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Serious complaint to Apple

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It was a year and a half ago I bought my MacBook Pro 15" laptop in Hangzhou, China - having worked 14 hour days for six months to pay for it.

It was 2 months ago I set up my own business here in Bangkok as a wedding/event videographer and started shooting my first assignment for a rich Australian man celebrating a week long 40th birthday.

I use i-movies and I use it very well, but sadly when the project exceeded 25 minutes it started to judder and stutter in the timeline, and for the past week, Thailands top Apple experts have tried everything to resolve the problem - reinstalling, changing machines (it is smoothy as silk on even lower spec machines) and even upgrading to Leopard, but it is a mystery and my local Apple rep has reached the conclusion that I am one of the unlucky ones who got one of the few MacBook pros of 2006 that couldn't handle anything ambitious in i-movie.

Due to the confidence installed in me regarding Apple and their popularity with those in the media industry, I didn't sign up to Applecare, though this was also down to the fact that I move around a lot and do not have a credit card.

I will collect my MBP tomorrow minus Photoshop and FCP (the original disks were stolen during an office burgalry in Hong Kong early this year) and so now, instead of completing my customers job, my first job, and enjoying a nice Christmas and prosperous new year with new work to look forward to (my customer knows plenty of potential customers) - I have enough money to survive for about two weeks if I am careful and then nothing.

I invested with confidence a machine that SHOULD be capable of utilising my only talent to produce a full length wedding or party movie for a customer, but unluckily for me I got a duff model and there's nothing I can do about it.

Apple has ruined my business, I have nothing but more problems to look forward to and I can only imagine the extravagant Christmas Steve Jobs will be enjoying.

I was so proud to be an Apple owner 18 months ago, I stood proud against the PC nay sayers who told me Apple were over rated, so you can imagine how dissapointed, angry and let down I feel by this company.

I don't know what I wish to achieve from this post, but I would like to ask you reading now - what would you do in my position?
 
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I am so sorry you had that experience. Indeed you are one of the unlucky few. Did you try complaining and demanding a change in machines? Try it, explain to them what happened. If not. I suggest using a different movie program(there are many more) and if you can send me an instant message at monti33333333333 (copy and paste that LOL) it is an AIM screen name and I can probably help you out a lot. I won't be home until about 3pm central time because I am on the bus right now typing on my iPhone on my way to school lol. I. Can help you out a lot though
 
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It's difficult for anyone here to say much about your problem with Apple. That is unless an Apple boss happens to look in.
I must admit though that my first thought on reading your story was that, had it been me, I would have tested my equipment almost to destruction to make sure it would do the job right before I trusted my first commision to it.
 
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I didn't sign up to Applecare

...I will collect my MBP tomorrow minus Photoshop and FCP (the original disks were stolen during an office burgalry in Hong Kong early this year) and so now, instead of completing my customers job

unluckily for me I got a duff model and there's nothing I can do about it
...
Apple has ruined my business, I have nothing but more problems to look forward to and I can only imagine the extravagant Christmas Steve Jobs will be enjoying.

what would you do in my position?
That is unfortunately some very bad luck. I can understand how upset you must be.

However, there is absoltuely no reason to throw blame at Apple. They didn't "ruin your business".
You opted to not get the AppleCare extension. Computers are not perfect. Technology is not perfect. As bad as it is, things break down.

Your software was stolen by a thief during a burgulary, leaving you without a means to reinstall it.
I fail to see how Apple ruined your job or business, since they didn't steal your software and would have been able to oblige your repair/replacement if you had you purchased the APP (which you would have had a year to save up for).

This puzzles me about your situation, even moreso....
You state:
I use i-movies and I use it very well, but sadly when the project exceeded 25 minutes it started to judder and stutter in the timeline, and for the past week, Thailands top Apple experts have tried everything to resolve the problem - reinstalling, changing machines (it is smoothy as silk on even lower spec machines) and even upgrading to Leopard, but it is a mystery and my local Apple rep has reached the conclusion that I am one of the unlucky ones who got one of the few MacBook pros of 2006 that couldn't handle anything ambitious in i-movie.
Then you go on to mention:
Photoshop and FCP (the original disks were stolen during an office burgalry in Hong Kong early this year)
So I am confused. Were you using iMovie or were you using Final Cut Pro?
I have never heard of a Pro machine not being able to handle a low-level consumer app like iMovie.... but, if you had professional software like FCP why would you even bother with a consumer app for a professional job?
And where are the "top experts" located? It does seem odd that an Apple "expert" couldn't resolve this issue.
 
