My Wayward Laptop

 My laptop quietly gave up on me last month. The journey to get it fixed has been a quest of epic proportions.  My laptop is a windows machine, so taking it to the Genius Bar was not an option. The Genius Bar has kept my phones and tablets working for years past when most people would have given up and bought a new one.

Anyway, the journey began to a call with a local tech guy. I should have known better - he ghosted me 6 years ago when I was attempting to get the keyboard replaced on my old laptop. Anyway, over the course of a month and many emails, he diagnosed the problem as a broken motherboard. But then, he stopped answering my e-mails, and the thought of getting it fixed seemed like a distant dream. 

Exasperated, I took it to a repair shop at a big box retailer near me. The initial diagnosis was broken motherboard, and I was told to “just buy a new laptop”. Ummm.. that computer is less than 3 years old. I don’t think so. The kid I spoke with eventually turned me over to his manager. 

The manager told me that we could and should send it off to their major repair center - it was out of state. That initial check would cost $150. So, I sent it off. $150 is significantly less than the cost of a new computer. He asked how high I was willing to go for repair. I said “Take the top of the line Apple MacBook Pro with all of the bells and whistles. Take 20% off.  That’s the price I’m willing to pay to repair this. (That’s a decent chunk of change.)

One week later, I get a text from the repair center. Total cost of the repair will be $169 to replace the broken motherboard.

My computer is now back in my hot little hands!

But then?  What's this?  The battery is dead.  As long as it is plugged in, I am fine.  But long term?  I need to get a new battery.  I've made an appointment with the folks at the big box retailer for next week.  Hopefully, that's a fix they'll be able to perform in store, and my laptop will only be out of commission for a day or two.

Anyway, if you've been wondering why my posts have been so sporadic?  This is why.