Any Competent Apple Service Providers?

Trying to get my Pismo repaired by competent repair shop has gone from bad to bizarre. I sent it back to shop in Alabama back in July; I paid the shipping as they refused to. Sent back to me still not working. Caps Lock and Num Lock lamps come on but HD doesn't power on.
Same old story from the beginning. 2 shops and $500 later (6 trips to the various shops) and I still have a non functioning Pismo. The first shop was local and had a crap reputation to begin with. I hadn't used them in years and had changed hands (was sold to the techs). SOS. Had read good reviews about the Alabama shop; thinking they were written by their own employees! Will try shop in Columbia, SC next.
Everything replaced to date:
New HD (120GB, 5400 rpm)
New expansion bay CD/DVD RW
'Refurbished'(?) 500mhz daughter card
Anything else I'm not aware of?
Local factory owned Apple Store says it's too old for them to repair. I'm starting to wonder if the unit becomes too old for the factory owned store to repair then it's a complete write off?
Tiger installed in the Kihei working well; could benefit from a larger, faster HD though. Penryn w/ Leopard installed a champ as usual.
Any and all constructive comments appreciated.

John,
Thanks for the positive comments. Going to give Wegener another shot. Phone conversation with them yesterday didn't inspire confidence unfortunately. Am I a complete fool? I'm starting to feel like one. Can't recommend PBM at all as they have been less than forthcoming right from the start. TCR in Charlotte? They've never had a good rep IMO.
Pismo ran like a champ while I was loading software. Quick and quiet! Pismo has a good rep for being sturdy and easy to repair. I do understand that intermittent problems are the worst to diagnose but the training regimen and oversight for 3rd party Apple service providers is completely lacking - not good. Love Apple products but shouldn't have to throw them away once the warranty runs out.
BTW, sign inside of Wegener shop stated they were a division of Daystar Technology.
Joe

Similar Messages

After upgrading to IOS 8 my iPhone 5 wifi is not working well at all .. and can't connect to any of apple services like apple store even can't upgrade my application

After I upgraded to IOS 8 my iPhone is not working well at all .. the most serious issue is the wifi which is too slow and can't connect to apple store and can't update my application .. also tried to search or update for ios 8 but also can't connect . safari also always can't connect to any the server . please check and advise

Hey ahmedfromtanta,
Thanks for the question. After reviewing your post, it sounds like trouble with Wi-Fi. I would recommend that you read this article, it may be able to help you resolve or isolate the issue.
iOS: Troubleshooting Wi-Fi networks and connections
Thanks for using Apple Support Communities.
Have a nice day,
Mario

European 0800 service providers

Hello,
I have sales office in Germany which services all of Europe. Occasionally I'll receive a complaint from one of our German reps that a gov't agency has blocked 00 calling patterns so in effect these customers will not be able to contact our reps. This is mainly a UK / France issue. Seeing as normal European toll-free numbers start with 00800 (call pattern blocked), I need to source a 0800 provider which can forward calls to our German phone numbers. I would prefer a single carrier who can register 0800 numbers in all EU/European countries.
I have found a few options online, but its difficult to tell what level of service they provide (quality, reliability), and I definitely don't want to have to go through a process of changing our 0800 numbers once they're out in the wild. Our ITSP in Germany has provided an option, although I'm not sure which upstream carrier service they are using and their monthly costs are high.
If anyone has worked with any specific 0800 service providers or has any suggestions please let me know.
Thanks,
Steve

Not without finding someone (or tools) to reflash your phone with the other operator's firmware (phone software), or generic/retail firmware.
You should still be able to get the other operators network settings, etc., even if you can't remove the first operator's stuff.

Is there any authorised service providers in Tbilisi Georgia

I just want to know is there any apple authorised service providers in Tbilisi Georgia because I study in Georgia and My MBA's Mag safe 2 is not

Go to Apple - Find Locations and click on the Services box.

I've had a very bad experience with an Apple Service Center in my country. Is there any way I can report this to Apple?

