I Will Never Buy Another Apple Computer Again
Less than six months ago, I bought a MacBook Pro. I loaded it up with the lots of and a fast hard drive. The computer cost me nearly $3,000. It has been in the shop 2 times in less than six months.
The first time the keyboard had to be replaced. It was done quickly and painless and was a great example of Apple’s customer service. The second time, the monitor cracked.
I picked up the computer and the monitor cracked. I have had laptops for twenty years, going back to Zenith SuperSports and MiniSports, a stack of Toshiba laptops, a Sony, a Sharp and a Panasonic. I’ve never had a single one crack on me. I’ve had very litle servicing of any of my laptops. I am now told it will take $1,300 to replace the monitor because of ‘user error’.
I was told I could dispute the decision, was put on hold for over 20 minutes and was politely and friendly told to pound salt. I asked “Ummm….how is this ‘disputing’ the decision if you aren’t going to listen or change your mind?” The service tech thought that was a rhetorical question. I actually wanted an answer to why they put me on hold and made me wait to pretend to listen to my answer, when they had no thoughts of changing their mind.
The MacBook Pro was already overpriced for the equivalent of a Windows based PC. I was enjoying it and starting to buy into the Macintosh / Apple way, but not anymore. I can’t have a laptop that breaks for an inexplicable reason, have them blame it on me and then be told it’s $1,300 to fix when it’s less than six months old. That has not happened with any other computer manufacturer.
They’ve just lost a customer. I believe they’ve lost a customer for life, but will wait a while to make that decision. I don’t think they should treat any customer unfairly. I give a lot of seminars and presentations on technology to trial lawyers and speak to trial lawyers on a regular basis. I find it hard to believe that they really want to lose me for the price of a monitor screen.
Dave:
Sorry that Apple treated you so poorly - especially since I was one of those urging you to try a Mac. I have had my PowerBook for over a year now with no problems whatsoever. I hope that one day you'll give the Mac another try - they really are head and shoulders above Windows machines.
Ben,
That's fine. I somewhat liked it, but when the company will not stand by their product how do you buy another one?
That and their version of 'disputing' the decision was incredibly rude. The lady told me the only reason I was talking to her was because I had requested to talk to 'customer relations'.
I told her that I wanted to get my laptop fixed because it was not my fault it was broken. She said she couldn't do that because it was not a manufacturing defect because the display had not spontaneously combusted. Hmmm......
In addition to not standing by their product, they were very rude.
My wife hasn't had any problems with her 12" powerbook yet. I hope she doesn't.
When your screen cracks on your cell phone would you ever expect to have it replaced for free??? I've had several of my phone displays crack and they NEVER replace them for free. It sucks..and
I understand your frustration....but a screen doesn't just "crack" without some sort of controlable environmental condition.
Did you have the apple care package with your purchase?? If you did, and they STILL won't replace it, then I am on your side. If not.....you're simply out of luck and it's silly to assume that you are on the right side of the issue.
Will,
I've had laptops for 20 years. I know how to handle a computer. It was under warranty. Yes, I expect them to replace it.
I don' know about cell phone screens. I've never had a problem with those either.
Thanks for your comment.
Next time do not punch the screen because of personal problems.
Sorry to hear about your bad luck. It's not typical of Apple service. I have to admit it's pretty odd to have a cracked screen. I've been carrying an Apple lap top for several years with no screen problems and have a new MacBook Pro with no problems. I carry my computer everywhere, so it gets some stress.
I would suggest trying Apple Support a second time (maybe even directing them to this blog entry) and see if they will reconsider. It couldn't hurt to let them know you are a switcher who has a well visited legal blog.
Rick,
Those are good points. I'll try them. I'm at the least very disillusioned with Apple. The lady dealing with the 'dispute' of the resolution gave me such a quick slapdown I asked how it was a dispute and why I was even talking to her if they wouldn't listen to me.
Her response was "You asked to talk to someone else. That's why they transferred you." No ability to change the decision. No desire to change the decision.
I don't know how mad I'll still be months from now, but I'm at the very least disillusioned and not pleased. That's really not a good way to get me to switch the rest of my office.
I'll give it a shot and let you know how it goes.
Well I am sorry you had trouble but I can't really blame Apple for being skeptical about the "I picked it up and the screen cracked" story. That does sound a bit unusual for any computer.
