Good news:

AppleCare for my PowerBook covered a brand new kb, logic board (motherboard), even a screen.  It took a few days to get my system back and the people at Walt Whitman’s Apple Store, particularly Natalie (SP?) a genuis there were helpful.

Bad news:

They didn’t repair the pot marks that the heat is doing the machine, and Tiger is still making my computer run hot which is the original problem.  My PBG4 12” rev. A is hotter than the sun and Apple doesn’t seem to know what to do about it, or they’re ignoring the problem.

Also:

Canceling .Mac I think even for the $69 offer I took up, it’s too expensive for stuff I can get free.  I’m going to keep using Backup, which I liked, but only because CarbonCopyCloner was so buggy and unreliable.  I did like the address book feature online but I can just use the iPod for that.

Now to get my data off the system, and get through Customer Support.  Would you believe Apple doesn’t have a phone # dedicated to .Mac customers?  I called 1800-MY-APPLE and Anita, an operator, was totally unhelpful.  She had nowhere to direct me.  If you are paying for something with a credit card, where’s the service?  This is very frustrating and I’ve been on hold with customer service for 10 minutes.  Way to treat a customer whose spent over $5000 with Apple and is not even 21 yet.

Stay tuned for updates as these problems get fixed.

3:38 - Still on hold - 17 minutes and counting

Updated to a legal copy of Tiger which I bought for $69 from Edu store.  I entered phony info and fake info into the registration page.  Then it asked me about .Mac lol!

3:40 - No more country music...for god’s sake use something modern and interesting.  You have 2 million songs in the iTunes store.  How lame.  Let me choose the genre and then let me buy it if i like what i hear.  This reminds of me of my 2 hour wait at the genius bar.  I’m going to also try “low energy” settings for my computer because it can’t work normal on regular setttings.  Wonderful!

3:44 Which will come first - Linux or the Apple rep on the phone?  I am downloading it with 17 minutes to go.  I’m willing to pay $100 a year if I get real support from teh vendor.

3:48 Help me Rhonda, help help me Rhonda..."Do you mind if I put you on hold?” “Of course I mind...but do it anyway”

Let’s see if I can get my Address Book contacts, which weren’t backed up, off the computer before my .Mac goes away.

3:56 Rhonda = no help.  I had to cancel on the web.  Have to wait 24 hours for that to happen.  I except to get my $69 back.

Next step = troubleshoot faulty fan on computer.  Meanwhile, I’ll buy a new computer or something.

4:01 Jay from Technical Support re: fan.  “We don’t call them laptops any more...” WTF?  It’s a portable computer and you know it’s too hot to be usable.

4:33 No more bullshit.  I am not using this PowerBook again.  They can either give me a refund or whatever but I am not bothering with it.  If I do not hear from Apple or Steve Jobs about my tech support problem by Friday, I will be accepting offers to either buy or destroy this machine.  It’s a PowerBook 12” 867 and it is unacceptably bad.

P.S. I probably will never buy an iTunes song again and my .Mac address will be gone ASAP. 

LOL.  Even if I don’t hear from the iCEO, I’m excited about running Linux and Hymn-ing my music.

Oy!  And I will buy future music in 100% lossless formats so I can use my new B&O high-quality phones.  Scratch that---B&O packages their A8’s with leather cases.  No leather for me.