$1259 vent

[thejadedmonkey]

I just got off the phone with Applecare, and if killing wasn't illegal, well...

So the computer's had some issues since forever. When I got it, the screen had dirt behind it, the CD drive didn't always mount, but I was in a crunch. In the past year and a half that I've had it, the fan started to rattle, the palm rest developed black spots on it, and the latch got stuck, causing me to (with Apple's permission) force it open.

Now that this semester is over, I sent it in because the fan, which had started rattling a few weeks ago, was bugging me.

Today, I got a phone call. $1259 to replace the CD drive, Hard drive, and top and bottom casing due to damage caused by a dent. I'm a little peeved. The top and bottom casing both have issues which are unrelated to the dent- Heck, if it's that big of a deal, give me a dented case back! The hard drive works fine to my knowledge, and the CD drive has always been funky.

Sorry for feeling the urge to vent, but I find it unacceptable that Apple wants to charge me MORE to fix it then they would charge if I bought a refurbished model off of them today.

How many of you have been gipped by Apple Care before?

Here's a picture of what's costing me more then the computer retails for. And in case you were wondering, the computer was in a sleeve, in a backpack, when the damage occurred.

 

[jackiecanev2]

Applecare will always fix the problem, but if there is the possibility they they can attribute any sort of damage on water or a fall then they will. Just from my experience. But with the number of people that accidentally damage their computers and then try to claim repairs under applecare.... well, that's the reason that the policy is the way it is.

 

[J the Ninja]

Escalate it. Get ahold of someone who can actually decide what gets fixed in your machine. Explain to them you are fine with machine coming back with the dent still there, just as long as the fan got fixed. Don't take no for an answer. If you are still out of luck, you can try your hand at replacing it yourself. It's one of the easier parts to change out. iFixit.com can supply you with both the fan and detailed instructions on how to do it. Look over their guides, see if you feel up to it.

 

[thejadedmonkey]

After spending an hour 8 minutes and 11 seconds of my life on the phone with tech support, then a customer service rep., I am shocked. They refuse to repair anything at all due to the fall it sustained.

Lesson learned: Fix everything the absolute second that it breaks. I'm on the phone with Apple now getting a new mighty mouse for our iMac, before they try to tell me that because I didn't get the mouse fixes ASAP the screen will cost me $1259 to repair too!

 

[darngooddesign]

Not that I'm excusing Apple, but that looks like the dent is on the front left corner.

That is where the HD is located so I understand not paying for that, the damage could also be to the drive's mounting brackets.

The rattling fans and bad optical could be attributable to the fall as well.

Apple has no way of knowing that these issues happened before the fall, so I can understand their hesitation.

I know it sucks, but if you had any kind of proof that these issues were older than the fall you would have a case. I wonder if you can go in to an Apple store and have them documented but not send the machine in.

 

[Teej guy]

I wish Apple had a warrenty like Dell's. Dell's complete care covers accidental damage, no questions, and I have two friends who can attest to that.

 

[drlunanerd]

How many of you have been gipped by Apple Care before?

Here's a picture of what's costing me more then the computer retails for. And in case you were wondering, the computer was in a sleeve, in a backpack, when the damage occurred.

Time and time again I advise people not to use laptop sleeves unless they're also in a well padded laptop bag or equivalent. They just don't give enough impact protection on their own.

If your Apple device develops a fault get it repaired under warranty straight away.

 

[Teej guy]

Time and time again I advise people not to use laptop sleeves unless they're also in a well padded laptop bag or equivalent. They just don't give enough impact protection on their own.

If your Apple device develops a fault get it repaired under warranty straight away.

Hard to do in Canada where Apple limits its authorised repair centres to one fault per computer per month. I had to wait a month after getting my logic board replaced to get my DVD Burner replaced by which point it was too late because I was working, needed my computer and then went to England.

Apple Care has been good for me to have since I've gotten two logic board replacements, a new DVD burner, new battery and new power adaptor, but they have some policies which are useless. Dell's Complete Care which is 100 dollars a year covers accidental liquid spillage.

 

[macrem]

I wish Apple had a warrenty like Dell's. Dell's complete care covers accidental damage, no questions, and I have two friends who can attest to that.

Is that CompleteCare, a program which uses third party insurers? You can also purchase your own third party accidental damage insurance for Macs.

 

[andiwm2003]

I actually stopped buying AppleCare because of Apples policy to charge you full price on every repair if there is a dent on the casing. The casing is too easy to dent.

I can understand that apple has to make sure it's not a accidental damage. However over three years the likelyhood of a dent in the old MBP's is 90% (don't know about the new unibody models).

It just is too unlikely that you get anything out of your $349 for AppleCare.

The likey Nvidea GPU failure of course makes it more complicated now. What happens if you dent your MBP and then the GPU fails a month later? Probably you're out of luck AppleCare or not.

 

[macrem]

[...]Apple Care has been good for me to have since I've gotten two logic board replacements, a new DVD burner, new battery and new power adaptor, but they have some policies which are useless. Dell's Complete Care which is 100 dollars a year covers accidental liquid spillage.

I had and actually ended up needing to use Safeware accidental damage insurance for a PowerBook. It was cheaper than Dell's CompleteCare.

 

[iBookG4user]

Apple tried to charge me $1100 before to repair the screen because "There were 4 tiny scratches on it". The scratches in question they even stated they were superficial and you wouldn't even notice them if you weren't looking for them. Luckily I was able to talk my way out of it and got it repaired for free. You can ask them to send it back to you not repaired if they won't budge.

 

[macrem]

I actually stopped buying AppleCare because of Apples policy to charge you full price on every repair if there is a dent on the casing. The casing is too easy to dent.