You are obviously an early adopter of technology products (given your statement that you have been using laptops for 20 years; the only portable computers 20 years ago would hardly be considered a "laptop" - unless you have a roomier than average lap. As a general rule I don't purchase any new computer models when they are first introduced as there is always a higher incidence of bugs and manufacturing errors with any new line (Apple, Dell, whoever). Given that the MacBook Pro is a new line introducing Intel chips into their laptop lineup for the first time ever, I think I would recommend waiting for the second Rev. to come out.
Personally, I have always found Apple support to be equal to or superior to anything I have experienced with other PC makers. You might consider going back to them and giving a different support tech a try. Perhaps you just got someone at the end of their shift who was feeling a tad pissy today. Good luck!
Mac,
Those are a lot of good points. I know the title is a bit melodramatic. As time passes a bit, I'll have to determine whether I'm really mad at Apple or just grumbly.
But as a long time anti-MicroSoft person who was seriously considering moving his entire legal office to Macs, it's not a positive thing.
I'm hoping that if I do some research and find the right person, they will do the right thing by me for public relations reasons if not customer service / warranty reasons.
Thanks for the thoughts.
Oh, and to answer your question, my first ummm....ultralight was a Zenith miniSport. It was a '286 computer, with a monocrhomatic half-size vga monitor, no hard drive, but a 2 meg (yes, meg not gig) ram drive and little 2 inch 'micro disks' that never caught on.
I ran a stripped version of WordPerfect and GrandView on there. The Ram drive was in memory (obviously), but it wasn't static memory, so if you let the battery die down, you had to re-install it.
Fortunately, this was back in the DOS days and relatively easy to do.
I have had enve worse experiences with Avertec: My laptop just craped out. I had taken the laptop out of my car (cold)and took it into the house (warm). The computer went down. Avertec told me I would need to send it in for repair -- pay the expense for shipping both ways, pay for new parts -- the costs of the parts alone whould exceed the costs of a brand new computer. Then I discovered that the failure was the result of a defective bios that Avertec was aware -- that sometimes when taking a computer from a cold location to a warm location a fan would not turn on -- the result the CPU and motherboaard would burn out. Avertec was aware of this problem but did not advise purchasers of the unit. I also purchased a Tablet PC from Avertec. I made a trip and left the power supply at home. I contacted Avertec in an attempt to buy a power supply and have them send it to me by Federal Express. They said NO -- I had to return the computer, have them determine if the power supply was missing, if it was they would replace the missing part and return the unit to me in four to six weeks. I returned home after a week and recovered my power supply. Then I upgraded my Windows XP and got a message from Microsoft that I was using an illegal copy of Windows. Yet the sticker on the Tablet PC has a Microsoft Proof of License. Microsoft tells me I must deal with Avertec. Avertec says that no version of Windows for the Tablet PC allows a repair of a Windows XP install -- I can only buy from them disks that will reformat my hard drive and install a new copy of Windows XP. Any you think you have problems with your Mac?
I have a new MacBook as well, and my screen has cracked too. I have also seen a few other blogs talking about the same problem. My screen cracked when I placed it under a seat on a charter bus, inside a backpack and a computer case. I think the casing behind the screen is too flimsy to protect it. I think maybe if enough people complain loudly enough Apple might do something. I am very disappointed in Apple as well, not only with how soon and easily my compuyer broke, but also with the fact that on a $1,200 computer they are charging $755 to replace it. So you are not alone in your screen troubles.
I also have new Macbook, purchased on July 1. Within 3 weeks my screen cracked when I was using it while IT WAS SITTING ON MY DESK. Now this is the 3rd Apple laptop that I have owned (the others being Powerbooks), and I didn't have any problems with the other two. I received a call earlier today saying that it would be over $700 to fix the screen. It's really hard not to be disappointed, as I purchased this for med school but haven't actually been able to use it.
I talked to Apple again today, and they reluctantly decided to go ahead and repair my screen free of charge. They agreed that my refurbished model may have had its hinges tightened a little too much when it was going through the refurbishment process.
Scott,
Good for you. I have a staff member that's trying to track down a decision maker. My hope is that Apple will stand by their product.
My goal isn't to badmouth Apple, but to have a good experience with their products. Right now, that's not happening.
