Apple Gave me a Free 16-Inch MacBook Pro: Here’s Why…
Oh, Apple. How I like your products. But if it wasn’t for your beautiful laptops and seamless ecosystem, who knows where I’d be…
My First MacBook Pro
I just moved to San Diego from Los Angeles to study at UC San Diego, and I was on the market for a laptop. Journalism was my future (not anymore).
The launch of the MacBook Pro 15-inch with Touch Bar in 2016 caught my attention. As Apple’s keynote started, I kept refreshing the website.
Once it finished, I punched my credit card info in and snagged a computer. Everything about it was amazing. My experience has been great and worth every penny.
Genius Bar Replaces Battery over 1,000 Cycles
Let’s fast forward to November 2019. My battery cycle was over 1,000 and my Apple Care+ was about to expire. So why not replace it with a fresh set of batteries?
I booked an appointment with the Genius Bar and shipped out my device. It came back within 2 days. It was really quick. Everything seemed normal at first glance.
But this is when all the problems started. Before I sent my machine out, it was flawless. Not to toot Apple’s horn but it was stellar. Both the software and hardware.
What frustrated me is once I got my machine it came with a load of issues.
A Laptop With More Issues than Me
The screen would go black for a couple of seconds. The touch bar was freezing more than usual, and the volume wasn’t adjusting, to name a few issues. It was frustrating.
So, I booked an appointment with the same Genius bar. I showed them videos and pictures, but the only thing I could do was factory reset the machine and see what happens.
Spoiler, it didn’t solve my problem.
No Real Solution
A week or two later and issues kept popping up. Instead of driving to the Apple store, I spoke with a senior advisor over the phone. I told them about the issues with the computer after the battery was swapped.
But I was told to “reset the NVRAM” or “factory reset the machine.” There was no other resolution. By this point, my warranty expired. And if I’m honest, I couldn’t keep wasting time.
The machine was still working with a faulty display and random quirks. It bothered me but I was getting work done.
That’s until this past July. When the screen shut down. Yup, my $2,600+ machine’s screen died. Dun-dun-dunnnn!!
Busted an All-Nighter Over the Phone With Apple Support
The shipping alone is $400, not to mention the screen is $700-$800. I mean, with everything going on, I might as well just buy a desktop. But I tried my luck and called Apple.
I stayed up all night talking with a senior advisor. Sending them transcripts with details about the issues I was having since November 2019.
As a one time fixer-upper, the repair was free. Awesome! I sent my workhorse off and had it back within three days. Amazing! Everything seemed fine. What could go wrong…?
Cracked Touch ID Sensor?
As I was whipping down my machine, I noticed a crack on the Touch ID sensor. Uh-oh. That wasn’t there before. Plus, the screen was still funky.
So I shipped it out again. And it took a little longer than expected.
They told me they couldn’t find the issue I mentioned. So the technicians popped in a new logic board and screen. Maybe that’s all that was necessary.
…Wait a Minute!!
My laptop finally arrived, again. I opened the box and closely inspected it. Any dents? nope. Touch ID cracked? nope. Cool!
So I updated the software to the latest macOS and boom. It was like a brand new machine. I was happy. My laptop was working. Whoop whoop!!
That’s until I dimmed the lights in my room. There was light bleeding all over the place. It didn’t make sense. Why was there light shining in-between the hinge and keyboard?
And why was light shinning near the edges where the rubber meets the aluminum top?
Oh, and take a look at this:
What’s my next move, Apple?
First thing I did after this was getting in contact with a senior advisor. I couldn’t keep going back and forth. I wasn’t working. Projects were falling behind. My team was taking on my tasks’.
The senior advisor said they would ship my machine out for repair. If it came back damaged I’d get a new one. No questions asked. That meant another week without working. I couldn’t do that.
Free MacBook Pro 16-Inch
So he put a claim to swap the 15-inch unit with the most recent 16-inch MacBook Pro. I sent all the transcripts dating from November 2019, including pictures and anything I could find in my email to help my case.
He said it would take some time to get approval from the higher-ups, but to my surprise, I was approved the following day.
They put a hold on my credit card of $2,626 with some change. And that was that. I walked away with a brand new machine.
I couldn’t complain. It’s a sweet upgrade. Apple made me a happy customer. Not only does the 2019 16-inch MacBook Pro have a bigger display, but also a better keyboard, speakers, and cooling system to name a few upgrades.
I’m writing about my experience with the hope that others going through the same incident find this helpful. Even after your Apple Care+ expires, all hope isn’t lost. Just have patience.
There’s always room for improvement. I’m not taking a jab at Apple because they did me a solid one. Instead, I want this to outline how the company can improve its support to save both the company, customer time, and money.
TIP: if you’re on the phone with a senior advisor who isn’t helpful, hang up and connect with another. I learned through trial and error. If I knew this, it would have saved me time. Headaches. Frustration. Like anywhere you go, there’s good and bad apples. Find the good ones.
