Avoid PBTech Service Centre

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ricardocastilho

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#3456653 28-Jan-2026 11:21

Goosey:

Where’s your pbtech job number?

did you get one?

what happens when you track that number on their website?

Last update was two days after the drop off.. rubbish

Ricardo Castilho

Goosey

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#3456655 28-Jan-2026 11:24

And assume you have tried visiting the branch again?

also two days after the drop off was clearly a public holiday time of year

turtleattacks

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#3456663 28-Jan-2026 11:54

I've noticed that the quality of Apple's 'Official repairer' vary.

Ubertec was wonderful, very professional while Fonefix claimed my hardware fault was due to MacOS Beta and wanted to charge me $250 to reinstall the OS or $80 to return the laptop.

----

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jpwise

jpwise
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#3456694 28-Jan-2026 15:06

ricardocastilho:

wellygary:

Was it booked though the Apple Service Portal, or direct with PBT?

PBTech, unfortunately. I tried contacting Apple earlier, but they can't do anything as it was not through them

100% biased opinion as I work for them (albeit in a different city) - but I'd be suggesting Service Plus - serviceplus.co.nz/brands

As others have said - yes, NZ doesn't have Apple Stores - it's supported by the Apple Authorised Service Provider (AASP) network instead.

For Auckland the list is at: https://locate.apple.com/nz/en/service?pt=4&lat=-37.0035972&lon=174.8894958&address=Auckland%2C+New+Zealand

If you haven't had any traction with getting it repaired after now almost a month - I'd be considering trying to uplift it and take it elsewhere (such as Service Plus).

Looking at one of our internal trackers the Mac service queue for ServicePlus AKL you should be looking at (on avg) less than 3 days for it to go to a tech for assessment, and then it comes down to whether it's a clear cut issue, can't be replicated, or found to be a non warrantable issue/damage. If a legitimate fault with covered parts is confirmed, parts are typically another 1-2 days from Apple Australia depending on the time of day they're ordered, and installation would typically be the same/next day after receipt. You would also get txt/email updates as the job progressed.

For everyone else - keep in mind also that typically as long as you have the receipt (/proof of purchase), you can generally take it to any Authorised Service Provider for the brands product. You're not required to take it back to where you purchased it. Most vendors and ASP's should have processes in place for CGA cover within a reasonable period dependent on the issue, but beyond that if you are seeking CGA cover outside the scope of what the ASP can cover - you do basically have to argue you case with the retailer, or the manufacturer - this being said - you're still going to need a service report regardless, and taking it to an ASP should give you an unbiased report that you can then review and discuss further with the retailer or manufacturer as needed.

As a general rule of thumb for us as Service Plus - we make our money from service - we don't sell machines, so we'll always try to cover a repair if it's eligible to be covered. If not - we'll let you know what we find and give you the quote to decide how you want to proceed. When it's not covered there is a fee for our work, but after that it's up to you to decide if it's cost effective to repair. If not - you can consider replacement through your preferred reseller.

Also don't forget about home/contents insurance for accidental damage if that was the finding - we still see huge numbers of customers that have been paying their premiums for years, and only ever think about it covering fires, or theft from break-ins, forgetting that accidental damage from a drop or spill is typically also covered by insurance as well.

Jp.

Working for Service Plus - serviceplus.co.nz

Authorised Service Provider for Apple, Asus, BenQ, Dynabook, Lenovo, and others - refer serviceplus.co.nz/brands

ricardocastilho

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#3456699 28-Jan-2026 15:17

I have been using Apple for more than 20 years, and I certainly used other services. The last couple of times I used ImageText in Auckland, and I could not be happier.

Ricardo Castilho

ricardocastilho

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#3456974 29-Jan-2026 13:07

Update on the situation:

I got a call from PBTech, and my Mac has been fixed. They replaced the entire top part.

They also gave me a Logitech keyboard stand and $100 in vouchers.

I think they know they dropped the ball and are trying to make up for it, which is appreciated. However, I really hope they improve their communication going forward.

Ricardo Castilho

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Shop now at Mighty Ape (affiliate link).

MadEngineer

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#3457040 29-Jan-2026 19:44

I had something under warranty repaired by them semi-recently and it too took some time for it to be sent back to me. Fairly certain they had it sent to a third party. You said: "I took the device to the Westgate store on 29/12/25" - you can never expect miracles at that time of the year. I'd easily add a week or two to any expectations.

I deal with PBT on an at least a weekly basis. I once complimented them on their service and got a free non-insubstantial gift in return.

You're not on Atlantis anymore, Duncan Idaho.

KiwiSurfer

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#3457058 29-Jan-2026 21:24

Wonder if they sent it off to Apple to fix. Apple when I used to be in their ecosystem used to take quite soem time to repair laptops -- including a few times when the laptop held by Apple for 1-2 weeks (happened both to my personal laptop when dealng with Apple direct and also my work laptop where work sent it off to their IT provider). Delay may not have been PBT's fault if it was a repair where they needed parts from Apple or send it off to them. But looks like comms could've been better -- but then again Apple's own comms is not great either. YMMV.

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