck me that this was too hot. I have to say only ONCE in all the time I've had this model have I ever heard the fan actually turn on. Yesterday, it appeared to be especially hot and as I was finishing a task on it, I heard a sort of "pop" and then a "fizzling" sound. The screen went gray first and then black. At this point the machine will not start.

When I go into work tomorrow (I use this machine for work both at school and at home) I will go about getting this machine shipped back to Apple and finding out what's happened. Still, I've never had problems with any of my Apple computers (going all the way back to the Apple II GS), so I don't know what to expect. Surely, this can't be the first 12 inch PB to go down this way.

Should I expect the whole thing to be replaced or for it to be merely repaired?

Is this a hardware problem? (I've read about "calibrating" the battery.)

Is this a software problem? (I've read about trashing the power consumption preferences.)

If service is an issue, shouldn't good Apple service take the form of attempting to head off the damage caused by overheating of the PB's by making very public the possible issues with these notebooks?

I'm not angry, just feeling inconvenienced and disappointed, my experience with Apple products has been great over the years.

Thanks!
tbear

[damieng]

I finally received my brand new replacement PowerBook on tuesday. The build quality of the screen enclosure is still a bit suspect but it's at least even and you couldn't quite cut your finger on it.

It also has a stuck pixel (the old screen was perfect) but after 4 months of shipping back and forth I just want to get on and use it.

One good thing is that Apple insisted I send just the laptop itself back and as a result I now have two powersupplys - which is always useful.

If anybody is still following these things up with Apple I have a caseID they can see as well as a log of everything that happened over those two months.