Monday, March 3, 2008

Sad Mac=Enraged Kayla

Flash back to last Tuesday. I call hubby at home and ask him what's up. He tells me that his MacBook (his brand NEW MacBook) has just died. I ask him to kindly repeat what he said and he does- loud and clear. The computer has made a loud noise and subsequently shut down. Hubby is sad. Kayla is pissed- first at hubby. I said "How did this happen hubby??? What have you been doing??" Hubby defends himself and I'm convinced that the computer has died of natural causes.

On to last Thursday. Hubby and I make an appointment with the so-called Apple Geniuses at a local mall. We arrive and many smiling Apple employees jump to help us. I remark, "Hubby, they are so helpful!! What great customer service."

So all is well until we meet with our "Genius". It goes a little like this...

Us: "Hi friendly Genius. Our MacBook that was recently puchased is sad. Please help!"
Genius: "Ok let me take a look." (at this point he removes some screws). "Oh yeah, I see the problem- there is liquid damage to the computer. Not our fault- it's really bad too. Gonna cost you 900 big ones. What do you say?"
Us: "Oh no Genius, that's impossible. This computer has never even been close to liquid."
Genius: "Too bad, so sad. Warranty voided. Take it or leave it."

So we leave...well, I leave. Actually I storm out because I'm pissed and I'm a big baby. Hubby follows. We stress out about the computer for a few days. Very intelligent coworkers, friends, and family members encourage us to go to a different Apple store and talk to a different Apple Moron, I mean Genius. So, we do.

Flash to Saturday. We enter the downtown Apple store just as a man in handcuffs is being escorted out by police. I think he's probably made a scene after being told that his new MacBook has imaginary liquid damage.

We are called the the Genius bar and are met by a nice young man, Dan. I begin to explain to Dan that the computer died, we went to another Apple store, liquid damage blah blah blah, impossibility, please help us...and then I start to cry. Poor Dan!! He looks terrified of me. He says he will look at the sick MacBook.

Dan is gone for a mighty long time. I'm talking thirty minutes or more. When he walks back out, he has the MacBook and it is...ON!!!! He fixed it. What a Genius!

Then Dan tells us the bad news- there WAS liquid damage. Not only that but the inside of the computer smells like vanilla candles. WHAT?? He asks us if we ever spray air freshener around the computer. Why yes, Dan the Genius, we do. Well, my friends, that is enough liquid to literally fry your computer's logic board.

What Dan didn't do was tell us what he did or make us pay any money. My thought- Dan did the $900 repair for free but couldn't tell us so he didn't get in trouble. My other thoughts...Dan you are the MAN! If Dan doesn't have huge blessings coming to him, I'd be shocked.

So, the morals of this story are:
1. Continue to press the issue if you aren't getting the service you want.
2. Sometimes it pays to show how frustrated you are. (i.e. Crying in the Apple store).
3. You can get the help you need if you can find a helpful person.
4. And finally- no matter how much you or your hubby stink, NEVER EVER EVER spray air freshener around a $1200 piece of machinary.

Sad Mac= Enraged Kayla