Is my machine a lemon?

The left side USB port has no power,
The finger print reader no longer works,
When I reboot the machine it can't get into BIOS (no prompt)
X1 Carbon 20A8
Time to send back?

Hi,
I'm getting the transfer rate from the network stats (when you press alt and the wifi symbol on the top right). I'm afraid I'm new to mac and can't find a full explanation of what these stats all mean, but I read that the Transfer Rate is the rate between the computer and the router. It seems in all my other wireless connected devices that it is considerably higher and they are functioning considerably faster. It is only the MBP that seems to be have a low rate and is really slow - I'm assuming there is link between the rate and the slow wifi.
When I check the router stats the ISP's speed is the same as it normally is. This is why I think it may be a problem with the wifi card in the MBP and its ability to communicate and connect effectively with the router - does make that sense. And this is why I'd like to find to find out if it is a MBP issue, or maybe just the MBP that I got delivered.
Hope this makes sense. And any ideas at all are greatly appreciated. (also, what **** is MCS Index? is a high number good? or a zero? - erm...)
Sorry if these seem abit noob like comments - it's a certainly a little bit of learning curve after over 10 years on PCs.
Cheers
P

Similar Messages

Third hard drive failure in 18 months -- argh!

I just got the clicking noise, spinning beach ball, won't-boot-up crash of doom on my white MacBook for the third time. I bought it in December 2007. It crashed once in July 2007, replaced the hard drive. Crashed again in October of 2007, replaced the hard drive again. It was fine all year until just now.
I disabled Safe Sleep after the last time this happened and I never put the machine down when the white light is still on. My boyfriend makes fun of me for treating the thing with kid gloves. This time it died while sitting quietly on the counter.
I have Applecare and Time Machine backups and an appointment at 8:45 tomorrow at the Genius Bar, so that's not the issue. I hate to pull the old "lemon" card, but does three hard drive crashes on the same machine mean lemon? Ugh!

mschlock wrote:
Dropped the machine off at the Apple store jail this morning -- surprisingly they have the new drive in stock and will probably be able to install it today or tomorrow.
The Genius thought that what's going on is there is such a thin layer of plastic between the world and the hard drive that it will get jostled and poked at and eventually, inevitably, die on you. I find this just a wee bit suspect (um, product design is supposed to protect me from normal use patterns), but I guess from now on, never, ever pick the machine up by the front right corner...!
That explantion and the suggestion to "upgrade" to the new aluminum model is extremely poor customer srvice. If you read this forum much the new alu-macbook has it's own set of issues. I will say this, OSX is drive intensive, depending on what you have open it's either writing swap files, journaling or Spotlight is indexing.
She also said the more you use the drive the more likely it is to die. Um. >Yeah.
Lordy, this was someone you stopped on the sreet, right?
Oh well, good luck with the new drive.
pancenter-

What can i run to see if my machine is a lemon?

i'm looking at replacing more of the keys on my 2009/2010 MacbookPro and to be honest i have not been happy with this machine at all.
the battery life is borderline atrocious. if i have parallels running in the background i get about an hour and if nothing is running at all and the machine is just sitting there i get 3 hours with it doing nothing.
the machine (and the power pack) get alarmingly hot at times, the fan gets loud enough for me to have to jump around and quickly shut down software because it sounds like it wants to explode or something.
also, i sometimes will go out for a ride and when i come back the fan is cranking away and it makes me concerned that something has been affected in some way for running like this. actually, to be totally honest in the last year or so i have tried to shut the case before i go out because i've been concerned about a fire or something.
also, i have a dock icons that will move somewhere random when i try and put them somewhere (app is closed) and instead of going where i put them they move to somewhere totally random.
finally, my bookmark sync with mobileme is constantly getting messed up and i have to reset it roughly once every three or four months.
i assume the bookmark is not related to the computer itself but this does not seem to me like it is normal. is there any way for me to check this on my end instead of relying on the mac genius bar?

hi sig.
thanks.
the keys seem to be out of my control. also, the dock icon issue has been brought up four times and no one wants to deal with it. granted, i haven't brought it in on simply that one issue but i guess i will. also, the mobileme bookmark sync gets reset every three to four month and every six to eight months i do this (after finally getting someone that understands what is going on) via applecare support. it /always/ comes back.
i run parallels but beyond that i am not seeing why the excessive heat and the excessive fan noise and the extremely poor battery life (mind you my 3 hour test was with /no/ parallels running) should be acceptable on a computer such as this.
can i ask you what AASP is and can i ask you specifically what i should be taking a look at when they run diagnostics on it?
- jon

Qwerky MacBook Pro - LEMON?

