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Apple Care advice (for a system that needs repair)

L

littly_kittly

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 15, 2018
9
2
My Macbook Pro was working fine but has now developed several faults and has been away for repair three times under Apple care.

Apple are saying that they will no longer repair it, but instead replace it, but I need to provide a receipt to prove that I purchased it from them.

Looking through my records, it seems the machine itself was a replacement (There was a lot going on in my life during that period and I had forgotten this). I have the receipt for the original, but they never gave me a receipt for the replacement. (I have the receipt for the extra Apple care I purchased when I got the replacement, but they say this doesn't count).

Apple are now saying that as it has been replaced in the past, they can't do anything more.

I don't really care if it is replaced or not, just that it is fixed. Do I have any rights? I am in the final year of Apple care and it expires in the next few days (I raised the issue well within time).

In the UK, not sure if this makes a difference.
 
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Audit13 said:
With a replacement, Apple should update the Apple Care to show the new serial number in place of the previous serial number and the warranty carries on with the same expiry date. This is how I had a MacBook air and two iPhones handled.
Click to expand...
When I received the replacement, I was advised by Apple to purchase a new Apple Care (which I did). Was this incorrect advice?
 
When the original machine was replaced, did Apple issue you a refund on the Apple Care you purchased for it? If they did, then they correctly advised you to purchase Apple Care for the replacement machine.
 
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No they didn't. but I think by the time the new machine arrived, the original apple care had expired.
 
If you still have a valid Apple Care plan that is tied to the machine you currently own and are having problems with, then it would seem to me that they have little choice but to repair or replace it. Not doing so for a machine with a valid Apple Care plan would be a breach of warranty.

Are you positive that you’ve got remaining time on your Apple Care plan for that particular machine?
 
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littly_kittly said:
When I received the replacement, I was advised by Apple to purchase a new Apple Care (which I did). Was this incorrect advice?
Click to expand...
I have never heard of Apple giving a refund for Apple care after replacing a product under a purchased Applecare agreement. When I look up the replacement serial #, the Apple website shows the replacement IMEI is covered under the same Applecare plan.

I recently had my iPhone X replaced under Applecare (I have Applecare+ on the iPhone too) and they sent me a receipt for the replacement.
 
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When I got mine replaced, they didn't ask for anything, AND I bought it off ebay. I simply bought one that was eligible for extended Applecare, and bought it. However, when they failed to fix it three times, they pretty much told me I get the replacement, or they give up. I was told that somewhere in the warranty, it states that they are not obligated to assure that it is fixed. I still haven't read it, to check, but I'm sure the wording is cleverly stated to back us in to that corner.

Other than all of that, Apple has never let me down. They have always gone beyond what one would assume is their duty to the customer.

I wish you luck.
 
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Thanks for all your help everyone! I tried contacting Apple again and sent them the email which they original sent to me when they sent the original replacement. I spoke to a very friendly lady who now agreed to do a repair.

Interestingly, she said that because of UK consumer law, they can't issue a further replacement. Is that true? My original machine was purchased in 2012, with three years apple care. The replacement was provided in 2015 when a further three years apple care was purchased. She said because of these dates, they wouldn't be able to provide a replacement without breaking UK consumer law.

Although, I don't mind as I understand the replacements use a new form of USB, so a repair is probably better. Just hope it doesn't break again.

vemac575 said:
When I got mine replaced, they didn't ask for anything, AND I bought it off ebay. I simply bought one that was eligible for extended Applecare, and bought it. However, when they failed to fix it three times, they pretty much told me I get the replacement, or they give up.
Click to expand...

That's interesting, as they were very adamant with me that I had to have proof that I purchased it from Apple online or they couldn't do anything. In the event that I had purchased it from an Apple store, then I would have to take it back to that store in order to get a repair.
I was under the impression that with Apple Care, the purchase location didn't matter, but they've told me several times that this isn't the case.
 
It is a while since I read the details of the 2015 Act but what Apple told you doesn't sound right to me. Read up on it yourself then decide on the result you want. If Apple isn't giving you what you want and what the law says you are entitled to then demand a different outcome.
 
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littly_kittly said:
Thanks for all your help everyone! I tried contacting Apple again and sent them the email which they original sent to me when they sent the original replacement. I spoke to a very friendly lady who now agreed to do a repair.

Interestingly, she said that because of UK consumer law, they can't issue a further replacement. Is that true? My original machine was purchased in 2012, with three years apple care. The replacement was provided in 2015 when a further three years apple care was purchased. She said because of these dates, they wouldn't be able to provide a replacement without breaking UK consumer law.

Although, I don't mind as I understand the replacements use a new form of USB, so a repair is probably better. Just hope it doesn't break again.



That's interesting, as they were very adamant with me that I had to have proof that I purchased it from Apple online or they couldn't do anything. In the event that I had purchased it from an Apple store, then I would have to take it back to that store in order to get a repair.
I was under the impression that with Apple Care, the purchase location didn't matter, but they've told me several times that this isn't the case.
Click to expand...

