Faulty 2017 MacBook 12"

[Deleted member 138126]

Alright folks?

A couple of weeks my 2017 MacBook 12" started getting hanging where the screen would go heavily garbled, freeze for 30 seconds or so, and reboot. Sometimes it would be fine for a while, but eventually it always came back, and as time has gone on, the frequency is increasing where now it's pretty much guaranteed to reboot within 10 minutes of turning it on.

I was running Catalina, so I reverted (clean install, obviously) to Mojave, and I get the same issue (the screen doesn't garble quite as much, but the end result is the reboots).

I took it to Apple and they reckon it's £580 for a new MLB (main logic board).

Does anyone have any suggestions? Are there any wizard companies like Louis Rossman in NY where they re-solder a part and it's as good as new? I absolutely love this laptop, the form factor is perfection for my usage, and I don't want to spend another £1,000++ on a new bigger laptop, but I also don't want to spend £580 on a 3 year old laptop, with no guarantee that it won't happen again. If anything, I would wait for the 13" equivalent of the 16" with the scissor keyboard that came out recently.

Look forward to hearing suggestions guys.

 

[Feek]

I can't offer any specific advice except to say it's a real shame you didn't buy the extra Applecare on it. I also love the form factor of my my 2016 Macbook and use it pretty much every day.

 

[Deleted member 77746]

ouch! costly mistake. - House insurance? other than that you got any other gadget insurance at all?

 

[Deleted member 138126]

I can't offer any specific advice except to say it's a real shame you didn't buy the extra Applecare on it. I also love the form factor of my my 2016 Macbook and use it pretty much every day.

Bah, the benefit of hindsight. When I bought it, for the full first year I was keeping an eye on eBay for cheaper AppleCare options, and in the end I never pulled the trigger (foolishly assuming I could rely on Apple quality). If I remember rightly, it was something like £270 (~20% of the purchase price?), so essentially half of what this motherboard replacement costs, which even with hindsight (i.e. if I had to do it again) doesn't seem like fantastic value for money. On the other hand, I should look at the cost of AppleCare as an accurate reflection of how likely Apple thinks it is for the laptop fail.

I bought AppleCare for my 2019 Mac mini, and it was something like £100. Much more reasonable!

Both Apple employees I dealt with were very sympathetic, and both asked me if I had insurance. I wasn't even aware that there was insurance that would cover this kind of thing. I guess I need to check my home insurance.

I'm hoping someone has had a similar experience and has found a way of repairing rather than a wholesale replacement (which is a *REALLY* annoying tactic of Apple where everything is soldered on).

 

[Deleted member 77746]

(which is a *REALLY* annoying tactic of Apple where everything is soldered on)

That's why they don't stick replacement parts in em where they can get away with it.

 

[Alpherah]

Where was it purchased ? Could attempt a consumer law claim

 

[Deleted member 138126]

Where was it purchased ? Could attempt a consumer law claim

Bought from Apple September 2017. I think the consumer stuff is for two years?

 

[momo56]

.

There are companies on eBay that do 'No fix no fee'.

From another thread there is also a place called 'The Computer Room.' I've never used him before but he has a 'Rossman style' youtube channel where he shows his repairs.
https://www.youtube.com/leonattpcs

I'm sure there are more stores like this that have videos of their repairs. Should be able to find a cheaper alternative to the Apple out of warranty repair.

 

[Hades]

I believe Louis Rossman does offer international returns if you ship it to him. But it's probably cheaper to find someone in the UK.

 

[Alpherah]

Bought from Apple September 2017. I think the consumer stuff is for two years?

Yeah it’s 2 years in store (due to the nature of it being “no questions asked”).
You can still escalate through Relations department in Apple Care and potentially legal avenues. Although burden then lies with the customer to prove the fault was present from manufacture

 

[Deleted member 138126]

In the end I didn't get anywhere with this. The Covent Garden store manager (where I took the laptop for diagnostics) rang me and after much haggling offered me a whopping 10% discount on the repair, or 10% off a new laptop (at full retail; I tried to get the discount applied to the online refurb store, no dice). So after 12 years of being a loyal Apple customer, for the first time I have had a really sour experience, and will no longer be recommending them as my recommendation was always based on excellent customer service. Apple is now 100% focused on milking us for every penny, whereas before their focus was on delivering amazing products and amazing customer service, and that customer loyalty would bring the profits (which it did).

