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Apple Denying Support to Smokers

Cory Bohon — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 20:58:50 -0600

Apple is snuffing out smokers and their computers when it comes to repairs.

According to the Consumerist, Apple has denied computer repair to at least two known Mac users after they took in their computers for repair. The reason? They're smokers and according to the Apple repair technicians, the problems may have been a result of second-hand smoke.

Both users took their complaints to the office of Steve Jobs where they explained the reason why they were denied service. Apple said that OSHA lists nicotine on a list of hazardous substances and Apple cannot require an employee to work on a device that has been intoxicated.

One of the affected users sent an email to the Consumerist detailing their response from Dena at Steve Jobs' office: "Dena set up an appointment at the same Apple store. They told me that they would take pictures of the computer - both inside and out before determining whether to proceed and that if the only problem was the optical drive, they'd probably just replace it. Dena called me earlier this week to deliver the 'bad news.' She said that the computer is beyond economical repair due to tar from cigarette smoke!"

If this is, in fact, Apple's new policy and you are a smoker, then you might want to reconsider getting an AppleCare warranty. Both of the affected users couldn't find any reference to the smoking problem in the AppleCare terms. If this is the case, then Apple needs to make this point clear before charging consumers for an extended warranty that might be voided in a situation like this.

via Gizmodo

Apple Tech Support Tops Charts

Arvind Srinivasan — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 13:20:30 -0500

Computer manufacturers can be notoriously bad when it comes to customer service. Almost as bad as certain not-to-be-named ISPs that reset the phone line while you are talking to their representatives on said phone line.

Laptop Magazine did a field test of several tech support systems from various computer manufacturers (we don’t envy them), and after much deliberation, decided that Apple’s was the best. One of the major reasons was that Apple’s website isn’t a trainwreck, and actually offers useful information for most problems. However, we wonder if this test was actually fair. First, the test asked questions about power settings and external monitors. If you have ever used a PC, you know Windows handles these much worse than OS X, and thus, it would be harder for the customer support rep to actually explain how to do it. The answers from the Apple reps went something like “It does it automatically.” Second, they waited 5 minutes when calling Apple and 4 minutes when calling Fujitsu, yet gave Apple an A for phone support, and Fujitsu an A-. Maybe they really like the static-y yet trendy Coldplay-esque music that Apple support has an affinity for.

How have your experiences been with Apple tech support? Let us know in the comments.

Apple Addresses 3GS Overheating Problem

Arvind Srinivasan — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:24:04 -0500

After reports of the 3GS overheating, Apple has published a support document that details the circumstances that might lead to overheating, and what to do if it happens to you. Some of it hinges on the obvious, like leaving the phone in the car on a hot day (what’s it going to do, get colder?), but other parts confirm what other users were complaining about, like using GPS or 3G in hotter temperatures.

Apple Service Extended for NVIDIA Powered MacBook Pros

Arvind Srinivasan — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 16:23:57 -0500

Since the switch from ATI to NVIDIA GPUs in the MacBook line, Apple has had an uncharacteristic number of support issues, ranging from overheating to failing displays. The last major problem was acknowledged in October 2008, when NVIDIA put out a seemingly large number of faulty chips, and had to spend $200 million to appease the quality police. In fact, my last MacBook Pro fell victim to the problem, and the logic board failed twice, and Apple had to replace it with one of the new unibody models (yay). Unfortunately, the problem, which was attributed to the 8600M GT processor, has resurfaced, and there are no new laptops that you can coerce AppleCare into giving you. Apple has issued a statement extending the service period for the NVIDIA defect for another year. If you encounter distorted or scrambled video, no video at all, or uncharacteristic blemishes on your MacBook, you should take it in to the Apple Store.

The specific models that are affected are:

MacBook Pro 15-inch and 17-inch models with NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics processors
- MacBook Pro (17-Inch, 2.4GHz)
- MacBook Pro (15-Inch, 2.4/2.2GHz)
- MacBook Pro (Early 2008)

This is a major PR blow to Apple, who generally advertise the product line’s immunity to such problems. Lucky for them, the same faulty chips have affected several other computers made by Dell and HP, and the three companies have filed several individual lawsuits to recover some of the money spent on service. Kudos to Apple for at least addressing the issue instead of shirking responsibility.

The complete support document can be found here.