I brought my laptop there to have my monitor fixed. They gave me a quotation of around Php 21,000. Then, the engineer texted me and offered me a repair without labor fee for around Php 10,000. I replied saying that I will think about it. After a few days, I texted the engineer my go signal for the repair at Power Mac and I will just pay the Php 21,000 fee. I called the San Juan office around after a month and it turned out that they didn’t know that I gave them a go signal and that I found out at that moment that I was supposed to give a downpayment. They were so surprised about it and told them that they will report the issue and investigate the person who texted me. They said that engineers are not supposed to personally text the customers. The manager even called me to apologize and asked me if I am willing to join the investigation and find out the name of the suspect.
They think they wouldn’t even have given me any discount at all until I asked. They gave me a small discount despite the issues.
I just claimed my laptop today only to find out that its battery life was decreased to 30 minutes from around 4 hours. I don’t know if the engineer switched my battery or they damaged it during the repair.
I don’t even know if all the parts of my macbook are still original. I have no idea if they replaced the others or not. I am really disappointed with the Apple Service Center. I still don't know howI am going to talk to them about the battery.
Do you have any suggestions where I can have my gadgets repaired? Please suggest good service centers. Thank you!

Hi Abbie. You have every reason to be upset. These issues normally happen in our country. You can send them an email regarding your concern here:
http://www.apple.com/feedback/macbook.html
Regarding your battery, you can probably reset the SMC and see if that improves your battery life. Here are the steps.
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3964

Do Apple Authorized Service Providers "recycle" hard drives as new?

I'd like to upgrade the hard drive in my iMac (500 gigs ain't cutting it!) to a 2 TB drive. While I've done this before in Macbook Pros, Towers and other computers, the iMac hard drive upgrade is a little sketchy to do on your own (you have to removed the glass with suction cups and then the display... no thanks).
I was wondering if Apple Authorized Service Providers "recycle" old drives, meaning that you could potentially be getting someone elses old drive put into your machine. I know some computer repair chains have been caught doing it and was wondering if anyone has experienced this with an Apple Service Provider (not an Apple Store). I'd like to think Apple has high standards but you never know...
Thanks!

I agree with WZZZ, you should ask your local AASP and ask what becomes of old drives. If you decide to upgrade the old drive in your iMac is yours to do with what you want. The new drive you purchase should be just that, "new." Most firms could care less about what is on your old drive, they are aware of the liabilities and don't want to risk their businesses. IMHO you should proceed confidently.
Roger

Is servicing at an Apple Authorised Service Providers free?

My iPod broke. I have warranty and I'm pretty sure that this kind of damage is covered by it. If I go to an Apple Authorised Service Providers, would they recognise that I have that warranty or do I have to go to an actual Apple Store?

Btw I don't get why Apple are outsourcing their services to these third-party "Premium Resellers" who only sell Apple products anyway. Why not just open up more Apple Stores?

Hi, I want to know is there any trade in services in Apple?

Hi, I want to know is there any trade in services in Apple? it means I owned a old Mac book air, I would like to trade it to apple and buy a new macbook pro in cheaper price. thanks.

No, Apple does not have a trade-in program...but there are third parties that have been involved with Apple retail stores in "buying" some used Apple items for a gift card that can be used towards a new Apple product...check with your Apple store and see if they have any participation in one of those programs.

My iPhone 4 is stuck on connect to iTunes mode!!!!!! Plzzzzz sm help me. What should i do?? I am from albania and i have gone to any apple service here but no help

my iphone is stuck on connect to itunes mode!!!!! Plzz smb help me!!! What should i do? I am from albania and i have gone to any apple service here but no help!!!!

Hi enkifromtirane,
If you had an issue with your iPhone and are now seeing an icon screen instructing you to connect to iTunes, you may find the following article helpful:
Apple Support: If you can't update or restore your iOS device
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1808
Regards,
- Brenden

TS1559 my wifi is grayed out... No one can fixed it...there is a problem with hardware. IC problem inside the phone. Apple have any facility like service after sales etc. Multi billion company but no priority for customers ?

my wifi is grayed out... No one can fixed it...there is a problem with hardware. IC problem inside the phone. Apple have any facility like service after sales etc. Multi billion company but no priority for customers ? Just try to look at google search you can find lot of people who have same problem with iphone 4s. It is surly manufacturing default. Is that apple reputation lounching New virsion Iphone with diffective hardware.

Plz dont give me idea setting>reset>reset network configration .... I already did it..... give me proper solution... who can replace default hardware from my iphone?????????????????????

I have an iPhone 5 n its abt 2 yrs old...Its startd slowing down n it freezes every once in a while...If i give it to the apple service centre..wd it b of any help?

Its abt 18 mnths old....The screen freezes at times...n shows all signs of an old phone..Jus wna know if the apple service centre cd do anything abt it...

Its abt 18 mnths old....The screen freezes at times...n shows all signs of an old phone..Jus wna know if the apple service centre cd do anything abt it...