I'm a first-time Mac user, and so I am still learning, but I have had difficulty with my Mac since I go tit. +*Has anyone experienced anything like this before (below)???*+
I purchased my MacBook Pro in August 2006 (Tiger, 10.4.11, 2 GHz Intel, 1GB Memory). Ever since then I have experienced what seem to be random, chronic issues with this Mac, even just within the first couple weeks of owning it. In the beginning, phone support was so-so and I usually attributed my issues to my lack of familiarity with the Mac system. Phone technicians usually would end up having me re-start my computer or change settings and sometimes this worked, but it seemed like the problems that I was observing were not normal....meaning, I shouldn't have to restart my Mac as often as I do, I +shouldn't have+ these regular problems with a new machine. Unfortunately I never kept a consistent log of all my issues and when they occurred or in what context, but here is a list of chronic problems I have experienced within the last 15 months since I got my Mac and an estimate of how frequently they have occurred. Also, they seem to occur during 'normal' activities when I am simply browsing the internet....trying to watch a DVD....typing up a document in MS Office....or leaving my computer alone (just some examples, nothing unusual):
- Unable to view video on certain websites, such as CNN or YouTube (I would get a "?" or the Quicktime "Q" in place of where the video should play. First couple months, a Mac IT guy on campus couldn't figure it out and finally had me create an entirely new account and moved all files to this new account. No problem since)
- Oftentimes will get the 'pinwheel' for unusually long amounts of time (First couple months this occurred whenever I tried to watch a DVD, this occurred when the DVD was inserted and the DVD program was initiated, or if the program did start OK, the pinwheel would appear if I 'interrupted' the viewing progress, like pausing the DVD or moving between chapters. Now this happens regularly, every couple of days, when initiating normal actions like closing a window, clicking on an icon on a webpage, force-quitting a program (which is another issue below))
- I have to force-quit programs (altappleesc) because they will not respond. Occurred with iPhoto, Safari, MS Office (only a handful of times w/ each in the last several months). Several times when I have initiated a force-quit, the program to force-quit will be highlighted, I will hit 'Force Quit' and I get the perpetual pinwheel that never goes away, the program never quits, and I have to turn my computer off using the power on/off button.
- My desktop picture randomly reverts to an old picture that it had been set to previously. Usually has happened when my Mac is 'idle' or the screen goes into 'sleep' (black) mode, but has also occurred when my Mac has been off, and I turn it on at the beginning of the day. Has probably happened a total of a dozen times (once, just yesterday).
- My Mac shuts off randomly. No power surge, always plugged into the power cord (battery charging). The Mac just turns off, black screen, as if you had turned it off. Has happened two or three times total.
- Optical drive oftentimes will not read CDs or DVDs - new Cds, burned CDs/DVDs, no scratches or smudges. I will insert DVD/CD and it sounds like the drive will initiate, it does this three times, and then spits the CD out. This happens regularly (daily), more often than not.
- I receive an 'unexpected error occurred that could not be recovered from (-36)' when trying to watch a DVD (has occurred when I try to hit 'Play Movie' on the menu screen of a DVD, when trying to move between chapters, or in the middle of the movie - in all cases the disc surfaces were perfectly clean). Additionally, often times when trying to watch a DVD, the image has appeared staggered, slow and jumpy and not up-to-speed with the audio (which is unaffected).
- System generally runs 'slow': words that I am typing (either in an email or in a document) lag several second behind my typing speed, minimized windows that appear next to the dock are slow to appear at full screen when I click on them (10-20 seconds lag)
- System is slow to start up (1 to 2 minutes): when turning on the laptop, the white screen with the apple icon that appears before the user log-in screen appears for an unusually long amount of time. This has happens several times a month, most recently this morning. This screen appeared for literally 14 minutes and my log-in screen never appeared. I had to turn of the computer using the on/off power button.
- I recently bought a WesternDigital external hard-drive (My Book Essential Edition, 250gb). In the last month or so, my Mac has stopped recognizing the drive. The external drive is still quickly recognized by other computers, but never appears on my Mac from any of my USB ports, and my Mac does not appear to be 'searching' for it either. Other devices (USB jump drives) still function with my Mac.
*+Am I crazy?+* I know independently each of these issues may not seem very unusual or significant, but these are chronic, and together are unacceptable for an $1800 machine. I have never heard of anyone having so many issues (many friends and departments at my university use Macs and are baffled by my problems). It is all-around just very qwerky and has been since the day I bought it, but has finally gotten to the point where I cannot imagine that these are all normal scenarios. Have I bought a LEMON?! It has never been dropped or experienced any extreme environments....
THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP! Any feedback would be greatly appreciated...
'Bu
-