I would take this up the latter. Get ahold of who you can. They definitely are not legally required to replace it, but I wouldn't rest at "can't fix it, and you didn't buy it FROM Apple, so...". Call a relationship representative near your area and see what you can do. They may allow you to send it in, or take it to a third party certified repair depot. Those guys have allowed me to do stuff I certainly should not had been allowed to do, so be very nice to them as they are not obligated to help you. Talk to them like a friend, make your story understandable and relatable and even if it comes down to it... You may have to KISS SOME DONKEY. If you don't agree with the verdict, be nice and just ask for a different rep next time you call in.

Either way, it doesn't sound like this story will be over for some time, so you should look into getting a different mac, or hopefully you have one on hand.

Good luck.
 
vemac575 said:
I would take this up the latter. Get ahold of who you can. They definitely are not legally required to replace it, but I wouldn't rest at "can't fix it, and you didn't buy it FROM Apple, so...". Call a relationship representative near your area and see what you can do. They may allow you to send it in, or take it to a third party certified repair depot. Those guys have allowed me to do stuff I certainly should not had been allowed to do, so be very nice to them as they are not obligated to help you. Talk to them like a friend, make your story understandable and relatable and even if it comes down to it... You may have to KISS SOME DONKEY. If you don't agree with the verdict, be nice and just ask for a different rep next time you call in.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the useful advice. What is a relationship representative?

Also, I did buy the original (first machine) direct from Apple. But they are claiming that the warranty provisions don't apply to the replacement (even though I purchased a new Apple care on the replacement which Apple had told me to do).
 
So an update on this: I finally managed to get Apple to take the machine back for repair by complaining to their executive team. However, during the repair, they said they can't reproduce the issues and have told me there is nothing more they can do. They have offered to keep the machine until they can reproduce the faults, but they don't know how long they would have to hold it for and advise that if they couldn't reproduce the issue after having it for 5 days they probably would never be able to reproduce it. And as I am behind on my work I am reluctant to send it away again.

Having just got the machine back, I am hoping that the problems won't reoccur. There was one issue that occurred all the time, but after installing the 10.14.3 update it seems to have fixed it. But the issues are intermittent nature, and I don't want to be stuck with a hefty repair bill if they return (As Apple care has now run out) or become worse in the future.

Is my only option to send it away and hope that they find something (which they have told me is unlikely) or is there anything else I can do?

Thanks!
 
littly_kittly said:
So an update on this: I finally managed to get Apple to take the machine back for repair by complaining to their executive team. However, during the repair, they said they can't reproduce the issues and have told me there is nothing more they can do. They have offered to keep the machine until they can reproduce the faults, but they don't know how long they would have to hold it for and advise that if they couldn't reproduce the issue after having it for 5 days they probably would never be able to reproduce it. And as I am behind on my work I am reluctant to send it away again.

Having just got the machine back, I am hoping that the problems won't reoccur. There was one issue that occurred all the time, but after installing the 10.14.3 update it seems to have fixed it. But the issues are intermittent nature, and I don't want to be stuck with a hefty repair bill if they return (As Apple care has now run out) or become worse in the future.

Is my only option to send it away and hope that they find something (which they have told me is unlikely) or is there anything else I can do?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

If Apple takes it in again for repair and cannot reproduce the issue, it is a tough spot. For them, they can't fix something they are unable to reproduce and observe and for you, just because they can't reproduce it, doesn't mean the issue doesn't exist.

At that point, I think you really only have a couple of options. One option is to live with the machine and hope the issue does not re-appear and if it does is repeatable and observable so you can get a repair. Though it sounds like it would be expensive out of warranty one.

Another, if the machine appears to be currently working OK, would be to cut your losses and sell it before it acts up again.

Neither is a great answer, but I am not sure what other options you would have if for all intents and purposes the machine appears to be working as it should, at least for now.
 
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Apologies if I've missed this in the msgs above, but what actually is the fault(s) you're experiencing?
 
mick2 said:
Apologies if I've missed this in the msgs above, but what actually is the fault(s) you're experiencing?
Click to expand...

They are all intermittent issues:
Bluetooth will say "Not available" Nothing seems to fix it, not even restarting
HDMI port will not work unless the machine turns upside down.
USB ports wont recognise devices (e.g. if I plug in an Ipod using a brand new official cable, it will say an "invalid response was detected from the device"). Other USB drives won't load in the sidebar.
Wifi cuts out
Pressing pause on a bluetooth device (when bluetooth was working) would cause Bluetooth to turn off.

These are interment and tend to occur once or twice a fortnight. When they occur they last for a couple of hours. The rest of the time they work perfectly fine. All the devices that caused issues (such as bluetooth headsets, USB drives and iPod) would work perfectly on my Windows Laptop and on my friends Macbook.
There were other non-intermittent issues (to do with keyboard and graphics flickering) which Apple fixed, but these one persisted.

Interestingly, the iPod would always display "invalid response was detected from the device". (This wasn't intermittent). But today it's actually working! I updated to 10.4.3 when the machine came back from repairs, so fingers cross that has fixed it.
 
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Thx for clarifying.
You've probably already tried this, but if not would be worth 2 minutes of yr time to try an SMC reset. Just because this is the chip that controls - amongst other things - your USB ports, and possibly the bluetooth if that uses the USB bus too.

Google for the specifics on your machine, but basically just involves rebooting whilst holding down a key combination. Worth a try, although tbh it does sound like it could be a hardware issue like a dry solder joint somewhere.
 
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