I'm glad you got a good result. Thanks for giving us an update.
I also purchased a MB for my son (SR. at u of MN) to replace a stolen ibook. within two weeks the screen cracked for no reason. took it back to the mac store to no avail. paid $450.00 to have Techrestore replace crt within a week it broke again. My son had his ibook for over a year carrying it all over campus I just don't understand why MAC will not own up to there inept engineering in the design of this particular computer. For those of you that the screens have not broke be thankful and don't try and push this problem off like it is our fault when we are all grown adults and are well experienced in the care of laptops.
I really wish Apple would be mature about flaws; since the iPod Nano scandel they've been more and more childish with not owning up to their over-zealous design teams who just want to beat Dell in outing the latest Intel Core Duo.
Yes, MacBooks are peeling. Yes MacBook Pros are overheating / cracking. And certainly yes, their entire iPod line does and has (since generation 3) scratch all too easily. I have had enormous trouble even contacting the Apple Store in Manchester UK, just to return a dodgy Bluetooth Mighty Mouse!
My iBook screen just cracked when I dropped it down the stairs. Do I expect them to repair it? No! But I certainly don't want to replace it with a CrackBook. Cos they didn't get that name for nothing...
...and yet another...
im a computer science student interested in Human Computer Interaction (a field that apple has influenced a lot). of course, i became interested in the osx interface and got a macbook.
3 weeks later, my_mac went in the 'shop' for replacing the keyboard bezel and then 3 days after i get it back, im pulling it out of my messenger bag and i hear/feel a subtle 'crack' under my fingers. now, i have a hairline fracture across the top of my screen. i havent talked to apple a/b it yet b/c im trying to learn a/b others' experiences first. i have a feeling i will be posting on this site again with a very disgruntled opinion.
i am hoping that i can get them to understand that pulling your laptop out of your bag is normal wear and tear but we'll see. all i can say is that i will be very persistent b/c i dont have the kind of $ its going to take to repair it.
JR
well, good news
i talked to apple support and explained my situation. they created a report and told me to go to the apple store and have them look for a defect.
->i get there and the manager tells me:
'in my four years experience, ive never seen apple cover a cracked screen'
->my response:
'well, if there was ever an exception, it would be now'
->then i talk to the genius:
'ok, im a computer science senior so i know a lot a/b computers and im concentrating in human-computer interaction so i love apple b/c they have innovated my field. i, also, am an honest person and if i believed this was a result of abuse or misuse, i would not be here right now. i would have no reservation in paying the money for a new display. however, picking up my mac upside down should not break the LCD'
-continue to show him the hairline fracture-
'as you can see, only one pane as been cracked so it was obviously a very small amount of pressure'
->genius
'yeah, i can tell you didnt drop it. let me talk to the manager'
->genius comes back
'well, youre the exception. ill go ahead and replace it'
hi,
I write from Italy. I bought my Macbook two months ago and last week the Lcd display suddenly cracked.I contacted Apple, talked to an italian engineer in ireland who told me that if there are only black holes they substitute, but there are fracture so I did broke it.....but I didn't break it! It's absurd, so many people compliant the same problem and they don't care...
My son's MacBook screen cracked and Apple has refused to replace. He says that nothing happened to it and it just appeared just past the middle of the screen. Since that time it has spread and become unviewable.
I have seen numerous postings out there and this appears to be a design flaw.
I did have Apple Care but that just extends the warranty and does not cover "accidental breakage." The supervisor I spoke with said that they ran several tests and verified that it was accidental. I asked to see the results of those "tests" which she said they would not give me.
Definitely appears to be a problem with the machine that Apple does not want to 'fess up to.
Rob
What kind of crack did the screen have? I have also a MacBook Pro, 15" with the outside screen intact, but apparently the screen inside in pieces and with vertical color lines runing through the screen. I have not gone to Apple yet because I cannot even fathom the price for repairs. Do any of you know if there's a way of fixing this for less? Maybe a way of doing it myself? Thanks a bunch!
I have a new macbook less than a month old, I bought two of them and now one of the screens is cracked and we don't know what happened to it. I have a macbook pro that we have had for a year and a HP laptop that we have had for several years with no problems. Now I am being told this isn't under warranty and there isn't anything they can do to help me. I can't afford to get it fixed right now because I just went to the expense of buying it for school. If anyone can help please let me know what they are telling you.
