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Update: I just bought a 17" Apple Powerbook for $978.xx

ColdFusion718

ColdFusion718

Diamond Member
Yeah I know it's not the Macbook Pro (I couldn't get it, continue reading to find out why).

Cliffs are at the bottom. So I bought a VPR Matrix laptop from Best Buy about 3 years ago for $1600 + tax; I also bought the extended warranty for $250. The laptop worked fine for about 2 years then the keyboard started to go out; a key even fell off. So they replaced the keyboard.. cool. A few months ago, before the warranty expired, the hinge started to get really loose and the LCD was buzzing.

I brought it in again and they fixed the hinge issue but I noticed that the LCD bezel had this ugly bulge on it. It turns out that they tightened the screw to make the buzzing go away but they went past the threads and it poked through the panel and into the bezel. I was very unhappy with it because I took great care of the laptop and it still looked brand new.

The geek squad guy couldn't deal with me and kept saying that it's just a minor cosmetic damage; his manager was there also. This is what I said:

"Sir, let's say that you own a BMW; now being the smart consumer you are, you bought the extended warranty which entitles you to repairs and routine maintenance. One day you bring your vehicle in to have something which was making a noise serviced. I fix the part that was making the noise but during the work order, I broke one of your side mirrors. When you came to pick up your vehicle, you complained as well as provided proof that your car was in perfect cosmetic condition before I serviced it. What if I said to you, 'Oh it's just a minor cosmetic damage and attempted to send you on your way? How would you feel?'

He says: Oh you do have a point, ok we will send it back for repairs.

Two weeks go by and I don't hear back from them (they did put an ETA date on my repair receipt). Some guy at their callcenter tells me that the parts are back-ordered. No problem, so I wait 2 more weeks.

I called back again and they said that the parts needed are discontinued and they've decided to give me a new laptop instead.

At this point, my sister tells me that I should get a Mac because I've always been wanting one. They didn't have it in store so I bought it online. I wanted the MacBook Pro but they don't carry it yet.

So I paid for the laptop upfront and then once it arrived, I got a full refund at the store. They took the price of my original laptop, added tax on it and gave it to me as a credit. So I paid ($2499 + tax) - ($1606 + tax) ~ $978.xx. I've always been against those extended warranties but I had a gut feeling that I should get it; it turned out to be a good investment. 😀 I'm new to OS X, do you guys know of a good site for n00bs to use to get better acquainted with it?

Cliff notes:

1). bought laptop from best buy 3 years ago (got extended warranty too)
2). laptop had some issues, Geek Squad repaired some issues, caused damage to LCD bezel/panel
3). replacement LCD panel/bezel discontinued
4). Best Buy offered replacement laptop
5). Got 17" Powerbook for $2400 - price of original laptop + tax = $978
6). Score?

Edit:
7). Price dropped $500 > pricematched for $540 (they added tax to the credit) -- $978 - $540 = $438, score!!!
 
Hehe and get this, the warranty was 1 week from expiration when the laptop's LCD started to buzz like crazy. They did the replacement well past the extended warranty based on the original service date (01/03/06). I didn't get all this taken care of until Monday of this week.

Now, if they drop the price or if someone has a sale, I'd go in and pricematch it for some more money. Hehehe. Fry's had it for $2299 on Monday, but they wouldn't pricematch it because none of the Fry's had it in stock in our area. I'll continue to look, I have 10 days left to find a lower price. 🙂
 
Originally posted by: Wheatmaster
resell, get even more dominate laptop!
Click to expand...

I did think about selling it for $2k, completely unopened. However, after seeing a 15.4" and 17" side-by-side, I've decided to go with the larger/higher resolution screen.

The MacBook Pro is sweet, especially the dual core CPU, integrated iSight, and that MagSafe power connector <---this was one of my favorite things on the new laptop.

I feel good about the one I have though. Hey man don't make me develop buyer's remorse LOL.
 
Update: now the price rings up as $1999 online, so I went back and got another $540.xx credited back to my card.

Total price paid = $978.xx - $540.xx = $438.xx
 
nice!!! 🙂 You'll love the G4 processor.. so much better than jumping ship to the Intel architecture, although it is much faster... the reason why im keeping my G4 is that I love it, the software support is all there and isn't fast for some apps and slow for others (Rosetta), and it just works. I'll wait until the new iBooks or MacBooks come out to see what Apple has up there sleve.
 
