MacBook - Rebooting issues... Among other things!

[White Wolf]

My MacBook was powering down, the superdrive would only recognize certain CD/DVD and the computer was often powering to a black screen. After several online technicians tried to fix a problem linked to "the type of CD was inserting in the computer] and "the software installed on [my] laptop (!!!!!!!!!!!!!)", Apple sent me a new MacBook... The new computer was from a different serie and the CD/DVD problem as well as the rebooting was not an issue anymore, BUT: the MacBook was still powering to a blank screen 9 times out of 10!

After several hours on the phone, Apple has finally agreed to refund me the computer, tried to make me pay a restocking fee (computer bought online) and in the comment line of the return indicated "customer changed his mind"! What a great way to acknowledge a mistake!

Is this the price you pay when a company is expanding?

 

[bearbo]

My MacBook was powering down, the superdrive would only recognize certain CD/DVD and the computer was often powering to a black screen. After several online technicians tried to fix a problem linked to "the type of CD was inserting in the computer] and "the software installed on [my] laptop (!!!!!!!!!!!!!)", Apple sent me a new MacBook... The new computer was from a different serie and the CD/DVD problem as well as the rebooting was not an issue anymore, BUT: the MacBook was still powering to a blank screen 9 times out of 10!

After several hours on the phone, Apple has finally agreed to refund me the computer, tried to make me pay a restocking fee (computer bought online) and in the comment line of the return indicated "customer changed his mind"! What a great way to acknowledge a mistake!

Is this the price you pay when a company is expanding?

so the common problem 2 of them have is 9/10 times, it powered to a blank screen? is it really powered on, or it's not powered on? (this is a dumb question), is there power to the computer? battery or magesafe> is the magesafe light on?
the reason i ask is that i doubt that's a common problem on macbook's part... is there any problem, perhaps, on your part (i know it's probably investigated...)

also on the CD/DVD thing.. that might just be a unique problem with your specific combo drive.. which is not supplied by apple... and apple can't possibly check on every single piece of hardware they sell out

therefore under those situation, if you dont want them to try to fix it, and rather get a refund, i think the restocking fee is reasonable... i mean... provided, you refused to have your computer go into service again?(right?)

 

[White Wolf]

so the common problem 2 of them have is 9/10 times, it powered to a blank screen? is it really powered on, or it's not powered on? (this is a dumb question), is there power to the computer? battery or magesafe> is the magesafe light on?
the reason i ask is that i doubt that's a common problem on macbook's part... is there any problem, perhaps, on your part (i know it's probably investigated...)

also on the CD/DVD thing.. that might just be a unique problem with your specific combo drive.. which is not supplied by apple... and apple can't possibly check on every single piece of hardware they sell out

therefore under those situation, if you dont want them to try to fix it, and rather get a refund, i think the restocking fee is reasonable... i mean... provided, you refused to have your computer go into service again?(right?)

Apple tech. did not want to aknowledge the problem they have with a lot of MacBook computers (Check - http://www.thinksecret.com/news/0908macmini.html). Power and RAM reset was done alone and with a tech. over the phone. It took a second level tech. to say "you need your system to be exhanged" after several weeks of frustration. When similar issues started with the second MacBook, the second level tech answer was "you need your computer exchanged"... So... "Customer changed his mind" is not accurate. I need a computer for school and work... And will most likely have to spend $2299 for a MBP... Super!

 

[bearbo]

Apple tech. did not want to aknowledge the problem they have with a lot of MacBook computers (Check - http://www.thinksecret.com/news/0908macmini.html). Power and RAM reset was done alone and with a tech. over the phone. It took a second level tech. to say "you need your system to be exhanged" after several weeks of frustration. When similar issues started with the second MacBook, the second level tech answer was "you need your computer exchanged"... So... "Customer changed his mind" is not accurate. I need a computer for school and work... And will most likely have to spend $2299 for a MBP... Super!

i understand that the random shut down is an issue... but 9/10 boot into black screen? what is that about?

edit: when you say blank screen, what color is it?

 

[joebells]

Yeah I don't understand what that means either. Is it a blank screen and the front power light is on or off?

 

[runningnick]

Powering on to black screen

That sounds like a problem that my MacBook is having and getting sent to repair for (a second time).

In addition to the random shutdowns, the computer would sometimes "wake up" or "power up" to a splotchy black screen. (Sometimes, instead of a black screen, it's a series of gray-to-black horizontal gradients.) The power light is on and not "breathing" like it does when the machine is asleep, and the machine makes the CD-drive crunching noise, but it doesn't boot. The only way to get the machine to boot is to reset the PRAM once with Command-Option-P-R.

I understand your frustration with Apple Support. Considering I'm on my second repair for the exact same problem, I'm not entirely pleased with my first Apple product. Best of luck!