02-01-2012, 09:20 PM
A bit of a ramble but I hopew it might be of interest:
My elder son leads a busy life and travels abroad extensively on business, so relies a lot on laptops for such things as report preparation, Powerpoint presentations and so on. Though he is very computer literate, he has a low frustration threshold if computers start to act up, he consiers them as dispoable items and his standard approach is to chuck the computer out and to buy another.
A couple of years ago when we visited, I saw a 15" Macbook Pro (cost around £1,500) no more than two years old, on a pile of rubbish out in the rain waiting for the binmen to collect. I asked what was wrong with it, and he said 'Oh the hard drive is trashed - not worth having it repaired so I've binned it'. Apparently he'd been explaining magnetism to one of our granddaughters, then aged eight, and showed her how a magnet stuck to the steel legs of his office desk, but said that magnets only stick to ferrous metals - not metals such as brass, copper or aluminium. He said 'it wouldn't stick to my laptop for example, because it's aluminium'. Well young Chloe is a bright kid and takes nothing for granted so thought she'd try for herself. She plonked the magnet on the laptop and said 'well it does stick, and it's stuck so hard that I cant get it off'. True enough; the hard drive was right beneath the magnet!
But hold on a minute - trash a £1,500 laptop for the sake of a new 3.5 100gB SATA hard drive - about £30? I took it home, bought a hard drive for £28.00, and downloaded a step by step guide on how to fit it, and watched a youtube video. True it took the best part of 2 hours to do it, but I got an expensive laptop for £28.00 which is still doing sterling service.
So that sets the scene for the latest event:
He'd replaced that laptop with a 'Macbook Air' - a slim lightweight laptop ideal for taking abroad. He travels extensively to South Africa, the US, Singapore, Russia and all over Europe, often for just a couple days, so tries only to have cabin baggage. (No checked-in baggage and less delays).
When we were with him and his family over Christmas I noticed he had yet another laptop and asked where his Macbook Air was. He said 'I've checked it out - it's had it, it's cracked'. I said did you drop it then? and he said 'no - the screen wouldn't stay upright it kept flopping back and eventually it cracked at the hinge, but was out of warranty so there was no point it trying to get it repaired'. I said 'hold on a mo - never mind about warranties, surely that's a design fault - a laptop should open and stay open with the screen in the operating position - did you not take it up with Apple?'. By that time, his eyes were glazing over and he said Dad, 'just take it out of my sight or it goes in the bin'. (I blame the parents).
So I did take it, thinking I might see if I could get the parts, and did a google search online for parts. (Expensive!). The first thing that caught my eye was a none-working Macbook air on ebay at £16.00 with a few days to go. I added it to my 'watch list' but the second thing that caught my eye was a thread on an Apple forum, where it became immediately apparent that this is a known problem which had initially earned the Macbook Air the unenviable nickname 'Crackbook Air'. Apple had recognised the problem and had agreed to repair these laptops even if out of warranty.
As we were going to Sheffield Meadowhall Mall today, where there's an Apple Store, I booked a session at the 'Genius Bar' and took the laptop with me. I'd brushed up on 'the bluffer's guide to the law of contract', ready to come over all 'magisterial' if push came to shove, and to create a scene in a crowded store by explaining the law of contract to the Apple 'genius' if the topic of 'out of warranty' reared its head. A guarantee does not replace or limit a customer's rights and does not form any part of the contract when you buy goods. Customers are entitled to raise a problem regarding a product for up to six years from the date of purchase (five years from the discovery of a problem in Scotland), regardless of the terms of any guarantee.
Customers are entitled to rely on the remedies available to them under law if they wish, rather than their very limited rights under a guarantee, though obviously the question of how long something like a kettle, a vacuum cleaner, a fridge, printer or PC should last before falling apart is a matter for interpretation of the courts. Many firms prefer to lean in the customer's direction for the sake of goodwill and their reputation, apart from which few customers are inclined to resort to the hassle of small claims courts, preferring to plaster internet with damaging negative comments about the product and the company, then the genie is well and truly out of the bottle.
In the event, I didn't need to go into 'urban warrior mode' - the Apple 'genius' looked at the laptop, checked the serial number and said 'yes, we'll fix that for you FOC - no problem'. He gave me a slip of paper on which I noted that the cost of the repairs would have been £255. Well done Apple you messed up on the R&D but did the decent thing and put a smile on the customer's face without having to have a battle of wits!! Customer goodwill is money in the bank. (Actually, I'm not even 'the customer' in this instance).
So, another laptop that's cost me nowt.
Well we are in Yorkshire, where I try to live up to the Yorkshire motto:
Hear all, see all, say nowt',
Eat all, sup all, pay nowt,
And if ever tha' does owt' for nowt',
Allus do it for thissen!
I've just had an e-mail from e-bay saying the auction on the non-working Macbook Air on my 'watch list' had ended, so I'd lost out.
Hah, I don't think so - it went for £265!!! (I'd wager that it wasn't a Yorkshireman who 'won' it!)
A pic of the damage is attached. Spread the good news if you know anyone who has a 'Crackbook' Air!
