My 2018 MBP has a swollen battery and needs to be replaced under AppleCare. I took it to my local Apple store and they agreed that was the problem, and said it might take 4-5 days to fix. It's my primary work computer, so being without it for that long is tough.

I've got a MicroCenter in my area and they say they can do it, much shorter time. Has anyone had any experiences, good or bad, with MicroCenter repairs?

Thanks

Jard

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I would think Apple store is the only one due to AppleCare.
Maybe they can provide a loaner...

I'm pretty sure that MicroCenter is an authorized apple repair operation - shouldn't be hard to find out.

They are Apple Authorized...would I do it over an Apple Store? Probably not unless I had no choice. Your experience is going to entirely depend on the quality of the staff in that store, it varies greatly even just based on who is working that night.

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C(-)ris
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Micro Center is Apple authorized. But I'm surprised that they said they could beat Apple's repair time.

To my knowledge those parts are not stocked. They will need to order the topcase/battery from Apple. Shipping used to be overnight, but these days it's 2-3 days. So, it's maybe 4-5 days for the repair, depending on how many repairs they have in that week.

And Apple quoted you 4-5 days. That's actually way better than Apple has been doing around here. It's seldom less than a week for even the most simple repair.

Hmm. Please let us know if you take it to Micro Center and they beat Apple's estimated time for the repair. That'd be good to know.

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/03/2021 11:43PM by Sarcany.

Personally, I'd trust my local Microcenter over my local Apple Store. Had more good experiences with the former than with the latter...

Jardster,

I would have no problems bringing a Mac to our local Micro Center for servicing. They know what they're doing and if the work is beyond their capability I believe they'll send it to Apple for repairs. One of the guys at my local Micro Center has been an Apple specialist, working in the service department for well over ten years. He knows his stuff.

This is not to say I won't use our local Apple stores. A long time ago, one of the techs proved incompetent based on my conversation with him. However, that situation is no longer the case. The staff tend to know what they're doing these days and I wouldn't hesitate to bring a machine to them. Basic repairs are done on site but anything more in-depth is sent out. Just like in Micro Center.

Robert