Thanks
Wow! This blog makes feel a bit better! My wife and I received our MacBook 8 days ago. On the fifth day, the screen cracked while on our desk. No pets, pressure, liquids, sunlight, or temp changes. Mac store and IT were incredibly condescending, but sales support refunded 90%. Even so, it was unacceptable customer service on the whole. There are tons more cracked LCD problems out there - see blogcritics, macforums,appledefects, insanely mac, macworld, and perhaps most importantly and effective, macintouch. Keep speakup up! They've got to change their terrible policy on this, and shore up their customer service.
Many of us who have bought the MacBook have been suffering from cracks in the LCD. Some have happened spontaneously without cause, while others have come about through normal laptop use such as a very minor drop or simply carrying it around in a bag or case. I am trying to get as many people with this problem together so that we all can make a formal complaint together and get apple to resolve this issue. If you have suffered from this problem or know some who has please, please contact me at:
crackeddisplay@hotmail.com
Together we are powerful and alone we pay $1000 dollars in repairs.
I never buy an apple computer again,stop working after 10 mins, everyday
burt tsang
Ireland
p.s. only bought the thing 3 months ago
I was given a macbook as a present and have been using it for 1month. I left it on overnight playing ITunes and in the morning the display showed a crack. I can only presume that there was an overheating problem. Not understanding what the black leaf like object was I tried to clean it and the problem spread. I will be contacting the genius bar at a service centre and see what they say.
I've had my macbook pro less than six weeks, treated it with kit gloves and the screen cracked too!
I've had laptops forever and never had a problem like this. I'm persuing lemon law (here in CA) and refusing to pay charges on my credit card as final recourse after been given the the same run around by mac care, "genius bar" (how hilarious and offensive is that).
I WILL NEVER BUY MAC AGAIN. The designs are pretty, but if they don't function well what's the point?
I share your pain and I am a very honest person (which I realize is hard to prove b/c many aren't). But it doesn't mean I should have my consumer rights curbed.
cheers.
Exactly the same problem here. Macbook less than two months old, handled very carefully, always in a memory-foam sleeve, and that inside the padded section of a backback. Opened it one day, the screen was cracked.
I'm writing this on a seven-year-old powerbook that's been all over the world. I have a nine-year-old powerbook on the desk behind me. Also fine. I've bought dozens of macs since my first 128K.
This is simply and undeniably a problem with the computer. (Bad batch of LCDs?) It was not mishandled. Apple refuses to fix it. Here's hoping somebody does the class action thing. I'm in.
Bottom line . . . MACs are worthless machines. When I bought mine, my hard drive went out within the first year. I have never experienced that with Windows - on over 15 computers. Macs are for show purposes only and run very little relevant software. Anything that a Mac uses, that is relevant however, is benchmarked with worse results than a competating PC of the same hardware. PCs, in all phases are superior.
If you realize what a Mac is before you buy it then you wont be disappointed when things happen. Macs are showpieces, overpriced and HIGHLY overrated. Again, 99% of what macs will run is completely irrelevant. The fact is that anything you can do on a mac you can do on a PC. The reverse is not true.
PS I love how people talk about the limited viruses that Macs have. Macs don't have viruses because people dont waste their time trying to infiltrate 2% of the market share.
has a class action started? isn't this a law site? What are all these people here doing on a law site talking about the same exact problem with their Macs? Time to get organized and hit them with a lawsuit!
will they will replace ur ohone if teh screen breaks
I have a macbook which I have had less than 6 months and the screen cracked the other day while i was closing my laptop. I am having the exact same problem you did. I purchased apple care and they say it doesn't cover accidents. I said, "Well this wasn't an accident." They basically called me a liar.
Looks like this has been dormant recently but I would like to share my experience in case anyone still cares. 4 months after I bought my MBP the screen cracked. Put the computer to sleep for the night. Next day when I opened the computer, low and behold, cracked screen. I received the same blanket policy non sense from every customer service person I talked to. Finally after pushing the issue for hours and hours over the course of a week or two Apple relented.
While I admit there is always a possibility that something happened to the comp that I was unaware of, this is highly unlikely. I agree, a screen cracking spontaneously is unlikely too. But why does Apple deserve the benefit of the doubt?