Originally posted by: ironcrotch
Good deal man! Holy cow! I've owned 2 powerbooks so far and they're simply one of the best books out there. You made a good choice, espcially with the 17 in it's final revision. :thumbsup: There are a lot of mac based forums out there you can read about. The ones I usually go to are:

www.spymac.com
www.macrumors.com
www.applenn.com
www.macaddict.com

This is also a handy document, showing many of they keyboard shortcuts for OSX
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=75459
Click to expand...

Thanks for the links. I have so much to learn about this new OS. I was never a Mac hater, I just couldn't afford one until now haha. I am sooooo glad I bought the extended warranty the first time. Hmm I may consider getting it for this one as well.
 
People always complain about buying extended warranties, but now and then you make out like a bandit. I can't even remember how many times in the 4 years I worked at RS that we did similar stuff for people, giving them brand new computers or TVs close to the end of their warranty period. In every case they bought a new warranty on the replacement item.
 
(Not thread crapping) But he's still out the original $1600 he paid. Still a very good deal with the pricematch, but it's no MBP. 🙂
 
Originally posted by: manly
(Not thread crapping) But he's still out the original $1600 he paid. Still a very good deal with the pricematch, but it's no MBP. 🙂
Click to expand...

I already explained why I couldn't get the MBP. So how is it that I am out $1600? I bought the extended warranty for $250 and then my laptop broke so they gave me a credit for that amount. It's kind of like a car when you total it--your insurance company cuts you a check for its value. The amount you lose is the deductible. We're talking about opportunity cost here, so yeah of course the real real total won't be $438 for the laptop. That $1600 is gone regardless because I bought the laptop. It's the fact that the extended warranty allowed me to use that as a credit against the purchase of a new laptop. I try to think of it as just spending $438 because when you buy something, you no longer hold the amount you spent as buying power so you can't keep counting against it. Hey don't rain on my parade, Best Buy put me through hell during the repairs 😀

 
So you got a Mac, and a PowerPC one at that? I will make sure you say a prayer for you tonight before I goto sleep.
 
Originally posted by: ColdFusion718
Originally posted by: manly
(Not thread crapping) But he's still out the original $1600 he paid. Still a very good deal with the pricematch, but it's no MBP. 🙂
Click to expand...

I already explained why I couldn't get the MBP. So how is it that I am out $1600? I bought the extended warranty for $250 and then my laptop broke so they gave me a credit for that amount. It's kind of like a car when you total it--your insurance company cuts you a check for its value. The amount you lose is the deductible. We're talking about opportunity cost here, so yeah of course the real real total won't be $438 for the laptop. That $1600 is gone regardless because I bought the laptop. It's the fact that the extended warranty allowed me to use that as a credit against the purchase of a new laptop. I try to think of it as just spending $438 because when you buy something, you no longer hold the amount you spent as buying power so you can't keep counting against it. Hey don't rain on my parade, Best Buy put me through hell during the repairs 😀
Click to expand...

Your original laptop is gone however, so you have to factor in $1600 - Price Depreciation.
 
Very nice. I have mixed feelings about the extended warranties, but it looks like it worked out for you in this case. You'll adjust to OS X pretty quickly an OS is an OS is an OS. Don't forget to use the dashboard! 🙂
 
Originally posted by: randumb
Your original laptop is gone however, so you have to factor in $1600 - Price Depreciation.
Click to expand...

It's a used computer. It was worth at best $300-400.
 
Originally posted by: randumb
Originally posted by: ColdFusion718
Originally posted by: manly
(Not thread crapping) But he's still out the original $1600 he paid. Still a very good deal with the pricematch, but it's no MBP. 🙂
Click to expand...

I already explained why I couldn't get the MBP. So how is it that I am out $1600? I bought the extended warranty for $250 and then my laptop broke so they gave me a credit for that amount. It's kind of like a car when you total it--your insurance company cuts you a check for its value. The amount you lose is the deductible. We're talking about opportunity cost here, so yeah of course the real real total won't be $438 for the laptop. That $1600 is gone regardless because I bought the laptop. It's the fact that the extended warranty allowed me to use that as a credit against the purchase of a new laptop. I try to think of it as just spending $438 because when you buy something, you no longer hold the amount you spent as buying power so you can't keep counting against it. Hey don't rain on my parade, Best Buy put me through hell during the repairs 😀
Click to expand...

Your original laptop is gone however, so you have to factor in $1600 - Price Depreciation.
Click to expand...

i bolded the important part.

oh, and i'm a full advocate for warranties on laptops for this reason. And the longest warranty on dell machines when you're buying 95 of them for a department 🙂
 
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