Smoking voids your AppleCare warranty?

[Bafflefish]

Found this amusing, lol:

http://consumerist.com/5408885/smoki...voids-warranty

Thankfully I don't smoke ;D

[thegoldenmackid]

A couple years ago there was a very similar story about someone who had smoked near the iMac, upon operating it up the thing was disgusting. I can see why it would not be fixed.

[Bennieboy©]

you are joking right :O, jeeze, im glad i cant afford applecare,
seems a bit unfair dont it, since when has electrical warranty ever been related to personal habits,

[steve2112]

Back in my days as a PC repair tech, I saw a lot of machines from smoker households. They usually were much dirtier on the inside. I suppose the smoke/tar tends to attract more dirt, lint, etc. Usually the air intake, exhaust, and fans were covered. So, from that prospective, I can see what they are talking about. A bio-hazard, though? Please. The danger from second hand smoke is from the smoke, not the dust bunnies inside a computer case. It's not like the smokers are standing there blowing smoke in their face.

[kilowattradio]

http://consumerist.com/5408885/smoki...voids-warranty

Apple is now refusing to honor warranties on computers that have been exposed to second hand smoke claiming a biohazard. Will they now also refuse to work on computers that are used in industrial situations also?

[adder7712]

A Biohazard? You gotta be kidding me.

[bruinsrme]

you poll is flawed, apple doesn't make the components in their products.

you probably have no idea what kind of chemicals are used to make computers. saying a computer is green is like saying second hand smoke to an infant doesn't have any effect.

[emeek77]

Originally Posted by thegoldenmackid

A couple years ago there was a very similar story about someone who had smoked near the iMac, upon operating it up the thing was disgusting. I can see why it would not be fixed.

its ********, is ford gonna deny my f150 warranty because i took it mudding and got it nasty? you wont see it happen much. Anyone who agrees with that is dumb. its a way to get out of repairing for free a totally ****ed machine. Its dishonest and in this area apple is no better than anyone, it makes me sick. What about machines in places of work or dusty environments like factories? BULL.

Smokers aint covered but that imac in the dusty wood cutting factory covered with saw dust is?

I have smoked for years and owned many many apples. Never have they been mucked up with tar. These people must smoke 24/7 and sit the burning cig in front of the air vents. I think these denials for smoke is VERY VERY rare cases. Only 2 have been reported out of 25 million users. I don't think the average smoker needs to worry about it. I have smoked around mine for years and it looks clean as ever. These stories is what propagates this stuff. Now more and more employees will read it and more and more will exercise there right to deny. These stories are bad for us all.

SMOKE is NOT a biohazard. It is TOXIC in large amounts but NOT a biohazard. BIOHAZARD is different than toxic. I don't care if apple has the right or not. to deny a warranty due to smoke is dumb. What if the machine was used professionally in a smoke environment? What if its in a car repair shop in the same garage as the brake cleaning station? If anything is within a 300 feet it will get dirty. What about my 4x4 truck? If i get it all mucky with road tar/Gas/chenicals WHILE WORKING for a government road construction bid or job will ford refuse to honor its warranty. NO. I don't care how NASTY it is. Its your job to fix it. As a mechanic i wish i could deny every car i had to work on that was nasty or likely toxic. I use biohazrd materials everyday, no one cares about me. We supposed to care about the lowly apple tech? "its nasty, whaaaa, i refuse to work on it, i never heard of gloves and the smell is awful" WHAAA. Some of teh cars i see have dog crap all over them on the inside others have smoke worse than you can believe, chenicals spilled on the insides of work trucks. NEW work trucks, but ford don't say "we don't make our mechanics get in a smokers car and fix it if they don't want to." "We dont make mechanics repair a car that has had toxic chemicals spilled in it" Smoke or hazard or not WE HAVE TO FIX THE CAR. Get over it you dang cry babies. ITS YOUR JOB. If I smoke like a freight train inside my car and then something breaks inside the car can ford say "im not making my employees get inside a car or truck cab were someone smoked that much, its a biohazard." LOL. I work with GAS, flammable liquids and dangerous tools and i don't see anyone worried about ME when the gas is TOXIC or the chemicals used are a BIOHAZARD. If gas spilled all over the inside of a car, we don't refuse to fix it. WE use safety standards and TOOLS with a good set of gloves, mask and eye covering. there is NO reason an employee couldnt fix a smokey computer. Unless he is just a puss.

Its about them being lazy or apple saving a buck.

Warranty don't matter in this story, it seems these employees wasn't gonna even touch the machine...warranty or not. I see a huge double standard and a bunch of picky little snobby repair tech thinking they are above messing with mucked computers. Get over it, its how it works. Tons of us work around bad things all day and your crying about a little smoke muck? This is nothing more than apple trying to save money because if these same people walked in WITHOUT a warranty with good ol cash to pay with i guarantee it wouldn't of been denied. It was denied to save money or because the tech was an idiot that didnt know how to fix it or to lazy to.. Are you kidding me? "oh, its got cigarette tar on it, i refuse to touch it, its nasty" BLAH BLAH, wear rubber gloves ya puss. Im a mechanic and when i hear people refusing to touch dirty computers I WANT TO LAUGH. All i can say is, when i take my machine in for repair im gonna ask the tech if he smokes and if not, wait till i find one who does. If apple EVER denied my claim due to smoke after letting me buy a 300 dollar warranty without asking the simple question "do you smoke" I would raise 3 kinds of hell. This is being done on a case by case bases left up to the tech. Its not right. The tech may just feel lazy that day. Apple needs to implement a policy that just refuses warranty to ANY smoker. ANY AT ALL. tell them up front, this way there is no confusion about anything. And make out some kind of prevision for machines in hazardous environments. There are thousands of machines that work in hazardous environments besides smoke. This policy is not clear. I don't agree with apple but if they are gonna deny smokers in a world were millions of people smoke they need to be a little forthright about it.