The first thing I would recommend is taking your MBP into an Apple Store and talking with one of the geniuses. During my first few weeks of owning my program, I found that I had to download Windows Media Player & Adobe flash player in order to play videos on certain sites. I will occasionally get a pinwheel thing that lasts, not "perpetually", but for a few minutes. I got my MBP in August of this year and I'd say this has happened 8-10 times, using my computer for ~6-10 hours a day. My dock has disappeared a handful of times and I had to get a new display because of dead pixels just one month after I bought it. About a week ago, I inserted a clean once or twice viewed DVD and got the same message as you've had. However it has only occurred once, so I wasn't too concerned. The point I'm trying to make is that there are some software problems that I too think are not fitting for such an expensive machine. However it seems like you have a lot of problems, so definitely go see a Genius at an Apple Store. Hopefully you got the AppleCare Protection Plan, because if not I think a visit is about $100. If you can't get to a store or mail it in to Apple for inspection...
-You could try to purchase an external optical drive because it seems like something is not right with yours.
-The slowness of the computer may be caused by CPU or memory intensive programs (some which you may not realize are running). To see if this is a problem, download the iStat Pro widget and when your computer gets slow, open Dashboard and check CPU and memory usage. Also, make sure you "Quit" programs instead of just closing them (I'm not an expert so I don't know if this makes much difference, but it's worth a try). I don't have any idea why your computer would start slow.
-Also, I believe there was a recall of batteries on certain MBP models. Check to see if your machine was affected by this recall. If so, this may be connected with your random shutdowns.
Macs are known for their simplicity, power-performance ration, being ascetically-pleasing and all-around great machines. They are not, however, known for being the most reliable machines. Consumer Reports gives them an "average" reliability. Even so, even the most reliable brands produce a few lemons. Your computer may be a lemon. Anyways, I believe you should take your MBP to an Apple Store and talk with one of the Geniuses there. Good Luck with fixing your problems!

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

What does it take for Apple to replace a Lemon?

PowerBook G4 failures to date:
Logic Board failure
USB port failure (2nd new logic board)
Logic Board failure (3rd one)
Airport card failure
Random power failures
Replacement power pack
Continuing random power failures
Overheating
...all within the first year of purchase. Now I'm waiting on hearing from Apple Customer Relations with their answer. I can't have this computer in the shop any longer as it's essential to my business.
So what did it take for Apple to replace your Lemon?
PowerBook G4 15" Mac OS X (10.4.7) 1Gb Memory

Human contact is the key. It sometimes helps to have face-to-face contact at an Apple Certified Service Center or Apple Store, as you may never know who is on the other end of your phone call (and vice versa). This way they can certify that you are not a crazy person who is abusing you powerbook, and they may have more time to test your computer until a problem surfaces, which they can then report to Apple. An ACSS can lobby on your behalf for a replacement more convincingly than you can on your own, as their professional opinion may carry more weight.
Apple replaced my 12" without a problem after replacing the logic board three times (constant unexplained kernel panics from all three). (I have heard from some that three can be the magic number.) Generally, you can argue that more than one logic board replacement is simply not cost effective for a laptop, as the board itself plus labor almost equals the cost of a new machine!
Establishing a record of problems early on is also helpful, as Apple can become wary of someone trying to score an upgrade several months after a computer is purchased.
Powerbook 15" 1GHz FW800 Mac OS X (10.4.7) Formerly 768mb RAM

Is my MacBook a "lemon?"

