Re: [rant] 0 for 2 on repairs in All Things Macintosh http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r16156410 en Fri, 27 Nov 2009 14:35:09 EDT Fri, 27 Nov 2009 14:35:09 EDT Re: [rant] 0 for 2 on repairs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16163993 T_Wrecks : Thanks...I'm curious. I'm going to check it out.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16163993 Wed, 24 May 2006 16:53:58 EDT Re: [rant] 0 for 2 on repairs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16163819 rexbinary : I use Hardware Monitor. Tempature Monitor is the freeware version with less features.

»www.bresink.de/osx/index.html]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16163819 Wed, 24 May 2006 16:26:46 EDT Re: [rant] 0 for 2 on repairs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16163417 T_Wrecks : This is a total noob question (especially considering I switched close to 3 year ago), but how do you guys find our your cpu temps?]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16163417 Wed, 24 May 2006 15:28:27 EDT Re: [rant] 0 for 2 on repairs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16161769 Smitedogg :
said by sporkme See Profile :

smitedogg, is Apple dying? :)
Netcraft confirms it ;)]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16161769 Wed, 24 May 2006 11:06:05 EDT Re: [rant] 0 for 2 on repairs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16160505 deblin : Yeah the whole notebook vs. laptop thing really annoys me. I'm willing to get a laptop "tray" or whatever, so I can use it on my lap. But even then, the area on the left side of the track pad gets warm enough to cause your palms to sweat.

I guess it's fine for people just sitting there clicking the mouse, but if your hands are on the keyboard for an extended period of time, it becomes uncomfortable.

I'm really not happy with how this has gone so far, but at this point I know that after this 3rd return I will either a) get my original MBP back, fixed or b) get a new machine.

If I get a new machine, I am still not confident I won't get another one that can fry eggs. Guess I'll have to wait and see.
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"Talk is cheap because the supply is greater than the demand" - Shelby Friedman]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16160505 Wed, 24 May 2006 04:18:31 EDT Re: [rant] 0 for 2 on repairs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16160403 sporkme : This just sucks. As someone who recommends Macs to *nix nuts like you this makes me look like an ass. What a way to treat a new customer...

And this BS about 140F being "acceptable" because it's a "portable" and not a "laptop" is really just showing that Apple has no interest in really fixing this or even admitting there's a problem.

Of course I'm typing all this on a 4-year old ibook that's still going strong and doesn't seem to have any serious design flaws... :)

smitedogg, is Apple dying? :)
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Day dreaming days in a daydream nation]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16160403 Wed, 24 May 2006 03:19:30 EDT Re: [rant] 0 for 2 on repairs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16159945 bbarrera :
said by deblin See Profile :

This is absolutely absurd. I have never had such poor customer service for hardware related support issues. Let's review.
Sorry to hear that, I'm batting 3 for 3 on repairs but wonder why so many repairs?! First contest was rev A mac mini g4 that got a new logic board before Xmas. Next up was rev A PowerMac dual-core G5 that got new logic board and CPU module (fairly sure it was IBM problem with rev A dual-core CPU). Finally our first contest went back 2 weeks ago for a new hard drive. Only consolation is AppleCare will come to your biz to repair PM desktop. Still, two Macs and three repairs in under a year. At least the PM is rock-solid now, and two weeks ago was happy to discover that Apple Arden Sacramento store has expanded Genius bar that accepts reservations via Internet (compared to ugly scene late last year).]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16159945 Wed, 24 May 2006 00:44:04 EDT Re: [rant] 0 for 2 on repairs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16159158 deblin :
said by obeythelaw See Profile :

can it also be an issue with just a set of mbp's? i mean, based upon serial numbers? i'm assuming that they are still on a revision 1?
It seems entirely random. A friend of mine has a week 9 MBP that's fine. Mine is newer than his (week 12), but has the issue. Others later than mine have reported fine as well, and still others in week 9 like me friend's are bad.