Hi, my boyfriend send me iphone4s from canada as a birthday gift last year. my problem was my wifi button on my 4s doesnt work for almost 4mos.and they dont have any apple service center here in the philippines. please help me for the remedy. thanks alot

my boyfriend send me an iphone 4s from canada last march 2012. my problem is the wifi button of my 4s doesnt work since May this year. unfortunately here in the philippines there's no apple service center available.help me what to do so that i can use wifi again from my fone. thanks alot!

First, try the steps Apple has here:
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1559
If those do not help, your iPhone may well need service. You will not be able to get a Canadian iPhone serviced by Apple in the Philippines. You will need to send the iPhone back to your boyfriend or someone else in Canada who can get it serviced there and then send it back to you.
Regards.

Issues with Apple Services and WiFi

I have a 4G iPod Touch that has one of the most annoying, baffling, and downright irritating issues I've ever see with regards to WiFi signal strength.
At anything less than full strength, Apple Services just about refuse to work at all. This means:
The App Store will not connect to Apple's Servers and provide the list of updates it says are there. It just sits and thinks forever.
Once I have the list, and start updates, should the signal strength drop, my iPod reports it's unable to procure the update.
iMessages will not connect to Apple's Servers to send OR receive messages. It will report failure over, and over, and over again until the wifi is at full strength.
Meanwhile, literally everything else that requires an internet connection? Works flawlessly. Google Hangouts? Works when iMessages fails. Safari and Chrome? Work when iMessages and the App Store fail. Mail? Works. Facebook? Google+? Work. Trillian? Skype? Work. By all indications, my wifi strength is perfectly capable of supporting an internet connection, nevermind sending and receiving data, yet any connection to Apple's Servers results in failure.
The most irritating part of this? If I get it to a strong signal, especially with iMessages, and send my message, it will then work just fine where ever I take it. Eventually, however, it drops it's connection and stops receiving again.
What. The. Literal. ****.
I live in a single storey house. The router is at one end, I'm typically at the other. Construction of the house does not impede signal strength. I've owned three laptops, all of them have received a strong signal at this end of the house. I've got an Xbox 360 and a PS3 back here. Both on wifi, both recieving strong. The iPod? Reports a varying strength between two and three bars. Usually two. I think that can be interpreted as strong reception. So that said, it's not like I'm attempting to do any of this on poor wifi signal. I'd venture to say I'm not an idiot and do have reasonable expectations of when things should work and when they're likely to not work. This should be working. It does not.
I've taken this up with the Geniuses at the local Apple Store. Diagnostics came up clean, they had no other suggestions of thoughts beyond their usual "Nuke it from Orbit" option (Just restore it and hope any issues go away. I did. The issues remain.).
Does anyone else have this problem?
Is this old hardware dying and Apple's diagnostics are failing to pick it up?
Is this an iOS issue? Should I just downgrade (I have zero issues doing that).
I've dealt with this for months, and it's getting to the point where I'd just as soon chuck it at the nearest wall out of frustration.

The router is incapable of being moved (AT&T U-verse, it pretty much has to be located in the same room as the TV), and even then, I really doubt it's location is at fault when everything else reliant on wifi works, aside from Apple Services on my iPod (and again, outside of those, the iPod uses wifi just fine).
I've not seen those support documents before, but in general it's all information I've gone round in circles with previously on numerous occasions.
I figured any discussion on the actual downgrading process wouldn't be an avenue I could persue here. I'm merely curious if anyone thinks it would be a potential solution before I expend effort on it.

Welcome to the Service Providers General discussion

Welcome to the Cisco Networking Professionals Connection Service Providers Forum. This topic will provide you the opportunity to discuss issues surrounding General Service Provider solutions. We encourage everyone to share their knowledge and start conversations on issues such as storage Cable, DSL, WiMAX, and any other topic concerning SP networking.
Remember, just like in the workplace, be courteous to your fellow forum participants. Please refrain from using disparaging or obscene language or posting advertisements.
We encourage you to tell your fellow networking professionals about the site. If you would like us to send them a personal invitation simply send their names and e-mail addresses along with your name to us at [email protected]
Dan Bruhn
NetPro Community Manager

Welcome to the Cisco Networking Professionals Connection Service Providers Forum. This topic will provide you the opportunity to discuss issues surrounding General Service Provider solutions. We encourage everyone to share their knowledge and start conversations on issues such as storage Cable, DSL, WiMAX, and any other topic concerning SP networking.
Remember, just like in the workplace, be courteous to your fellow forum participants. Please refrain from using disparaging or obscene language or posting advertisements.
We encourage you to tell your fellow networking professionals about the site. If you would like us to send them a personal invitation simply send their names and e-mail addresses along with your name to us at [email protected].
Dan Bruhn
NetPro Community Manager

Frustrated with Apple Service and Apple Store... Lemon Law?