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i realize you are probably very angry about this. but there is no use blaming apple. you should always have a second option should something happen, such as your computer crashes. it is a bad idea to trust your entire business to your computer, and especially with a program such as imovie, which is made for people making small home movies for themselves. where if it fails them, it's not that much of a loss except for a few memories.


EDIT::
aha, d3v1L80Y beat me to it! and did a much better job at it too.
 
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What a sad story. I wish there were a "magic" answer that could be placed here and then success and happiness would follow but that is not how life works. I am not sure what I would do in your case but I know what I would not do - I would not give up. You can look at it as two weeks to survive or two weeks to succeed again. I have had my own businesses before and they can be very, very hard the first year where survival is sometimes in doubt. I agree with a previous poster - I would not blame someone (Apple) else - I would just ask myself: "What can I do differently and this time succeed?" In other words, address the problem - solve the problem and try, try again. Please let us know the final outcome on this - I am sure we would all like to see you succeed.
 
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Yes, don't throw in the towel just yet. You could still manage to get the project done. You might have to use another computer and different software, but you can still do it. It might take a little longer to finish, so see if they are okay with giving you an little extension. That way you can take a little time and luckily find some other means to get it done.
:)
 
M

MacHeadCase

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What happened to you sure isn't funny.

For notebooks purchases, I think it is imperative to get Apple Care: those things are built small, smallest as can be and plenty of things can go wrong because of heat, etc. not to mention that notebooks are carried around and transportation makes them more prone to internal damage.

As for the burglary, wouldn't insurance cover at least partly the cost of those stolen disks?

Like other have mentioned before, I can understand your present frustration but I fail to see it is Apple's fault.
 
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I would also offer the following. You are running a business. A key asset in your business (your MBP) has failed, leaving you without a means of producing your product. No product = no revenue, and the business fails.

If you believe in the business (and you appear to), your next move *has* to be to invest. Replace the MBP immediately with a beefier machine, say a Mac Pro. This will cost you a little up front money, but presumably it is a good investment when viewed against the backdrop of the amount of revenue it will bring in right away (your current rich client) and in the future (the additional contracts this job will enable). Your initial post makes it sound like the funds for purchasing a new machine may be limited. Borrow if you have to (family, friends, whatever) but invest now.

Don't let the MBP failure get you down or knock you out. Get up off the mat and start swinging again. If you don't, you will be upset with yourself forever after. Businesses *do* fail, but if your business fails because you failed to give it your all, you will regret it forever.
 
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Running your own business requires much more than knowing how to use computer software. You have to have a good business sense, as well.

You chose to rest your whole business on the success or failure of one computer. It's never a good idea to put all your eggs in one basket. Do whatever it takes to make you successful. That may mean investing in more than one computer, multiple back up systems, etc. Think of it as business insurance.

Chalk it up to experience. Learn from it. If you think going back to a Windows machine will be better for your business, go for it. Just know that all computers can fail at any time.

As for your stolen software... Did you register it with Adobe? If so, you may be able to get new disks if you can prove you own the rights to the software. It's worth a try!

Also, Apple is a fair company. They'll get your machine fixed. Since you don't have Apple Care, it may cost you. Nonetheless, they should be able to fix your machine regardless of what the problem is.

Running your own business offers many challenges. Keep your head up!
 

rman


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Not repeating what everyone else said, but... You still have the footage you shoot. So all you need to do is get another system as was suggested. If you have a credit card get a system that will resolve your problem or rent one. So you would loose the contract. If your customer is going turn you on to new clients, It will be worth the time and trouble.
 
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So if I'm reading this correctly, you own your own business, but do not have a credit card?
 
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cameronryan
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wabbit said:
I would have tested my equipment almost to destruction to make sure it would do the job right before I trusted my first commision to it.

In a way I had, I'd made many many detailed movies though not exceeding 25-30 minutes until now. Amateur or not, i-movies should be capable of at least an hour project - I have posted on this subject before.

D3.... said:
So I am confused. Were you using iMovie or were you using Final Cut Pro?
I have never heard of a Pro machine not being able to handle a low-level consumer app like iMovie.... but, if you had professional software like FCP why would you even bother with a consumer app for a professional job?

