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As a counterpoint though I have found Apple to be less than helpful when it comes to hardware issues. My Macbook Pro developed a hardware fault after I upgraded

by somabc 18y ago

As a counterpoint though I have found Apple to be less than helpful when it comes to hardware issues. My Macbook Pro developed a hardware fault after I upgraded my Hard Drive. The design of the MBP is surely aimed at discouraging you from upgrading the HD, you practically have to dismantle most of the laptop. I took it to an Apple Store in London who would not help as it was out of warranty. The store employee advised me I would be better buying a new one than repairing the laptop. So I went to an Apple Authorised Repair Shop where they quoted £120 just to look at the laptop, then parts and labour (again this would likely be £600+). I then went to an Unauthorized Apple repair shop where they took 6 weeks to repair the issues and charged £250 to replace the superdrive. The only faults found were a broken clip jamming the superdrive and a reinstall of Leopard. It is not easy to get Apple parts to repair it yourself. So a design flaw cost me 2 months without my Laptop, the Apple Store were not interested without serious £££'s, and the Apple dealer was the same.

GHFigs 18y ago
What design flaw? You said yourself that you dismantled it. That's a pretty solid indicator that you yourself broke it. Why on earth would you expect Apple to repair that for free? Would you expect anybody else to? Would you work for free? Your experience with other shops is irrelevant when regarding Apple's customer service, as those shops aren't Apple. An authorized shop can charge whatever it wants for out-of-warranty repairs, and an unauthorized one, well, you're really grasping at straws if you think Apple has anything to do with that. I don't see how anything you've written here is a counterpoint. It's just an anecdote about how much money you chose to spend to have someone fix your mistake.
- somabc 18y ago
  I consider not having a user replaceable hard drive a design flaw. Most laptops have a hard drive bay so you can easily swap your hard drive, even the macbook has this now. What do you do when your hard drive fails? (which it will eventually) Apples answer is to pay them to fit a new hard drive or buy a new laptop. My point with the Apple Store is they were unhelpful and unprepared to take the time to diagnose the problem. Their attitude is if your laptop that is more than a 2-3 years old you should buy a new one. I mentioned the other Apple Dealers to point out that spare parts for Apple Macs are normally ridiculously overpriced and hard to come by. PC Laptop repair shops are happy to repair other laptops for a fraction of the price but will not touch apple products (why?).
  - GHFigs 18y ago
    That supposed "design flaw" did not render your computer inoperable. You did. By your own admission it was operating normally until you "upgraded" it, breaking it in the process. Don't complain about anybody else until you can take responsibility for your own mistakes. I don't see how the store was unhelpful, given what you've already described. What nerve they have--when you walk in with a broken out-of-warranty laptop--to suggest replacing it with a new, functioning, under-warranty one. How rude and unhelpful it is to suggest a solution with a 100% chance of enabling you to have a functioning machine again! Instead, you wanted free out-of-warranty repair, which is not a service they offer. Their "attitude" has nothing to do with it: they can't give you what you want, and you didn't want what they offered. And again with the non-Apple shops, you're being completely obtuse. Apple does not own those shops or set their rates. Being "authorized" only means that they can do repairs under warranty and receive service manuals and parts directly from Apple. Every other laptop vendor has a similar program. If a shop ripped you off, you can take it up with them. The OEM has nothing to do with it. Finally, as I said before, you're not speaking at all to the original subject. Instead, you're bitching about how much money you spent fixing your mistake.

by somabc 18y ago

GHFigs 18y ago

What design flaw? You said yourself that you dismantled it. That's a pretty solid indicator that you yourself broke it. Why on earth would you expect Apple to repair that for free? Would you expect anybody else to? Would you work for free? Your experience with other shops is irrelevant when regarding Apple's customer service, as those shops aren't Apple. An authorized shop can charge whatever it wants for out-of-warranty repairs, and an unauthorized one, well, you're really grasping at straws if you think Apple has anything to do with that. I don't see how anything you've written here is a counterpoint. It's just an anecdote about how much money you chose to spend to have someone fix your mistake.

somabc 18y ago
I consider not having a user replaceable hard drive a design flaw. Most laptops have a hard drive bay so you can easily swap your hard drive, even the macbook has this now. What do you do when your hard drive fails? (which it will eventually) Apples answer is to pay them to fit a new hard drive or buy a new laptop. My point with the Apple Store is they were unhelpful and unprepared to take the time to diagnose the problem. Their attitude is if your laptop that is more than a 2-3 years old you should buy a new one. I mentioned the other Apple Dealers to point out that spare parts for Apple Macs are normally ridiculously overpriced and hard to come by. PC Laptop repair shops are happy to repair other laptops for a fraction of the price but will not touch apple products (why?).
- GHFigs 18y ago
  That supposed "design flaw" did not render your computer inoperable. You did. By your own admission it was operating normally until you "upgraded" it, breaking it in the process. Don't complain about anybody else until you can take responsibility for your own mistakes. I don't see how the store was unhelpful, given what you've already described. What nerve they have--when you walk in with a broken out-of-warranty laptop--to suggest replacing it with a new, functioning, under-warranty one. How rude and unhelpful it is to suggest a solution with a 100% chance of enabling you to have a functioning machine again! Instead, you wanted free out-of-warranty repair, which is not a service they offer. Their "attitude" has nothing to do with it: they can't give you what you want, and you didn't want what they offered. And again with the non-Apple shops, you're being completely obtuse. Apple does not own those shops or set their rates. Being "authorized" only means that they can do repairs under warranty and receive service manuals and parts directly from Apple. Every other laptop vendor has a similar program. If a shop ripped you off, you can take it up with them. The OEM has nothing to do with it. Finally, as I said before, you're not speaking at all to the original subject. Instead, you're bitching about how much money you spent fixing your mistake.