Hi all.  Quite unexpectedly, my Macbook Pro died.  It was working one moment, the next it wasn't.  Now when it tries to boot, it can't detect the hard drive.  Best case is a loose cable; worst case is a bad drive. 

Not to fear!  I have 100% back-up on my Time Capsule, but regrettably I'm on travel in Guam this week & Atsugi next week, my Time Capsule is a million miles away in Iwakuni. 

My computer is covered by AppleCare.  Since I arrive at Atsugi tomorrow (Sunday) does anyone know if there is an Apple Service Center somewhere near Atsugi?  An Apple Care center?  I have Monday off, and if I get this all figured out I can hop on the train from Atsugi & take my computer in.  I'd rather not go to Tokyo if I can avoid it.

Thanks in advance for any info.  I'm in Atsugi till June 9th, so I'm hoping if I drop the puter off on Monday it'll be repaired before I leave town.  There's nothing anywhere near Iwakuni so this is my best shot at a quick & easy report (without having to mail it somewhere.)

/bump/.... Any Mac users out there with any info? I'm flying in to Narita in a few hours & really hope to contact a service center around Yokohama quickly if I can track one down. Thanks!

Seriously? 66 people have looked at this and not one Mac user knows anything about Apple care? I guess I'll wing it tomorrow.

Ginza Sayeguwa Building 3-5-12, Ginza, Chuo-ku Tokyo, 104-0061 03-5159-8200

Shinsaibashi UrbanBLD Shinsaibashi 1-5-5 Shinsaibashi, Chuo-ku, Osaka-shi Osaka, 542-0086 06-4963-4500

NagoyaSakae FX Building 3-17-15 Sakae, Naka-ku, Nagoya-shi Aichi, 460-0008 052-238-2400

Shibuya Koendori Building 1-20-9 Jinnan, Shibuya-ku Tokyo, 150-0041 03-6415-3300

SendaiIchibancho 3-10-24 Ichibancho, Aoba-ku, Sendai-shi Miyagi, 980-0081 022-722-3001

FukuokaTenjin Tenjin Luce 2-3-24 Tenjin, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka-shi Fukuoka, 810-0001 092-736-6800

Sapporo QB Sapporo 3-8-20 Minami-Ichijonishi, Chuo-ku, Sapporo-shi Hokkaido, 060-0061 011-209-8200



Or call 0120277535 then press 5 for English for customer service support.

Thank you, Aka. Although the website says that number is good 7 days a week, that's only for sales. For service, it says to call back on Monday. I'm hoping there are authorized service centers in addition to the Apple Care centers; I'll find out tomorrow. I appreciate the info.

Got through to Apple today, and they emailed me the name, address & phone number of 2 different Apple authorized service centers in Yokohama. Now, Apple understands I've got a broken Macbook cuz we had a long talk about it, but when I called these service centers they say they don't fix Macbooks; they only repair iPads, iPhones & iPods. They won't even collect Macbooks to send to the AppleCare center.

FWIW, I'm 5 floors beneath one of these centers right now. Find the Starbucks in the Mores building at the West exit of the Yokohama station (to the right of all the taxis.) The 7th floor of that building has a camera shop that will accept the smaller Apple devices for repair, but not Macbooks.

HOWEVER... Apple does have one good deal going. They will come to where I'm staying (Atsugi Navy Lodge), pick up my computer for free, fix it & send it back to me at Iwakuni where I'll be next week, also for free. I can't really complain about that except that I'm stuck using a Windows netbook in the meantime. They have the full address of all the U.S. bases on file, so you just have to give them the bldg number & room number and they'll come right on base to pick it up. Not bad for you Mac owners who need service in the future.

Great info Thaiguy!  Thanks for sharing.  I've always heard that we would have to trek up to Tokyo for any Apple
Service.  

Apple once again saves the day I guess. I had the backlight go out on my macbook a few years ago while I was living in Yokosuka. I bought it at the NEX and I think it was past it's warranty. I called Apple in the states, who gave me the number to their Japan office. They came to my house and picked up my macbook the next day, fixed it and delivered it the day after. All for free and didn't even ask for a receipt or warranty paper. One of the few reasons I love Apple. You're not going to get anything close to that with a Dell.

Regrettably, they missed their appointment on Tuesday for the pick-up. They said there was a communication problem with Black Cat, and apologized profusely. I called Weds morning to reschedule & they said it was too late for a Weds pick-up. So, they came yesterday (Thursday) morning, right to the lobby of Atsugi Navy Lodge. They will deliver the repaired computer to my home in Iwakuni next week. No fee. My AppleCare warranty is still in effect so I'm sure that helps. I do like the level of service, and once I get my machine back I'll forgive them this one little snafu.

And now my story is complete. Thursday morning, Black Cat picked up the broken Macbook at the Atsugi Navy Lodge. Friday night, I got an email from Apple (all in Japanese). Saturday, while riding the Shinkansen home to Iwakuni, I got the email translated which said the computer is repaired & on its way back to me in Iwakuni. Now I'm sitting in my living room & the Black Cat guy just brought my cleaned & repaired computer to me. What a joy to be back in Mac OS after 10 horrible days mired in the world of Windows.

The same delivery man also brought the suitcase I had sent home from the Atsugi 7-11 for $15. When I took the suitcase in for delivery, I got to pick a 2-hour window for them to bring it to my apartment. I choose Sunday 6-8 PM, so here at 6:55 PM came both the bag & the computer. I love Japanese efficiency & I'm pleased to report a happy ending.

Just out of curiousity.... what happens when your apple care expires? Would you still get this level of service? I've never had anything happen to one of my Macs (knock on wood), but I'm just curious what happens if something does and my apple care is expired. Thaiguy, you know so much about Apple, I thought you might know the answer!

Actually, I don't know. I've never had to get service on a Mac that was out of warranty. I suppose it's all the same routine, except not free anymore. Their English-language help line is quite good. The times I called, it sounded like a British lady one time, and a Japanese guy with British accent the other time. His English was near-perfect. So they'd be able to answer your questions. The number to Apple is 0120-27-7535; press 5 for English. Closed Sundays; I'm not sure about Saturdays.