[X4U] AppleCare Status codes

[Linda]

Zane,

Your AppleCare should expire 3 years from the day the machine was put into
service. You can call AppleCare and ask about this; they should make it
right with you. I've had AppleCare Protection Plan (APP) on all of my work
Macs (5 so far) and it's always showed up as the day I bought everything. I
always buy my APP at the time I buy my computer, though, so it's
automatically enrolled on the spot.

The only time I'm aware that AppleCare will send you a part for your own
swap-in/out is if the problem is a hard disk on a desktop (not a laptop).
I've never personally experienced that they'll let anything else be serviced
by the user -- they have no way to gauge a user's hardware expertise and
could open themselves to further APP claims if the "home repair" is
incorrect or goes awry.

The Geniuses cannot just take your word for it, because they'd have people
making up crap stories all the time. It's pretty much the same as a doctor
that won't prescribe you meds without seeing you first. They do have to work
to replicate the problem, unless they have some other sort of proof from you
-- screenshots, or a digital camera picture of your screen, etc. Even then,
it only tells them what to look for, and doesn't allow them to take any
readings or see the hardware status *during* the problem. Repeating the
problem is key.

If your problem is noted and diagnosed while you're within your APP period,
the problem will be resolved even if it's outside the APP duration.

Relax. Your computer is in good hands. Geniuses undergo testing and
certification before they can become a Genius, and are required to re-test
on each platform annually to maintain their certification and remain a
Genius (desktop and laptop testing are separate from each other). It's going
to be okay.

As for the status codes online, it's quite possible that they put the order
in for the part you thought it was that day. That doesn't mean that the part
shows up at the store same day. It can take a few days for the part to
arrive. If you were there Tuesday night, it's likely that Tuesday's order
had gone in during the day Tuesday, and your part was added to the store's
queue that would go in on Wednesday. Once Apple had received that order and
entered it into their shipping database, it still takes a bit for
information to replicate throughout the servers for you to see online. I've
been called to pick up a repaired computer when the repair showed "in
progress"; I've had computers delivered at my door while the shipping
tracking showed it was still in the FedEx depot in Chicago. When you're
polling large databases such as Apple's and FedEx's, there's going to be
some lag. 

Hope this helps to relax you somewhat...

peace,
Linda