mac dealer giving bomalabs the runaround

[bomalabs]

although ive had my ibook for a couple of years now, and bought my first mac, a powerbook 150 in the nineties, i consider myself a newbie. i still have so much to learn, so far to go with this great piece of gear. but i promised myself to apply myself more in order to maximize the efficiency and use of this amazing piece of hardware. anyway. when i took the plunge and got into the mac zone, i entrusted my trust and money to one dealer, as the company came with great recommendations and seemed to be reliable. till lately. here's my story.

my ethernet port was busted due to an accident at home. so last january, i forked over PhP22,000.00 for a new logic board. I assumed all the ports were functioning, so i didn't test them before taking the unit out of the dealership. Turns out my firewire isn't workout. I only found out when i got my ipod. So i returned the unit to the dealer for a checkup. They said that they would see to getting the logic board replaced. What struck me as funny was that a couple of weeks ago i had asked them about the problem re the ibook recall of logic boards. This i had read about. i don' know if other readers are aware of this, but i assumed the dealer would know of it. They said they knew nothing about it. Hmmm, i said to myself and moved on to another topic. Anyway, after they did their checkup, my ibook came back and the screen was not functioning anymore. It was all black. I called them immediately. The dealer said that it was because unfortunately, the logic board had chosen that specific time to die. A bit too coincidental. I sent the unit to another mac dealership. It turns out that the additional memory chip which is supposed to have a lifetime warranty, gave up on me. So the second dealer merely switched to the original memory and my ibook screen is back on. I called the dealer about it and was told to deliver the busted kingston(?) memory and in two weeks they would replace it. Funny, when you want to buy new memory, it's available instantly. When there is a problem, all of a sudden parts are scarce. Aw come on. As for the logic board, the story i get is that they are talking to singapore (apparently their supply base) about a replacement, but chances of getting it replaced are dim. In other words, After paying P22,000 last january for the logic board, it looks like i will have to spring for another P22,000 if i want my firewire port to work (which will happen only if get a new logic board). I mean it's only April. Add another twenty or so I may be able to buy a brand new mac, i think. Then there's the story of my imac. i bought what they said was a slightly used imac with an 18 month warranty on it that was still valid. I asked for this warranty to be faxed over. I still don't have it. This is about five days ago.
I know that I am a nobody in their eyes. maybe they see me as a sucker. I am sad because I trusted them fully with my computers and my money and they treat me like an idiot who knows nothing about computers (or buying things for that matter). at any rate, i don't think i would want to deal with them anymore. i made the mistake of thinking that the world of macs was a closely knit one, that it was a world all it's own, a family of sorts. but it's people like this who ruin the image i would like to retain about mac lovers. and i will not allow them to.
as far as the sucker part is concerned, well, it's time to let the cat out of the bag. bomalabs is gerry kaimo. consumer advocate and webmaster of www.pldt.com as well as convenor of txtpower. founding member of pldti, the group that succesfully (we would like to think) fought PLDT's phone metering plan. i am also part of the group that is fighting for the liberation of the dot ph so that well, among other things, we don't have to pay $70 to register .ph domain names but remove the monopoly from the disinis. Then there is the VOIP matter over the NTC.
so, mr dealer, i may look like a sucker but that doesn't make me one. i am a Christian but that does not give you licence to step all over me. I will not allow it. You know who you are. I don't know how many other newbies you may be pulling one over, but please think it over. It isn't worth it. mac users won't go for it. the law may have something to say about it.

[peter_ob]

Which dealership is this? I 'm not sure for how long ( 3months?0 but I know Apple has a repair service warranty.
Here's what is covered by the logic board replacement program.
http://www.apple.com/support/ibook/faq/

[Edited on 4-25-2004 by peter_ob]

[Kelvin]

Yes, please do disclose which dealer you are referring to. It'll be interesting to hear their side on this matter.

[Myles]

I agree with Kelvin. I think it will be beneficial to everybody, in case they had or will be having similar problems like yours (especially if it involves the said dealer).

It will also give the dealer the chance to air their side.

[extremyks]

As much as I want to know who the dealer maybe, unfortunelately there's a less chance that they will answer back here.

I feel bad on your logic board experience, sad to say we pay a premium price for a Mac and getting parts also do not do justice to our wallets. Like any consumer I expect full customer satisfaction on whatever products or services I avail of.

There is no doubt that you should get a logic board replacement for free, a new logic board should also have the firewire port working not just the ethernet port besides you paid for it.

The only things I can think of are the ff:

1) Set a deadline for the reseller to make the board replacement, do it in writing.
2) In the event they did not make any positive action, write a demand letter.
3) Send an email or letter to Apple Singapore.

[bomalabs]

as much as i would like to post the name of the dealer, in fairness to them, i would like to wait for them to deliver the said goods as promised before i publish who they are. otherwise it would be unfair. i cant and wont go around just publishing their name. well, not just yet. not unless i get another "runaround" bola. grrrrr. the thing is when you reach my age, which is 47, you know when you ar being lied to. i have about 100 people who report to me and i've heard just about every bola there is to be heard. well, caveat emptor. i think the lesson here is, aside from caveat emptor, is that we guys gotta stick together, cause unless we do, no one else will be there to protect our rights as consumers. that is something i expect from philmug. on the other hand i am willing to do my share to help philmug so it's a give and take sort of thing.

[bomalabs]

as of today my ibook seems to working right. the long wait for the ram was shortened and the dealer all of a sudden decided to replace the busted logic board for free. still havent checked out all the ports. will do in a matter of days.
macs rock.

[peter_ob]

Good for you.

[caloysam]

Sorry to hear about your predicament/s man. Hope it all works out for the best. I dmire your principle and ethics. :beer: Cheers to you.

[El CaMOTe]

Good deal Gerrr !!

But better 'audit' all your ports, do everything on/with your Mac lappy, take it on a good 'shakedown cruise'... and see that everything works. Don't accept 'puede na.'

"Power to the Mac Consumer !!"