Worst in service, performance ...more of a hype

[avinavgautam]

I purchased Macbook pro(15") around 11 months back( Sr no: C02L60MCDV33) which costed me one lakh 25 thousand. There was a liquid damage in my machine which rendered the screen completely non -functional. The service centre on examining the system quoted somewhere around Rs 80, 0000 for repair, which was quite exorbitant considering system was still in warranty.( For Rs 80, 000 one can have a DELL system( having better configuration than my present Apple system) with a complete accidental coverage). Rs 80, 000 meant I needed to pay 3/4th the cost of the new machine.

On reference of my collegaue I took my laptop to one of the service centres(who claimed to be apple service agent). The centre got my laptop repaired for Rs 40, 000 . Hardly 5 months down the line( after my lappy was repaired) I am again faced with the problem of Black-screen which is quite common with Apple laptop( this Black-screen problem has nothing to do with liquid damage - https:// youtube.com/watch?v=wh6jYrHh85E). On taking my lappy to the service centre, I was informed that my lappy does not have warranty coverage( since it has suffered liquid damage) and for getting the black-screen problem rectified it may cost me anywhere between Rs 17, 000 - 20, 000 .

Apart from the exorbitant cost, functionality wise APPLE is still a small brother to brands such as DELL. To get the windows running on APPLE(in case one wants to use windows based software) one needs to have Parallel tool which costs Rs 7, 000. High end graphic programs need high end APPLE mac-books which means high cost( DELL and other brands costs much less for same configuration).

DELL and many other brands comes with accidental coverage which covers the complete repair cost . Considering the high repair cost involved with APPLE( and no consideration given by APPLE service teams as far as repair cost is concerned) its highly inadvisable that one should go for APPLE MacBooks. In worst scenarios when macbook malfunctions and the coverage is not there, one will incur high repairing cost( equivalent to the cost of maybe 2 new laptops of other brands).

APPLE macbook seems to be more on hype than substance . A very costly affair which certainly seems not worth for money considering the service aspect involved.

 

[Nethfel]

I'm sorry for your trouble, but coming here to vent won't really help too much.

For one thing - you spilled something on your laptop causing the liquid damage. Most places don't cover that without an extra fee. Dell does offer an insurance package (their accidental damage package) that does cover it. You subsequently got it repaired and are now having an issue with the screen that was repaired. Once you have liquid damage done to a laptop, you usually blow the warranty forever. The Dell accidental protection isn't really an extended warranty but rather an insurance policy you can get against ones own mistakes/accidents/carelessness.

In terms of price, I think you're falling in line with the common belief that Apple units are all overpriced (some are, some are not). A Dell laptop (XPS15, 2.3GHz i7, 512G SSD, GT750 GPU, Windows 8.1) is actually more expensive then then the Macbook Pro 15" Retina (by $59 before the $50 discount from Dell) with near identical specs. The only differences really being the OS (windows 8.1 which lacks the features of pro and enterprise which both cost more where as OSX comes in one flavor - everything or nothing), the screen resolution is different as they use a QHD panel and then touch screen which for many of us is questionable as a benefit (I know I can't stand fingerprints on my screen) - so really, the price thing is not really different - the Apple product is no more expensive then the "high end comparable Dell" product.

I've had manufacturer defects on Dells and on Apples. I've had mixed experiences with both, but more rotten experiences with Dell than I have with Apple. Neither do I expect to replace/repair a device for free when I spill a liquid on it.

 

[Raz0rEdge]

When you spill liquid on your machine, all bets are off. You are confusing warranty with accident insurance. You get AppleCare for one year from purchase and an purchase an additional 2 years that will deal with manufacturing defects and issues. Apple doesn't offer accidental insurance, but there are third parties that do. They will cover the repair cost after some deductible or cover the cost of replacing the item..

You can hardly expect negligence on your part to be covered under the manufacture's warranty. The overpriced line, as clearly explained by member Nethfel, is mostly false if you properly equip a laptop from any of Apple's competitors to match what you get on the Macbook line..

Also, you didn't mention this, but the resale values of Macbook's go far beyond what you'll get for any other brand out there. So if you pay $1000 for a Dell laptop, 2-3 years down the line, you're only going to get back a small fraction of what you paid. In most cases with Apple computers, you can easily get back 60% or more of the original price..

 

[avinavgautam]

Thanks Nethfel and Raz0rEdge for the response.
1.) Black screen is not in any way related to liquid spillage. It is a common issue faced with Apple laptops. One can find several articles documented on Black screen problem faced in Apple laptops.
2.) Perfect liquid spillage is due to carelessness, but certainly no one intentionally does it. It is always better to have system which comes with accidental coverage (even if its through insurance or some other means coming bundled with the machine ).
3.) After using a system for 3-4 years, it should not be much of a botheration how much return value one gets.

 

[pigoo3]

1.) Black screen is not in any way related to liquid spillage. It is a common issue faced with Apple laptops. One can find several articles documented on Black screen problem faced in Apple laptops.

NOT a common problem.

2.) Perfect liquid spillage is due to carelessness, but certainly no one intentionally does it.

Still the fault/responsibility of the person who spilled the liquid…not Apple. People MUST take responsibility for their actions…and not try to place the blame somewhere else.

3.) After using a system for 3-4 years, it should not be much of a botheration how much return value one gets.

If liquid wasn't spilled on the computer…it would still be in use now.

- Nick

 

[harryb2448]

Is this vent for real? Go buy a Dell today!!!!

 

[Lightcraftsman]

Did anyone watch the youtube video the OP posted a evidence of MacBook Pros having common black screen problems? It was an easy fix (pinched cable) on a 2007 MBP. My wife and I have owned six MacBooks and MBPs in the past and never had a black screen problem. I'm typing this on a five-year-old 13-inch MBP which I recently replaced with a 15-inch rMBP only because I need a portable computer capable of running PhotoShop.

 

[pigoo3]

Did anyone watch the youtube video the OP posted a evidence of MacBook Pros having common black screen problems?

Thanks for mentioning it. Since it wasn't a proper link…I completely missed it.

- Nick

 

[chscag]

On taking my lappy to the service centre, I was informed that my lappy does not have warranty coverage( since it has suffered liquid damage) and for getting the black-screen problem rectified it may cost me anywhere between Rs 17, 000 - 20, 000 .

The YouTube video doesn't matter. Once that machine underwent a spill, his warranty was voided. Venting here on this forum serves no purpose other than perhaps allowing the OP to feel better.

 

[Nethfel]

Did anyone watch the youtube video the OP posted a evidence of MacBook Pros having common black screen problems? It was an easy fix (pinched cable) on a 2007 MBP. My wife and I have owned six MacBooks and MBPs in the past and never had a black screen problem. I'm typing this on a five-year-old 13-inch MBP which I recently replaced with a 15-inch rMBP only because I need a portable computer capable of running PhotoShop.

A pinched cable on the video connection would also point to a poor repair job by the place it was brought to in that it may have run a cable improperly and it eventually got pinched.

I too have owned several MacBook and MacBook Pro computers and have never experienced the issue referred to by the OP.

Ultimately, all of the OPs problems started with the spilled liquid so unfortunately, they are out of luck if they didn't buy a third party accidental damage insurance plan.