okay, i'm a newb at this mac thing.. but i just have to tell the community what i experienced. i just bought my mac at digital walker sm north edsa a month ago, 2.2ghz macbook black ic2d 1gb ram... about three days ago i bought one 2gb ramstick from tipidpc.. 1,700k (yung sa boni)... i couldn't figure out what tool to use to unscrew, i didn't have a small enough screwdriver, so i went to power mac center gb3 last night and tried to have it installed there, thinking it was free because i was still under warranty. the guys at tech support there first told me that if i had it installed where i didn't buy my mac, may bayad. 500 daw. so i said, okay, tingnan ko na lang anong gagawin ko. my friends and i then ate.. then i came back to the same place. another guy at tech support: "sir, mawawala ang warranty niyo pag kayo ang nag-install niyan, pag 'ipipilit niyo talaga' pwede naman na kayo na lang mag install, pero pag dito yan, 1 thousand po ang install namin. install pa lang yan." i replied that okay, i'll just install it myself, because i thought 500 was too much.. i asked what screwdriver they used sabi niya, "yung lima po, basta iba po yun yung tool na gamit dun eh.." 1. i got really ticked off because first of all, from 500, pagbalik ko 1000 na ang presyo. 2. pangalawa, the tech guy even lied to me (mawawala daw ang warranty), or did he just not know squat about mac warranties? 3. ayun pa yung tone niya na "kung ipipilit niyo talaga", etc. it was as if the money would go to him if he installed, so ganun siya. 4. he wasn't customer oriented at all. isa pa, mali pa yung sinabi niya about screwdrivers. grr. normal philips lang naman. maliit lang. 5. i came into the mac universe thinking that there was a "universal" warranty, and all the mac places were friends with each other and that i could go anywhere (because i live in makati) to have my mac needs addressed for free. di pala. disillusioning lang.
Re: power mac center feedback.. please post the name of the tech so that proper action can be taken. I'm forwarding this post to the owners.
Re: power mac center feedback.. Aside from PowerMac, there are also other Mac service centers you may want to try.
Re: power mac center feedback.. Hey there, sorry for your experience. I know that things like this can become frustrating. Power Mac Center has to act like that since you are bringing third party products to them to install in your MacBook. Even if you would have bought the unit there and brought it back with the third party ram I think they would have charged you for the installation. Actually you are better of, if you go ahead and buy a screw driver at a hardware store and do it yourself if you dare. If you are careful there is no need to have this done by a "technician" and if done right without damaging anything your warranty will be perfectly fine. The manual that came with your mac tells you how to do it and it really does not take a specialist to perform a RAM swap on a MacBook or MacBook Pro. Get a screw driver like this: Philipps head with the size #00 Take a look here to get the idea: http://www.ifixit.com/Apple-Parts/Phillips-00-Screwdriver/IF145-006 Also there are good instructions with pictures on how to proceed to change the RAM: http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Mac/MacBook-Core-Duo/RAM/86/3/ Make sure you touch something to ground yourself before you touch any electronics like the RAM bars. So walking around on a carpet with synthetic socks is not the best thing to do before you touch sensitive electronics. Never apply to much force on anything and be careful when you are unsure on what to do next. Always read about the whole procedure before you actually start to do something. Also take your time, have a well lit place and don't forget to place your MacBook on a soft surface to prevent it from getting scratches. Good Luck! csc2ky
Re: power mac center feedback.. Senco is way better than Powermac. Next time bring it there. I've noticed a few things about Powermac. If you go there and you don't look like you're going to buy, the people snob you. Second, they're more busy fiddling with the macs in the store than assisting customers. And 3rd, my friend had her laptop repaired in powermac. They charged her a deposit which she wasn't able to get back even though the laptop was under warranty and when the unit came back it was full of scratches and other damages. To make things worse, they even took more than a month just to fix the thing. Tsk tsk. Very bad service..
Re: power mac center feedback.. Have noticed these two as well. Their front people are snob. Unless you're a foreigner or in a decent attire. And yes, they're always busy playing their display models. Ask them if you can try, they'll say they're doing something important.. Happened to me once when I'm window shopping for an iMac last year. That's why when I'm buying something there, I go straight to the cashier. But considering my location, near Makati/Manila/Pasay, if I need something and don't find it in Digital Hub/Walker, PowerMac is my next and final option. But aside from the front people, I think PowerMac is still fine. I asked one of the back people to reserve an Office:Mac for me, and he did. He's true to his words Just don't transact with PowerMac's front people if you don't want to lose your cool
Re: power mac center feedback.. I swore to myself not to go to Powermac. http://www.philmug.ph/forum/showthread.php?t=31802&highlight=scratched+ibook http://www.philmug.ph/forum/showthread.php?t=33483&page=2&highlight=san+juan Btw, it's easy to replace the RAM. I did the RAM upgrade of my macbook from 1GB to 4GB. You can easily search the net for tutorials. There are lots available. You can also refer to the site given by csc2ky.
Re: power mac center feedback.. not to fan the flames, but i've a similar story. bought a RAM stick from a fellow mugger and wanted to use this to upgrade my mac mini's memory. called powermac trinoma to ask if they can do it but they said it would cost P1000. the mac mini was bought from them and already has applecare, so i asked why they had to charge for the memory upgrade. they lowered the price to P500. then i called powermac SM north. they were willing to do it for free. (the SM north technician however, did not have the tools to open the mac mini -- but that's another story.) seems that pricing is not set, but left to the specific technician's discretion. filiusdei, don't let this experience change your mind about the mac. there are other good service centers, like YNZAL. (i just hope they'd extend their hours beyond lunch on saturdays.)
