> > Start at the main page!! - info about possible lawsuit, yahoo web support group (egroup), and more!! march 2002


WallStreet? More like Skid Row
The PowerBook G3 Series corrective action campaign
by Kenneth Ott & others

Firestoned? 1/8/2001, 3:00pm Update
note: because of the 12/14 update and because this site is getting disorganized, I will restructure asap. Please start at the front page. Thank you.

12/5/2000

Hi. For half a year now, I have been experiencing two annoying problems with my PowerBook G3 Series which I purchased in October 1998. First, the hinges which prop up the display shell became weak, and the plastic base which connects display to main body is chipped. Basically my PowerBook cannot "get it up" with respect to the display. If I try to have the display stay in place at an angle greater than 40 degrees from vertical, the display flops down. I can only assume that something inside is broken. Apple refers to broken hinges as "clutches," reminding me of the phrase "collateral damage."

Second, the AC power port has become loose. Therefore, if I do not have a rubber ball or mini tape recorder or other object pushing up firmly on the AC cable when it is plugged in, my PowerBook drains power from the battery -- clearly suboptimal. This forces me to use my PowerBook on full power (plugged in) only while it is resting on a flat surface. This really grates on me. However, it does not seem to be a widespread issue and is therefore not the main point of this webpage.

Because of these two issues, I have a very expensive "desktop computer." This has happened because of bad design on Apple's part. This hasn't happened to just me, but hundreds of other PowerBook G3 Series users! I know that many PowerBook G3 Series owners have been experiencing the exact same two problems. Our beef with Apple is no different than that of Ford customers with Bridgestone/Firestone. Did these companies use the excuse "wear and tear" successfully in court? No!! Our Apple PowerBooks are facing this failure in as little as 12 to 18 months of moderate to heavy use. I expect a car to last five to ten years, not two. I don't ride my PowerBook, but the point stands. We have grounds for a class-action lawsuit here, as a last resort.

Apple has been refusing to fix PowerBooks with these built-in failures, for free, for everyone. I and many others have called Apple Support and we are told that we must pay $310 to Apple for them to fix this problem. This is wrong and I refuse to pay Apple more money for repairs they should have already offered in the first place! If Apple Computer, Inc. refuses to repair all affected PowerBooks with this problem for free, then I will file a class-action lawsuit. To head off this unnecessary lawsuit, Apple needs to come clean -- honestly admit the problem, not tell us that we have a "wear and tear" abuse problem which is *our* fault for which we must pay over $300 to fix. Further, all PowerBook owners who have already paid $310, $400 or more, should be sent reimbursement checks. No corporation should be allowed to get away with selling lemons!

If you want to be on the list of upset PowerBook G3 Series owners who wish for a responsible solution by Apple, please send me your PowerBook's serial number, your name, and your email address to me at mailto:kenott@uclink.berkeley.edu?subject=PBG3 campaign (You can use this form also; see Updates for details.) Your information will be kept confidential until the time I submit a formal letter to Apple (draft to be posted here soon).

If you don't think I am being serious or that this is not a problem, you should read these posts by people who have the same exact PowerBook G3 Series hinge defect problems. These are saved (cached) webpages so images might not show, but it's the text that matters. If you only read one, make sure to read the first one:
Go2Mac.com article and many responses (backup copy 140k, I edited out all CSS and IMG html tags because go2mac has been down for a day.)
Apple Support Discussions - Wallstreet loose screen - bad hinge/clutch (from 10/1/00)
Apple Support Discussions - Loose "clamshell"/lid/monitor (from 11/20/00)
Apple Support Discussions - Clutch question (from 12/3/00)
Apple Support Discussions - AC Adapter trouble? (from 11/18/00)
AppleCare Stories ($300 A.C. didn't cover hinge defect repair!)

Other affected PowerBook G3 Series owners' pages (with photos of defect-related damage):
http://www.ews.uiuc.edu/~ewwhite/clutch.html
http://homepage.mac.com/pb2go/mac45.html [English]

Message board & forum threads:
12/9, MacNN: Wallstreet defect repair campaign! - responses
12/7, Go2Mac.com: WallStreet - no responses
12/6, Ars Technica: Hardware
12/6, Ars Technica: Battlefront - responses
12/6, AppleInsider: Current Hardware
12/6, MacFixit.com: Portable Macs 2000 - no responses

Other PowerBook G3 model frustrations:
"Pismo" 1999 model, keys press against screen - I am starting to see that our preferences (thin, light, pretty) may be affecting robustness. Or not? Sony and IBM can satisfy, why can't Apple? (linked added 12/7 at 2:20am)

Unrelated:
Apple Buying Back Troubled PowerBooks (8/20/00)
Apple to Swap G4s for Defective "Spartacus" Macs (8/17/00)
PowerBook G3 Series 13.3" display ribbon problem (11/4/00)
My PowerBook's very first fiasco (burning capacitor inside - Feb 1999), which was fixed promptly in Texas. ^^;