Thread: computer warranty

Originally Posted by gugi

So, my questions are:
- do you expect your computers to last more than 1 year?
parts of it. other parts of it will only last 12-18 months the way i abuse my computer, that is just the cost of doing business.
- do you purchase the extended warranty?
from apple? HELL YES. their extended warranty program is phenomenal. they treat the Applecare subscribers like royalty. I once broke a part of my computer (not their fault, all mine, and i admitted it) and they overnighted me a new one for free just because I was on the Applecare. ($100+ part)
- is 1/4 of the computer cost acceptable amount for a 2 year warranty, beyond 1st year?
not sure about Apple's current policy, used to be Applecare was a fixed amount

now, That Said(tm), for the most part i build my own machines, and they have no warranty beyond the 90day warranty on most of the parts, and no tech support either. i am fine with that because the machine winds up costing half as much, but it's not for everyone. i also overclock, so parts burn out with disturbing frequency, but that is a personal decision, and i can't recommend anyone else try it.

if you want a small form factor case for a media pc or something, you can totally build one yourself, for about the same cost, using a microatx mobo and case, then run mythtv or something on it. pm me for more info

The progress so far:
Apple CSR 1: 1st level support seems helpful and agrees with me that it looks like a hardware problem that should have been fixed long time ago. Needs authorization from a supervisor and puts me on hold. 10min later the system kicks me back to another 1st level support.

Apple CSR 2: I explain briefly where I am at and that I was waiting for a supervisor when I got kicked out and sent to her. She tells me that since I'm out of warranty there is no way that a case can be opened for me and w/o a case being opened it cannot be escalated to a supervisor. She refuses to send me to a superviser directly. I learn something useful though - mac mini is a desktop system and the only support apple provides is on-site repair (no mailings) i.e. my only option is to find an authorized shop and perhaps they'll look at it for me. The closest she can find in her system are the ones 1.5-2 hours away.

At this point I looked at a local Apple vendor's website and called the repair service they have listed. Explained briefly that I have hw issues and because some predate the expiration of warranty I'm trying to get Apple to cover them, but need them to at least look and at lest verify they are hw. They told me they repair apple computers and will be happy to do it, but I need a case number from Apple.

Apple CSR 3: Calling back Apple, another sympathetic CSR. After the usual S/N drill I'm again told that they could troubleshoot if I pay-per-accident $50. However when I tell him that it's not about a troubleshooting and quickly explain the situation he is happy to set up a case so that that the shop can take a look at the machine.


So, at this point I'll be getting the stuff off that harddrive and then drop the machine at the repair shop, probably next Monday. They'll need few days to get to it and once they get that I'll be back to round 2. I also composed a letter to Steve Jobs in case CS becomes unhelpful, and also so that I can have a quick summary.

Thanks guys. I'll keep posted

The cost of the warranty is almost a flat fee, and in your case, since your computer costs so little, it just so happens to be a relatively large amount of money.

Bummer on that man.

In the future, ALWAYS get the names of the helpful CSR's. You can get directed straight to them and never have to worry about getting the "mean" ones. That way if you're kicked back to someone while on hold, they can get you back on track with the last CSR's name. You'll have to ask for their name, but they have to give it, so don't be bashful.

EDIT: It also means that if they say they'll do something and it doesn't happen, you can call back and say "Well Bob Smith told me on Feb. 7th that he put in work order #99999999. What happened with that?" They get real cooperative when you have names and dates.

Yeah, I did take their names, times when I called, how long I was on hold, etc... however the b1tchy one wouldn't send me to the one I had just talked to. I think with a company like apple they may not be even in a single call center, but who knows.

Yeah I see that the apple care plans for computers are ~160 for the computers in the 600-1500 price range then 350 for 2000-3000 and there was 250 for something, I forgot what exactly. They however offer 100 applecare warranty for the displays (600-1800) so it's not like there is some minimum amount they can't go below. The 150 apple care seems expensive even for the higher model mac mini (20%).

But it really is partially my fault - I didn't realize that the odd problems witm my system crashing on bluetooth actually may be hardware related. I assumed it's just another 'feature' of the incompetent implementation of BSD. And I have several of my friends who use bluetooth all the time and never had crashes. Stupid me - couldn't put 2 and 2 together... But on a positive note it's cheaper to learn these things on a $600 machine

Wow, I cannot believe this actually took a month!

So here's the update after post #32:

After talking to the repair shop again, I had to give another call to Apple. This time the person I talked to agreed with my evaluation, but he gave me a very useful advice. He told me that they simply cannot do anything no matter what, because the only thing Technical Support is authorized to do is solve technical problems for computers under warranty.
However, he told me that I should be talking to Customer Relations instead.

Turns out this is easier said than done. You cannot get directly to that department - you have to be forwarded after you explain your case to a 1st level customer support operator. When I got to them, as expected, it turned out that they lack technical expertise. So the representative told me I need to get it 'officially' diagnosed by an authorized shop and then we can talk again.

The repair shop charges $65+tax to look at it, but I realized at this point this was my only reasonable option (unless I was willing to sell it 'AS IS' on ebay, but if I told everything I know, as I intend to do, it won't be worth putting up for sale).

So I dropped off the computer to be diagnosed, and as expected, the result was 'the logic board and the interconnect board need replacement'.

Back to Apple - after explaining the situation they told me that they would be willing to cover the parts, but I would have to pay for the labor. I thought at this point it was a bit cheap of them, but I accepted the arrangement, asked about the timeframe and it should've been all resolved within few days.

Well, the saga wasn't over yet. After about a week the repair shop emailed me that the code that Apple gave me for ordering parts is failing repeatedly. Back on the phone with Apple, through the usual levels of escalation (for their credit the new rep is already briefed), and almost an hour later I have a new code issued along with the assurance that the rep will personally call the repair shop next morning and make sure everything works out. Well he seems to have missed the next morning call, but the morning after he called me and told me it should be all good. This was last week.

Today I received email from the repair shop that my computer is fixed and I can pick it up. Instead of going to the other end of town I opted for them dropping it off tomorrow at a local store in town and I'll pick it up there tomorrow afternoon.

So about a month later, few hours on the phone and what I expect to be a $200 bill I should have my computer working properly. I hope I never have to deal with Apple customer service again (which is quite good if you compare it to several others I've dealt with in the past month).

I'm kinda glad I came across this...I've been using the same mac for 7 years, and I'm pretty abusive...lots of heavy apps for audio, gx, and film, as well as physically, but this thing has been bulletproof...or at least '4ft fall out of the back of the truck onto the curb' proof. But, back in 2001 it was a custom build and cost me like $6,000...I'm definitely gonna get a new one, but was hoping to get a lower end model (mini, iMac) just for everything not work-related...now ya got me nervous.

I always talk up my mac, 'cause it's been flawless. I've recently been put up against new high end custom built PC's, and even the newest technology can't process 128 tracks as well as my dinosaur can. I'd hate to think that Apple quality has fallen off...but it seems all things must go this way (did I mention I'm on my 3rd iPhone?). Maybe I should downgrade this one, pull the processors out and throw em in a new MacPro...but that's a lot of dough to justify. Anyone have any experience with the current iMacs? Or, maybe more importantly, the iMacs from a couple years ago? Still hangin' in there, or gone the way of the Dell?

The iMac's are solid in my experience. I don't have any experience with these newest ones, but the worst problem we had with about 15 iMacs was an airport card going out. AppleCare is your friend though for sure!

Apple seems to be pushing tech repair to the Apple stores for initial contact. I have had great service from the store....the Apple Cust. Support or Apple.com support on the other hand, nothing to rave about.