As some of you may know, I have a G3 900MHz 12" iBook I got in August 2003.

Some of you also know that it went fine for about 8 months. Then the logic board failed.

Here was the first "documented" instance:
http://forums.appletalk.com.au/index.php?a...pe=post&id=9342

After it was replaced and returned to me, the battery was not charging properly. So back it went. Turned out that the "new" logicboard was not working properly. So it too was replaced.

A few weeks later, the battery was not working at all. So it was taken back yet again. The battery was replaced. Although the running times improved dramatically, the charge times did not..8 hours to charge. sometimes more. But atleast it was lasting the normal 4-5 hours I was use to.

So, it was taken back because 8 hour charges are not very convenient.

Logic board was faulty..surpise...surprise...

It was replaced.....until a week later I rang up Apple to see what the story was...and this is what I got:

"The replacement we ordered in was also faulty, the Ethernet port didn't work when I tried to restore the backup of your drive. A new one has been ordered and should be in the store in a day or two."

So, I get the iBook back on Thursday evening. It worked fine.

Friday, it worked fine.

Saturday night. The worst (but most spectacular) of system faults to occur. The fan was blowing a gale. and this is what it was like: WARNING: MOVIE FILE IS +7MB

http://home.swiftdsl.com.au/~bikies/R0012381.AVI


After you have finished viewing that, this is what happened next:

http://home.swiftdsl.com.au/~bikies/Restart%20Error.jpg

Then.....even worse.

http://home.swiftdsl.com.au/~bikies/Major%...nel%20Panic.jpg


So, back to Apple repairer we go. But this time, its going to end on a happy note, because It has been arranged that the iBook will be replaced with a brand spanking new G4. Hopefully with the same specs or higher (closest to it) I will not settle for lower specced machine, in any of the areas. Airport, HDD, RAM, etc.

I have been putting up with a year of this shit. Hang on, you ask, "A year? But its only been happening since a few months back."

Yes, this is true, but what I failed to mention at the start was, that this iBook I have currently. is actually a replacement for a DOA iBook I got in August 2003.

It could be a one off, or just me being unlucky. Either way, its effecting me directly and Apple will get some form of a serving if they fail to accomidate me. And if they don't, well. I have two more years of Apple Care left. and I am not affraid to use it.....and use it, and use it, and use it.

I would suspect that the repair bills so far would have exceeded the price of a 15" PB. Maybe not in parts, but surely in Labour.

This post will continue, with the current situations and verdict. Stay tuned.

pipsqeek

man...feel sorry for ya

after what you have gone through you should really insist on a replacement from apple - nothing less!

let us know how you go mate

I've almost had the same level of problems with my 40GB iPod purchased at the start of the year, and I thought the other day, I'm not taking this, wrote a letter to the managing director or Apple Australia and sent it off Thrusday!

I find if you're going to scream, at least scream at someone at the top, and not someone on the phone giving you the "company line"...

I'd write to Apple also pip, tell them about all the fuck ups you've had with your iBook and that you demand some reimbursement for your inconvienence.
If Apple Australia don't listen, send a few letters to HQ in California, they might be more sympathetic.

Don't worry.

I have the Shop Manager, The techie who worked on it and the sales guy behind me.

I have commenced the writing of THE LETTER. I was also in the Apple shop this morning getting a complete print out of the history of my iBook. From the DOA to the most current issues.

There's about 10 pages. Which will be attached to the Appendix of the letter I am writting.

Once the letter is ready to be sent to Lemon..Sorry Apple. I will go to the shop, get the shops staff to all sign the thing and fax it from the shop.

The letter is going to include the link to this thread, as well as the individual links to each pic/movie that has been created proving the issues.

This thread will be have news updates on a daily basis....unless there is no news. Don't want to clog up the forum with shit.

pipsqeek

that's really unfortunate

hope it all goes OK.. makes me scared buying 2nd hand hardware.. doesn't have those sorts of warranties!!

i can safeley say that next time i buy an apple product i will get applecare warranty on it, my g4 has cost me jsut under a grand to get repaired and now it gets those errors you mentioned at the start!


Oh, gay!

Good luck with the letter Pip.
I hope Apple understands you and makes sure you are satisfactorily taken care of.

