MacBook Applecare ? NO BASHING PLEASE

OK guys, I am what you would call an old fart and having some problems. My son who I love dearly insisted I buy a MacBook in 8/07. In 6/08 the HDD failed and Apple replaced it. My stupidity, no back up, but now I do. Now I am told my logic board is out and to send it to Apple would be $360. I have two honest questions and would like two honest answers.
#1 When I did a search on this forum on logic boards I was amazed at the numbers. I have had several PC laptops over the years and never heard of this problem. Does Apple have a problem in this area.
#2 If I call Apple and talk real nice will they let me buy the Apple care even though my MacBook is 5 weeks out of warranty.
And not really a question but a statement, I know this is a Mac Forum! I am just asking for some honest answers. I am not comparing Mac's and PC's.

Thanks for your time and any help you can give me.

I think the terms of the apple care is that it has to be bought within the first year. I don't know how flexible they are on this but it might be worth going in store and asking.

If you fall outside of your one year manufacture warranty I don't think they are going to let you get the care plan especially since there is something wrong with your computer now. From what I have google about the logic board issue, several of the macbook's are having a issue with this but I couldn't find any info on apple saying they were or when they are going to be fixing this issue. Sorry to hear.

ug, what a bummer. I was probably one of the people whose posts you read about logic boards. I had a bunch fail one after the other. I was "lucky" b/c it started right after I bought it new. Sorry. The apple care was worth it's weight in gold for me. It just that these problems are quite rare with Macs. So it feels like buying unnecessary insurance. I would call and beg and cry. Or just be persistent. I spent a lotttt of time on the phone and in the service center. But it was eventually solved completely to my satisfaction. Good luck

rcronin said:

ug, what a bummer. I was probably one of the people whose posts you read about logic boards. I had a bunch fail one after the other. I was "lucky" b/c it started right after I bought it new. Sorry. The apple care was worth it's weight in gold for me. It just that these problems are quite rare with Macs. So it feels like buying unnecessary insurance. I would call and beg and cry. Or just be persistent. I spent a lotttt of time on the phone and in the service center. But it was eventually solved completely to my satisfaction. Good luck

Click to expand...

ACTUALLY the problem as I see it , is that these problems are anything but RARE. Just doing a search on this forum brings up quite a few and I am certain that this forum is not the majority of Mac owners. And again I am not bashing and I know they sold 100's of thousands or millions but it still seems like it is a problem that they should at least acknowledge and assist there customers with. I would just like to know how many are actually effected.

dunk50 said:

ACTUALLY the problem as I see it , is that these problems are anything but RARE. Just doing a search on this forum brings up quite a few and I am certain that this forum is not the majority of Mac owners.

Click to expand...

I think that is the nature of "problems" on online forums. People are faaarrr more likely to post when they have a problem then when they are happy. Just like in real life! ;D When's the last time you were at a social gathering and someone went on and on about how great their life was?

rcronin said:

I think that is the nature of "problems" on online forums. People are faaarrr more likely to post when they have a problem then when they are happy. Just like in real life! ;D When's the last time you were at a social gathering and someone went on and on about how great their life was?

Click to expand...

I completely agree. Usually most people you bump into when you ask them about there mac they only have great things to say and how long it has last them. Is this a problem that all the new macbook's have?

I don't disagree but I am still not a happy camper. I did call and tell them to fix it, another $360 down the tube. I think my problem is I feel that there prices for repair are out of proportion to the cost of the machine. While I wait for my Macbook to come back for the second time, I pulled out the only thing I have left, a 7 year old Dell Latitude that has never failed me. NOT bashing just stating a fact. If the MacBook settles down for a couple of years I may change my opinion but the jury is going to be out for a while. Thanks to all for your input.

I agree that $360 for a new logic board seems a bit pricey. New motherboards for Dell laptops range in price from around $110 to around $160. But that's without labor or a warranty, so those things need to be taken into consideration as well. I guess it's like comparing costs of repairing a Mercedes-Benz versus a Chevy Impala.

As far as the frequency of logic board burnouts, it's hard to say. Poster rcronin thought failures are "rare." But rcronin also said, "I had a bunch fail one after the other." So I guess it all depends on what you mean by "rare." ;D Maybe the number of failures don't matter as long as they're covered under warranty.

