Mac Issues

We had decided to get a new computer because mine gets amazing amounts of use between me and the kids. Also, since we no longer have a TV, we watch DVDs on my laptop, so it gets more than its fair share of use.

The new Mac came and we opened it up and started it. Right from the start, however, there was a slight problem. Not huge, but when you're dropping a big chunk of change on something, you expect things to run smoothly.

The initial problem I ran into was that it only typed capital letters. It didn't matter if I held the caps lock or shift button, all I got was caps. I couldn't register the computer because I couldn't type numbers.

I called the Apple helpline, and I have to confess, they let me down. The guy on the other end was really nice, and he walked me through several possible solutions, but in the end his best advice was for me to take it to the nearest Mac store where they could fix everything. As luck would have it, the nearest store was only 75 miles away.

Either way, he had me boot the computer up several times while holding down assorted keys. At first, it solved the caps problem, except that then the problem evolved into one where I could no longer type capital letters, and therefore the symbols above the numbers. The same ones you use in typing an email address, i.e., @.

At some point it became clear that we weren't getting anywhere. It was late and the guy was ready to go home, so I told him I'd take care of it and see it how it goes.

What I ended up doing was what I should have done in the first place. Rather than contacting the manufacturer, I called the store where I bought it, Mac Connections. Not only were they sympathetic to my situation, but they resolved it immediately. They sent me a return label and shipped out a new computer with overnight delivery.

Getting that thing back into the box was a bit of a chore, and then getting it to the UPS store was a bit of a trek, but you have to love good customer service.

Now if I could just figure out how to use this thing. They installed way too many bells and whistles, though the kids have already begun to master it and love to remind me how deficient I am. The trials of parenthood.

Thanks for reading.