AppleCare is AwesomeCare

As I'm sure I've mentioned somewhere before, my iMac's been having issues since the last time I brought it in to get it "fixed". The screen's got an array of dead pixels, the camera barely works, the microphone never works, the wireless doesn't work, and so on. Since my warranty was running up on the 17th (of July, 2009), I decided to bring the iMac to a proper Apple Store (and not some "authorized" service provider that doesn't know anything about Macs, like the one here in town) to have a Genius look at it and hopefully fix it.

When I brought it in and described the many, many issues to the Genius, he immediately placed an order for repair/replacement parts to fix the iMac, but also told me that if I called AppleCare I may be eligible for a replacement, given that there's so many things wrong with it. Lo and behold, a few hours later I was on the phone with a "specialist" (probably just slightly more qualified to fix Macs) who said I could get a replacement.

But that's not all, folks! A short while later I got a call back from the specialist saying that because I had customized my machine when I ordered it (more RAM, more Video RAM) that Apple would compensate me for it by bumping up my replacement from the stock 20" iMac to the lower-end 24" iMac, with a faster processor, twice the RAM, twice the storage, etc etc. For free. And it qualifies as a new machine, so I can get another 3 years of AppleCare for $200. Oh, and because I forgot my wireless keyboard, mouse, and Apple Remote in the box when I brought in my iMac they'll send me new ones of those, too.

Nothing short of amazing.

I've had 2 other computer breakdowns in the past.

The first breakdown was my first laptop, a Compaq from Future Shop, when the hard drive failed. Rather than try to get a replacement drive, they decided they'd just give me a replacement machine. When I got my laptop, though, it was the last of its model, so I'd have to pick a newer machine. But being jackasses, they decided to go by specs instead of by value, so the machine I got as a replacement was worth about $500 less.

The second breakdown was that replacement laptop, another Compaq, breaking off small pieces and acting strangely. It was near the end of the warranty, which was a bit scary, but I managed to bring it back in while it was still covered. Then I got it back more broken than when I brought it in. When I tried to get them to fix the problems they told me it wasn't under warranty anymore (even though they broke it) and that it would cost about $500 to fix (more than the laptop was even worth). I said "fuck that" and got myself a Mac, which was the best computer-related decision I ever made.

Now all I have to do is wait for the Mac to ship, and I'll have a brand new machine with a fresh warranty. Thanks, Apple.