Re: power mac center feedback.. filiusdei, I can install it for you for free as long as its a Macbook. It's pretty simple. Just 3 screws and thats it.
Re: power mac center feedback.. IMO, Apple honors the parts that came with your Mac lang talaga. Meaning if you bought third party memory and put it in your Mac and your Mac broke down because of it, void ang warranty. Perhaps someone can confirm this as well.
Re: power mac center feedback.. RAM is a user-installable module. If you follow the guidelines in upgrading your memory I don't think there would be a problem. Unless you use a tool not intended to open the machine
Re: power mac center feedback.. I noticed this as well, most of the sales people are busy playing with the macs on displays. What a waste of manpower. But in the service side, I haven't had any troubles with my MBP being serviced by PowerMac Gbelt, had my left speaker, it usually takes a while but ok naman no complaints, especially their service rep is courteous naman. even when i saw a customer being pissed and all, she stayed calm and cool.
Re: power mac center feedback.. Filiusdei, meet me at some Starbucks in Manila and I can install the rams for you free. I'll bring my screwdriver. Don't let your bad experience at PowerMac dampen you.
Re: power mac center feedback.. The warranty for the Mac and its components is valid only for those parts that were originally shipped with the computer when you purchased it and are originated as an original Apple part for that specific computer. Installing third party RAM will not void your warranty unless you really brake something on the machine when doing this. (for example break the ejection lever, inserting the RAM module wrong or not completely causing a possible shortcut etc.) With a healthy amount of care and following instructions properly everybody can accomplish this task without any problems though. I highly recommend to keep the original RAM supplied with your Mac, in case it needs a trip to the service center and to rule out compatibility or defect issues with the new RAM. When you return your Mac with third-party RAM, there is a possibility that other defects will be explained in relation to the non Apple approved RAM. IMHO that is complete nonsense and just a cheap way to refuse service. The RAM that Apple installs in their notebook computers is in no way different or special to the RAM you buy at your favorite hardware supplier. If a computer breaks after some time working with the correctly installed and compatible RAM chips and other components get defective because of the RAM please let me know. In the many years of assembling different PC systems I have never and I mean NEVER encountered a defective RAM chip taking out any other component of the system rendering the whole computer defective (main-/logicboard). I have encountered RAM chips going bad a few times but never it causing to break something else than the chip itself. Does not mean it cannot happen, but it would really surprise me if a correctly installed and compatible RAM chip would destroy a whole computer after some time. Something to pay attention to when you upgrade your RAM: 1. Make sure that the RAM you purchase is compatible. In the MacBook and also MacBook Pro case it should be a 200pin DDR2 SODIMM module with PC5300/667 (The MHz speed it uses to connect with the rest of the system) specifications rated at 1.8V. You might consider Latency but Apple uses CL5 and that is basically what you get from all manufacturers nowadays. Lower latency (e.g. CL4) means faster chips in some way but are more expensive and not really necessary. 2. If you are not sure that whether it is compatible or not, you can compare it to the ones that you take out of the computer. The little gap along the contacts should be at the same place and usually you will find a little number (200) for the amount of pins printed on the RAM bar as well. This all indicates that they are mechanically compatible. If you are not sure if the technical specifications are suitable (PC5300/667), look for the sticker that usually is on all branded RAM chips and look for either the number 5300 or 667. This will tell you if the speed is the right one for your machine. Higher numbers than that (6400/800) are usually no problem since RAM is usually downwards compatible speed-wise. It can cause stability problems though and should be considered if the computer behaves incorrectly after the RAM upgrade (Kernel panics etc.). It is advisable to stick with the RAM speed that your computer is rated for and not to get faster chips.
Re: power mac center feedback.. thanks for all your feedback, i've already successfully installed the ramstick. it's compatible, and i'm running on a 2.5Gb configuration. of course, my love for my macbook did not wane. nainis lang talaga ako dun sa tech na yun. elbert: i did not get the chance to look at his name. i tried to, though, pero nahiya na ako lumapit ulit. eto na lang: powermac Gb3, sa tech support, lalake... around 9.30 pm yun.. april 8, 2008.
Re: power mac center feedback.. What's with powermac? So many complaints already. I wonder if the owners are mac users, or better yet members here in philMUG. Somebody should call their attention.
Re: power mac center feedback.. macbro, yes they are Mac users, how can they not be? After all, they operate the Philippines' first Apple Premium Reseller store. They may not be members of PhilMUG, but they are well aware of everything that has ben posted here and in other threads. They are well aware of the feedback posted here in PhilMUG. I for one let them know about it the moment I see it. With regards to this particular incident, Lawrence himself is looking into it, along with his service manager. They want to ensure these things don't happen again. Don't be deceived into thinking that they are incapable of good service. Many MUGgers, myself included, can attest to having been treated very well by PowerMac's staff. It's not all bad. It's just that word about bad service travels faster than anything else. PowerMac is listening and they thank PhilMUG for this feedback mechanism.
Re: power mac center feedback.. Aside from their front people, I can also attest that PowerMac's staffs are generally good. It's still my second preferred Apple retailer in my area.
Re: power mac center feedback.. They are Mac users and a very amiable couple. I met Lawrence once in the SM North center while looking for a new Macbook. He's a very nice guy and would really entertain you even if you look like someone who wouldn't buy anything. So sad to hear that some of his staff didn't imbibe the kind of attitude he has towards visitors to his stores.