Hi Pipsqueek,

I can appreciate your frustration with your iBook - I've had almost the same experience: I bought an 800MHz iBook last September, then went to England 2 weeks later for 6 mths, where the iBook was to be my main work machine.

Failure #1: November: Logic Board replaced. (However, Apple UK are definitely worse at customer service than Apple Australia. I had to drive 90 min to drop off the iBook in Oxford, having never driven there before, then do the same to pick it up *3* weeks later! Speaking Engrish to someone multiple times in an Indian callcentre to set this all up was a frustrating nightmare. Multiple calls, waiting up to one hour on hold before connection. Apple UK apparently had the option to install an option to tell you how long your call would take to be answered, but declined as they believed that they would have people hanging up on them! The international warranty took a week to sort out - the national databases aren't linked, apparently).

Failure # 2: late December: Logic Board replaced: Had to wait until the 2nd week of January for replacement. PIA.

Failure #3: mid-February: Logic board replaced: as I was going home at the start of March, I couldn't wait for Apple UK to go through the motions again. Put the unit in for service in Melbourne, and was fixed within a week.

The only good news to come from this is that the machine has been working fine since this last logic board replacement. However, like you, I'll be pushing for a full machine replacement if it fails again. I've got over 2 yrs remaining on the warranty also.

The whole experience has certainly soured me on Macs.


AB

The good thing is that you are getting a free upgrade :-)

Sillydog, Well. I hope so anyway.


ARB:
Sounds like you might have the same batch of machine I do.

I'd push for a new mahine too. I understand that not all hardware is perfect, but this is getting unacceptable. The joke isn't funny anymore, and the Apple shop have noticed that the smile on my face everytime I have come in has started to dissapear.

pipsqeek

Well from my brother as he has a 900 mhz g3 ibook he also has had 2 problems but they said in the apple service here that if there were anymore problems they would replace the whole ibook becuase it has has 2 logic boards replaced and a dead battery some monitor problems so i don't know but I think on the third time you should get a brand new one for me, I havent had any problems until the imac problem and the imac is 4 years old so not much I can do...

-varsis

This you will not believe.

I dropped off the iBook yesturday at the Apple Centre I frequent. All the while Apple Aust. looking at their options. The ones I gave them.

Meanwhile, the techie prepares the iBook for another LB. GUESS WHAT?

I get a phone call. From the sales guy then I spoke to the techie.

Sales: Steve, I just spoke to Apple, they have taken a serious consideration of your case and are contemplating replacing your machine with one of equal value. In this case, tha would be the 12" PB. This is not 100% yet, but its just an update from me to keep you posted. Here is Pete.

Pete: (The techie) Steve, I opened your machine up again, to prepare for the worst, another LB. And I noticed that there is no built-in RAM that is usually on board. So this time around the panics and all that were caused by the actual RAM you have (512MB) fitted. The lack of on-board RAM was causing the machine to crumble. This is a serious fault that I am sorry I didn't notice when I was fitting it to your machine. I am so sorry about this.

Me: You should'nt have to appologise for what you didn't do...and this story you just told me is going up on my forum right now. Keep me posted and tell Robert (sales) to keep me posted too. thanks guys.



So, it appears that Apple have really fucked up again, for what could probably be a perfect Logic Board, the fact that there is no RAM on it and the machine was using only the chip I had installed in there, could be causing the crap, and to top it off, Apple just ripped me off by 128 MB of RAM.


pipsqeek

NEWS UPDATE!!!


Get this....


Apple Aust calls me just now...here's what their Customer Relations manager tells me.

"Steve, under our records which have been purged from the Apple Centre you have been dealing with, shows that you have in fact only had two logic board replacments and a battery replacement. There is nothing I can do at this stage but to replace the logic board again. This solution is final and there will be no flexibity in this decision. If and when the replacement logic board decides to become faulty, we will take further action in issueing you with a replacement machine."


Me:
Angie, My records show that there have in fact been 4 logic boards replaced as well as the Battery, as well as the DOA iBook to begin with. I have the written reciepts here in front of me. The rest you will hear from my Solicitors as I will in fact call him straight after this conversations is over as well a contact the Dept of Fair Trading and the ACCC in regards to the amount of absolute rubbish that is being dished out to me. Thank you for YOUR time and have a lovely afternoon.

Pending legal action...


pipsqeek