Mac is back!

Every once in a while something happens that you don't expect and you're not quite sure how to respond. The sequence of events seems logical and plans are made and pennies are saved and you expect that what you get is equally as logical. And those stricken with the worst luck on the planet add one variable... the BIG X. That's the one thing that you know is going to go wrong, so you plan on the one wrong thing. 

In September I dropped my Mac. This was predictable on my part. Not a surprise, I should say. And after six months of learning a lesson, planning, penny saving and careful consideration I took my Macbook to the Apple Store to be shipped and fixed. This was also predictable. Who buys a laptop, brakes it and says, "Oh well, better luck next time,"? So three days into the "7-10 day waiting period" I get a call that says, "We must replace the main logic board. It will cost $755.00. Please call us and authorize the repair." (Again, predictable.) "Sure," I say, and they commence repair. Then today I get a phone call, "Your Macbook is ready to be picked up." And as you can imagine, I was sort of delighted in the idea of tap, tap tapping on my little keyboard again and so we got dinner, gathered ourselves and our pennies (by this time converted to dollars) and headed to the Apple Store. Predictability is written all over this scenario, right? 

I walk into the store, wait the general 5 minutes for a store employee to ask what they can do for me and I hand them my little slip and ask for my computer. "Will that be cash or credit?" they ask and after my response the lady says, "Oh, well you come stand here please," and off she went. I talked RAM and operating system with a clerk like I knew what I was saying and after a few minutes the other clerk came out with my little Macbook. "This is the one," and "thank you so much," and we commenced the payment process. I took out my little envelope getting ready to pay and then it happened... the BIG X. You know you're in for a surprise when the clerk looks puzzled and asks for some help, while looking at a screen you can't see. "Why is this ringing out as zero?" was the whispered question. "Hmm... let me check," says the other guy and whisks away for a few minutes. After a few minutes he came back and said with a big smile on his face, "There is no mistake here. It looks like this repair will cost you nothing. You are free to walk out of here with all of your seven hundred fifty five dollars if you'd like." 

Yeah. I had to catch my breath. Then I had to gather my wits. Now I had the money for another "gig of RAM" and I picked a pretty pink cushioned case... Several of the clerks were as happy for me at this point as they were sad for me back in September when it was evident that it would be a costly repair. The store was a buzz of the good fortune of this young lady. And to top it off, the RAM rang up 100 dollars less than the sticker price. 

I don't know whether this nice surprise makes up for all of the other bad luck I have had in life, but it sure makes me think twice about having the worst luck... that it's not about luck at all. That is a topic for another blog. For now, I'm happy to have my computer back. The lesson learned is well deserved and remembered.