My elder son leads a busy life and travels abroad extensively on business, so relies a lot on laptops for such things as report preparation, Powerpoint presentations and so on. Though he is very computer literate, he has a low frustration threshold if computers start to act up, he consiers them as dispoable items and his standard approach is to chuck the computer out and to buy another.
A couple of years ago when we visited, I saw a 15" Macbook Pro (cost around £1,500) no more than two years old, on a pile of rubbish out in the rain waiting for the binmen to collect. I asked what was wrong with it, and he said 'Oh the hard drive is trashed - not worth having it repaired so I've binned it'. Apparently he'd been explaining magnetism to one of our granddaughters, then aged eight, and showed her how a magnet stuck to the steel legs of his office desk, but said that magnets only stick to ferrous metals - not metals such as brass, copper or aluminium. He said 'it wouldn't stick to my laptop for example, because it's aluminium'. Well young Chloe is a bright kid and takes nothing for granted so thought she'd try for herself. She plonked the magnet on the laptop and said 'well it does stick, and it's stuck so hard that I cant get it off'. True enough; the hard drive was right beneath the magnet!
But hold on a minute - trash a £1,500 laptop for the sake of a new 3.5 100gB SATA hard drive - about £30? I took it home, bought a hard drive for £28.00, and downloaded a step by step guide on how to fit it, and watched a youtube video. True it took the best part of 2 hours to do it, but I got an expensive laptop for £28.00 which is still doing sterling service.
So that sets the scene for the latest event:
He'd replaced that laptop with a 'Macbook Air' - a slim lightweight laptop ideal for taking abroad. He travels extensively to South Africa, the US, Singapore, Russia and all over Europe, often for just a couple days, so tries only to have cabin baggage. (No checked-in baggage and less delays).
When we were with him and his family over Christmas I noticed he had yet another laptop and asked where his Macbook Air was. He said 'I've checked it out - it's had it, it's cracked'. I said did you drop it then? and he said 'no - the screen wouldn't stay upright it kept flopping back and eventually it cracked at the hinge, but was out of warranty so there was no point it trying to get it repaired'. I said 'hold on a mo - never mind about warranties, surely that's a design fault - a laptop should open and stay open with the screen in the operating position - did you not take it up with Apple?'. By that time, his eyes were glazing over and he said Dad, 'just take it out of my sight or it goes in the bin'. (I blame the parents).
So I did take it, thinking I might see if I could get the parts, and did a google search online for parts. (Expensive!). The first thing that caught my eye was a none-working Macbook air on ebay at £16.00 with a few days to go. I added it to my 'watch list' but the second thing that caught my eye was a thread on an Apple forum, where it became immediately apparent that this is a known problem which had initially earned the Macbook Air the unenviable nickname 'Crackbook Air'. Apple had recognised the problem and had agreed to repair these laptops even if out of warranty.
As we were going to Sheffield Meadowhall Mall today, where there's an Apple Store, I booked a session at the 'Genius Bar' and took the laptop with me. I'd brushed up on 'the bluffer's guide to the law of contract', ready to come over all 'magisterial' if push came to shove, and to create a scene in a crowded store by explaining the law of contract to the Apple 'genius' if the topic of 'out of warranty' reared its head. A guarantee does not replace or limit a customer's rights and does not form any part of the contract when you buy goods. Customers are entitled to raise a problem regarding a product for up to six years from the date of purchase (five years from the discovery of a problem in Scotland), regardless of the terms of any guarantee.
Customers are entitled to rely on the remedies available to them under law if they wish, rather than their very limited rights under a guarantee, though obviously the question of how long something like a kettle, a vacuum cleaner, a fridge, printer or PC should last before falling apart is a matter for interpretation of the courts. Many firms prefer to lean in the customer's direction for the sake of goodwill and their reputation, apart from which few customers are inclined to resort to the hassle of small claims courts, preferring to plaster internet with damaging negative comments about the product and the company, then the genie is well and truly out of the bottle.
In the event, I didn't need to go into 'urban warrior mode' - the Apple 'genius' looked at the laptop, checked the serial number and said 'yes, we'll fix that for you FOC - no problem'. He gave me a slip of paper on which I noted that the cost of the repairs would have been £255. Well done Apple you messed up on the R&D but did the decent thing and put a smile on the customer's face without having to have a battle of wits!! Customer goodwill is money in the bank. (Actually, I'm not even 'the customer' in this instance).
So, another laptop that's cost me nowt.
Well we are in Yorkshire, where I try to live up to the Yorkshire motto:
Hear all, see all, say nowt',
Eat all, sup all, pay nowt,
And if ever tha' does owt' for nowt',
Allus do it for thissen!
I've just had an e-mail from e-bay saying the auction on the non-working Macbook Air on my 'watch list' had ended, so I'd lost out.
Hah, I don't think so - it went for £265!!! (I'd wager that it wasn't a Yorkshireman who 'won' it!)
A pic of the damage is attached. Spread the good news if you know anyone who has a 'Crackbook' Air!
Regards, David.
BVWS Member.
G-QRP Club Member 1339.
'I'm in my own little world, but I'm happy, and they know me here'
BVWS Member.
G-QRP Club Member 1339.
'I'm in my own little world, but I'm happy, and they know me here'
