A letter from Craig Hirai / Amy Wooden of macUpgrades:

Dear Former macUpgrades Customer,

We are pleased to let you know that MacMedics, in Lanham, Maryland, has purchased all the assets of macUpgrades. Dana Stibolt, President, and Kory Barrett, Vice President, have been a real pleasure to work with, as we have completed this rather complicated transaction. Their professionalism and competence have been most refreshing. We would encourage you, your friends and neighbors, and your business to work with MacMedics as you would have worked with macUpgrades.

Thank you, again, for all your support over the years. We hope you will give MacMedics the same loyal support.

Kindest regards,

Craig Hirai and Amy Wooden

–

You can jump to the newest information available as it is now posted on the MacMedics website by clicking here.

macUpgrades of Bethesda, Maryland, a long-time Apple Authorized Specialist lost their lease, and sadly they have closed their doors after supporting the Bethesda and Washington DC area’s Macintosh community for more than 20-years. In an effort to continue and preserve their long standing legacy of Apple service and repair and to provide outstanding support to their long-time clientele, we enthusiastically welcome former macUpgrades clients to MacMedics!

macUpgrades has endorsed MacMedics as their recommended Macintosh sales and service provider. We are proud to have earned their endorsement and pledge to do our very best to provide previous macUpgrades customers with the high level of support that MacMedics and macUpgrades are both famous for.

Like MacMedics, macUpgrades had been serving the area’s Macintosh community for more than 20-years. We hope to be able to continue their tradition of outstanding support to Apple customers no matter where they are located. MacMedics is both an Apple Authorized Service Provider, and an Apple Authorized Value Added Reseller, so MacMedics is a logical and natural fit for long-time Macintosh clients who have been serviced over the years by macUpgrades.

As was the case with macUpgrades, MacMedics is Apple Authorized to resell the entire Apple line of products. That means that MacMedics can supply Apple Macintosh computers, Apple iPads, Apple iPods, and the Apple TV. The only item not available from Apple Specialists or Apple Authorized Resellers is the Apple iPhone. That item must be purchased from Apple, AT&T, Verizon and a small handful of other retailers like Radio Shack and WalMart.

Click on the picture below to see pictures of the MacMedics Washington DC office:

We welcome former macUpgrades clients to contact the Washington DC office of MacMedics for Macintosh service, sales, and support.

We can be reached by telephone Monday – Friday 8:30 to 5:00 at:

1-888-4-DC-MACS (1-888-432-6227)

or anytime via e-mail at: DCservice@macmedics.com

Please stay tuned to http://www.macmedics.com/macupgrades for more information as it becomes available.

Thinking of stopping by one of The Apple Stores in Bethesda or Georgetown for a Mac Repair? We offer a number of compelling reasons to visit MacMedics instead. Our clients tell us that the number one reason that people come visit MacMedics for Mac service vs. The Apple Store is that no appointments are ever required to receive expert Mac repair. Also we offer 24-hour warranty repair (for most warranty repairs), Low cost rental computers (if needed), 1-year parts and labor warranty on all out-of-warranty repairs (The Apple Store only offers a 90-day warranty), Hard Drive upgrades (The Apple Store will only replace your drive with the same size), Advanced Macintosh Data Recovery, and we repair all Apple computers right here in our shop. We do not ship units out for “Depot Repair” as is the practice for many cases at The Apple Store. Plus, we offer a VIP repair program for Walk-In service that blows the doors off of Apple’s One-To-One, Joint Venture, or even AppleCare. Our VIP repair program can cover your future repairs for as little as $99 (Mac Pros and MacBook Pros are $149).
Also, we love to talk on the phone. You do not need to be a client to call and talk shop. Call us to discuss your Mac problem or purchase a new Mac today: 1-888-4-DC-MACS

When MacMedics performs an Apple Warranty or AppleCare repair for one of our clients, Apple sends a follow up e-mail to ask how we did. These are some of the mini-reviews that we have received.

#1 The service I received at MacMedics was very good and they always called me and left messages updating the status and progress of my computer.
—–
#2 I loved being able to walk in talk to a rep and have the work started right away. They have great customer service they always keep me up to date on their progress and explain their work and my service options every step of the way.
—–
#3 They were awesome. Nuff said. Dana runs a great show there.
—–
#4 They were fantastic. The service was quick the people were friendly and willing to answer all of my questions.

These are anonymous comments, so if one of these Apple Warranty or AppleCare reviews for MacMedics is yours, thank you!

If you need Apple Macintosh please consider visiting MacMedics in Millersville or Lanham instead of trekking to your local Apple Store. You never need an appointment, we’re 10 steps from your car, We’re cheaper, we’re faster (most warranty repairs are completed in 24 hours), and above all we’re accurate! We only fix what needs fixing.