There are always lots of people posting on this and other forums about problems with their Macs. I've had problems with mine. It's not a perfect machine, and just like any other product, there are going to be defects. It's more expensive to repair them because the system is from Apple.

This all goes to a core question: what are you really buying when you buy an Apple computer? Apple is, at its core, no longer a computer company, and maybe never was. It's a marketing company. When you buy a Mac, you are really buying a fancy-looking Chinese computer. The difference between that and a non-Mac computer is, in my opinion, the operating software.

The real issue is whether the difference in quality in the operating software justifies the substantial price difference. I don't think it does any more, and Apple knows it. Hence the recent sharp drop in Apple's share price, and the probable downward adjustment in price with the anticipated new Mac notebooks to remain competitive.

If you don't get it before your 1st year, you are out of luck.

Icon said:

If you don't get it before your 1st year, you are out of luck.

Click to expand...

Yep, just found that out. So after 6 months hard drive goes, (warranty) another 6 1/2 months logic board goes not under warranty. I actually had it 11 1/2 months and they had it a month. They didn't see the logic. I offered to pay for repair and then buy the Apple Care. Nope it's out of warranty. Again I do not want to start a flame war but it seems to me that there are a lot of people owning Macs that have been brainwashed. Having said that, my logic (which I don't think is broken) is this. By any internet search you want to do Macs have problems aspecially with Logic boards. As these are merely renamed parts (as I understand it) mother boards I question why they should have so many going bad. And to make matters worse almost everyone says you should buy the Apple Care!! WHY?? Because chances are it's going to break and Apple hammers you for the repair. I know you guys / gals like them but I also think if you were honest you would express some reservations about this product, policy company. At his point in time you can buy decent everday PC laptops that compare farvoeably with the basic MacBook. The PC will be $600 to $800 while the MacBook is $1100. I paid this time, I won't again and Apple just lost another customer. I apologize in advance if this is construed as bashing or ranting. It's not, it's venting and stating my experience and opinion. Thanks You for the forum in which to air my gripes.

dunk50 said:

Yep, just found that out. So after 6 months hard drive goes, (warranty) another 6 1/2 months logic board goes not under warranty. I actually had it 11 1/2 months and they had it a month. They didn't see the logic. I offered to pay for repair and then buy the Apple Care. Nope it's out of warranty. Again I do not want to start a flame war but it seems to me that there are a lot of people owning Macs that have been brainwashed. Having said that, my logic (which I don't think is broken) is this. By any internet search you want to do Macs have problems aspecially with Logic boards. As these are merely renamed parts (as I understand it) mother boards I question why they should have so many going bad. And to make matters worse almost everyone says you should buy the Apple Care!! WHY?? Because chances are it's going to break and Apple hammers you for the repair. I know you guys / gals like them but I also think if you were honest you would express some reservations about this product, policy company. At his point in time you can buy decent everday PC laptops that compare farvoeably with the basic MacBook. The PC will be $600 to $800 while the MacBook is $1100. I paid this time, I won't again and Apple just lost another customer. I apologize in advance if this is construed as bashing or ranting. It's not, it's venting and stating my experience and opinion. Thanks You for the forum in which to air my gripes.

Click to expand...

Maybe I'm strange but I always buy extended warranties on stuff like this, usually right when I buy it. If I were you, I'd petition Apple for another decision, and go from here.

Also, if I'm understanding you correctly, the first repair took a whole month from the time you turned it in for repair to the time you got it back? If you live in California, your warranty is extended for the amount of time it is out of your hands for repair... Read the fine print of your warranty agreement.

If not, then it sounds like it's time to call Customer Relations. I'd start w/ Customer Relations--they're VERY good....just make your case in the most fair, common-sense way you can and you'll probably come out on top. You never know.. I believe the # is (800) 767-2775

Yeah, it sucks when things like this happen....happens w/ cars a lot too, but that's life.

I've had my ups and downs w/ Apple, and most of the time they've come through, sometimes REALLY came through. No company or product is perfect, so I have yet to understand why people put Apple on a pedistal or under the bus. The only other PC manufacturer I've purchased from is HP, and I've had really great computers and service w/ them, and some really shotty products and service w/ them. Overall, I've stuck w/ Apple b/c their call centers are not outsourced, they have repair counters in their stores, and their products are pretty well made.

Good luck, please post back if you decide to contact Customer Relations (and how it turns out).