Hi all, I've been a loyal and die-hard apple user/ customer for almost 20 years now and for the first time have started having serious problems with a machine that's making me want to jump ship.
I purchased a brand new MacBook 13 inch from Macmall on 9/19 and by 9/23 it was no longer recognizing the battery (got an x icon through it, nothing would help). After multiple trips and hours at the apple store the geniuses determined it was the logic board (funny since my G3's logic board had just shorted that week, spurring the purchase of this new one). So, I hadn't even owned it a week and it was out of my hands getting a new logic board, heatsink, etc. Well, 2 weeks later (yes, I got it back just yesterday on 10/9) I get it back and now it doesn't recognize the airport card. It simply says there's no airport hardware to be found. I searched the forums and did all the recommended stuff. Now, sometimes the airport will appear, sometimes it won't. And when it does, it won't receive any signals, no matter how strong (even the signal at my grad school).
So, as you can imagine, I'm pretty ****** off that my "repaired" MacBook came back now not recognizing another thing, it just switched from the battery to the airport card. The apple store will not give me a new one since I didn't buy it from them, and MacMall won't give me a new one because they want me to go through the apple store/ factory. Basically it's a bunch of finger pointing going on and no one will step up behind their product (if you can call it that) and help me.
As are many, I'm a bit skeptical of these MacBooks now, since I've had nothing but problems since literally the day I got it. However, all of the imacs and ibooks I've had in the past went strong for well over their average lifespan. My instinct is that I don't want to get this one repaired AGAIN, because then what will happen after that problem gets fixed. Am I going to have to go in for repairs every week now? Cause that's what it's been so far. My feeling is I should put my foot down and insist I get a brand new machine, whether from apple or macmall, since it seems I've been sold a lemon. Any thoughts?

Hi
I've had a similar problem. I bought a black Macbook the day they were launched from the Apple store at Bluewater in the UK. Initially everything was fine, other than a very sharp corner on the bottom case where you open the screen, a badly fitted screen surround that moves and the usual heat issue. In mid September I was using the machine to check for some backup data on a CD-R when the disc I inserted spun up to speed and would not stop. The disc was not shown on the desktop and then the machine froze.
I then powered down the machine and it would not re-start, except for a ding and a grey screen. It never re-started correctly no matter what the apple support or the store tried. It was sent off for repair for just over two weeks. When I collected it they could not tell me what was wrong or what had been repaired, in fact I had some of the worst service in a store that I have ever had. In the end I said to the manager or at least the second person that was sent to serve me, ' You don't give a toss do you ?' and he turned round and said 'No !' So much for them all being Apple employee's.
Anyway back to the repaired Macbook, as the staff at the store eventually found out what had been done. I had a new superdrive, logic boad, bottom case, battery and some heat sink stuff. I did not want the old machine back and wanted a new one but they refused to replace the machine. There must be something wrong with a number of these Macbooks as they had the usual mess of a display at the Bluewater store were all the repaired crap or stuff that had been on display is piled high right as you walk into the store, in fact you almost fall over it all at the door.
The machine seems to working and is cooler than before, but I still have a badly fitted screen surround and now the case creaks on the wrist rest when I type. I don't know if anyone else has had the same issue, and I did complain about it at the time, but the touch pad has gone very smooth and shiny with use, so much so I bought a bluetooth mighty mouse.
One last point of frustration I had with the store was regarding the data back up. As this was quite a new machine I didn't have too much data on it, but I wasn't too sure if I needed any of it, so I agreed to a £35 charge to back it up. I knew that the issue didn't relate to the hard drive, so the data should have been safe, but I thought it would be worthwhile. So when I collected the machine I asked for the CD's or DVD's that the data was copied on. I was told that data was put onto the stores server and was then copied back onto my hard drive. I asked for my money back as I told the assistant that I was not confident that the service had been carried out, but they refused.
For anyone using this service I would be very careful as they take your ID's and passwords, so they could access your data, even on their back up copy. In fact they day of collecting the fixed Macbook I was checking my mail on the said fixed machine and all the items in my in box were displayed for a second or two and then were deleted. So I don't know if the assistant in the store had recovered my data and then deleted the contents of my mailbox as grudge, but thankfully as I have several machine I was able to get all the mail back.
After buying new desktops and notebooks at least every two years or when Apple release something really nice, I don't think I will bother in the future as they seem to have a quality issue on new products.

My iMac is a lemon.

