[P1] iBook Repair, Again, and Again and Again!

[albookuser at Phreaker.net]

On 5/30/04 9:05 AM, "rstief" <rstief at siouxvalley.net> wrote:

>> 
>> 
>> In this follow up you are now indicating the problem is one of design or
>> manufacture - that Apple didn't adequately design the iBook or the
>> manufacturer didn't follow through on the design. In this regard we are on
>> the same page.
>> 
>> david
>> 
> 
> It is nice that Apple has recognized the fact that they have a problem with
> the Ibook G3 and are attempting to correct it, but how many times do we have
> to keep sending it back. I bought the G3 Ibook 800m 14 inch to use it, not be
> a test subject to see if it works. The last 2 times I had to send it in, it
> took a hour on the phone each time and having to speak to a supervisor to get
> them to pickup the computer. Maybe a person should check out Dell, I don't
> belong to their list so don't know if they have same problems or not. Why
> don't they offer some upgrade that does work at a reasonable price, and by
> reasonable I mean not like the offer they did for the Performa 550.
>
Since I don't work for Apple (just an Apple reseller partime) I can't answer
these questions with any authority and given the way people sue at the drop
of a hat, Apple isn't going to answer them either other than to announce
expanded repair programs when deemed necessary. But I can answer the
question based on a combination of experience and speculation. In other
words, my answer will be just a step above talking out my @. <grin>

Why has your computer been repaired so many times? Probably the same reason
so many 15" alBook owners had 2, 3, even 4 LCD replacements last fall. For a
while Apple treated returned computers as isolated incidents because a)
Apple didn't see any obvious design/manufacturing defects at the time and b)
there wasn't enough statistical data to indicate that a non-obvious defect
existed. Once it was obvious a problem did exist it took time to figure out
just what the problem was and how to fix it.

The fact that it took so long for Apple to deal with the problem can be
ascribed to a) Apple doesn't care or b) Apple engineers couldn't figure out
what the problem was. I know some are quite certain the answer is the former
but I have reason to believe the latter.

I don't know why you had trouble getting customer service to pick up your
computer except I can say that tech support will ask you do jump through
certain hoops first. This is frustrating for those of us who know computers
but given that lots of folk return computers for things that can be fixed at
home it is understandable.

As for Dell. Once upon a time Dell had great customer support but in the
last 18 months it tanked. Part of the reason was moving it to India. Let me
put it this way...one of my employers broke its contract with Dell and is
currently suing. Among other things, we have a mobile lab of Dell laptops
that has never had all 25 working at one time.

david