So the “T” key on my MacBook Pro’s keyboard died. I just got it back and I wanted to recount the positive experience I had.

First, the MacBook is still covered by AppleCare, so all of this is covered under warranty.

I did my own troubleshooting, I called AppleCare, they suggested a few things that I already tried and so an appointment was scheduled for the Genius Bar at the local Apple Store.

I must admit. I don’t like the Genius Bar. I’ve had some irritating experiences in the past, mostly with young kids working there that think they know more than me. Look, I write software for a living, I know a little something about computers. If you’re talking down to me like this, then you talk down like that to all your customers. That’s not right nor good. But I must admit that experience was in the early days of the store. They seem to have really improved, and this experience is witness to that.

When I first took it in they did an examination and agreed the T was dead and keyboard replacement was necessary. They didn’t have one in stock and it would have to be ordered. Fair enough, as I could plug in an external keyboard and get by. I really can’t be without this machine — there’s money to be made and I can’t make it without the machine. They said so long as I was willing to work with them on scheduling the repair, they’d do what they could. Fair enough. I got the call over the weekend the keyboard came in. I called to schedule and they said the best they could do would be to bring it in as early as possible to maximize chances of a same-day turnaround.

So early today I went in and dropped it off. And I waited. While using my iPhone got me by on a lot of things today I must say that it eventually drove me nuts. Too small a screen, too small a keyboard, and without question the lack of tactile feedback does make typing difficult. Sure you get used to it and you can still type pretty well, but tactile feedback is so important. Anyway….

I later called them because the phone number I left them wasn’t going to work so I wanted to update the callback number. Whomever answered the phone was courteous, took my info down, and said he’d hand it to the right people and have them call me with status. I expected that if I got a call it would have been sometime later, but instead within a couple minutes my phone rang and it was the actual repair tech with an update. They gave me the skinny, answered my questions, and were very kind and understanding about the urgency of it all. Sure enough withing an hour after that callback I received THE call that the MacBook was ready for pickup. Pickup was a breeze.

All in all, I was very happy with how everything went. Sure it’s a bummer the key broke, but these things happen. The whole process went pretty smoothly all things considered. Everyone was cheerful, polite, and desired to help as much as possible. You know they get all sorts of stories and of course to everyone their situation is urgent. They did a great job at making the turnaround as fast as possible. I’m very pleased with the customer service that I received.

To boot, they cleaned the machine too. It was all shiny and slick. A little touch, certainly wasn’t necessary to do, but it was done and was a little cherry on top.