Getting support for my MacBook Pro?

[pixer12]

Hey, everyone.

I'm a college student here until June on an exchange program. My MacBook Pro has started to have some problems, and I need to get it fixed, preferably by an Apple authorized technician. I've found on Apple's website that there are some authorized support shops throughout BsAs, and what I wanted to know is: does anyone here have any experience with this? That is to say, does anyone have suggestions about which shops to go to/what not to do/how much repairs typically cost/etc?

Thanks,
Michael

 

[citygirl]

You can go to a Macstation - I've found them quite helpful. I went to the one by my old apt (Maure and LM Campos) but there are a bunch.

Price depends on what is wrong. Be warned that if it needs parts, they're not easy to find and if you need to buy anything, it's crazy expensive. I had to replace a charger and they wanted 2 or 3x more (dollar to dollar cost) than what it would have been in the US. (I wound up buying it online in the US and a friend brought it down).

I will say, they replaced my laptop casing (the plastic had cracked) for free even though it was well past the warranty period. I had brought it in to check on the battery and they noticed the crack and offered to replace it.

 

[nicoenarg]

Wow, I just checked MacStation's website. I don't know about parts but their price for the 15" Macbook Pro (its the 2.2 GHZ that I was looking at) seems to have gone up by about 4000 pesos from September 2011. (If I remember correctly).

 

[jimdepalermo]

I've used the Apple reseller at Honduras 5225 (Godoy Cruz) for repairs to a Macbook Pro, and they've always been helpful, especially when the computer is under warranty.

And they're honest! Sometime after its warranty expired, the Macbook Pro started shutting down every few minutes. When I took it in for repair, the tech scratched his head and asked if I was going to the USA any time soon. He explained that the most likely cause was a problem with the motherboard, and swapping it here would cost 2 or 3 time the cost of doing it in the US, assuming he could obtain the parts somehow. He was willing to do the diagnostics for a nominal fee, but his preferred suggestion was to take it to the US, which I did. (And it did require a new motherboard.)

 

[Monique]

I had mine repaired by Ricardo and he did a great job. He came recommended by MacDaddy who didn't have time to help me out (both can also be found on this site). Ricardo used to live in Australia and is fluent in English if this helps and I found him to be very reliable and quick. You can reach him at [email protected]. He's in Palermo.

 

[davonz]

Is your laptop under warranty ?

If under warranty try MacStation, however when i was at one if their stores in october they told me it is very hard to get parts now, and even if they can it can take months to get through customs - but since the increased import restrictions in feb i should imagine its gotten worse...

If out of warranty give Ricardo a try at http://www.balaptop.com , he even keeps a stock of parts, so might be able to help..

 

[TomAtAlki]

Whenever we have problems with our Apple stuff we call Josh Johnson (MacDaddy) [email protected]
Nancy

 

[jray]

Go anywhere but to Ricardo as I was recommended from this page to go to him and my mac was not only never fixed but I was overcharged for diagnosis and data transfer. I got my mac fixed when I returned to USA and was told by the technician here that someone with limited mac knowledge had completely demolished the macbookpro which could have been salvaged by a professional repairperson. Look around and you may find better mac techs.

 

[PacoTheFirst]

Irbit is the best option. U can contact 'em online on their web page. Can't check it right now 'cos I'm on the go, but they solved all the iassues I had w my MacBook. Did u buy the Apple Care protection plan? That's also very useful.
Try it out!

 

[pixer12]

Thanks for the tips, everyone. I've contacted a repair shop from home - Tekserve, in NYC - to get a better idea of the severity of the issue before I do anything else. Depending on what I hear, I may use these suggestions. Regards.