When I finally it the woman to fix my computer she did so in an extremely condescending way. Something to the effect of, well you grubbed a screen out of us, now stop calling. I did nothing to give apple a reason to doubt my integrity, nor was I belligerent to the customer service staff. Why were they making such ugly implications?
I will likely by another mac. But seeing as this was my first mac, and I was thus far excited about it, you could say the honeymoon is over.
I agree with Stephanie. Let's get on this. Come on, lawyers!! Do your lawyer thing and help us consumers! Quick, before my crack/black hole gets so bad that I can't read the blogs anymore!
Well, now I am scared. I opened my Macbook and guess what? The screen was cracked. No, I do not carry it. It sits on a desk. Just opened it up and bammo, cracked screen.
After talking to Apple support, was sent a box to send it in to them.
Now I am reading that this is a problem with a lot of machines. And worse, Apple isn't fixing. Man, that is bad. I haven't an answer form them yet, but now I am afrias I am going to get the same. NOTHING.
I have used Apple for over 25 years. Currently have 2 iBooks the Macbook and an old beige G3.
Don't think I really want to use a PC. But, if Apple doesn't help me, I will most likely NEVER buy one of their products again.
Would be a shame for them to lose a customer of 25 years because they wouldn't stand behind their product. Seems there are plenty of us out here with this problem. Wonder if it will hurt them?
The same thing happened to me, but it seemed to begin with an occasional line across the screen. I once brought my Macbook to a repair shop here in Helsinki to replace a faulty hard drive, and the man at the desk noticed there was a small line across my screen, and said he would ask them to look into it. They never touched my screen, and the line still appeared whenever the computer was in colder conditions. Now, there is an internal crack that's almost like a tree which gets more branches every day. Because they had told me they would look into the screen issue at the beginning, I expect to get full service, especially since I'm under the three year international warranty. I'll let you know how it goes.
Purchased a 15" MacBook Pro in November 2007. April 2008 closed it to put in a backpack, went home, opened it and noticed a cracked screen. Dealer in town told me it would cost $1100 to repair and that it was not under warranty! I was incensed. Not sure what I'm going to do. Perhaps go back to my three year old PC.
Someone needs to do something. I'm a college student; I can't afford food, nevermind a brand new LCD screen. This was not our fault, and we shouldn't have to pay. Lawsuit!
I am a brand new Mac user. I bought a 15″ macbook pro less than 2 months ago. I loved everything about it until last week when a black circle the size of a quarter suddenly appeared on the left hand side of the screen. From there, a very thin crack developed running horizontal across the screen.
I took it into the mac store fully expecting to get a replacement as I have done nothing out of the ordinary to the computer. I never even took it out of the house. I have used it on my lap and on my desk and that is it. I was told by the mac genius that there was a ‘point of impact’ and that I must have hit the screen with something. I am positive that I did nothing to this screen. I paid $2000 for this machine and I have treated it like my baby.
I am utterly disgusted with apple service and also the fragility of this product. I don’t even want a new one because I’m just afriad it will happen again. I’m very sad to say that I will never buy an apple again and I will tell everyone I know about my experience..
It’s depressing because the computer itself is fantastic. We plan to keep fighting with apple to get our money back or get a replacement but I am not paying $1250 for a new screen when I have done nothing wrong.
There is absolutely a design flaw in this laptop. How can apple do nothing when I can find so many people online with this same problem?? Is anyone on this law site doing anything about this? Please contact me! cjaneg@yahoo.com
My less than two yr old MacBook failed on me a few weeks ago. Apple's response? "you are SOL" And I've lost 10yrs worth data including only pictures of my sister's wedding and my trips to oversea. I will never buy another Apple Computer again.
wow thank you guys. Was going to buy macbook. Don't even know how i stumbled upon this. Wow u guys should all contact each other and then call at same time same day and be persistant all day, and maybe for whole week. If they get bombarded with same type of phone calls the same week same day and same times it will drive them nuts. If that has no benefits then obviously sue them, Now i don't know what to buy. Have newer pc but it has vista and trust me this is no picnic either. forget hooking up previously owned printers scanners webcams. Hahahaha plug and play lol plug and don't use forever. Every single microsoft help site is an obvious joke for the consumer. They will never even give the slightest bit of real info. Ubunto anyone?
