Welcome to the MacNN Forums.

JustinD · Mar 31, 2003, 04:12 PM

So get this. I'm loving my new 12" PowerBook. But just today, I noticed that *gasp* the rubber foot came off of the battery!! Numeruous hunts were unable to turn it up. And it sucks of course, because now it wobbles when on a flat surface!

So, I called up Apple Education, and asked if I could order more feet. I figure I could always use a set of 4, so why not just order them instead of changing the battery...

Guess what? You CANNOT order replacement feet like you can for the iBook. I'd need to ship the whole thing to Apple. THE WHOLE THING. Even though the foot is missing off of the BATTERY! I even called back to get another rep, and they told me the same thing - can't order feet, you'd have to send it in.

Apple, you've got to be KIDDING ME. The cost of those feet are less than $0.005 each when purchased in massive bulk amounts - you're telling me I cant order a set of 4 for the usual $10-$20??

This is RIDICULOUS. I'm going to the SoHo Apple Store after work to see if they have any they could give me, or exchange the battery... and if not, I'm just taking one from the demo model. HMPH. I'll let y'all know what I find out, since I surely won't be the only one who needs replacement feet!!

badnewsblair · Mar 31, 2003, 04:31 PM

No worries. Go into your local Apple Retail store. They have little bags of four or so feet behind the genius bar. Mull around the store and then sweet talk one of the employees with a horror story of your plight and they'lll gladly hand you a bag.

JustinD · Mar 31, 2003, 06:28 PM

Didn't get a chance to go today, I'll go tomorrow.

BUT - in taking my PB out of my bag, I realized that TWO MORE feet came off! I found them at the bottom of my bag, and there is, well, nothing to hold them on. There is NO remnant of ANY sort of adhesive, on the feet nor the PB. It's like whatever glue was holding them on completely evaporated or something.

Perhaps I've found another rev.A issue - kinda like the melting rubber bumpers on the first Titaniums. This time, the glue disappears and the feet fall off! (and I'm babying this thing!!)

icruise · Mar 31, 2003, 06:31 PM

That's actually the first I've heard of 12" feet coming off. My pismo's feet wouldn't stay on well at all, though... I don't think it's a universal problem -- more like a freak defect with your book (at least that's what I'm hoping). BTW when my Pismo's feet came off, I just called apple and they sent me a new set for free. I'm surprised they wouldn't do that in your case.

JustinD · Mar 31, 2003, 06:37 PM

I'm surprised too - I'm a really good Edu customer and they always send me tons of iBook feet free... this is quite a rediculous exception!

Mac Zealot · Mar 31, 2003, 06:52 PM

tell me about it...

Ya know if I were you... DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE SEND IT IN!!!!

keep your laptop... if anything just grab a few more feet or crazy glue em back on or something...

Apple service = the worst in the country now, you send in that laptop with missing feet and it's likely to come back with a broken screen or something.

Trust me I know this from experience, once the service center sent back my monitor with NO SCREEN in it. I'm not joking either.

go to apple store, maybe haggle em or something if you have to, but not the "DIRECT SERVICE"

alex_kac · Mar 31, 2003, 08:42 PM

Huh? Direct Apple Laptop service is one of the best. From any company. True, they screw up sometimes - and probably more often than they should....but to say that they suck? Ha. They are very good.

Eriamjh · Mar 31, 2003, 08:51 PM

I think you must be crazy to send in your laptop just for FEET! Buy some feet at radio shack, but don't send it to Apple!

jtbowden · Mar 31, 2003, 09:37 PM

Wow, maybe I'll start a third party PowerBook feet company. I could make a fortune!

Vi0 · Mar 31, 2003, 09:54 PM

APPLE CARE

msuper69 · Mar 31, 2003, 10:10 PM

Just leave the feet off. I've lost all 4 on my rev. A TiBook. I still have a bag of 4 that Apple sent me when I asked them to (at no charge too). But I've been using my TiBook for over a year now w/o any feet and no problems. No overheating. Nothing.

This is the most rugged computer I've ever used. I've dropped it on the floor, my cat sleeps on the keyboard. Nothing stops it.

Damn fine workmanship and design.

Mithras · Mar 31, 2003, 10:22 PM

Great thread title.

I though you were pissed because Apple uses a 12-inch foot standard, whereas you wish they used a 16-inch foot, or something.

Dache · Apr 1, 2003, 12:06 AM

PB12 has the same feet as PB17, right? I am concerned.