Hello,
I'm wondering if anyone has had an experience like this before, and if so, how they resolved it? Also, does anyone have any sort of customer service phone number (not tech support), where I could reach a supervisor, or someone who deals with issues like this on a regular basis?
Let me start from the beginning, and give a quick run-down of my problems.
*First let me say that the first Apple Store I went to is almost two hours away from where I live, and the second store is just about two hours.*
I bought a 17" Macbook Pro (Unibody, 2.8ghz, 4GB, 500GB, antiglare display, etc.), in September of 2009. I had problems from the beginning, originally some problems with both the wireless card, and a general slowness of the machine, combined with a cosmetic defect in the screen. I made an appointment at the Apple Store. At the first appointment, they said they had to order a new display assembly to fix the cosmetic defect. So I drove home, got a call a few days later that the part was in. I called a few days later to say I wouldn't be down for another few weeks, and could they please hold the part for me. I was assured that they would. I drove down about a week and a half later, and was told the part was sent back; apparently the message the gentleman I spoke with on the phone had not gotten passed along adequately. I was a little miffed, but figured accidents do happen, so I'd give the benefit of the doubt.
When I returned to get the display put on, I reiterated the wireless issues I was having (the wireless signal strength was spotty, while my 3 yr old Macbook had perfect strength sitting in the same location [yes, I both alternated which one was on, to make sure there was no interference, as well as had them both on at once]). I was told that because they could not reproduce it there, they couldn't really do much. I also reminded them that the machine was still slow, and they recommended an OS re-install. They then took the machine in back and replaced the display assembly. When they brought it out a while later, the new display had the same problem. I mentioned this, and she said that all the ones that were in back seemed to have the same problem, so there's not much they could do at the store.
I went down again a few months later to let them know that the OS re-install hadn't helped, and that I really couldn't keep driving two hours each way to not get anything fixed. They apologized profusely, and said they could mail the machine to their depot center, where it would be repaired and mailed back to the store, upon which they'd mail it to me. They also ran some tests at this appointment, and discovered that the processor heatsink may be failing. They made a note, and sent it out. I got a call a week later from the technician at the depot location, quizzing me on the exact problems I was having, and spoke to him for almost twenty minutes while waiting for a doctors appointment. (We'd played phone tag for a few rounds before we finally spoke to each other). I described everything as best I could without having the machine in front of me, but I felt that I was a little ridiculed by the technician. The attitude I sensed was "our tests didn't find any hardware failures, so you must be wrong, or lying." He didn't use those words of course, but he didn't exactly hide it too well either. As I was called into my doctors appointment, (so had to hang up) I asked him over the phone to please do as many tests as possible, and use the machine if necessary to reproduce the effects. He said he'd try, and hung up. I received the machine a week later or so, with a sheet listing what had been done. The list reads:
Labor charge
Flat rate repair charge
Obviously, I wasn't actually charged for either of them, but absent a more detailed list of what they'd done, the only difference I could detect was that they finally replaced the defective display with a non-defective part.
After another month or so, I returned to the store to let them know I was still having problems, and to get advice. They told me that they'd have to reproduce the issue there in order to do anything. They proceeded to reproduce the issue, and told me that a CLEAN install should do the trick. I did a clean install, and copied things back on very slowly, a few things at a time. The problem persisted even before I'd put much back on.
About a month later, I made an appointment with the other Apple Store (I have two, both about two hours away), and took it down. They reproduced the issue, and said it could be due to a faulty hard drive. They took it in back and replaced the hard drive. I was a little unhappy how many appointments it had taken, but was hopeful that it had finally been fixed.
I got a survey in my email about my satisfaction with my last appointment, so I filled it out honestly: that I had been extremely frustrated and disappointed, but I hoped that the fix that was finally provided would be successful. I was contacted the next day by the Head Genius at the most recent Apple Store I'd visited. She was very nice, and spent some time quizzing me on approximate times of hangups and delays. I told her that it did seem like the problems were still there, but I wanted some more time to verify the specifics, and that they had in fact persisted through the HDD replacement, and that I'd call her back if they persisted.
