No Right To Complain

I'm sure we can all imagine the full range of computer problems that people encounter, and a similar range of consequences that they can cause in our lives. I've always felt that if your computer dependence was total, then you better have more than one computer and complete back-ups. But in today's world, even "casual" computer users have some level of dependence on their computers, and need to have them working all the time (or nearly). Which all leads to tech writer Paul Thurrott, whose MacBook suffered a palmrest discoloration. He was rebuffed by the first line of customer service representatives so he blogged about it. That immediately caught the attention of Apple's Corporate Executive Relations department, who telephoned and e-mailed him. I'll spare you the details, but Thurrrott's problem was speedily handled, and he was even offered a free iPod nano or $149 Apple store credit for his "troubles." Apple later acknowledged the general problem of MacBook case discoloration and advised owners to contact AppleCare, without mentioning what remedy they'd be offered. I'm not even sure where I'm going here, except to maybe weigh the problem (discoloration) on one hand, and the remedy (executive fix + iPod) on the other. I always thought the frame discoloration on my Titanium was cool.