I have a 27” iMac that I purchased in Late 2009 that has hadmore than a few problems. A few months after I purchased the iMac, Iexperienced flickering and then a complete loss of picture. I immediatelycalled Apple Care, I was then advised to take the iMac to the only authorizedservice center in Kuwait. It was determined that the LCD screen would have tobe replaced, which would take five weeks to clear customs and install. Accordingly,I had to pay the customs fees, which would cost roughly $100. I was wrong tobelieve that my iMac had all the bugs worked out after sitting in a workshopfor five weeks. In the summer of 2010, I noticed a few markings on theupper-right corner of the screen that did not disappear after I attemptedcleaning with a cloth. Also, a horizontal line that continuously scrolls up thescreen. The iMac is connected to an external monitor that does not show thesame symptoms, which led me to believe that the problem lies in the LCD screen.I called Apple Care in September 2011 to report the problem, and was advised totake my iMac to the authorized service center. Once again, they informed methat I needed to replace the screen as well as the optical drive. This processwould take another five weeks for repairs and would cost another $100 for customsfees. After I received the iMac back from the service center I still experiencethe horizontal line that runs from the bottom of the screen to the top. I havehad this iMac for over two years and have had numerous issues with the machine.I had purchased a 15” MacBook Pro a few years before purchasing the iMac andwas impressed with its performance and durability. I didn’t have any issues withthe 15” MBP but when the 27” iMac was released I immediately felt the need toupgrade. That turned out to be a mistake, as I would spend the next two yearsdealing with multiple issues. I don’t know if I should get a new iMac (and praythe issues have been worked out) or get something else. What do you think?

Your first mistake was in not strongly requesting a replacement for the iMac, especially after the second "fix". If you do purchase another Mac product, you ought to seriously consider Apple Care for extended protection and tech support.
Here's something you might try. If you have complete documentation on problems and repairs, get in touch with Apple and ask for the address of their Customer Service Executive or Manager. If you can get that address, send that person a letter documenting all of your problems and attempted "fixes", and ask if Apple would be willing to "do something" for you to retain you as a "satisfied consumer". Indicate that you also have a MBP that is perfoming to your satisfaction. Also, ask why you had to pay customs fees for repairs that were done under your warranty. While you've waited far longer than you should have, Apple may be willing to work with you on some kind of resolution. It may be worth a try.
As to another iMac, that's up to you. You may have had a lemon and the problems might not be repeated in another iMac. I've had my iMac for almost 3 years and it has performed quite well.

Keyboard problems - Is my helix a lemon?

I am so frustrated with my Helix (i7, first generation).
I just dropped my Helix off at an authorized repair shop to get it fixed. They are replacing the keyboard for the third time on this laptop. It works for a few months and then some (not all) keys stop working. They said the next time it is going back to Lenovo. At this point, I have no doubts that it will happen again. Has anybody else had these problems multiple times? The USB port on the base also stop working but that is another story. The battery in the base won't charge but a new charger seems to have fixed that. Overall this has been a very expensive disappointment. I am now looking to buy a backup laptop since this one has proved so unreliable. They estimate 10 days to replace the keyboard and to check the whole laptop out. Who know how long it will take next time when they send it back to Lenovo.
Are these machines that unreliable or is this a lemon. Luckily, I have a four year warranty. Since it is annoying to have to buy a backup laptop.

Hello
I have a nano 5g and dont have the issues you are having except maybe the pc not recognizing ocas', yeah a pain, I had to learn how to fix that.
I did have to use reset thru' itunes w/ ipod plugged in it solved some basic issues w/ album art. And I had better an experience all around w/ ipod after that reset in itunes.
I ocas' have to do the reset deal hitting the two buttons on ipod itself if it acts funny (volume issue) But not often.
My ipod was essentially a gift too since we purchased it thru' an incentive program at work and his company paid for it and has the receipt. I still purchased the 2yr warranty by buying it online and entering its key when I got the disc.
I used my one free call to apple before I got warranty.
They claim its fine all they need is your account info and perhaps a number assigned to ipod etc...I hope its true.
In any case call them, they were excellent when I spoke to them and had a million questions. Tell them the situation I bet they can help.
You get one free call if I were you Id def' use it! It is for one year.
Message was edited by: slothofms7

Which of these Macs would be a better machine?

I am at the crossroads of getting a new Mac and I have two choices. Pretending everything else between the macs is equal besides what I am about to describe, which of these would be better?
Choice 1. 15" Macbook Pro w/ 2.16 Core 2 Duo processor and 2GB of memory
or
Choice 2. 13" current issue 2 GHz Core 2 Duo Macbook w/ 4 GB of memory
Why would the one you pick be better over the other?
I'm not to savy with computer hardware so any help would be appreciated. Thanks!!!