After very carefully copying things back on (yet again), I realized that it still wasn't fixed. The slow opening of programs had been sped up considerably, but the actual running of the programs was slower than ever, rendering Aperture 3 nearly unusable. Almost every adjustment (and all brush adjustments) will result in a complete system hangup. The few times it occurred to me to open activity monitor BEFORE opening Aperture, I was able to nab a few screen shots using a mouse shortcut I programmed. They show sometimes Aperture uses up to 170% of the processor (!?!), and almost always over 100 when this happens. Other occasions, it's Finder that's eating it up. I ended up with 14 screenshots of about 7 or 8 separate incidents. (Each time, I had to force quit the program, and restart the computer. At NO point was any other program running besides Finder and Aperture 3).
I called her back about three weeks after the last call, and explained that the problems were still happening. She was very nice again, and quizzed me about the problems, and durations of delays and hangups. She said that she'd order a few parts that it could be, and if I brought it down, they'd keep it there until they fixed it. I explained that after six trips of two hours and 90 miles, I'd put a lot of time, energy, lost work, and gas money and tolls into this computer, only to have it still not be fixed. I told her I wasn't sure that I would be able to come down again, and asked if there was any other way we could arrange this, or any other available options. She was very nice, but asserted that this was the only option.
Today, I went down again, and explained to them that I really can't come down again. After $150+ in gas and tolls, plus 28 hours of driving, plus lost wages, I just couldn't do that any more. They were very friendly, and kept telling me they really wanted to help me, but theres not much they could do as far as me not having to come down and pick it up again. A few minutes later, we were discussing the specific issues, and it was actually working for once, and they said that they couldn't replace it without verifying the issue, because Apple would throw a fit. (Understandably). This combined with overheard conversation, and other snippets of things said directly to me, led me to believe that if the issue could be reproduced, the computer would be replaced, and I wouldn't have to drive down again.
A few minutes later, after showing them the screenshots taken previously, we reproduced the issue. Aperture caused a system hang bad enough to prevent showing the dock, quitting, or force quitting (including the keyboard shortcut). I then told them that I had to leave in ten minutes (My sister had a birthday party starting at noon, and they needed adult supervision by that time). They talked for a few minutes and after continually assuring me there was no way around me driving down again to pick it up, told me that they would mail me a box, I could mail it back to the store, and then once it was fixed, we could discuss how to get it back to me. Being in a huge hurry, I grudgingly accepted this, and left.
I guess I'm a little confused that they didn't replace it after reproducing the issue, which they seemed like they were willing to do until I reproduced it.
On a whole, I've been extremely disappointed in Apple Service on all ends, both depot and store, and I'd like to know if there's a number I can reach to get some sort of escalation to at least talk to someone, and maybe get some sort of explanation of how it's okay to have someone make seven (almost eight) four hour trips for one single computer problem with a computer that is under warranty.
At this point, I'm so frustrated, if I could get my money back, and never buy an Apple computer again, I would actually think seriously about it. I was a recent convert (bought a macbook for college in 2007), and thought I would never even think twice about going back, but after this... I'm really not so sure. The only thing that would really prevent me from doing so is probably the $1000's in software I'd have to re-buy for windows, especially since you can't get student discounts twice on one title from most companies.
I think it's pretty unreasonable to expect someone to spend that much money on a computer that is under warranty, even if it's just on gas and tolls. I frankly can't see the logic in that.
Do I have any recourse? Even though it's only been technically "repaired" twice for the same problem (this will be the third) It's been looked at and analyzed seven times. I don't know much about lemon laws or consumer protection/warranty laws, but it seems to me that this should qualify.
If anyone has a phone number or email address of someone a little higher up on the food chain than a head genius at a NH Apple Store, I'd love to get this taken care of. Even a non-tech support customer service number would be helpful.
Thanks in advance, and sorry for the long novel up there.

I would suggest contacting AppleCare and briefly explain your frustration and ask to speak to a senior manager. Be articulate, have all of your facts organized including receipts, case numbers, etc. so when you talk to someone in charge you have your facts in a row. You should be also patient and persistent until you get a solution to your problem.
We are users just like yourself and cannot do anything other than provide some advice.
Had I been you with all the issues you seem to have been experiencing I would have asked to speak to a store manager. However hindsight is 20/20 so that doesn't do any good. If you do decide to go back to one of the stores make an appointment and when you arrive let them know you want to speak to the store manager. Again be articulate, organized and have all your facts ready including ALL documentation.
Good luck,
Roger
Message was edited by: rkaufmann87

Any Competent Apple Service Providers?

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for