It's a quality control problem in my opinion, and it's scary that it's a crapshoot :(
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"Talk is cheap because the supply is greater than the demand" - Shelby Friedman]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16159158 Tue, 23 May 2006 22:42:33 EDT Re: [rant] 0 for 2 on repairs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16158942 obeythelaw : can it also be an issue with just a set of mbp's? i mean, based upon serial numbers? i'm assuming that they are still on a revision 1?]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16158942 Tue, 23 May 2006 22:12:48 EDT Re: [rant] 0 for 2 on repairs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16157434 Mauricio9 : Not being able to keep a finger for more than a second or two on a part of the exterior case without getting burnt is too hot in my book. This is what happens with my sister's MBP, which works otherwise very well.
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My ShutterPoint gallery
My ImageEvent galleries]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16157434 Tue, 23 May 2006 18:53:30 EDT Re: [rant] 0 for 2 on repairs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16157431 N3OGH : Right now I'm playing "Reservoir Dogs" on DVD on my 1.8Ghz MBP

CPU usage 7.4%

39 degrees Centigrade core temperature on the CPU.

Clearly, playing a DVD on a modern laptop with a decent video card is a poor way to test it's performance.

Shaking head in disappointment.....]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16157431 Tue, 23 May 2006 18:53:20 EDT Re: [rant] 0 for 2 on repairs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16157303 Homunculus : Are we sure Apple isn't hiring Geek Squad to do these repairs?]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16157303 Tue, 23 May 2006 18:37:12 EDT Re: [rant] 0 for 2 on repairs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16157228 obeythelaw : well, then i hope apple has learned its lesson and taken a look at quality control over the whole thermal paste thing. looks like they have, though, has most people have said that the macbooks are relatively cool. or could that just be the material?
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How many lawyers does it take to change a lightbulb? Three. One to climb the ladder, one to shake the ladder, and one to sue the ladder company.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16157228 Tue, 23 May 2006 18:24:52 EDT Re: [rant] 0 for 2 on repairs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16157203 deblin : It does not overheat. The system is stable (when on), the case just gets excrutiatingly hot.

The lockups occur coming out of sleep. They are hard-downs, not a kernel panic. The video is corrupted when this happens - looks like a rainbow checkerboard, that's the best way to describe it. I'll take a pic if I can test that before I send it back out again.
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"Talk is cheap because the supply is greater than the demand" - Shelby Friedman]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16157203 Tue, 23 May 2006 18:22:18 EDT Re: [rant] 0 for 2 on repairs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16157194 deblin :
said by obeythelaw See Profile :

i genuinely hope that you get the servie and result you are looking for. However, I'm curious as to how people are saying the MBPs are "too" hot. I mean, isn't each person have a different take on the heat issue. My sister has a MBP and its a wonderful machine. How hot is too hot? It works great. Or is it such a small percentage that most people wouln't come into contact with the problem?
In my case, I have an IR thermometer, and I show a temperature of 149F on the case. That's 65C, and more than enough to cause a 2nd degree burn. To me, that's too hot. And from the last repair, I was told 60C is the maximum case temperature I should ever see. Which I still think is too hot, but *shrug*
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"Talk is cheap because the supply is greater than the demand" - Shelby Friedman]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16157194 Tue, 23 May 2006 18:20:59 EDT Re: [rant] 0 for 2 on repairs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16157170 rexbinary : What does it do when it overheats? Lock-up, kernel panic?]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16157170 Tue, 23 May 2006 18:18:22 EDT Re: [rant] 0 for 2 on repairs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16157163 obeythelaw : i genuinely hope that you get the servie and result you are looking for. However, I'm curious as to how people are saying the MBPs are "too" hot. I mean, isn't each person have a different take on the heat issue. My sister has a MBP and its a wonderful machine. How hot is too hot? It works great. Or is it such a small percentage that most people wouln't come into contact with the problem?
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How many lawyers does it take to change a lightbulb? Three. One to climb the ladder, one to shake the ladder, and one to sue the ladder company.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16157163 Tue, 23 May 2006 18:17:30 EDT Re: [rant] 0 for 2 on repairs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16157005 deblin : ok, I just spoke to the support specialist I've been working with. I have to say that throughout this ordeal, he has been the best part. He's been geniunely interested in helping, and has been keeping me informed/etc via email and phone.

