Little Things 224 : New Machine

I've been using my MacbookPro-15inch since 2010, my final year in Uniten. The first 3 years was the honeymoon years - no problems, all perfect and nice. Like any digital devices after the fourth year of usage, it started having problems, I sent it to the Apple's service centre in KL to get it fixed. Again after a year forward, it started shutting down again for no reason on random times whenever it feels like it. I didn't do anything, I just kept patient and just use it. Even for the hundreds of force-restarts and saving files over and over again, just to complete an illustration. 

It's the 6th year, I freelanced half of the year using Af's iMac because I can no longer have a decent working time using my MBP without the auto-shutdowns. I know the problem was big, so I didn't want to spend my money on sending it to the service centre for a diagnostic until I really got extra money.

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Long story about my old MacbookPro : 

I got a 'big' international client for my freelance and I finally got the extra money. I sent my MBP to iMalaysian to get it checked. 3 days later, they asked me to come : they said the problem is the battery - to replace it with a new genuine battery will cost Rm 550 including the service + diagnostic fee. I mentioned my concern to them saying that it can't be just a battery problem, knowing that the laptop always shuts-down on random usage even while it is connected to the power supply or not. I know it must be bigger than just a battery. But they reassured me saying that they are sure it is just a battery problem. So I paid and waited for several more days for them to install a new battery.

I brought it back home.

On the first hour, I just surfed the net and again it happened. It automatically blacked out and I just had to force shut-down the laptop. I complained to them right-away - saying that it was still happening and I knew it was not a 'battery-problem'. They asked me to send it in back, I did. And I never heard back, for 2 weeks with 2 complains to their case system and finally to their Facebook, just to get their attention on the matter. They replied right-after saying on the 2nd diagnostic, they realized that the problem was a Logic Board issue (GPU) - to repair it, will cost another RM 1,800 with a 90 days warranty. 

I was outraged ! 

1. I told them it was not a 'battery-issue' like they reassured me, so to change the battery was irrelevant because I knew it wasn't the problem. But they insisted, they were wrong, and I already spent RM 550 but it didn't solve the problem.

2. They should update me in 3 days, but after 10 days, they didn't say anything. I asked twice on the case, and I even had to personally asked them through Facebook. Just to make them reply me. It took them 14 days to reply to the case.

So I told them that I don't want to spend RM 550 and RM 1,800 for a problem that they can't be sure they can solve. And I want my money back, and return the new unused battery =.= After a few more silent days, someone called me in, saying that after a long discussion with their supervisor, they decided to return my money back. They will inform me when my laptop is ready and they will send the money back to my account in 2 weeks. 

2 weeks passed, no one called me, no one replied to my case, I just had to inform them that I'm going to take it and just please be ready. I came in, and the same guy that took in my laptop asked for the old battery - that I didn't bring along. So I had to come back again later. 

Note :

This case happened since July 17. I finally took my MBP back yesterday, and he changed the battery to the old previous one that still works. He asked whether the management returned my money back - which they still haven't, even though this happened since in July. Malas nak layan all the drama, so I took my laptop and said thank you.

Update :
I finally received my full money back (3 weeks later after the date they promised) - that's because I filed another complain and asked them to contact the management to see the update of the case. This one took 5 weeks. 

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On the new device :

After learning about my laptop, I decided to buy a new machine. I guess it's time to upgrade, seeing that I'm now permanently working and I do take freelance once in a while. For the past 6 months we've been taking turn to use Af's iMac and I'm grateful for it because he's been so understanding T^T It was really hard, sometimes we both got freelance works to do, so he will use it until late at night and I will use it really early in the morning, both before we went out to work. 

I guess I already knew I wanted another MacBookPro, but it costs extra money than the one I bought 6 years back. The one I used was a MacBookPro 2014 - 15 inch, almost around RM7k. These days 15inch retina display costs around RM 8-10k. Which is super expensive ! I can't spend that much money seeing that I need to do kitchen renovation for my apartment and might need to use more money in near future. T^T

So after borrowing RM 5k from my mom - with a promise to pay RM 1k every month, I bought a Macbook Pro, retina display, 13-inch with basic specs. It costed RM 5,499.  

Now I'm using a new machine, much smaller and lighter than the one I've been using for the past 6 years. With a decent machine, complete with licensed softwares that I bought from Adobe CC and my own wacom tablet, I can now go anywhere in the world to work on my freelance stuffs - as I planned early in 2016. 

But I don't know what happened, along the way I accepted a permanent job offer at Cyberjaya and resigned from my permanent freelance works + I didn't accept any clientele works. So for the time-being; I'm resting a bit, updating my blog, watching a lot of series in iFlix, going out running, reading up books, gaining my energy again. The exhaustion paid off, this is my honeymoon phase once again. I should enjoy the ride and relax for awhile.