Apple Stores

I just wondered if anybody else was unahappy with Apple regarding macbook repairs.

Long story cut short I've had 3 repairs now since February. My macbook was locking up randomly. I'm now at a stage where it still locks up, turns off, stops typing, the screen hinges click when opening the laptop, it sometimes doesn't charge, online videos such as netflix often turn green, the fans get stuck on full for no apparent reason and there's probably some more issues.

Right now it will not even stay on for 10 minutes before it just goes black and refuses to turn back on for around 15 minutes.

Put it this way, the laptop cannot last 5 minutes without something going wrong. Despite this Apple somehow keep returning it from the genius bar with more problems. This is why my list is now so extensive as every repair introduces issues I've never seen before. It went in with one or two problems and I now have a long list of issues.

I live on the outskirts of London and for me to get into Central is a 2 hour journey as I have to walk 40 minutes to the train station, hang about for the train, travel 35 minutes on the train and catch a tube to the store. I've now done this journey around 6 times or 12 ways counting both directions (sometimes just trying to get an appointment as there's never any online). I cannot understand how Apple can return it to me when the problems occur this often. There's clearly no testing after they replace the parts. If they used it for just 10 minutes following a repair they would have seen problems. I have probably spent well over £100 travelling to stores.

I emailed Tim Cook but frankly his team haven't done much to help me and I'm no further forward. I love some of the Apple stuff I have but frankly the way they handle macbook repairs isn't good enough. My iPhone goes wrong they swap it - fantastic. My macbook goes wrong (which I need more) and it's a nightmare to get resolved.

What's most frustrating is they return it to me faulty and I have to rebook a genius bar appointment, it can often be a good month before I can find an available appointment in the London stores that suits my lifestyle. Most of the time there are no appointments at all for the following week.

Apple rant over but I thought it was important to voice my opinions here and I think I'm usually fairly understanding & not usually argumentative. Hopefully this comes across! I've had problems with my ISP for a few months and I stayed with them despite this as they supported me nicely along the way. I just expected Apple to care more. I'm not easily angered but Apple have really got on my nerves of late.

Edited by ukhardy07 (Wed 18-Sep-13 03:36:38)

Which Apple Store?

Do you collect the "repaired" machine from the Apple shop and test it in the shop.

Alternatively search out a local Authorised Apple repair place and take it there

Find Apple repair businesses

Is the machine still in Warranty.

I have used Apple Care in the past with help regarding Imac Issues or faulty keyboard that they did a straight replacement on.
But i guess you did not take out apple care at the time.

Regent Street mainly.

I have full 3 years applecare which was taken at point of purchase. They refuse to do a replacement outright.

Which model?

MacBook Air 2011 bought April 2012 and started having issues feb 2013.

I've been Sheffield Meadowhall Regent Street and Kingston. All stores have carried out some repairs with Sheffield just doing an OSX reinstall, that was the first repair. After the third repair (Kingston) which was a logic board replacement it's been 100 times worse so I'm assuming I've been given a bad logic board.

Could be a dud board (btw, you won't get a straight swap out that long after purchase - 10 months is way outside any window offered by the Sale of Goods Acts)

Did it get dinged in Feb? Everything seems to be about overheating and I wonder if something in the physical structure is damaged, affecting airflow. Ask for that to be thoroughly checked. Try Brent Cross if possible- I've always had good experience with them, even thought it is a small store.

Does anything here help?

http://maccrazy.com/macbook-air-heat-fan-noise