The Computer Repair Joyride
Copyright 2002 Jason Anderson
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This last month I've had to do what many of us (I expect) would dread - take my laptop (a 500 MHz 'icebook') into the shop for repairs. Thankfully, at least in my case, the story has a happy ending.
It all started innocently enough. A few months ago, I noticed that the battery status indicator in the menu bar indicated the battery wasn't fully charged. This struck me as rather odd, since the laptop had been connected to the mains for several hours.
Well, no matter what I did, over the next few weeks the battery refused to charge (in fact, it slowly lost its charge). I looked at Apple discussion forums on their web site, and while there were a few suggestions for people who were in a similar position to be, the conclusion seemed to be clear - I would have to take the computer in to the shop for repairs. Luckily the computer was still under warranty, so I wouldn't have to worry about the cost of the repairs.
Now, since I use the laptop for Beyond Midnight Software, I couldn't take it in straight away. If I did that, I wouldn't be able to answer email or do other related tasks (like handle registrations). On top of that, Pipemare was still in development. My hope was that I could finish Pipemare, and then take the computer in to be repaired while borrowing another computer to handle email.
http://www.bmsw.com.au/pipemare/
Well, as Murphy's Law states, it didn't work out that way. Pipemare took a lot longer than expected. The end of the warranty period for the computer fast approached. Just as I was beginning to think that I would have to take it in regardless of Pipemare, a new fault appeared. The track pad stopped working.
Well, there was nothing for it. I borrowed a mouse and a second computer, and copied my files across. After checking that everything was there, I took the laptop in to the shop.
Taking it in was no problem. I filled out their paperwork, was told that a technician would look at the computer the next day, and give me a call to let me know what was happening.
The end of the week approached, and I had heard nothing. Not too worried (I know that things can get busy), I called to find out what was happening. The update was good - the track pad had been fixed, and they were waiting on a replacement battery. I would hear back at the start of the next week about it. Great news!
The new week started, and I hadn't heard anything. I called them again. The battery had arrived and things seemed to be working, but the technician wanted to run a few more tests. "Very sensible" I thought - "I want them to fix the problem!" They would call me the next day.
The end of the week - no phone call. I called them again to get the news. It turned out the battery wasn't the cause of the fault, and they were ordering another part. They would call me when that part had arrived. "I bet" was my thought.
But happily I was in for a pleasant surprise - they did call! Monday morning I got the call telling me that the laptop was all fixed. It seemed that the power supply and battery were both to blame - presumably the fault in the power supply had caused the battery to also develop a fault. A very happy customer, I went in to pick up the laptop.
So what? I hear you ask. A very good question.
On the plus side, Apple (or more accurately, the Apple Centre I took my computer to) managed to repair my laptop in just under two weeks. I've heard many horror stories (for both Apple and other brands), and I wanted to say that in this case, they managed to come through. Well done Apple!
On the negative side, they certainly weren't very good at letting me know what was happening. Several times the Apple Centre said they would call, and I heard nothing. Admittedly there wasn't much they could say other than "we're waiting on a part", but sometimes that is enough.
So Apple have managed to keep at least one customer happy with their service. If they could just improve the communication problem a bit this experience would have been perfect.
Well, the perfect situation would have been to not have to take the computer in at all. But you know what I mean!