FCP I was in the process of learning, I wanted my first assignment to be made with software I was confident and comfortable with. I recently wasted a load of money on i-life 08 hoping for an improved i-movie 06 but I got a completely different i-movies that looked like it was made for grandparents and kids - my fault for not checking it out first I know.

And where are the "top experts" located? It does seem odd that an Apple "expert" couldn't resolve this issue.

The Apple rep here in Bangkok has been very helpful, and though I only have his word for it, he has consulted the best technicians in Bangkok. I don't know if he's been on the phone to California but I do know that no member of this forum was familiar with the timeline problem which I started a post about.

Papanohair said:
I would not give up. You can look at it as two weeks to survive or two weeks to succeed again. I have had my own businesses before and they can be very, very hard the first year where survival is sometimes in doubt. I agree with a previous poster - I would not blame someone (Apple) else - I would just ask myself: "What can I do differently and this time succeed?" In other words, address the problem - solve the problem and try, try again. Please let us know the final outcome on this - I am sure we would all like to see you succeed.

Good advice and true, I can't/won't give up and yes i'll keep you informed - thankyou.

leecho7 said:
So if I'm reading this correctly, you own your own business, but do not have a credit card?

No just a debit card, the business has just started and this was my debut project.

Thanks for all replies so far, I understand it is down to me to get Applecare (it's too late now it's out of warranty) but if I have a 'rotten Apple' then warranty or not, surely Apple should be responsible if this is a problem that the MBP was 'born with' as my Apple rep has implied.

Apparently when they first came out some of them melted or had exploding batteries and had to be recalled, that can't be down to the customer to pay for. My Apple rep, after some phone calls, discovered that my i-movie glitch was exclusive only to a batch of MBP's and would only have gone out to an unlucky few customers - most of which will never realise the glitch as they won't need i-movies for anything too ambitious - if they use it at all.

Shouldn't it be Apple that tests it's products to the limit before releasing them instead of rushing to get them into the shops in excitement over their latest creation? That's not an accusation by the way, just something I heard that may or may not be true but for the past week I've been inclined to believe it.

I will be picking it up today and unless I can merge two i-movie projects into one (which I think I tried before and it doesn't work) - then I will have to offer my client a discount and an apology and make it a two disc movie, which seems a bit silly for something that will be about an hour long.
 

rman


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I have created a 90 minute video with iMovie HD (6.0.3). I looked at the current version and did not like the changes that were made to it. You can merge the two projects, either by exporting one as a dv file or extract the clip out of the project document and then import it.
 
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cameronryan
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^ I think I tried that before but it either didn't work or I missed something. I have just been Googling how to do it and one method seems promising, and that is (if I am not mistaken) to copy the incomplete project onto a blank DV cassette in my camcorder, then import the movie back into a new project as if it were footage, leaving me with a new project consisting of a 27 minute clip then I can presumably then just add to.

Method 4, Using a digital movie camera. Suitable for edited movies as well as raw footage.
Open the first project in iMovie.
Export to camera and record on a spare tape.
Open the second project in iMovie.


I don't recall ever seeing 'camera' as an option on the export list but I hope I am wrong, and If it works then fantastic - but at the end of the day it shouldn't be nessessary and I still feel let down by Apple for being sold a product as a guinea pig - AND paying top whack for it as in early 2006 it had just come out.
 
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I don't know what I wish to achieve from this post, but I would like to ask you reading now - what would you do in my position?

buy final cut, as a professional in your industry, i have to tell you, you won't get the client base or put out a good quality product using imovie.
 

rman


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In the end, like PowerBookG4 suggested you will need to get Final Cut Studio. Because you will find that iMovie and iDVD very limited in your needs. You will find DVD Studio Pro will give you more freedom to do what you want to do.
 
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cameronryan
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^ That is my new years resoloution - I need to knuckle down and learn it as fast as possible. My biggest 'turn off' with FCP was that you can't see the clips in the pane like you can in i-movie 06, you have to label them all which would surely slow the process down hugely.

I now have my laptop back from the technicians and the i-movie problem remains.

On the plus side I seem to now have Leopard which doesn't seem any faster than Tiger but has a better PhotoBooth and that's about it other than a slightly improved general layout.

On the minus side, the two fonts I was using for my movie (Bank Gothic and Party LET)have vanished from the drop down menu so I can no longer use them for titles!

What is that all about? ...Perhaps I should re-install i-life 08 and delete what I don't need -everything except i-movie 6.
 

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