Every single person I interacted with at Apple was courteous and tried to be helpful, but every single person clearly had no authority to apply any discretion whatsoever. I brought this up with the store manager, who basically laughed in my face (as in "yeah mate, that is the harsh reality of Apple 2020"). I also brought it up with a couple of Apple Care people I spoke with; one of them has worked for Apple for years, and he ruefully said "yeah, it's no longer the Apple I used to work for".

Apple under Tim Cook is vastly wealthier, but so much poorer.

 

[Deleted member 77746]

"yeah, it's no longer the Apple I used to work for"

If he really did say that - this sounds like staff satisfaction is on a downhill. I have been looking for jobs and I have seen an increase for jobs at apple especially apple genius positions. Because of the way they been going lately with people not been able to get proper support I refused to apply for a job there.

 

[Matthew.M]

What would've been the cost to repair at Apple? Occasionally it's surprisingly reasonable.

 

[Deleted member 138126]

What would've been the cost to repair at Apple? Occasionally it's surprisingly reasonable.

£580 -- for a discontinued 2017 laptop that I paid £1,400 for. Oh, and the best part? 90 day warranty on the replacement!!

 

[Deleted member 138126]

If he really did say that - this sounds like staff satisfaction is on a downhill. I have been looking for jobs and I have seen an increase for jobs at apple especially apple genius positions. Because of the way they been going lately with people not been able to get proper support I refused to apply for a job there.

I'd say working for Apple is a solid job. But sitting in the store waiting for things to happen you get a chance to observe, and it's a hectic, non-stop kind of job. They must end their shifts pretty tired!

 

[Deleted member 77746]

I'd say working for Apple is a solid job. But sitting in the store waiting for things to happen you get a chance to observe, and it's a hectic, non-stop kind of job. They must end their shifts pretty tired!

In that case. Dragons Den - I'm out.

 

[Alpherah]

In the end I didn't get anywhere with this. The Covent Garden store manager (where I took the laptop for diagnostics) rang me and after much haggling offered me a whopping 10% discount on the repair, or 10% off a new laptop (at full retail; I tried to get the discount applied to the online refurb store, no dice). So after 12 years of being a loyal Apple customer, for the first time I have had a really sour experience, and will no longer be recommending them as my recommendation was always based on excellent customer service. Apple is now 100% focused on milking us for every penny, whereas before their focus was on delivering amazing products and amazing customer service, and that customer loyalty would bring the profits (which it did).

Every single person I interacted with at Apple was courteous and tried to be helpful, but every single person clearly had no authority to apply any discretion whatsoever. I brought this up with the store manager, who basically laughed in my face (as in "yeah mate, that is the harsh reality of Apple 2020"). I also brought it up with a couple of Apple Care people I spoke with; one of them has worked for Apple for years, and he ruefully said "yeah, it's no longer the Apple I used to work for".

Apple under Tim Cook is vastly wealthier, but so much poorer.

We used to apply Consumer Law for 5 years, however recently the policy changed to 2 years - with longer lengths forced to go through legal channels.
It’s in line with industry standards now .. which with less discretion means everyone should now get the Same experience - for better or worse

 

[Deleted member 138126]

We used to apply Consumer Law for 5 years, however recently the policy changed to 2 years - with longer lengths forced to go through legal channels.
It’s in line with industry standards now .. which with less discretion means everyone should now get the Same experience - for better or worse

Better for Apple, worse for everyone else.

 

[Maccy]

@rotor where abouts are you based? There's a local Apple authorised repair company I use just north of London near Watford who are brilliant - I remember a few years ago the graphics card on my 2008 iMac went pop and I thought I'd be looking at a £5-600 bill. These guys charged me less than £200 for the replacement, so worth considering.

 

[Deleted member 138126]

@rotor where abouts are you based? There's a local Apple authorised repair company I use just north of London near Watford who are brilliant - I remember a few years ago the graphics card on my 2008 iMac went pop and I thought I'd be looking at a £5-600 bill. These guys charged me less than £200 for the replacement, so worth considering.

Thanks for the tip. Any idea of the name? I’m in south London but can give them a call to ask.