I can understand that apple has to make sure it's not a accidental damage. However over three years the likelyhood of a dent in the old MBP's is 90% (don't know about the new unibody models).

It just is too unlikely that you get anything out of your $349 for AppleCare.

The likey Nvidea GPU failure of course makes it more complicated now. What happens if you dent your MBP and then the GPU fails a month later? Probably you're out of luck AppleCare or not.

Except for the lid the Unibodies definitely look more dent resistant although some have succeeded in denting Unibodies too.

Once mine is almost a year old, I'm planning to get AppleCare via eBay (hopefully it will still be ~$100 then), not only for the peace of mind but if I upgrade before three years are up, its easier to sell a machine that is covered.

 

[J the Ninja]

Except for the lid the Unibodies definitely look more dent resistant although some have succeeded in denting Unibodies too.

Yep. Sleeve slid off my shoulder, down my arm, and on to the sidewalk outside a classroom one morning:


Not fun. Either wear the sleeve across your body, or put it in a backpack or bag.

 

[petermcphee]

Yep. Sleeve slid off my shoulder, down my arm, and on to the sidewalk outside a classroom one morning:


Not fun. Either wear the sleeve across your body, or put it in a backpack or bag.

That sucks. Has the computer developed any rattles since it fell?

 

[J the Ninja]

That sucks. Has the computer developed any rattles since it fell?

Nope. The unibody is f*%$ing armor plate. The cosmetic damage you see here is all there is. There wasn't even a mark on the battery. (Actually, it looks a lot worse in that pic that it does in person, because of the lighting)

 

[youssefm]

Im sorry, can you go to an apple store and speak to a genius and manager? My brothers girlfriend has a macbook, the plastic was chipping, bezel broken, screen cracked, hard drive dead and they fixed it no questions asked.. and she even dropped it too.. so i think going in person might be better.. also be persistent

 

[darwinian]

Im sorry, can you go to an apple store and speak to a genius and manager? My brothers girlfriend has a macbook, the plastic was chipping, bezel broken, screen cracked, hard drive dead and they fixed it no questions asked.. and she even dropped it too.. so i think going in person might be better.. also be persistent

Totally anecdotally speaking and not making any generalizations about women, just about every time I've been in an Apple store, some college girl will be in there with a MB beat to all hell getting something replaced. I've seen plenty that looked like they've been dropped, kicked, and put through an unlicensed boxing match. While probably half of them ended up paying dearly for repairs, the other half got off with stern warnings and free repairs for whatever they were in for.

Be persistent, but be nice and calmly state your case. In person is much better than over the phone for this kind of thing, I think.

 

[thejadedmonkey]

Apple has a (black evil filled demon) soul!

After spending about an hour and a half on the phone with Apple, I am having Apple send the computer back to me, unprepared. I find it ridiculous that they can attribute a foot and a half fall to corrosion on the palm rest or dirt behind the screen.

First I'll try the "local" apple store. Then I'll send a letter to Apple legal I guess. Does anyone have any better suggestions?

 

[iBookG4user]

After spending about an hour and a half on the phone with Apple, I am having Apple send the computer back to me, unprepared. I find it ridiculous that they can attribute a foot and a half fall to corrosion on the palm rest or dirt behind the screen.

First I'll try the "local" apple store. Then I'll send a letter to Apple legal I guess. Does anyone have any better suggestions?

You could send an email to sjobs@apple.com and explain your situation.

 

[Jiten]

I would not mind paying a bit more to get "Applecare accident insurance."

 

[Luftwaffles]

Definitely email sjobs@apple.com about it. Practically the same thing happened to me, only it was one dinky little fan and the damage to my case was a little bit worse.

Here's the thread I made about my incident, you might find some good advice there:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/618482/

 

[thejadedmonkey]

Definitely email sjobs@apple.com about it. Practically the same thing happened to me, only it was one dinky little fan and the damage to my case was a little bit worse.

Here's the thread I made about my incident, you might find some good advice there:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/618482/

I just skimmed the whole thing.. I remember reading the first page and a half a little while ago, thinking how silly Applecare was. Now I am ready to call up the lawyer too. I'd rather give a lawyer money then Apple at this point.

In any event, I asked Apple send the computer back to me friday morning, and as of monday afternoon they still had it. Hopefully the strongly worded letter I typed up in their consumer relations survey got some results.

Otherwise I'm thinking about taking it to the local Apple store, but then I'll look at the executive relations people you were talking about, then sjobs, before actually spending money on a lawyer. After reading the Applecare contract, I see there's nothing about the entire warranty becoming void if there's any accidental damage, just that they don't have to cover the accidental damage.

 

[Luftwaffles]

Otherwise I'm thinking about taking it to the local Apple store, but then I'll look at the executive relations people you were talking about, then sjobs, before actually spending money on a lawyer. After reading the Applecare contract, I see there's nothing about the entire warranty becoming void if there's any accidental damage, just that they don't have to cover the accidental damage.

Emailing sjobs@apple.com will instantly get you in touch with the Executive Relations folk. You should ask if you can send it in for an in-depth inspection at a repair depot. If your description of the damage is accurate (I have no reason to believe otherwise) they should repair the faulty components, no questions asked. In fact, in my case they had repaired the laptop and shipped it back to the store (halfway across the country) before the depot even called to tell me they got it!

I hope your experience turns out as great (or better) than mine.

 

[thejadedmonkey]

I took it to the Apple store in KoP and spoke to a nice person who assured me that unless the entire insides are trashed, they would replace the CD drive, screen, left, and right fan. As long as everything goes according to plan, maybe I'll be happy again! *crosses fingers*