Update 6/25/10 If you have just arrived from Dwight Silverman’s Houston Chronicle’s TechBlog regarding this topic, please see my response to that post. This is a delicate subject, and my comments were deemed too long (and maybe too self serving) to be posted. Seriously, please call us to at least chat about your issue, and $150 is a small price to pay to have ALL of the facts regarding your liquid spill case. If you don’t click this link or fully read this Blog post, don’t fall into the trap of thinking you’re out of the woods if your MacBook or MacBook Pro (or any other laptop) is working after you wiped it off, and dried it out. We see lots of cases where the computer will FRY it’s self after what’s left of the liquid inside starts to corrode and grows what we call creeping crud.

MacMedics Frequently Asked Macintosh Service Questions: Is It Worth Repairing A Macbook Pro With $1200.00 In Liquid Damage? This dollar amount is a pretty common price quote from the Apple Store. Before you accept a quote for an “advanced” Macintosh repair of any kind (from anybody), be sure to get a second opinion from the experts at MacMedics. We’ve been fixing Macs since before the Apple Store and since 1989 in the Baltimore-Annapolis-Columbia and Washington DC/NOVA areas.

It is best to see the unit, but there’s no harm in calling us to go over the options and details. Give us a shout anytime at 1-866-MAC-MEDICS!

First off, this is a far too common of an issue. We just successfully repaired a MacBook that had a “Blueberry Smoothie” spilled into it. Folks, please keep liquids at least an arm’s length away from your Apple laptop.

Being in a situation where liquid is in play brings up lots of questions. I’ll try to touch base on a few of the major ones here. If you find yourself in this situation, just call us at 1-866-MAC-MEDICS or send us an e-mail. We’re happy to talk shop about your Apple repair or service problems at anytime.

The first order of business is get the the MacBook or MacBook Pro right into us. Even if it appears that the unit is working after the spill, don’t assume you’ve dodged a bullet. Once there’s moisture inside the unit, it can grow into what we call the “creeping crud” which is really just corrosion that grows kind of like mold inside your computer. If this grows to a point where it’s touching two points that carry current, then zap! and you get a short and could end with with a fried logic board. Don’t forget that the metals used in the construction of your logic board are not normal metals that react in the manner that you would expect. They also react differently depending on what type of liquid gets spilled into your MacBook.

What to do if you have a spill: Turn off the computer, upplug the power adapter, and if possible remove the battery. It’s pretty much pot luck on what to do next. If liquid went in the keyboard, then turn the unit upside down with the screen open. Use a stack of books to place the unit on it’s keyboard, with the screen open. Depending on the situation hitting it with a hair dryer might help too.

How to get started: For $150 we’ll open the unit up take a look around inside. If we see surface damage we can clean, we’ll attack it. If we have to go deeper with the unit we’ll let you know and as in the case of the “Blueberry Smoothie” unit we just wrapped up, it ended up being about $300 in labor to fix the unit. If the unit is beyond repair, the $150 still buys you some rudimentary liquid removal, and we’ll give you the facts on what’s going on as well as a written report you can submit to your insurance company.

This is far better then just signing the death certificate yourself, and even if the news is bad, $150 is a small price to really know what’s really going on. Moving forward you can know that if you need to buy a new unit, your old unit at least had the best chance possible.

Is it worth fixing? If very well might be. In cases of liquid spills (coffee is the most common) the Apple Store is likely to quote you $1200.00 for your repair. Even if you have minor damage (that might seem major) it’s usually the same price. Here at MacMedics, we’ll just fix what’s damaged, and accurately diagnose the problem you have. A common issue after a liquid spill is a bad keyboard, that might be $200 to fix. Another issue we see frequently is a unit that can’t charge the battery or can’t run off the battery. Again, a repair like this at MacMedics is generally going to be $200 to $300.

Don’t try to fool Apple. There are liquid spill indicators inside of your MacBook or MacBook Pro (also iPods, iPads, and iPhones), so if your unit suffered a spill, Apple is going to find out very quickly. They also might charge you to look at it and then do nothing but return it to you.

Even if you do need a new logic board, it’s quite likely that our price will be lower then the Apple Store, and unlike Apple, MacMedics puts a full 1-year warranty on our repairs. (Apple is only 90 days). The other factor is turn around time. At Apple, almost all liquid spills get shipped out for depot service. This can work against you as the unit is out of your control, and you could end up with a repair that is far more than what was quoted. As an Apple Authorized Service Provider, Apple frequently sends clients to us for major repairs because they know our prices are likely going to be better than theirs. Liquid Spills, major case damage, and MacBook and MacBook Pro LCD and glass repair referrals from the Apple store are a daily occurrence at both of our MacMedics repair centers.

There’s not much good news when you spill something into you MacBook Pro. If the unit is a total loss, and you do end up buying new, MacMedics will take the old unit as a trade in (in most cases). As an Apple Authorized Value Added Reseller, we carry the full line of Macintosh MacBooks. We can also help with removing the hard drive from a damaged unit, and if needed cleaning it. If the hard drive is a loss too, and we can’t do anything with it, we can put you in touch with one of our clean room data recovery partners.

One thing that many people forget to check is your home owners or renters insurance. If you laptop suffers major damage, in many cases your insurance will cover it. The deducible is usually pretty high ($250 to $500), but that’s better than getting nothing. Also, American Express offers 90 of accidental damage or loss/theft protection when you buy with your AMEX card. Also, many other “high-end” credit cards also offer various protection levels from 90 days to 1-year. (I have a Capital One VISA and it offers 90 days of damage protection.)

