Niklas' blog

Yesterday at 15:02, an e-mail dropped saying inLife had fixed my MacBook. Nice! This happened one day before a technician was to call me about the status of the repair to be made, according to their technician. Mind you, this was before I made things happen by e-mail.

So, gathered more nasty things couldn’t happen (than already had), but I was wrong.

This morning, the person who had e-mailed me rang me:

Niklas, recognising the number on the mobile: Hello, Niklas speaking.
X: Hello Niklas! This is X calling!
N: Hello! I have read your e-mail, and I’m coming in.
X: Yeah…I just want to say your computer is ready to be delivered!
N: Yes, I know.
X: Well…uh…yeah.
N: Good, I’ll be in later to pick it up.
X: Good!
N: Well, thanks, good-bye.
X: Good-bye!

I popped by at 12:15, and had to wait in line. The guy in front of me held a little note in his hand, and when he was next, he was told another guy would take care of him. After waiting for a bit longer, he was told that the e-mail he had received yesterday was erroneous and that the computer he was there to pick up wasn’t repaired yet. “I’m sorry”, said the service-guy. Now it was my turn. Of course, the following conversation is from memory:

Niklas: Hello! My name is Niklas Pivic and I am here to get my MacBook, which I have been told has been repaired.
Y: OK, let’s see the service-paper.

I hand him the paper-slip.

Y: Hang on, I’ll get it.
N: Thanks!

He returns with the original carton-box in one hand and the computer in the other.

Y: Here it is…the technicians checked it out and found nothing wrong with it.
N: Right; did they change the motherboard and heatsink?
Y: No. They couldn’t find anything wrong with the computer.
N: Well, I was told that they actually would swap the motherboard and heatsink.

The guy looks to the skies and sighs.

Y: Look, they didn’t find anything wrong with it. So. Here it is.

He gave me a tired look while actually pausing like that.

N: I understand you, but the very first time I spoke with one of the technicians working here and told him about my problems, he said all I needed to do was to bring the computer down to you and have the motherboard and heatsink swapped.
Y: Look. Why…I don’t know…

The technician now looks all over the place, but no eye-contact. Poor person, stressed and not used to care for customers, I guess. I’ve been there as well. I thought I’d try and explain the matter to him.

N: I’ll tell you why I ask, even though you say the computer is working: the problem with the shutdowns can happen again. Two people from inLife have told me swapping motherboard and heatsink will prevent the problem. Your not having swapped them merely result in the risk that the problem might re-occur.

I thought this was pretty straight-forward. Until he started regurgitating in a more loud voice:

Y: Look, if somebody told you that you could just come here with a computer without anybody having even looked at it, I mean, and just have parts swapped…

He now makes eye-contact.

Y: There’s nothing wrong with it!
N: You told me so. I believe that you mean it. Now, the shutdown-issue could happen again, as I told you. I was promised, by the person I spoke of, that you would swap my motherboard and heatsink. This has not happened. This is my problem.

He sighs loudly, complainingly, rolling his eyes. I’m not making this up.

Y: Look! There’s nothing wrong with it, and you could talk with the technician you first spoke with and–
N: I’m sorry to interrupt, but this case has been elevated to Apple as well as your Vice President. Could I please speak with him, now?
Y: But…your…I’ll check to see if he’s in.

Off he goes, without a single “please” or anything like it. His demeanour spells “get off my face”. After two minutes he’s back.

Y: He’s busy, but you can speak with him instead, pointing towards the person who e-mailed me yesterday and phoned me this morning.

Niklas: Hello, Z.
Z: Hello! I see you’ve got your MacBook back, good.
N: Yeah, but I hear the motherboard and heatsink aren’t swapped, why is that?

A conversation followed and Z told me that it was “sad” that the beforementioned technician said I was to have a new motherboard and heatsink, when this clearly were not the case.

Z: Everything’s been examined thoroughly and a technician spent three hours with this computer yesterday to see that everything was OK.
N: That sounds great, but I’m still alarmed about this business with the motherboard. Can you give me your guarantee that the shutdown-issue will not affect me in any way despite the motherboard and heatsink haven’t been swapped?
Z: But you have the latest motherboard.
N: But…that is not possible unless one of your technicians wasn’t telling the truth. I mean, when I first contacted inLife, a technician told me that the new version of the motherboard and heatsink, released two days before I spoke with him, according to him, was to solve the problem. Hence, I cannot have had the new motherboard and heatsink installed at LAN Master (the other place).
Z: Well…there are no digits on the motherboard which can imply what version you have installed.
N: No offense, but then how can you even possibly tell which version I have installed?
Z: We ran some programs and checked it.
N: But I cannot have the latest version, right?
Z: Well, the computer is alright, so we can’t swap the motherboard.
N: I respect that, but I find it bold to not swap it when not even Apple have issued a statement on the solution to the problem, I mean, the shutdown-issue can reoccur.
Z: Yeah, but if it happens again you just call my number, and I’ll sort you out expressly.

Famous last words, especially combined with these:

Z: We don’t have any motherboards in store anyway, and they would take weeks to get here. If you have to repair your computer a third time we’ll do something different then! We want you to be content.

As in yes, then I will most definitely have my purchase annulled. Anyway, we parted with a handshake, after he first went off to find a keyboard-cover that I alerted him about, which they had lost in the process of repairing my computer.

I should have examined the computer at the store, and so far I’ve found that the button that one screws to flip the battery open is tilted, i.e. not leveled with the bottom surface of the computer, as it was when I left it for repairs. Well. I’ll see what happens when I try it on at home tonight. Another good thing is they didn’t wipe my hard-drive (and yes, I did back it up).

Now, I am certain that neither VP from Apple nor inLife will or can help me, but as the VP from inLife said he wanted me to keep in touch should any changes occur, I will. I see no compensation arising from this, which, unfortunately, is standard.