You are correct that many MBP owners have no problems and that the MBP is a better machine. I too had no problems for the first year and then within two months I have been plagued with unproductive days dealing with a computer that doesn't work. The issue is that for those of us that have these problems there doesn't seem to be a fix even with Applecare. There seems to be a trend with keyboard issues and Apple has not figured it out and provided a reasonable fix. If I spend the money and get a new keyboard I may be looking at the same problem if the keyboards are flawed. If you make your living with your computer sending it in to Apple for a week or two to get a problem fixed is not a great solution. I just think that the chance of getting a lemon in the MBP line should be factored into the decision. Maybe a new MBP has these problems worked out but to buy an older used MBP from the same vintage as mine would be unwise in my opinion.
Jon

Time Bomb Theory - the attack of the lemons

i apologize in advance for starting a new thread. though i appreciate the replies in the previous thread, i didn't think that i was gettin my point across.
i want to differentiate this thread by re-introducing the idea of the illusion of getting the macbook repaired. my argument was IF the logic boards have been changed to fix the mooing (according to this article http://news.softpedia.com/news/Apple-Acknowledges-MacBook-Whine-And-Offers-Logic -Board-Replacements-31384.shtml ), then the new boards are to blame. but if the restarting problem stems from the original batch, then we might be dealing with a massive case of lemons. if apple did start producing macbooks with the new boards, i'm assuming that this means that every macbook is a ticking time bomb. if i do get my logic board 'replaced', wouldn't it be the same on that is on the production line meaning that it's not getting fixed at all? although there are happy trouble free mac users out there, it might just take longer for the problems to surface on their machines.
and yes i'm ticked about my situation
previous thread can be found here http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=589635&tstart=0
thoughts on the "time bomb theory"

Your double negative notwithstanding, it doesn't matter that there are hundreds of thousands of satisfied people. I've been on the receiving end of many car and electronics recalls without ever seeing the problem the recall was designed to address. What is looked at is the probability over time that a component or system will fail under certain circumstances and the consequences of that failure. The shutdown problem appears to be widespread and serious enough to suggest that some type of recall may be necessary.

Time Machine Crash along with death screen

Ever since I did the 10.5.2 update Time Machine crashes, ejects my hard drive, and I keep getting the gray death screen to restart. I turned off Time Machine but my HD keeps getting ejected and still having the restart issue.
I'm running a Mirror face G4 and have NEVER had a problem before, so this is very irritating.

Hi there,
Thanks for your posting - I followed the links in order to try and find out why my disk image may not be working properly.
I backup my MacBook to an internal slave drive on my G4 using Time Machine. It was working fine for a month but has suddenly given me Kernel Panic so from these posts I assume that to mean a corrupt image. I tried running Disk Warrior on the image. It found a HUGE number of errors. Pretty much every file in the volume was repaired for "Extended Attribute". However, unfortunately Disk Warrior gave the following message:
DiskWarrior has successfully built a new directory for the disk named "Backup of JowieBook." The new directory cannot replace the original directory due to a Mac OS services failure.
Try rebuilding again. If this problem persists, please restart from the DiskWarrior CD and then try rebuilding again.
Hmmm, that not good. I haven't tried restarting from the CD because I don't see much point - the image isn't on the boot drive, it's on a slave. I checked the volume read/write status as suggested and this is the result (abridged):
image-path : /Volumes/Lemon Jelly/JowieBook_0016cbcc5f19.sparsebundle
image-type : sparse bundle disk image
writeable : TRUE
autodiskmount : TRUE
removable : TRUE
image-encrypted : false
So I'm pretty stumped. Shall I just run it again? Here's the chmod status of the volume:
drwxr-xr-x 6 jowie jowie 510 Feb 20 22:30 Backup of JowieBook
I'm not very good with Unix but that looks okay to me... So I'm a bit stumped. Any thoughts?
Thanks!

My Macbook is a lemon!