There’s also a company called SafeWare that will insure your Apple laptop or iPhone against damage. It’s also possible to buy an extra insurance rider that can help protect your laptop if it get lost, stolen, or damaged.

We are pleased to announce that Apple has selected MacMedics for a quarterly Commitment To Excellence service award for the second time. Only 179 Apple Service locations were honored with this award putting MacMedics in the top 5% of all Apple Authorized Service Providers in the United States and Canada.

MacMedics is one of only three AASP’s in Maryland to receive this award, and the only Mac shop in Anne Arundel County with this prestigious rating from Apple.

Apple gives out this award for the Apple Authorized Service Providers that score the highest in the following four categories of performance.

1. Repair turnaround time – How fast can MacMedics repair your Macintosh and return it to you. This is a longtime key factor that has won us this award and others before. Our professional clients use their computers to make money, the longer it’s off-line the less money you make! This is why we’ve worked so hard for 20 years to get your Mac back on your desk as fast as possible!

2. First time fix – Did we nail the repair the first time? You bet! This is one of the reasons that our techs are the best. We carefully follow Apple’s technical manuals to find the bad part and then we replace it. This is the reason our techs are Apple Certified. We call it the “sniper shot” repair. We only want to replace ONE part and we only get one “shot” to impress you, our client.

3. Fewest number of parts per repair – When you’re wrong on which part is failing, then you have order a “second” part from Apple. Since we normally get it right on the first attempt, we have a very high score in this category as we generally only need to order one part per repair.

4. Fast bad part return – Apple wants their defective parts back as quickly as possible, so they can be analyzed and inspected. We do the repair quickly, so our bad parts are on their way back to Apple Service HQ the very same day we perform your repair.

If you haven’t used MacMedics before, then come visit us and find out what makes us the best place for Apple service in Maryland! You’re busy, so don’t fool around when it comes to Mac service and repair. We’re fast and no appointment is ever needed for walk-in service. See our post about Nine reasons not to wait in line & fight the crowds at the Apple Store or anywhere else for more info on the MacMedics advantage.

See the full text of the award at this link.

Everybody loves a good Mac service mystery. I had one yesterday.

A new client stopped by the Millersville Mac Lab yesterday. He had been to the Apple Store, where our friends at Apple thought he needed a new Superdrive. It was not surprising to hear that, because when you rocked the machine back and forth the Superdrive made the craziest noise ever. It sounded like the drive had just fallen apart, and there was a part that had come unhinged inside the unit. The unit was only 2 weeks old, and the unit’s owner was in a hurry, so the Annapolis Apple Store sent him to us for a possible faster service option. (Thanks Annapolis Apple Store folks!)

He already had an Apple Service case number for the unit, and a new Superdrive was on the menu. We checked him in, and he left the shop. I gave the unit another shake to show a co-worker how crazy the unit sounded, and I saw a little corner of metal sticking out of the CD/DVD slot. I gently grabbed it with my trusty Leatherman pliers and removed a small key from the unit.

We tested the unit by playing a DVD, and it seemed to be fine, so we told the client to come pick it up. He made it back in about 20 minutes, and was amazed we had it figured out so quickly. He had no idea how the key found it’s way into his Superdrive. It was his key from a long time ago, so perhaps it was in the bottom of his laptop bag and it just randomly ended up inside. It could also be his 6-year old put the key into the unit.

No charge of course, and another happy Apple service customer.

Today Apple announced the Apple Ultracompact USB Power Adapter Exchange program. This small adapter came with the new 3G iPhones.

Apple has determined that under certain conditions the new ultracompact Apple USB power adapter’s metal prongs can break off and remain in a power outlet, creating a risk of electric shock. Apple has received reports of detached blades involving a very small percentage of the adapters sold, but no injuries have been reported.

Here’s a picture of what it looks like:

Apple's iPhone 3G Ultracompact USB Power Adapter

See Apple’s website for more info:

http://www.apple.com/support/usbadapter/exchangeprogram/

If you have questions, feel free to get in touch with your local MacMedics office or give us a call at 1-866-MAC-MEDICS

When we perform an Apple repair either in or out of warranty, Apple sends our client a survey to fill out regarding their repair experience from MacMedics. Here are some of the latest:

MacMedics has a very good reputation in the design community in Washington DC. This was my first time using them and they were excellent. MacMedics took the time to properly diagnose the problem and come up with a more realistic/affordable solution that so far has resolved my issues 100%.

Very knowledgeable and shared great advice. Better service and more communication then [other service providers].

Though the repair was very long and involved we were frequently updated and the service provider was always very polite and apologetic. I was impressed with the thoroughness of the service and very satisfied to have my problem completely resolved with just one service.

I will do all future business regarding my Mac computer with Mac Medics without question and will recommend Mac Medics to anyone I come across in need of Mac services.

Very helpful.

I thought the service at MacMedics was outstanding.