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Original poster
Jul 3, 2013
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Hello,

So my wife’s MacBook is broken. The screen is cracked and broken (her fault) and the keyboard which had already been replaced has a number of stuck keys (not her fault).

So we took it to the Apple store to repair the keyboard and replace the screen. It was going to cost ~$475 for the screen to be replaced (a lot but fine, we’ll pay it) and the keyboard would be replaced under Apple’s program.

Well we got a call today informing us there was water contact. Which is ridiculous as she’s never got it wet as far as we know.

So Apple is now charging us an absolutely outrageous $950 to fix the keyboard and display. Which isn’t much less than the cost of the thing new.

I’m pretty angry to be honest. With the constant keyboard problems and now this huge repair bill.

Does anyone have any advice on what to do next as we are not going to pay $950 when we could just as well buy a new Mac for that much?

Thank you.
 
You’ll have to decide for yourself whether it’s worth it to repair the machine or replace it. Don’t get angry and don’t let emotions dictate your decision. Since you claimed you could buy a new machine for $950, that seems like the obvious choice. You might be able to sell the machine for parts on eBay or Craigslist since the logic board is probably ok.
 
Additionally, you also ought to consider if you'd condone and reward such behavior by continuing to patronize their products with your hard earned money.
 
Additionally, you also ought to consider if you'd condone and reward such behavior by continuing to patronize their products with your hard earned money.

I've been buying Apple iPhones, iPads, iPods and Macs for years and honestly I'm getting a little tired of it all. The prices seem to just keep inflating while any sort of repairs become harder and harder.

It's my wife's fault for the screen damage but the keyboard issue is entirely Apple. Plus I honestly don't know if I believe them when they said over the phone that it was water damaged. Unless its perhaps been rained on. Even still, the keyboard wasn't not working due to water damage but due to stuck keys.
 
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Definitely toss it and buy a new Mac. There’s no reason to keep throwing money in that hole. I would recommend buying a new laptop whether Windows or Apple. Just my $.02
 
Full Disclosure: I am an Ex-Genius

Hearing "Sticky Keys", the first place my mind goes to is liquid damage. When you open it up, it's super easy to spot liquid damage so I would probably side with the techs that examined your computer.

I know it's not what you want to hear, and bashing Apple seems to be the cool thing to do in this forum so take it as you want to, but that's my experience.

Also, the $950 cost isn't just to replace the screen and keyboard, it replaces anything that liquid has come into contact with. A short-list of what it has probably been affected is Keyboard, top-case, logic board, trackpad, battery, (maybe even wifi, io boards, bottom case and other components.) This is in addition to your display. So you can see where that cost comes from (it still seems steep tbh but thats how Apple rolls)
 
Full Disclosure: I am an Ex-Genius

Hearing "Sticky Keys", the first place my mind goes to is liquid damage. When you open it up, it's super easy to spot liquid damage so I would probably side with the techs that examined your computer.

I know it's not what you want to hear, and bashing Apple seems to be the cool thing to do in this forum so take it as you want to, but that's my experience.

Also, the $950 cost isn't just to replace the screen and keyboard, it replaces anything that liquid has come into contact with. A short-list of what it has probably been affected is Keyboard, top-case, logic board, trackpad, battery, (maybe even wifi, io boards, bottom case and other components.) This is in addition to your display. So you can see where that cost comes from (it still seems steep tbh but thats how Apple rolls)

I'm not trying to outright bash Apple. This isn't my first case of 'water damage' denying a claim. I once had an iPhone 3GS that I babied. This thing was never dropped, gotten wet etc. So when the 30pin port failed I took it in to Apple. They said it was water damage. But I had never gotten it wet. I suspect any sort of water damage was sweat from working out. Which in my opinion is a ridiculously low bar to set for 'water damage' and is more in line with poor design.

The only water damage I can think of is perhaps rain on the keyboard. But the thing was, the keys were completely jammed. My wife was having to copy and paste letters that weren't working. I mean some of them wouldn't move. It was less sticky keys and more stuck keys. The exact same scenario in which Apple replaced it first time round. The keyboard is defective, even if there's water contact - which we know is extremely easily to set off - it is still a faulty design that was not working due to dust/debris ingress.

The laptop was working completely fine aside from the keyboard's stuck keys. Then she accidentally broke the screen which is when we took it in for repair. The battery, trackpad etc were all working fine.

I'm a bit fed up of ever higher prices and outrageous repair bills after everything we've bought from Apple. There is such a thing as 'good will claims' which I have had success with when I've had a fault on a car before.

My biggest issue is when I said 'can you just replace the screen and we will live with the keyboard'. Nope, it's all or nothing. So you know what. I think I'll buy her a Dell XPS and see how much we can get for a broken MacBook. I just cannot reward Apple with money for in my opinion this lazy, greedy and indifferent sort of customer service. I am quite angry with their attitude. This is Cook's Apple, not Job's sadly.

Also I'm an engineer, I know how things should be properly built and designed. How they should be tested for likely use cases and at the extremes. This keyboard is far too easy to break, it's not fit for purpose.
 
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Louis Rossman, YouTube him, did a video not long ago saying the water indicators change with time due to humidity so almost any older system shows water. He pulled apart a machine and proved their was no water issues. It’s worth fighting Apple on.

Secondly, send your book to Louis Rossman he fixes them for much cheaper.
 
Louis Rossman, YouTube him, did a video not long ago saying the water indicators change with time due to humidity so almost any older system shows water. He pulled apart a machine and proved their was no water issues. It’s worth fighting Apple on.

Secondly, send your book to Louis Rossman he fixes them for much cheaper.

Thank you and yes that is what I've come to believe. Over time those water contacts will change with high humidity and everyday use. I'll check him out.
 
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