Scratched new macbook, return?

[mixman]

Playing around with the new laptop I noticed the outer cover (w/Apple logo) is scratched, with not one, but three 1-2cm long scratches. Seems like the laptop has slipped during assembly. On the bright side, this time, the laptop doesn't squeak!

I had less scratches (=none) in my 2011 model after 10 months of use. Now I'm worried this'll impact resale value down the road.

Anyone else unfortunate enough to get a hastily assembled laptop?

How many scratches are acceptable for a new purchase?

[Intell]

Really? By the time you get around to reselling that machine, most will have scratches on them. Even new right out of the robotic mills, the cases are covered with thousands of scratches. Nothing to worry about.

[thehumorpolice]

I would take it back. You are entitled to have a perfect machine at this price. Keep it that way with something like invisible shield or best skin ever.

[mixman]

Originally Posted by Intell

Really? By the time you get around to reselling that machine, most will have scratches on them. Even new right out of the robotic mills, the cases are covered with thousands of scratches. Nothing to worry about.

Paying premium for a new product I expect it to look new. If this was a refurbished/used macbook for some hundreds of euros discount, then by all means, it doesn't need to be in mint condition.

[GREEN4U]

Exchange it and move on.

[palpatine]

No question. I would return it.

I use my stuff all day every day, but I keep it in mint condition (cases, careful handling, etc.) so I can resell it for a higher price. Scratches out of the box knock off a lot of value, and besides, Apple would find this kind of thing unacceptable as well.

[Intell]

If you buy a new car and the stitching on the driver's seat starts coming out within a week of purchase, do you take the car back and demand that they replace the seat? Most car dealerships will refuse to replace it over such a silly thing. Apple computers aren't all that premeium anymore.

[GREEN4U]

Originally Posted by Intell

If you buy a new car and the stitching on the driver's seat starts coming out within a week of purchase, do you take the car back and demand that they replace the seat? Most car dealerships will refuse to replace it over such a silly thing. Apple computers aren't all that premeium anymore.

Stupid analogy. That would be like if you took your Macbook Air home, opened up the insides, and realized the graphics card had a small dent in it.

Scratches on the aluminum body of a new macbook air is more like a big dent or scratch on a new car.

[palpatine]

Originally Posted by Intell

If you buy a new car and the stitching on the driver's seat starts coming out within a week of purchase, do you take the car back and demand that they replace the seat? Most car dealerships will refuse to replace it over such a silly thing. Apple computers aren't all that premeium anymore.

First of all, it is a poor analogy. When my dealer gives me a car in a box and says I cannot open it until after I purchase it, then maybe it will make a bit more sense to me.

But, yes. I would take it to the dealer and demand that they repair or replace the seat. And, my dealer would do it, because I just paid them 30k or 40k for a car. There were little things that we asked our dealer to do, and they did it, because they want our business. Good for them to have a repeat customer, and good for us, because we trust them to make sure the purchase experience is a good one.

Given the attention that Apple puts into their product display and packaging, I think they would also be very unhappy to hear about this serious lack of quality control.

[Intell]

Except a chipped GPU wouldn't work or if it did they'd see lots of graphical glitches. You made the analogy even worse. They're both cosmetic and will happen over time. No matter how many replacements you get or what you do to your machine. There is no such thing as a "perfect" Macbook. It just simply doesn't exist. What you see as "perfect" could be flawed to the next person. "Perfection" is an unachievable goal that is different for everyone and nothing is every truly perfect.

[Beau10]

Originally Posted by Intell

What you see as "perfect" could be flawed to the next person. "Perfection" is an unachievable goal that is different for everyone and nothing is every truly perfect.

To illustrate my OCD'ness my last 11" Air had the screen slightly askew to the right, maybe no more than .5 mm, so I pulled the bottom plate off and re-aligned. Back in college I exchanged 3 CRT trinitron monitors before getting one with a picture I found acceptably square. My first car I had the dealer re-align the driver door panel.

I can say I give each new piece of Apple gear a good look over after pulling it out of the packaging and have never seen what I felt to be even minor physical damage, although I do sometimes see little bits of debris/hair or whatnot under the plastic wrap. If I got what the OP describes I'd exchange, no question. I've definitely had windows laptops I couldn't say the same for but those tended to be work-issued so I didn't really care.

