How Not To Persuade A PC User To Switch To Mac

[major_clanger]

I ordered my iBook on 24th November, and was quoted "7 to 10 days" as it was a configure-to-order item.

In the first week of December, I was told it would actually be in by the 15th.

Last week I was told it would be ready by the 22nd.

I have now just been told that it should be ready by the 29th, although Cancom wouldn't rely on this as their service from Apple has, as they put it, "slowed right down - it's just one of those things." Apparently this also meants that if I cancel my order and try to go through another dealer, I'll just go to the back of the queue and have an even longer wait.

I am not very happy about this. The whole reason I ordered the iBook a month before Xmas was so that I could be sure of getting it in plenty of time to take it home over the holiday and transfer all my work over from my PC and generally get it up and running. I don't want to have to keep hauling my desktop PC between Hampshire and Cambridge every week. The poor thing is on its last legs and really needs replacing, soon. Yes, there are probably suppliers out there with an off-the-shelf 12" iBook, but everyone seems to agree that the baseline spec is too low and there are some options (such as Bluetooth) that you can only get factory-fitted anyway.

So, if I do cancel the order entirely and go for a windows laptop after all, are there any particular recommendations?

MC

Comments

Re: Ahem

[bohemiancoast.livejournal.com]

The Apple Store is clearly completely out of whack at the moment (and your order will use the same underlying stock delivery mechanism that's stuffed). They did apologise to me and other customers for the Panther order they stuffed up the other month -- but it doesn't seem to have got much better.

I'd recommend waiting and bearing it; much better than giving up and moving to a PC (for all that I appear to be addicted to a PC-only puzzle game at present; but *otherwise* I'm still much happier whenever I use a Mac.) We did just buy an iBook, but did so secondhand via eBay. My Powerbook was also bought on eBay, and my iMac was a standard configuration, plus extras, bought from John Lewis. So I've never experienced buying a new Mac directly from Apple, or getting factory-fitted extras (as opposed to fit-it-yourself extras, which I've done every time).

Re: Ahem

[major-clanger.livejournal.com]

I've just come off the phone again, having called on the off-chance that my order came in early. It hasn't, and the chap I spoke to was at least frank enough to admit when prodded that even the 29th was optimistic, and his bet was that it would turn up some time in January. So not only do I not get it for Xmas, I may well not have it in time for my fortnight trip to the USA early next month. And I was again advised that cancelling and re-ordering elsewhere would just mean and even longer delay since, as noted above, all CTO machines come via Apple anyway.

I think what frustrates me more than anything is the air of "this is a bit unfortunate but perfectly normal for Apple" from the dealer. Taking this alongside my friend FM (WINOLJ)'s horror story about trying to get an iBook keyboard replaced under warranty and I am beginning to wonder what I have let myself in for.

MC (Macless Clanger!)