Anyway, he asked to give the repair process one more shot. This time, they are sending me a box to send it in via overnight DHL (well, that's 3 different ways of sending it in now, sigh). He is going to append his personal notes on the problem and request specific tests for the temperature and how to load the machine.

He said if it comes back not fixed this time, they will send me a brand new one. I guess at that point, it'd be another crap shoot whether I get one that works or not. I'm debating whether I even want to open the new one they send me or just throw it immediately up on ebay. At this point I'm not real confident in their ability to fix it. But I guess we'll see.

The worst part about all this? Of the 2 months I've owned the damn thing, I've had it for like 5 weeks out of 8. :uhh:
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"Talk is cheap because the supply is greater than the demand" - Shelby Friedman]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16157005 Tue, 23 May 2006 17:56:27 EDT Re: [rant] 0 for 2 on repairs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16156829 cableties : Sorry.

I bet the paste issue is the problem. And Compusa is not the best place to get Applecare. They should have insisted on the 9 hour loop test. And had "repair depot" do a log of temps before and after. And Fedex'd it out, not via UPS ground.

Sounds like paste issue or bad CPU. Call Applecare and ask to escalate. I doubt they will refund it. Squeak enough and get new one. Can you take it to an Apple Store, with all documentation of purchase and repairs (failed)??? How long ago did you buy it? Did you use a creditcard with protection?

I'm miffed for you too as we've had two G5's go out after owning a week and after 6 weeks (w/o), finally got replacements (bad case and another with bad board, cpu and powersupply).
Things that cost this much, for such a small market share, shouldn't be having these issues. 1 out of a million maybe. But not out of a thousand. Of a 5% PC marketshare...]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16156829 Tue, 23 May 2006 17:30:28 EDT Re: [rant] 0 for 2 on repairs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16156815 Smitedogg :
said by justlittleoldme :

I hope you do NOT get a refund, but I do hope you get satisfaction. Keep on Apple to replacce it, eventually they will. Also, next time heed the advice most would have given you, never buy version 1.0 of anything!!!!
Why would you not want him to get a refund? He was sold something that doesn't work as it should, and Apple refused to fix it after he went through all their hoops.
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I woke up this morning giggling with a dream of a career counselor telling a slave at an auction that he needs to learn how to sell himself]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16156815 Tue, 23 May 2006 17:28:22 EDT Re: [rant] 0 for 2 on repairs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16156743 anon : I hope you do NOT get a refund, but I do hope you get satisfaction. Keep on Apple to replacce it, eventually they will. Also, next time heed the advice most would have given you, never buy version 1.0 of anything!!!!]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16156743 Tue, 23 May 2006 17:17:27 EDT Re: [rant] 0 for 2 on repairs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16156722 Scott W : Bummer. :( Sorry to hear about your problems getting the issue resolved.

The guys on The Mac Geek Gab podcast have been talking about the MBP heat issues. Skype them at macgeekgab or 206-666-GEEK or email them at macgeekgab@macobserver.com and let them know what happened.

Also do the same for The Mac Cast podcast. Email: maccast@gmail.com or skype: themaccast and let Adam know.

The more the problem with the thermal grease is addressed by people who paid good money for a MBP, hopefully the more likely Apple is to at least correct the problem, even if they never publicly acknowledge it.

At this point, it really does seem like a real issue with assembly and with support procedures. Probably not just a few random cases of this problem.

Cheers.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16156722 Tue, 23 May 2006 17:14:03 EDT Re: [rant] 0 for 2 on repairs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16156662 deblin :
said by Homunculus See Profile :

Playing a DVD for an hour? Oh yeah, that will really stress the system. :uhh:
No kidding. Maybe if it were a Pentium 3 500MHz or something. :uhh:
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"Talk is cheap because the supply is greater than the demand" - Shelby Friedman]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16156662 Tue, 23 May 2006 17:02:40 EDT Re: [rant] 0 for 2 on repairs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16156654 Homunculus : I bet the chumps at the depot don't even know what dnetc is.

