Dust Under Screen (again)

I know this has been around here before, but I figured mine was unique enough to maybe justify a new thread?

I've had dust buildup on the bottom of my screen since May of this year but it never really bothered me enough to do anything about it. Then in September I went to the Apple Store and just asked one of the Geniuses there (without my computer) what might be causing it and what I should do. His response was "oh just get a can of compressed air and blow it out." Which I finally did yesterday, and now all the dust (and hair) that was at the bottom of my screen is now all across the middle of my screen.

So I went to the Apple Store (different one) today and asked what could be done, they said they'd replace it but it would cost $300 because I didn't have Apple Care. Then I was told that I couldn't purchase it because my computer was 14 months old.

Now normally I'm fine with paying for problematic things, but the fact that I wouldn't have had as major a problem if I DIDN'T listen to the 1st Genius' advice. And then if Apple actually made it a point of saying that "Applecare cannot be purchased after 1 year" (the only mention is buried in the FAQ, not even the warranty PDF). Or even if they would accept the fact that the screen is moderately defective for allowing the dust to get in in the first place.

But all those things add up to quite possibly the most frustrating experience with Apple I've ever had. Because if they had just told me in the first place (don't know it with air, get applecare earlier) I wouldn't be writing this now.

So I guess other than to rant. Do any of you have any ideas as to what I could throw at Apple to try and soften or lessen how much it will cost to fix this?

QuarterSwede said:

Did you explain to them that the Apple Genius said to try that? I'd say their liable. It may suck for him but he needs to be more careful with the advice he gives.

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Well the thing is that I'm in essence quoting myself because I have no way of proving that's what the other genius (550mi away) said. But I suppose it's worth a shot, because I mean 1 day after I have the dust in the middle of the screen I go to the Apple store with an appointment. And when it was at the bottom, well, I put it off for months before even asking anyone at Apple what the problem even was.

heatmiser said:

An AppleCare warranty is a warranty given under Apple's terms. You have to buy it within the first twelve months of owning your computer for it to be valid.

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Actually while I was at the Apple store I read the actual pdf licence agreement for Applecare, nowhere does it say anything about a one year restriction in buying it. And if they didn't tell me that I had to buy it within a year I would have just gone ahead and gotten it anyway because they only have one mention of the eligibility in the entire website.

And as far as how I blew it out. I just blew in between the screen itself and the metal bezel at the bottom. Which is where the dust must have come in in the first place, but I just want to know that once it gets in the crack, how the hell does it go under and then behind the screen itself?

SXR said:

I don't think hes playing. Maybe he didn't know. Although its obvious.
And like stated by Viper, I think its pretty clear that you can't have gaps in your warranty.

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You're right, I'm not "playing" and I genuinely didn't know. This being my first seriously Apple product (iPod doesn't really count) and I've never had to buy AppleCare on anything else. So for those who haven't had to deal with it before, having it buried in their website that you have to buy it within 1 year certainly doesn't help the matter. It's not like I'm trying to get around 'forgetting' to buy it within 1 year, if I had known, I obviously would have done that. But other than word of mouth, Apple does a really terrible job of letting people know.

As far as the actual issue at hand, I have an appointment setup tomorrow morning at the genius bar to see if I can get any leniency regarding the whole 'i took another geniuses advice now i've screwed myself' idea.

AngelGuy7 said:

I'm not sure if this matters but I had a hair between the glossy layer of my screen and the actual LCD panel of my MBP. I took it in two weeks ago and the genius who assisted me showed it to a few other geniuses. All of their responses were "that must've happened during manufacturing -- no way hair can get in there." I'm not sure how true that is but I don't care much because it was ultimately replaced under warranty.

Now I know your warranty is out but if it's truly the case that hair can only get in their during manufacturing then you might have a shot at them helping you out since the hair must've always been there according to their theory.

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That brings up a great point actually thank you very much. I downloaded a copy of the service manual so I know what's involved as far as the construction of the display panel. And after looking at that I'm thinking the whole 'it was there since manufacturing' case is definitely my best bet. Because then I don't have to deal with AppleCare, much.