[noisycats]

Originally Posted by Intell

If you buy a new car and the stitching on the driver's seat starts coming out within a week of purchase, do you take the car back and demand that they replace the seat? Most car dealerships will refuse to replace it over such a silly thing. Apple computers aren't all that premeium anymore.

You seriously wouldn't take your one week old car back to the dealership if your stitching started fraying ?

I would. And they would happily fix it. In fact, they would probably fall all over themselves apologizing, and give me a loner car.

[Intell]

Originally Posted by Beau10

To illustrate my OCD'ness...

Unless you've been diagnosed with OCD by an accredited professional, please don't claim to have it. Actual OCD is not an easy thing to have or to live with someone that has it.

Originally Posted by noisycats

You seriously wouldn't take your one week old car back to the dealership if your stitching started fraying ?

I would. And they would happily fix it. In fact, they would probably fall all over themselves apologizing, and give me a loner car.

I wouldn't take it in. I'd man-up, stop complaining, and fix it myself.

[palpatine]

Originally Posted by Intell

Except a chipped GPU wouldn't work or if it did they'd see lots of graphical glitches. You made the analogy even worse. They're both cosmetic and will happen over time. No matter how many replacements you get or what you do to your machine. There is no such thing as a "perfect" Macbook. It just simply doesn't exist. What you see as "perfect" could be flawed to the next person. "Perfection" is an unachievable goal that is different for everyone and nothing is every truly perfect.

I guess we will have to agree to disagree. Everything I have purchased from Apple has been perfect out of the box. Not a single blemish on anything. I have had to take things back (the iPod I mentioned earlier, headphones that stopped working, etc.) so I guess they technically had some kind of defect. But, the cool thing is that Apple staff immediately set me up with a Genius, listened to the problem, and replaced my product. No questions asked. No fuss.

When I had screen issues with Toshiba, it took weeks to get that resolved, and I sent it in twice. Asus? Several weeks for a problem that appeared out of the box on a couple of products. It is a night and day difference, and I think the OP should definitely take advantage of the service. I pay top dollar for Apple products because I know what I get will be perfect, and if it isn't, they will make it right as soon as possible.

[EDIT:] Man up? Are you kidding? The OP got a defective product. He isn't going to buff the scratches out. And, I would not restitch the seats in my car. LOL. No way. And, if the dealer said anything like that, I'd go across the street to his competitor. I haven't got the time, patience, or interest to tolerate poor quality control. And, I expect others to hold me to the same standard.

[Intell]

Originally Posted by palpatine

I guess we will have to agree to disagree. Everything I have purchased from Apple has been perfect out of the box. Not a single blemish on anything. I have had to take things back (the iPod I mentioned earlier, headphones that stopped working, etc.) so I guess they technically had some kind of defect. But, the cool thing is that Apple staff immediately set me up with a Genius, listened to the problem, and replaced my product. No questions asked. No fuss.

Look at what I said about different people's views of "perfect". I may find a flaw on your Apple products. Maybe your uncle would find a different set of flaws. What is "perfect" to you is just you overlooking or not noticing the flaws it has.

[palpatine]

Originally Posted by Intell

Look at what I said about different people's views of "perfect". I may find a flaw on your Apple products. Maybe your uncle would find a different set of flaws. What is "perfect" to you is just you overlooking or not noticing the flaws it has.

LOL. It is a scratch. There is nothing subjective about it. Good luck finding a "flaw" in my computer. Truth may be subjective, but quality control is not.

[jessica.]

Oh Intell, you could have done better with your analogy. But the fact is, the OP is bothered so take it back and get another. Let some lucky soul get that nice new MBP at a discount because it cannot be sold as new.

[Intell]

Quality control is just as subjective as the next thing. If checker A thinks a smuge is acceptable, then it's acceptable. Checker B may not think so and have the device cleaned. All subjective because humans are checking the product and humans have a variying degree of quality and performance. The flaws in your computer are the simple flaws you cannot see. Maybe a logic gate in the CPU is slightly wrong, yet it passed testing. Maybe there is a stress micro-fracture on the hinge or maybe the logicboard is missing a retaining screw.

