Disgruntled MacBook owners organising class action suit
AppleInsider has a story about a group of Mac users who have had enough of their faulty MacBooks, and they're not going to take it anymore. The group has set up a page at ClassAction.com and is looking for support to force Apple into a recall of the company's newest consumer notebook. AppleInsider also points to macbookrandomshutdown.com, a site dedicated to RSS (random shutdown syndrome) that already has over 1,250 reports of afflicted laptops.This shouldn't be much of a surprise. There have been reports of random MacBook shutdowns for months, and Apple even copped to the problem last month, but there's not been much movement since then.
I didn't sign up at either of the petitioning sites, but I could have. I bought my fiancee a MacBook about a month after they were released and within a week it was shutting down at will. We were lucky, though. We made an appointment at Apple's main store in London and after the Genius witnessed two shutdowns in as many minutes, he said he'd give us a brand new MacBook. Things have been OK so far.
Are any of you still suffering with the same problem? How has Apple handled your complaints? Sound off in comments.
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AppleInsider has a story about a group of Mac users who have had enough of their faulty MacBooks, and they're not going to take it anymore....
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I had a Macbook that developed various problems, including discolouration of the handrests, random shutdowns, and a faulty ethernet port, within a week of its purchase.
I took it in to the Apple Centre for testing, and it was replaced the very next morning.
It important to take your Macbook in, or call Apple Care the moment there is a problem, because it is only after a problem has been seen a certain number of times that it becomes 'acknowledged' by Apple and quick turnarounds like 24 hours, or 2-3 days can be expected. Until then it tends to take several weeks for macbook to be fixed/replaced.
I am so happy that I found this site and am reading everyone else's problems with the new macbook. It has been a nightmare for me. I run a laptop program in a school where students had a choice of a Dell or the macbook. The laptops were purchased this summer and there are twice as many Dells as Macbooks. We have had one Dell with a problem and so far 8 macbooks. In addition, the Apple service has been impossible. My tech people have spent hours upon hours talking on the phone when they make you go through all kinds of diagnostics when they know all along the problem. Finally, they send someone out to repair and then they can't repair it. They have agreed to replace two machines so far but after reading everyone else's stories, they should give everyone their money back. I am certain that I will never again recommend macs to anyone.
October 13 2006 at 11:09 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyI just got mine back after four weeks in the shop. It was supposed to take two weeks, but there was such a tremendous backlog for the parts that it took longer. Mine needed a new logicboard and heat sync.
When I took it in, the guy at the shop said that they were like boomerangs, coming in and out of the shop constantly. He said they started refusing to fix some and demanded that Apple replace them when they came in for their third or fourth repair.
Anyway, Apple is now extending warranties for the amount of time the computer was in service. So I now have an extra month on my warranty.
RSS started happening for me on my Macbook at 92 days after purchase. Took it in to an Apple Store here in CA and they had replaced the heat sink, sponge, and top cover/keyboard within 2 hours. I picked it up later that day and (fingers crossed) haven't had any problems since.
When at the store, I commented that I wasn't sure if they'd have to send it out or not and they said they did most repairs in-house. They said not all Apple Stores do, but you can call any store directly and ask.
The odd thing now is where CoreDuoTemp used to read the processors speed as regularly cycling between 1GHz, 1.33, 1.5, 1.83 and 2GHz depending on load -- now, since the first RSS episode, CoreDuoTemp reads their speed at 2GHz most of the time but there's no extra heat going on.
Cheers,
FL
After three months, my MacBook developed the problem. I brought it to the London Regent Street Apple Store and they repaired it in less than 48 hours.
They replaced a heat sink and other components.
I was pleased at the service and turn around of the repair.
I bought my macbook the day it was released and I recommended a friend to get one a month later. My macbook started RSS around august and hers started around september. We both were converters from windose and I felt so guilty recommending the macbook to her.
I had my heatsink replaced and I haven't had problems yet.
We had this happen after abouth a month. Brought it in to Apple and they repaired it. Things have been good since.
October 13 2006 at 12:20 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyLenoard is an idiot
buy a Random Shutdown macbook and you will know how faul u have been.
YES AppleCare is great!
They promise to replace everything, mobo, heatsink, screen, inverter, whatever you want, they replace it...
despite this can take up to 2 months (waiting for parts, my expericne), you NEVER get the problem sort out.
Random Shut Down Live For Ever!
Let's hope Apple went bankcrupt for recalling all the macbooks and Tuaw get closed down for nothing to gossip
yea.!
I bought my MacBook in May and it developed RSS in August. I lived with it for a while, then brought it to the local Genius Bar. They sent it in, and I got it back 8 days later. New heatsink, new top case. No problems with RSS now. The fan seems to stay on after the Macbook has been on for a while, however. My power supply makes a lot of noise. The Genius said that I could bring it in for a replacement if I wanted to.
October 13 2006 at 9:04 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply1) The amount of MacBooks having issues divided by the amount of MacBooks sold equals a very small percentage when you consider that this is a 1st Generation notebook.
2) Anyone who buys any 1st Gen product and expects it to be flawless is an idiot, especially something as complex as a notebook computer.
3) Consumer Reports consistently rates AppleCare as being better than other computer companies.
4) Why the hell is the initialism "RSS: being used for this temporary issue? I think we all know that RSS has a larger more universal menaing. It surely won't usurp HD for harddrive the way high definition did.
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