My Macbook was purchased BRAND NEW on June 3, 2007. Within a week I had issues. I called the apple store and "thought" we resolved issues after a week. I was dealing with flickering of the screen - it would turn black and there were a bunch of dead pixels. On the 30th I took it in for repair for the following:
• flickering screen - turned black and looked to have backlight issue
• Dead Pixels - several
My Macbook was MINT when I took it into Apple, after all it was brand new. I got it back on July 3rd to find a huge dent in the top of the case along with tons of large scratches. The other problems of black screen was NOT fixed - I was upset at this. The "genius" looked at me like I was seeing things, really makes me mad they are like this - not all but most. I said it wasn't acceptable and needs to be fixed, so they kept it for another 4 days. I got it back with the case back to original condition, which made me happy. It was until that night I noticed the case on the left lower side hadn't been put together correctly so it would squeek. Annoying but I left it for now and wanted to make sure the black backlight issue was repaired.
After a couple of days I noticed the black backlight and flickering had gotten worse. I was told the inverter/mother board had been replaced. Frustrated and working so much (I travel and use my MB daily) I had no time to deal with it. I had tried getting an appointment at my two local Apple stores for over two months (no joke) and nothing, everything was ALWAYS booked up. The stores are an hour round trip. I've been to the local store and had waited over two hours for a stand-by appointment. After I had been waiting I asked to speak with the manager. He was unavailable and they basically told me to make an appt online. I tried explaining how I've tried doing this for almost two months and nothing. I finally gave up for now. Still knowing I had warranty.
I am still under the original warranty and my applecare goes into effect on 12.25.07 (always get it as a xmas gift from a family member) and today I tried to get this taken care of.
I love my Macbook but I am starting to think my machine is a lemon, it stinks. I wish Apple would accept people have issues and not make them feel like they are the ONLY Macbook user with these issues. I am tired of driving to the apple store which an hour drive round trip and they can't seem to fix the issues. I am trying to get apple to replace this, afterall I am going on my third repair for the same item, this is NOT good. I want it replaced since its nothing but problems and it appears they haven't been able to fix it. I was on hold with Apple for 4 hours today, 4 hours, what a joke. I just felt like sharing my experience and will post an update. I am just getting so disapointed with Mac products, well, at least Macbook. I have several Mac products and have been a huge fan for years. I just hate to think its going downhill with customer service and product quality. Hope I am wrong and Apple makes this right.
Thanks for listening...

Thanks for the replys guys. Yes, when customer service is rubbish, it makes the experience worse and is a DRAG! David, to tell you the truth I check online DAILY for an appointment for OVER two months, no joke. When I would call and try to get them to make it for me with their computers they said we can't, so I have to drive into the store (30+ minutes?), I would tell the problem and they would say oh well, we are so busy with the release of the new... it was always an excuse why I couldn't get an appointment. They would follow up with oh do you have Pro Care? Oh is that going to get me an appointment faster - yes, oh so spend another $99 for something I rarely have issues with, hahaa.. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Apple products and this is the first time I had an issue and I've owned at least 50 different machines since Apple came out. The customer service I receive at these stores is bad. I usually just talk to the manager to avoid having to tell the problems over and over. I know, they just work there, so I am patient but having a 3rd repair is a JOKE. I just can't believe it.
I FINALLY got a level II tech Scott on the phone who was awesome! I was on hold last night from 5 - 6:15 waiting to get a level II tech. I finally hung up. I just didn't have the time to sit around again. I had been on the phone from 1:30 until 6:15 with Apple trying to get them to resolve it. When I called back this morning I had to wait about an hour before I got Scott, but he was well worth the wait.
Scott and I reviewed everything and he is taking machine back for one final inspection, then they are either going to replace it with a new one or fix it and I will have it back soon - hopefully not longer than 1 week. With past repair issues on this, they are expediting it. I want it like original, new and working excellent - pristine. Apple didn't have any issue taking my $1241.00 now did they? I am just asking for replacement or a major repair. My machine was hardly a week old when this issue was claimed and just at 6 months and still issues that can't be resolved. I've remained calm and professional, as I have many (12) other machines: Powerbook, eMac, iMac, Mac MIni, Macbook Pro, so I know something about Mac's.
Just thought I'd share. I will update once I hear back with my unit - new or repaired. It's frustrating that it has so many issues. I even forgot one major issue but called him back and its on the list.

Is my new iMac display a lemon?