Playing a DVD for an hour? Oh yeah, that will really stress the system. :uhh:

File a complaint with BBB.

Or tell them you will if they do not actually resolve the issues you are having with it.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16156654 Tue, 23 May 2006 17:01:17 EDT Re: [rant] 0 for 2 on repairs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16156602 deblin : Here's the thing. The guy I was speaking to on the phone acknowledged the thermal paste "rumors" and when I asked him about getting them to re-apply it, he said he'd ask them to. And supposedly he did.

But the morons at the repair depot didn't even get to the "repair" portion of it, they just concluded it was within spec after playing a friggin' DVD for an hour.

Since I don't have my MBP in front of me, if someone is willing to play a DVD for a few minutes and check the CPU usage, I'd be very curious how much it uses. I'm guessing --
"Talk is cheap because the supply is greater than the demand" - Shelby Friedman]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16156602 Tue, 23 May 2006 16:53:42 EDT Re: [rant] 0 for 2 on repairs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16156579 N3OGH : Well, to drag out an old, dated, and overused phrase.

"I feel your pain".

My MBP was way way too hot. I decided for a while to just hold on to it, and eventually, I did the unthinkable.

I went out, bought a #0 Phillips screwdriver, a #6 Torx driver and carved that puppy up like last years thanksgiving turkey. As the parts of my 1 month old $2000 laptop laid there strewn across my kitchen table, I thought to myself what have I done? Well, when I got to the main circuit board and saw the pitiful job they did of applying the thermal paste to the processor and heat pipe, I knew why. Big grimy gobs of greasy grimy gopher..., well you get the idea.

I cleaned the factory applied grease off with some rubbing alcohol (and a SPATULA, LOL) and applied a nice coat of Arctic Silver 5 to the die of all 3 chips that connect with the heat pipe. I reassembled my MBP and fired it up. It felt a LOT cooler to the touch when using it, but I was reluctant to come "out of the closet" on this issue and admit to everyone that I had done surgery on my new laptop until I had some hard evidence it was indeed a "fix". Some people had been claiming (on other boards) that the heat was no longer being dissipated, and that you would be killing your processor by doing this.

Last night I downloaded the Kernel extension that accesses the thermal sensor in the Core Duo chip directly, and got my answer.

I opened 3 shells of "Terminal" and put the system into a "yes" feedback loop, pushing the system to %100 processor load. The result?

I ran the system for 3 hours straight, on a flat hardtop desk at full load. Max processor temp (inside the processor, not case temp) was 61C. The fans were pretty much HOWLING, but more than reasonable for any computer at full load for such a period of time. Bottom of case was warm, but no warmer than say, 102F (just my best guess). The top of the case was cool to the touch, even over the "F" keys to the left of the keyboard.

The bottom line? The thermal paste IS applied wrong. I have no doubt of it whatsoever. Apple needs to make good on this, as not everyone is willing to take screwdriver and Torx driver to their new baby and do open heart surgery on it. For those that are, the benefits are legion. My MBP is now *THE* coolest (in more ways than one) computer I've ever owned, and I love it.

If you have the skills, the steady hand, and maybe a shot of liquor to calm your nerves, I wholeheartedly suggest it. Fortunately, I had no problems re assembling my computer, and no one could tell by looking at it that I had.