[palpatine]

Originally Posted by Intell

Quality control is just as subjective as the next thing. If checker A thinks a smuge is acceptable, then it's acceptable. Checker B may not think so and have the device cleaned. All subjective because humans are checking the product and humans have a variying degree of quality and performance. The flaws in your computer are the simple flaws you cannot see. Maybe a logic gate in the CPU is slightly wrong, yet it passed testing. Maybe there is a stress micro-fracture on the hinge or maybe the logicboard is missing a retaining screw.

*sigh*

There are quality control tolerances. The product either falls within, or without, but there is no "subjective" measure here. If Apple tried to claim that scratches on a brand new product were "within" then I would return it. If my dealer tried to claim that poorly stitched seats were "within" then I would return it. Why? Not because of a problem with subjectivity, but a disagreement about the tolerances.

Toshiba, Panasonic, Asus, and other manufacturers apparently have a very different view on the appropriate tolerances for products and how they should respond to claims. So, I don't do business with them when I can help it.

Apple has staked their reputation on exacting quality control, and when you approach their staff about a problem, in every case (in my experience) they immediately respond by recognizing that the product is outside of the tolerances, and replace it for me. We agree about the tolerances.

Blah, blah, blah... It is a scratch. It is unacceptable. It ought to be returned, in my opinion. If you would like to buff out the scratches, be my guest. We disagree then on what consumers ought to expect of manufacturers, and how they should respond when a product fails to meet quality control standards.

[WAM2]

Originally Posted by Intell

Unless you've been diagnosed with OCD by an accredited professional, please don't claim to have it. Actual OCD is not an easy thing to have or to live with someone that has it.

THANK YOU. I Have it, I Hate when people say they have OCD because they don't like something thats not perfect. -_-

[Newtype]

Just return it when you can. It's gonna bug you someday.

[powsucks]

Originally Posted by Intell

Quality control is just as subjective as the next thing. If checker A thinks a smuge is acceptable, then it's acceptable. Checker B may not think so and have the device cleaned. All subjective because humans are checking the product and humans have a variying degree of quality and performance. The flaws in your computer are the simple flaws you cannot see. Maybe a logic gate in the CPU is slightly wrong, yet it passed testing. Maybe there is a stress micro-fracture on the hinge or maybe the logicboard is missing a retaining screw.

So you think a person employed to complete quality control for Apple are told to simply pass what they think is acceptable. Or do you actually think they are given a strict set of criteria each component of each machine must meet? They are not just allowed to decide on their own what gets through, they have to follow a set list of checks. I'm fairly sure visable scratches on the exteria is one of them. You seem to be trying your best to keep an argument going for the sake of it. If you bought a brand new car and the seats started falling apart within days, you'd be a mug not to dispute it. nobody is after a "perfect" laptop, but they are after one in top condition upon delivery. If nobody complained, standards would gradually get worse, with scratches becoming the norm.

[noisycats]

Originally Posted by Intell

I wouldn't take it in. I'd man-up, stop complaining, and fix it myself.

There's nothing "complaining" about taking a brand new 3/36 warrantied car back to the dealership for an obvious production defect.

Not entirely sure what your testicles have to do with the frayed stitching...
and don't think I want to know.

[Beau10]

Originally Posted by Intell

Unless you've been diagnosed with OCD by an accredited professional, please don't claim to have it. Actual OCD is not an easy thing to have or to live with someone that has it.

I was diagnosed at 4 after my preschool teacher thought I was losing my hearing. No I haven't been checked since but I've largely worked to overcome it where possible.

Thanks for jumping to conclusions and your other extremely valuable input to this thread. Loosen the 'eff up, seriously.

[SchuettS]

Originally Posted by Intell

Quality control is just as subjective as the next thing. If checker A thinks a smuge is acceptable, then it's acceptable. Checker B may not think so and have the device cleaned. All subjective because humans are checking the product and humans have a variying degree of quality and performance. The flaws in your computer are the simple flaws you cannot see. Maybe a logic gate in the CPU is slightly wrong, yet it passed testing. Maybe there is a stress micro-fracture on the hinge or maybe the logicboard is missing a retaining screw.

What are you talking about??? A smudge? Really? How is that even close to a scratch? Hmmm.. If I had a smudge on my computer, I'd wipe it off. He is talking about a scratch, not a smudge or an internal problem. A scratch!!

Your posts made me dumber so if you see a grammar error it is your fault.