So, I usually troubleshoot my Mac on my own through searching on the
web, and I rarely venture near the Genius Bar unless I determine that
the cause of a problem is a hardware issue that I can't fix. Plus, I
usually read so many negative stories online about the Genius Bar – I
think this has tainted my view of the Genius Bar somewhat as well.
Regardless, I finally got tired of a bad battery in my MacBook and made
an appointment to get it checked out, with low expectations in mind.
Several months ago (well within the 1-year warranty period), I stopped
getting the “your battery is low, please plug in soon” messages and my
MacBook would go to sleep suddenly or shut down entirely. I was able to
guess when this would happen based on the battery meter and plug it in
in time to prevent this. However, in the last couple of weeks, this
problem worsened to where my MacBook would shut down any time without
rhyme or reason and I was no longer able to guess when the battery was
actually going to clock out for the day. I was also having some sleep
problems, but the battery problem was foremost on my mind.
I admit it – I expected the Genius to take a cursory look at my MacBook
and then say this was normal and that I just had to buy a new battery.
I do have the extended AppleCare warranty on my MacBook and I know this
does not cover “normal wear and tear” items like batteries. But, the
problem did start just a few months after I purchased the MacBook and I
know that's not normal, though I was prepared to buy a new battery on my
own dime if necessary. I explained my experiences with the battery, and
even went into the sleep problems my MacBook was having and all the
trouble-shooting I'd done on my own, and he explained to me how a bad
battery could actually be causing the sleep issues. I'm not sure why I
hadn't thought of that before, but what he described made sense – a bad
battery would essentially be sending “bad” signals back to the power
management controller, causing it to prompt sleep, wake, or shutdown
incorrectly. Since the problems started while my MacBook was in the
first 12 months of its original warranty (and also because I'd never
brought my MacBook in for any other service of any kind, I think), he
was able to get me a brand new battery!
And I think he was right about the bad battery having a big role with
the sleep issues – since I got back home with the new battery, my
MacBook has been going to sleep (and waking up) exactly as it should.
Makes me wish I had gotten a replacement battery sooner rather than
experience all of that frustration. And I have a little more faith in
the Genius Bar now…
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