Whew... got that off my chest....]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16156579 Tue, 23 May 2006 16:49:17 EDT Re: [rant] 0 for 2 on repairs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16156491 deblin : Thanks :( I have a feeling I am going to be SOL. If they give me a brand new one, I'm leaving it in the box and selling it on ebay. Is Applecare transferrable?
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"Talk is cheap because the supply is greater than the demand" - Shelby Friedman]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16156491 Tue, 23 May 2006 16:37:07 EDT Re: [rant] 0 for 2 on repairs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16156481 Smitedogg : That's pathetic. I hope you get your refund.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16156481 Tue, 23 May 2006 16:35:50 EDT Re: [rant] 0 for 2 on repairs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16156430 deblin : I shouldn't have to tell them how to tax the CPU. They are supposed to be technical repair folks. That said, the product specialist I was working with told me he put notes on the repair order to test the temperatures in a specific spot and he also knew that the original task I was performing to test the heat was exporting an H.264 quicktime video.

Hell, even the CompUSA guy was like "that's way too hot". But either the dumbass at the repair depot knows nothing about computers, or Apple is telling them to just return "heat issues" and report them within spec.
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"Talk is cheap because the supply is greater than the demand" - Shelby Friedman]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16156430 Tue, 23 May 2006 16:28:41 EDT Re: [rant] 0 for 2 on repairs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16156410 deblin : It's not like it's an $800 POS dell laptop or something. I paid premium money for a premium product. The least I could expect is getting satisfaction if the product isn't within spec. Their moronic repair depot didn't even stress it properly.
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"Talk is cheap because the supply is greater than the demand" - Shelby Friedman]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16156410 Tue, 23 May 2006 16:26:59 EDT Re: [rant] 0 for 2 on repairs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16156401 DrewCapu : have them run dnetc on it for a few hours instead of watching a dvd while "working"]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16156401 Tue, 23 May 2006 16:26:36 EDT Re: [rant] 0 for 2 on repairs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16156396 bigsand : I have to admit, if I bought a MBP and that happened I would feel exactly like you do.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16156396 Tue, 23 May 2006 16:25:48 EDT Re: [rant] 0 for 2 on repairs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16156364 deblin : I don't want a replacement. This situation has turned me off to Apple. I'd rather have the $2800 back in my pocket and spend it on something else. I want a refund.
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"Talk is cheap because the supply is greater than the demand" - Shelby Friedman]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16156364 Tue, 23 May 2006 16:22:46 EDT Re: [rant] 0 for 2 on repairs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16156352 T_Wrecks : I'd press Apple for a replacement. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16156352 Tue, 23 May 2006 16:21:42 EDT [rant] 0 for 2 on repairs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16156319 deblin : I know this is a rant, but I have a point, so please leave it here mods :)

I just spoke to a customer representative who spoke to the repair depot my MBP was sent in for heat issues (for the second time).

She claimed they played a DVD in it for one hour, and were unable to reproduce the heat issue, so they sent it back "within specification".

This is absolutely absurd. I have never had such poor customer service for hardware related support issues. Let's review.

1) sent it in for heat issue
2) repair depot randomly replaces logic board to "fix" the heat
3) get the unit back, and it's 149 F now (8 degrees hotter than when I sent it in)
4) called up and spoke to a customer relations rep who hooked me up with a very nice product support specialist. he wouldn't say they'd do a full exchange until he got the temperature specification from engineering
5) waited 10 days to get a response, and Daniel from support informed me the specification is 60C for external case temps . Mine is 65C, so he says I should definitely send it in again.
6) I take it to an "authorized apple repair" location - a local CompUSA, who looks at it for a few hours then determines "yeah, it runs hot. we have to send it in"
7) the item gets sent out (ground, btw, since CompUSA is a bunch of cheapskates unlike the Apple store) and finally gets there
8) item is diagnosed, and is on its way back
9) I call and support claims it's within spec

What the hell? Playing a DVD in it is by no means going to get it hot enough since it's not going to use nearly 100% of both CPU cores.

I am so fed up with this right now. I emailed the product specialist I've been working with so I can get a refund. I'm through with Apple. They had three chances to get this right (when I bought it, and both repairs). Three strikes, you're out Apple.

I love OSX and Apple's idealogies, etc. But this MBP is a lemon.
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"Talk is cheap because the supply is greater than the demand" - Shelby Friedman]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16156319 Tue, 23 May 2006 16:17:01 EDT