Dont buy from MacMall
Buying an Apple Computer from Mac Mall
The worst computer buying experience ever!
After two months of trying to decide which laptop I wanted to purchase, I finally decided to spare no expense and get the best possible computer money can buy, the new Apple 15” Powerbook widescreen. This was the first time in my life I had ever decided to spoil myself with such a luxurious item. So when I dished out $2,212.99, I did not expect to spend anytime trying to make it work.
When I first received the Powerbook, I noticed something odd. When I plugged in the power cable it was green, not orange. I continued to set up the computer thinking that the battery had been fully charged prior to shipping. After I set it up I pulled the power adapter to start surfing wirelessly and immediately it died on me. That’s when I knew there was a serious problem. The percentage of the battery charge did not move from 0%. I felt it was not just a bad battery but also a bad circuit somewhere. Otherwise the power adapter would have turned orange when the uncharged battery was plugged in. Anyhow, I called MacMall to inform them of my disappointment. After speaking to their tech department I was convinced to call Apple Care. It was after business hours so I did some troubleshooting myself. I reseated the battery, erased the hard drive, and reinstalled the OS. The next morning I called Apple Care. This needs it’s own paragraph.
Apple Care has lost its flair! What was once a great customer support center has been downgraded to a bunch of minimum wage screen readers who seem to know nothing more than the protocol for fixing a computer by reading information off of a screen. There was no common sense being used. After navigating through the automated operator’s menus and being on hold for 15 min I was asked to provide my serial number. When I did they had a problem recognizing it as a qualified computer. So I was put on hold for 20 minutes while they figured that out. Finally, I explained the diagnosis I made above. I was told to reset the PMU and I did. Immediately after I was rushed off the phone with a case number and told to call back if the problem persist. Duh, I can just look at the percentage now and tell you its still at 0% you did not fix the problem. Not to mention that I will later find out that the problem I have is a known problem and the tech didn’t inform me of that either. So now that I am infuriated. I decided to call MacMall and let them know that I just talked to an idiot and I am taking the computer to an Apple store. They agreed that would be the best thing to do. I also had my sales representative email me all of my rebate forms, as they were not coming up online.
So I drove 10 miles through Miami’s traffic to the Apple Store. When I got to the genius bar I thought I was finally at the end of this journey only to find out 1) it would take at least seven days to fix the problem 2) they would be opening my brand new Mac and replacing a circuit board 3) the problem is a known problem and MacMall sends all of their customers to the Apple Store. So here I am and now the only way I can truly obtain a new computer is to go back to MacMall… You only have to send me in a circle one time for me to feel like an idiot. So I called AMEX and launched an investigation on MacMall. By this time I had already wasted a day and I did not feel like being misdirected again. If MacMall would have informed me that there is a known battery problem with the new Powerbook 15” widescreen in the first place, I would have gladly sent it back for a replacement.
Oh and yet another great surprise… I just found out they forgot to engrave my girl friends ipod, her Christmas gift. Thanks MacMall !
The worst computer buying experience ever!
After two months of trying to decide which laptop I wanted to purchase, I finally decided to spare no expense and get the best possible computer money can buy, the new Apple 15” Powerbook widescreen. This was the first time in my life I had ever decided to spoil myself with such a luxurious item. So when I dished out $2,212.99, I did not expect to spend anytime trying to make it work.
When I first received the Powerbook, I noticed something odd. When I plugged in the power cable it was green, not orange. I continued to set up the computer thinking that the battery had been fully charged prior to shipping. After I set it up I pulled the power adapter to start surfing wirelessly and immediately it died on me. That’s when I knew there was a serious problem. The percentage of the battery charge did not move from 0%. I felt it was not just a bad battery but also a bad circuit somewhere. Otherwise the power adapter would have turned orange when the uncharged battery was plugged in. Anyhow, I called MacMall to inform them of my disappointment. After speaking to their tech department I was convinced to call Apple Care. It was after business hours so I did some troubleshooting myself. I reseated the battery, erased the hard drive, and reinstalled the OS. The next morning I called Apple Care. This needs it’s own paragraph.
Apple Care has lost its flair! What was once a great customer support center has been downgraded to a bunch of minimum wage screen readers who seem to know nothing more than the protocol for fixing a computer by reading information off of a screen. There was no common sense being used. After navigating through the automated operator’s menus and being on hold for 15 min I was asked to provide my serial number. When I did they had a problem recognizing it as a qualified computer. So I was put on hold for 20 minutes while they figured that out. Finally, I explained the diagnosis I made above. I was told to reset the PMU and I did. Immediately after I was rushed off the phone with a case number and told to call back if the problem persist. Duh, I can just look at the percentage now and tell you its still at 0% you did not fix the problem. Not to mention that I will later find out that the problem I have is a known problem and the tech didn’t inform me of that either. So now that I am infuriated. I decided to call MacMall and let them know that I just talked to an idiot and I am taking the computer to an Apple store. They agreed that would be the best thing to do. I also had my sales representative email me all of my rebate forms, as they were not coming up online.
So I drove 10 miles through Miami’s traffic to the Apple Store. When I got to the genius bar I thought I was finally at the end of this journey only to find out 1) it would take at least seven days to fix the problem 2) they would be opening my brand new Mac and replacing a circuit board 3) the problem is a known problem and MacMall sends all of their customers to the Apple Store. So here I am and now the only way I can truly obtain a new computer is to go back to MacMall… You only have to send me in a circle one time for me to feel like an idiot. So I called AMEX and launched an investigation on MacMall. By this time I had already wasted a day and I did not feel like being misdirected again. If MacMall would have informed me that there is a known battery problem with the new Powerbook 15” widescreen in the first place, I would have gladly sent it back for a replacement.
Oh and yet another great surprise… I just found out they forgot to engrave my girl friends ipod, her Christmas gift. Thanks MacMall !
Powerbook 15" widescreen, Mac OS X (10.4.3), bad battery circuit
