A Tale of Two Laptops

This is a story of two laptops that failed within a few weeks of each other, and the very different experiences that followed, which I'll tell in the form of a timeline.

Me and my Spin 713, blissfully unaware.

February 11, 2022: My Acer Spin 713 (only a Chromebook, but a well-reviewed one) stopped charging. After performing some Google-Fu, it turns out this is super-common for the model (battery not charging is a common fail point on many laptops). I tried some known fixes, but nothing worked. I called Acer tech support. After they walked me through the same steps I'd already taken (not a problem; they need to assume the caller knows nothing, even when they say they know something), they determined the laptop would need repair. Since the laptop is less than 10 months old, the tech proudly informed me it was under warranty. I wasn't to worry, Acer would fix it for free...right after I mailed it to them on my dime. I know this is a common way of doing business, but that doesn't make it not bullshit.

February 15, 2022: I received an email from Acer. They received my laptop. The email provided a link where I could check the status. On the status page, it said (and I'm paraphrasing) Acer strives to return warranty repairs to the customer in 5 to 10 days. It's important I point out for reasons that will be clear below, the message did not say "business days."

February 22, 2022: After some conversation with my daughter, I asked her why she hadn't been using the Macbook Air I gave her when the world started doing everything remotely. She informed me the keyboard was weird, and her Chromebook Duet was meeting her needs. She said if I wanted it back I could have it. I had already decided I would be selling the Acer when I got it back—not only was I irked at paying for warranty repair, but it turns out this battery issue is likely to happen again with this well-reviewed model—so I decided I'd take her up on it.

February 23, 2022: I decided to reset the MacBook for my use. I backed up my daughter's data and started recovery...which failed. I'd spend the next 24 hours attempting to make it all work. Along the way I noticed at least one repeating key and one key that had to be pressed with intent for it to work. This is a 2018 MacBook Air. From 2015 to 2019, these things were panned widely, along with all Mac laptops that year, for their crappy, butterfly keyboard. Oh dear.

February 24, 2022: Having given up on my troubleshooting, I started a chat with Apple tech support. After they walked me through the same steps I'd already taken (is that familiar?), they determined the laptop would need to go to the Genius Bar. My local Apple Store had appointments the next day, but I chose a Saturday appointment for my convenience and to give me time to decide how many hundreds of dollars I'd be willing to pay to make this thing work to my satisfaction.

February 25, 2022: This was 10 days after Acer received my Chromebook. There was no update at the support link. No. News. At. All. It was too late to call tech support, and it was Friday, so I figured I'd try their chat support on Saturday morning.

February 26, 2022: I chatted with Acer tech support. They had no answers. I'd need to call back Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Central Time. That starts at the time I drive my son to school and ends 30 minutes before I'm off work. Ugh.

Later that day, I arrived at my Genius Bar appointment, which was at 4:45 p.m. I was about 12 minutes early. After two different people checked to make sure I was okay, my Genius approached at 4:44 p.m. I explained the issue. I asked him what it typically costs for multiple issues like this, since my MacBook was long out of warranty. 

The Genius told me it was my lucky day. Apple had realized the keyboards on 2018 MacBooks were a bad idea, so they extended warranty service for the keyboard out to 5 years. He told me he could take the laptop and have it shipped, repaired and on Apple's dime. The repair included a whole new deck plate (basically the top surface where you put your hands, the keyboard, and the mousepad) and the battery, all in warranty, all free. They'd just go ahead and take care of my MacOS issue at the same time, also free. Did I want Big Sur like before, or would I prefer the new Monterey?

My Genius then told me I'd have my MacBook back in 3 to 5 business days, and to make sure I came in again to have this done prior to my five year date in 2023, if only for the free, new battery. I walked to my car, flabbergasted. As I approached my car, I'd noted it was 5:01 p.m., 16 minutes after my appointment time.

March 2, 2002: I called Acer from the road on my way home after dropping my son off at school. The tech support person didn't have an update on my laptop. He told me it was 5 to 10 business days, regardless of what the support page said. It was a typo...and this was only the 9th business day. I asked for a supervisor. After waiting on hold for five minutes, the tech came back and explained no supervisor was available, but they'd call me back after getting more info about my laptop.

At about 2:00 p.m., I got an email that my Chromebook was repaired and I'd get another email when it was on its way back to me. I never got that call.

At 4:48 p.m., I got an email from Apple. My laptop was fixed and shipped, and here was the tracking number...I'd have it within 2 business days. I got an email from UPS at 5:17 p.m. to tell me my MacBook would arrive the next day.

Conclusion: I have no doubt I'll get my Acer Spin 713 back...eventually. That said, I'll be pointing folks to this article when they complain about how expensive Apple products are. You're paying for way more than the hardware, though I'm reminded by this story I sold my fully functional 2009 MacBook Pro in 2021—over the 12 years I owned it, I'd upgraded the RAM and HDD, and I'd replaced the battery. 

Wanna buy a well-reviewed Chromebook? I'll let you know when it hits my inventory.