GIGANTIC praise for the genius bar

[hal]

One of my favorite ebay customers (has bought 3 computers from me over the years) contacted me in a panic. She is the official video person for a world wide known spiritual leader. She was running her laptop HARD doing HD video and was getting all kinds of problems. I suggest that she send it to me... but she is in Barcelona and has LOTS of work that needs to be done NOW. No backup computer (that can handle the work).

Sounds like a over heating problem - probably bad fans. This is a 2008 model that she bought a couple of years ago. She does a LOT of work in places that aren't exactly clean rooms (like rural India). I find that there is an Apple Store in Barcelona and send her directions.

It's complicated, but she gets a ride and an interpreter and heads into town.

She arrived without an appt, but there was a no show and she got in fairly quickly. Her genius is a former NYC resident and speaks eng well. Says that he can have it done in a few days... she says that she only has a few hours (heading to France the next day).

They managed to give her a rush job and all is well. Five hours including two hours of drive time from departure to return back to base.

Here's the kicker: total for the work, 88 euros ($112 acc to Siri)

That's two fans and labor for a 2008 15" MBP.

EXCEPTIONAL!! My customer is thrilled!

[onthedownlow]

Being the official video person for this world-wide known 'leader', I would have for sure thought they would have ponied up the funds to always maintain something more current than a 2008 MBP. Granted, this may be a personal laptop and there is much to be said with using one's own tools, but surely they could purchase dedicated/'company' equipment for this, too.

IMO

Good save though for her.

[GGD]

onthedownlow wrote:
Being the official video person for this world-wide known 'leader', I would have for sure thought they would have ponied up the funds to always maintain something more current than a 2008 MBP.

I too would have expected the Vatican to have the funds.

[hal]

You'd think that would be the case... but EVERYONE in the operation is a volunteer and that includes the equipment they use. That's the way it works. ALL money collected by the charity goes to the poor. She mentioned to me in the past that if she was unable to continue to donate her time or service, someone else would step up.

A friend of mine is also a follower and has donated a lot of her time for working with the poorest of people in the most unimaginably poor places.

We were working on replacing this machine in the very near term when she gets back to the states.

[hal]

GGD wrote:
[quote=onthedownlow]
Being the official video person for this world-wide known 'leader', I would have for sure thought they would have ponied up the funds to always maintain something more current than a 2008 MBP.

I too would have expected the Vatican to have the funds.
this is an Indian (Asia) operation... spiritual leader does not live in a palace... more like a slum actually...

[Article Accelerator]

Deepak Chopra?

(Great to hear yet another good Apple support story, hal.)

[N-OS X-tasy!]

I had a friend who, a couple of years ago, worked in a very similar capacity for a very similar individual. She loved it.

It sounds like a recommendation for your friend to move to a MacBook Air might be in order - fewer moving parts to kermuffle.

[hal]

yeah, that would be nice, but she needs FW for video cam input and no less than 500gb drive...

[N-OS X-tasy!]

A FW-to-ThunderBolt adapter would solve her first problem.

The second is currently a dealbreaker, admittedly.

[C(-)ris]

N-OS X-tasy! wrote:
A FW-to-ThunderBolt adapter would solve her first problem.

The second is currently a dealbreaker, admittedly.

13" MBPretina would be perfect.