COMPUTER WARS
13th February 2013
Computer Wars.
Recently I had the sinking feeling when my Mac Book Pro suffered a kernel panic (this must have been named to reflect the level of panic an owner has when their laptop begins to break down…)
So did I have a recent back up on time machine? Considering I had just sorted my daughter’s laptop (another MBP) and reinforced the practice of regular back ups I knew I was up-to-date!
So I frantically searched the web for any help I could glean to help my particular problem. The display flashed violently and the system hung up. I contacted Apple Care, paid my fee (as I was well out of warranty) and managed with their help to get the system up and running. The problem didn’t take long to re appear…
As far as I could eventually ascertain the problem I encountered was within the GPU (which is attached to the main board). When Apple produced the MBP in 2008 they knew there was a production problem with the “graphics card” but decided to fix the problem as it arose in customers laptops. They also decided to open a program for this repair for a maximum of four years from the date of purchase. My MBP was well outside this timeframe.
I decided to chance my luck and brought the laptop to EVAD IT SOLUTIONS in Dublin. I have had work carried out by this approved repair centre and have always found them very efficient. A few days later the problem was diagnosed and the main board needed to be replaced. The repair bill was far in excess of the budget most people would have for a new laptop! I was unlucky the fault hadn’t appeared during the official repair period. I had spent a few bob updating the MBP with more ram and two 256GB SSD’s – it was humming!
To cut a long story short I didn’t accept the situation - I seemed to be unlucky the fault didn’t appear when it could have been covered under warranty. A few phone calls later and Apple Customer Relations Dept. decided to cover the complete cost of repair as a gesture of good will. Fair play to Frank Dermody (Apple Customer Relations) – this decision saved a visit to the small claims court.
I am now back to full working condition – a very stable display. So I think both EVAD IT SOLUTIONS and Apple Customer Relations Department deserve a little praise here for their very efficient service.
Recently I had the sinking feeling when my Mac Book Pro suffered a kernel panic (this must have been named to reflect the level of panic an owner has when their laptop begins to break down…)
So did I have a recent back up on time machine? Considering I had just sorted my daughter’s laptop (another MBP) and reinforced the practice of regular back ups I knew I was up-to-date!
So I frantically searched the web for any help I could glean to help my particular problem. The display flashed violently and the system hung up. I contacted Apple Care, paid my fee (as I was well out of warranty) and managed with their help to get the system up and running. The problem didn’t take long to re appear…
As far as I could eventually ascertain the problem I encountered was within the GPU (which is attached to the main board). When Apple produced the MBP in 2008 they knew there was a production problem with the “graphics card” but decided to fix the problem as it arose in customers laptops. They also decided to open a program for this repair for a maximum of four years from the date of purchase. My MBP was well outside this timeframe.
I decided to chance my luck and brought the laptop to EVAD IT SOLUTIONS in Dublin. I have had work carried out by this approved repair centre and have always found them very efficient. A few days later the problem was diagnosed and the main board needed to be replaced. The repair bill was far in excess of the budget most people would have for a new laptop! I was unlucky the fault hadn’t appeared during the official repair period. I had spent a few bob updating the MBP with more ram and two 256GB SSD’s – it was humming!
To cut a long story short I didn’t accept the situation - I seemed to be unlucky the fault didn’t appear when it could have been covered under warranty. A few phone calls later and Apple Customer Relations Dept. decided to cover the complete cost of repair as a gesture of good will. Fair play to Frank Dermody (Apple Customer Relations) – this decision saved a visit to the small claims court.
I am now back to full working condition – a very stable display. So I think both EVAD IT SOLUTIONS and Apple Customer Relations Department deserve a little praise here for their very efficient service.
Comments
By Richie Hatch: Not the first time I've heard that story Brian. Apple customer sevce in general is pretty dam good. EVAD are really good too. Have had a lot of dealings with them with various macs over the years and have yet to find anywhere as knowledgable and efficient as they are..! I put an SSD in the MacPro at home and am going to do the same in the MacBook Pro in the next month or so. Did you install the second drive in the SuperDrive bay.....?