Should we just play it safe and rip out the feet of our brand new PBs right when we get them? We would avoid disappointment later. A pre-emptive strike, to quote our great leader (No, dear Mac Fanatics, NOT Steve Jobs). Who knows, we could start a trend...

mactechie · Apr 1, 2003, 09:06 AM

It is a bit extreme to have to send in your laptop for a couple of feet. I have plenty, most resellers or service providers should have feet on stock. I'm surprised that Apple won't send any.

I don't know about America, but Direct Service in Europe has gotten much much better in the last year or so!

Raidiant · Apr 1, 2003, 11:03 AM

hey are powerbook feet different then ibook feet?

ibook_steve · Apr 1, 2003, 03:38 PM

Do you have a picture or something? I ask because the 12" Powerbook feet are not glued on or attached like the iBook. The whole case needs to be taken apart to replace feet on the unit. The foot on the battery can be replaced if the metal is disassembled from the rest of the battery. So somehow your feet have broken off. They don't just come off. This is not something that can be repaired in an Apple store, though you should be able to just replace the battery if only the battery foot was broken.

Steve

scott brown · Apr 1, 2003, 04:07 PM

one came off the other day, no idea where it is

elmer · Apr 22, 2003, 03:28 PM

Originally posted by scott brown:
one came off the other day, no idea where it is

Ditto.

Ryan1524 · Apr 22, 2003, 03:45 PM

Originally posted by msuper69:
<snip about tibook>

This is the most rugged computer I've ever used. I've dropped it on the floor, my cat sleeps on the keyboard. Nothing stops it.

LOL..i was reading this and thought it was funny that maybe the cat likes to sleep there coz it's warm...

urrl5201 · Apr 22, 2003, 04:48 PM

Sending in the hobbling 12" for a foot injury is a dangerous idea. I sent my poor little Ti in for cosmetic surgery (paint repair) at the Apple Hospital and my baby came back with its back out of joint (misaligned hinges). I got it back a second time in the same condition. The 3rd time my poor little Ti came back with a broken USB port. Needless to say I was fuming, but I sent it in again. This time the insensitive QUACK who operated on it sent it back with a hideous scar on top of the LCD. The suffering my little Ti went thru...can you say malpractice suit? Finally they sent my Ti back for the 5th time. It had recouperated nicely. I quickly sold it for a 17". My 17" does not eject Fujifilm CD's but that's OK. I just put a little finger pressure under it's throat and it will regurgitate them. I would never send the 17" in for such a minor issue; just use a different brand CD. I shudder at the thought of placing my 17" into the hands of another apathetic oaf of a technician. Don't believe all the hype about wonderful Apple care. I know I don't anymore.

ASIMO · Apr 22, 2003, 09:24 PM

Apple condemns foot fetishes, especially involving rubber ones. They don't wish to encourage your unusual behavior by trafficking in feet.

Sicko.

Crusoe · Apr 23, 2003, 12:14 PM

Actually some guy is making a small fortune off replacement feet on Ebay, I bought a set for 6.99 shipped. It probably cost him 50 cents for the feet (he gives you 5) and 37 cents to ship it. Search for powerbook feet and look at the guy's history.

JustinD · Apr 23, 2003, 01:56 PM

ibook_steve wrote:

Do you have a picture or something? I ask because the 12" Powerbook feet are not glued on or attached like the iBook. The whole case needs to be taken apart to replace feet on the unit. The foot on the battery can be replaced if the metal is disassembled from the rest of the battery. So somehow your feet have broken off. They don't just come off. This is not something that can be repaired in an Apple store, though you should be able to just replace the battery if only the battery foot was broken.

Oh my god, are you on crack? The iBook feet are snapped into a metal housing, which is screwed into the plastic. The 12"'s rubber feet are STUCK ON. Just like the TiBook's feet. I'm sorry, but this is the most idiotic thing I've read in months. My feet "broke off" somehow? Come on, if you don't know what you're talking about, please don't post like you know what you are.

Anyway, I did manage to get a set of new feet at the Apple Store. Huzzah!

Shaddim · Apr 23, 2003, 02:24 PM

I looked on GSX and I can't order "just the feet" like I can for iBooks and other PBs.

OwlBoy · Apr 23, 2003, 04:11 PM

Dont send it in! It will take a month for them to get new feet in!

-Owl

todrain · Apr 23, 2003, 09:24 PM

I bitched at Apple when the foot fell off my iBook battery in the 54th week I had the unit, and after talking to call three times, they finally sent me out a bag.