I've had my new 27-inch iMac now for some three weeks, it being a customised one. One of the very first things I noticed about it following delivery was that its display was rather blurry. I've hitherto been used to using a high-quality 24-inch 1920 X 1200 res monitor in a self-built Windows system.
Now, my eyesight's certainly not as good as it used to be, so I began to wonder if this was just due to my eyes. On every recent visit to a friend's house I'd always remarked at the pin-sharpness and clarity of her three year-old 27-inch iMac running Snow Leopard. My friend paid a return visit today, to see and discuss our respective machines and one of the first things she noticed was the lack of sharpness on the display of mine. Could it be that there's something genuinely wrong with mine? Are displays on 27-inch iMacs set up for sharpness in the factory and therefore could it be that I've ended up with one that's poorly adjusted in that regard?
The irony is that I've come from a Windows machine in which I've been using a top-grade NEC monitor display, one which has its own sharpness control, among many other adjustments, and that monitor's display is ultra-crisp. There's of course no such hardware-based adjustment available to the iMac user.
Ironically, I'm a Photoshop user, trying to produce high-grade prints. I'd hoped to transfer my photographic work in due course to the Mac but clearly with the iMac's display being so blurry I'd never be able to judge my images for clarity or be able to add additional sharpness.
I've wondered whether this has been a case of 'the luck of the draw' as regards the graphics chip used on the iMac's motherboard. I've checked with my friend and she's got the ATI Radeon HD5670 chip in hers, whereas mine's the NVIDIA GeForce GT755M. For the sort of overall customisation I wanted, this 755M was unfortunately the only option available. Before buying the iMac I'd considered a Mac with a separate monitor instead but gave up the idea due to lack of space for it and the extra expense. Nonetheless, I would have expected the 755M, being a newer chip, to have been at least as good as the HD5670, if not better. But it seems not. Have I just got a lemon, or is there some hidden sharpness adjustment that I've not yet found? I discovered a setting for smoothing out text and experimented with that but it made no perceptible difference to the overall sharpness of anything onscreen. With the size of text in some windows/captions being fixed and some fonts that Apple's chosen to use being quite small (10pts and below), I'm now struggling to see text-based captions and dialog boxes clearly.
This isn't a case of a wrong screen resolution being chosen by me. I've definitely got the display set to its native resolution.
From the outset, the colour rendering (calibration) has been pretty poor too. Black level is truly bad too, and is especially noticeable on a customised Apple screensaver with supposed black background that I've chosen to use. My long experience with highgrade photoprocessing made me notice those colour aspects immediately.
Thus far I've been judging this just on general rendering, not on any test images or anything imported from the Windows machine, so I don't think I've been trying to compare apples with pears. I've played around a bit with the built-in calibrator on the iMac but it's about as bad the old Adobe Gamma calibrator that I stopped using in Photoshop/Photoshop Elements many years ago. That's not mattered too much, though, as I own a couple of X-Rite colorimeters and have intended to download and use the calibrator that X-Rite's written specifically for the Mac. That should bring the colour rendering onscreen spot-on - but of course that won't affect sharpness.
Incidentally, I'm for the present still on the initial release of Mavericks. I've yet to update to 10.9.2.
Has anyone else found the screen of their 27-in Mavericks iMac blurry? This is clearly not a case of bad personal choice, because the same model of iMac that belongs to a friend is definitely superior in this regard. The only difference we can point to is the graphics chip used.

Yes.

Time Machine - All or Nothing??

So... I had TWO MBPs crash this week. One had screen death, the other (has been a real lemon from the beginning, 1 year old) HD crash. Almost everything is backed up on TM, thankfully. But - I need just a few files to do some work... and Time machine wants to put EVERYTHING from the backup on the temporary machine. I am seeing this using Migration Assistant.
What I was hoping to do - was get pages (the app I need) and the file I was working on... and just bring those over. If that's not possible... I'm stuck in the water.
Unless I'm reading this wrong, TM is not a good backup system in the event of a system crash. Great if it's working, but not if it isn't.
Help!??!

PJGinFL wrote:
So... I had TWO MBPs crash this week. One had screen death, the other (has been a real lemon from the beginning, 1 year old) HD crash. Almost everything is backed up on TM, thankfully. But - I need just a few files to do some work... and Time machine wants to put EVERYTHING from the backup on the temporary machine. I am seeing this using Migration Assistant.
What I was hoping to do - was get pages (the app I need) and the file I was working on... and just bring those over. If that's not possible... I'm stuck in the water.
Unless I'm reading this wrong, TM is not a good backup system in the event of a system crash. Great if it's working, but not if it isn't.
There are four ways to restore from Time Machine:
Restore your entire system to the exact condition it was in at the time of any backup. See #14 in the Frequently Asked Questions *User Tip,* also at the top of this forum.
Use +Setup Assistant+ to set up a new Mac just like the old one. See #19 in the FAQ.
Use +Migration Assistant+ to transfer some or all items, similar to Setup Assistant.
Restore individual items via the normal +Star Wars+ interface. See #15 in the FAQ.
If you want only selected items (fewer than the selections offered by +Migration Assistant,+ you can pick and choose via the "Star Wars" display, but there may be problems with complex applications.
I don't use Pages, so don't know about it; but many complex apps that are installed with their own installers put things in various places. If you know what & where all those pieces are, you can restore them and the app will work fine; if not, you'll have to reinstall.

Is my machine a lemon?

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for