[flopticalcube]

You can't really compare a vehicle to a computer. The car or truck was designed to be driven in the open elements and the manufacturer expects it to get dirty and has designed it for such. The computer has not been designed to work in harsh environments. You are correct in that Apple should be more up front with that. I would not hold my breath for it.

[harperjones99]

It is going to depend how they handle this. If they open a computer and it is brittle yellow and falling apart I can see their point. If they see cigs in someone's pocket or claim to "smell smoke" and start making trouble that's a whole different issue.

[emeek77]

Originally Posted by flopticalcube

You can't really compare a vehicle to a computer. The car or truck was designed to be driven in the open elements and the manufacturer expects it to get dirty and has designed it for such. The computer has not been designed to work in harsh environments. You are correct in that Apple should be more up front with that. I would not hold my breath for it.

BULL. Computer not designed to be in harsh environments? TELL THAT TO THE PC NEXT TO OUR BRAKE CLEANING MACHINE. lol.

[flopticalcube]

Originally Posted by emeek77

BULL. Computer not designed to be in harsh environments? TELL THAT TO THE PC NEXT TO OUR BRAKE CLEANING MACHINE. Your WRONG!

No need to shout. We can all hear you. There are specific computers designed for harsh environments. If yours was not you may have been lucky. I have been designing and building computers for 20 years. The operating environment is one of the first things that is spec'd out.

[emeek77]

Originally Posted by flopticalcube

No need to shout. We can all hear you. There are specific computers designed for harsh environments. If yours was not you may have been lucky. I have been designing and building computers for 20 years. The operating environment is one of the first things that is spec'd out.

Than please give me an option for a mac to be used in a harsh environment? Apple don't make "harsh environment" computers. No does dell etc. i don't know of ANY "harsh environment" desktop computers. Thats just dumb man. My warranty is only good if it isn't in a "harsh" environment? lol. Please, tell me what constitutes a "harsh" environment" then.... Factories? Offices that allow smoking? Garage? Some business are all mac, what option do they have if they own garages and factories? None of them have a line reading "for harsh environments look at these machines" Only the tuff books are made for a harsh environment and they are not desktops. Now your getting into even more vague denial polices. Now you can deny warranty for just being in a harsh environment? please clarify a harsh environment. its to broad a term. A harsh environment could be a place that to hot or cold, dusty or wet. its to vague.

So what do they expect you do do? Just use it in an office or home? Any place that may be dusty the apple isnt meant for and the warranty is void? No, thats a bad argument.

[flopticalcube]

google "industrial pc". plenty to choose from. 99% of all PCs are used in a home or office environment. Industrials is just not a market Apple is interested in.

[Ragnar]

Pure insanity. Is their some kind of funk in the water in Cupertino? Does a liver transplant affect rational thinking? Someone needs to bitch-slap these people and get them off their high horse. How about simply stop telling us what we need and build us what we want you egomaniacs.

I'm a non-smoker, I hate the stuff, but this is nuts.....

[brendu]

i want apples evidence that the smoke is harming the computers... i think al gore is getting way too much influence on their decision making..

[Ragnar]

Originally Posted by brendu

i want apples evidence that the smoke is harming the computers... i think al gore is getting way too much influence on their decision making..

Yeah, but he created the internet so he's got some pull

[harperjones99]

Originally Posted by brendu

i want apples evidence that the smoke is harming the computers... i think al gore is getting way too much influence on their decision making..

Go into the house or car of any long time smoker..see how it deteriorates materials and makes them brittle. Look at the stained walls and ceiling.

Believe it or not it DOES have an effect. Any device that pulls in air to ventilate especially can be damaged by smoke. Whether or not it will be obvious in a one year old laptop for example is another story. If your stuff is obviously stained and damaged by the "exhaust" I don't see the big deal...if they take it to an extreme and refuse someone because they have a lighter in their pocket then yeah it sucks.

I am willing to bet if you saw the computer that someone brought in that got this policy rolling you would be shocked at how nasty it was. It was probably pretty bad.

[Cassie]

That's pretty stupid. So it's possible a machine used by someone who smokes gets a little dirtier then a machine from a non smoker. How often is a dirty machine the reason it needs servicing? Honestly...

[harperjones99]

Originally Posted by Cassie

That's pretty stupid. So it's possible a machine used by someone who smokes gets a little dirtier then a machine from a non smoker. How often is a dirty machine the reason it needs servicing? Honestly...

Rarely I am sure...none of us have seen the computer that set this off and it clearly could have been gunked up...I have seen other items stained and gunked up from loads of smoking.

I think people are blowing this up and doubt they will take issue with your computer unless it is clearly affected and wreaks. If the original laptop was dirty and clogged up from tar etc is that really so unreasonable?

[brendu]

but my computer loves the buzz from its ciggs... it tried the patch but that didnt work for it... what is my macbook to do?????

p.s. no i dont smoke and i dont like it, but come on... do any other manufacturers have policies like this?

[skye12]

Smokers must realize they contaminate the air for everyone and everything.
I fully support this decision to void their warranties.

[ucfgrad93]

This is a bad policy. If they tried that on me, I would sue them because this is not stated in the AppleCare policy.

[thegoldenmackid]

Smoking can cause some pretty nasty looking internals to electronics, I understand their decision.

[davidjearly]

I'm totally with Apple on this one.