Brand new MBA, small chip on back. What should I do? Keep or exchange?

So I finally got my new MBA and while I love every new detail about this model compared to the 2008 version, I was most disappointed to see a tiny little knick on the back of the aluminum covering the screen.

I realize this is a very minor thing and certainly doesn't render the laptop unusable but for $1,300 I kind of want things to be perfect.

I'm content with the LG screen I think and am now just worried that if I exchange I may end up with a screen I don't like. Plus I would have to wait till next week for the replacement.

No suggestions? Nothing? I just got off the phone with Apple and they were really cool about letting me go ahead and do an exchange if I decide.

halledise said:

return it and get a new replacement

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Yeah I think I will. This is going to be my computer for the next few years, plus I spent $1300. It makes sense to take care of something like this early on while I still can.

wditters said:

Or discuss a discount ...

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Apple makes me very frustrated. When I asked them about taking the MBA to a store to verify there was indeed damage and then receiving appropriate compensation the guy I spoke with seemed to think I just meant receiving a full refund and so, annoyed, I didn't press the possibility any further.

Anyway I was somehow hoping that I could receive a replacement by Saturday. Looks like that isn't going to happen. So frustrating I have to wait another weekend without using my new computer. The first guy I spoke with yesterday said that he would call me back tomorrow to see what I wanted to do. He said other Apple reps may not permit the exchange so that because he would and I still wanted to think it over he would just call me the next day. Weird but fine I thought. Got the follow-up call tonight hoping I could get my return label and then ship it out tonight as well. They said that as soon as they got the tracking number from me (when I shipped the old MBA out) they could then initiate the delivery of the replacement. Then the guy tells me it will actually take another 24 for my replacement request to process and that I would get a call from a supervisor tomorrow sometime. There goes expediting this whole process.

Not satisfied I call back and speak with another rep who really didn't know anything. She told me they could email me my label tonight but that it would take 24 hours to process. So basically I wouldn't receive the label for another day. She also said that as soon as my replacement became available it would ship out regardless of when I took the original back to UPS. This doesn't even make sense. How would Apple even know I sent back the original then? She also said that the return label would be from USPS even though it was delivered UPS.

When I ordered my MBA I got the standard 13" but with 8 GB of RAM. Apple listed this as a popular configuration and in stock. The second rep I spoke with however tells me that this configuration will take 1 to 3 business days to be built and then 1 to 2 days to ship out via expedited shipping.

Ok so I finally got a return label from Apple but as far as getting a replacement I'll have to wait till late next week. Bummer but now I'm beginning to get cold feet because of the possibility of ending up with an inferior screen and having to wait even more.

CirrusPilot said:

No Apple store near you?

I wouldn't care about a blemish normally, but if you want to sell the computer down the road, the chip could be a "big" deal to someone. Plus, depending on what it looks like, if something goes wrong with the computer, Apple may see that and assume there was physical damage to the computer.

That being said, I don't know about you, but I couldn't go a week without a computer for work, but if you can, it may be worth the hassle of returning it.

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There is but I ordered the MBA with 8 GB of RAM and so it's considered a custom order. I could only return but not exchange the device at an Apple Store.

The chip is on the back and very bottom edge of the aluminum surrounding the screen. If you peer very closely it looks like a speck of dirt or something that could be easily wiped off. But unfortunately it's a chip. More of an eyesore to the perfectionist, more psychological than cosmetic, but still a chip on a $1,300 laptop.

While it's very frustrating to wait another week for a computer that I've been waiting to purchase for a year now, I feel like if I don't and instead decide to keep the chipped machine it will be something that always bothers me. I'm frustrated that I have a brand new MBA that I can't use quite yet and I'm dreading the possibility of having to deal with any problems in a replacement.