Anyone else get more than 4 defective MBP in a row?

Question

I purchased my first Macbook Pro 15" in July right when Lion was released.  It's my first Mac.  I customized with 500gb/7200rpm and8gb ram. And then my Mac drama began and is still going on now. 
MBP #1 (purchase #1 late July) - DVD did not work. Froze a few times.  Saw lots of beach ball dancing. Black screen of death and did not come back on for a day.  To top that off, apple care would not help me because they did not have record of my serial number. (purchased directly from apple.com only days ago) I spent the first few days with my first MBP reading apple discussion board and mac forums to learn to fix problems with my new $2k computer.  After several attempts and many hours, I was told by apple care supervisor they missed a batch of orders which did not get properly transfer to apple care.  I was very new to apple computers and did not want to deal with so many problems for new computer.  I did not want to wait for replacement (they ship out after receiving your return) so I purchased a second MBP.
MBP #2 (purchase #2 early August) - Software worked fine. The trackpad was sluggish and sometimes got stuck.  I felt this right away after powering on first time.  After a long wait (it takes a while to get through to apple care), I finally got a voice at apple care and we tried a few things (reset hardware, reset p rails?, etc.), I thought the trackpad was fixed. I surfed the net and then the scroll acted up and the cursor kept freezing.  Annoying.  It drove me nuts.  I had to return it.
MBP #3 (purchase #3 early September) - This one arrived dirty with some small scratches, and there was black finger prints and smudges on it. One thing that bothered me was the top lid is not flushed with the bottom piece. It’s slightly flapping over on the top left side.  But otherwise, the computer works with no problems. I called apple right after opening the box and after 2 hours (they kept transferring me between apple care and sales support), I finally got a supervisor.  He was nice enough to listen to my situation. I asked him frankly if he thought I should just keep MBP #3 after all the debacle (at this point, the top lid hanging over the bottom was minor to me) and he thought I should go for replacement because I purchased new MBP and the top lid should flush perfectly with the bottom. He suggested that I purchase the off the shelf versus custom to avoid problems but I explained that I wanted the faster hardrive and multitasking speed. And he contacted their sales support to coordinate a replacement. It took an hour but he did call me back and arranged the replacement.
MBP #4 (replacement) - This came a few days ago. Physically, this MBP has no flaws. Top and bottom piece flushed perfectly. I noticed when I used the trackpad, I felt like there were tiny grains of sand on my fingertip.  I washed my hands thoroughly.  Trackpad still felt different than previous MBP so I cleaned it according to apple forum suggestions.  Computer worked fine...until...I surfed on it for a few hours and my finger tips started to tingle and feel numb and super sensitive at the same time.  After a few more hours, my hands felt funny and slightly numb.  The next day, my fingertips still felt slightly numb and sore at the same time. I searched up the mac forums and changed the power plug to the 3 prong.  It got better but still felt tingly.  Weird thing was that it was doing this even on battery.  I called apple care and we did some hardware test and resets...didn't change.  He scheduled an appt with Apple technician at the Apple store for next morning.  Apple technician did some test and said he couldn't feel anything on the trackpad.  I explained that I felt this after a couple of hours of use.  Between the tingling on my fingertips and numbness on my palms (I tend to rest my palms on the mbp when i type), I am feeling uneasy about keeping this one.
So within one and a half months, I have been through 4 MBPs and came to the conclusion they all have problems.  Apple customer service is okay (it takes 20-30 minutes just to get a live voice and then they tell you to speak with apple care first before they can issue return authorization).  The apple care, sales support, case number issuing dept, and customer support transfer you between depts like they don't know who actually handles returns.  A few of the reps I spoke with had no idea why I was being transferred to them.  At this point as you can imagine, I have spent many hours on the phone with apple as well as in store.  I really like the MBP but not sure how much more I can take.  I never return anything and don't like dealing with hassles.  I have been through over 10 PCs (half the price) and they never had problems when I first got them.  Will be talking tomorrow to apple about MBP #4 again.  Any thoughts?  Please, any advice would be much appreciated.   

Answer 1

I honestly don't know anyone who has had as many problems as you. Are you purchasing directly from Apple?
Having used PC's for over twenty years, I can tell you that currently, Mac's are worth every penny. I find them far more reliable (Mine have never failed - I previously had a 17" MBP, a 13" MBP, and the original MBA) , their are sleeker, lighter, and sturdier.
Also the OS is so much better! I am productive 10/10 hours a day. People tend to look at price a lot, but I think time is valuable too. I find everything so much more efficient and intuitive.
Everything has been designed so much better (especially the OS). Also, the experience is brilliant. I can just do whatever I need to efficiently.
If Apple maintains this level of quality, and is so much better than its peers, it is unlikely that I will ever switch back.
Also, all the products just integrate so well together.
Best of luck for your decision.