Same thing happened to me. I wasn't sure I was going to keep it so didn't buy Apple Care at first. Then at like 65 days tried to. Absolutely pissed by this ******** change by Apple. They should make you confirm that you understand this new policy when you buy the MBP.
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Apple Hit With Second Class Action Lawsuit Over 'Defective' Keyboards in Recent MacBook, MacBook Pro Models
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Same thing happened to me. I wasn't sure I was going to keep it so didn't buy Apple Care at first. Then at like 65 days tried to. Absolutely pissed by this ******** change by Apple. They should make you confirm that you understand this new policy when you buy the MBP.
Someone replied to my post and said it's possible to buy Applecare until the end of the 1st year. I checked online and that does indeed appear to be the case. You can't buy Applecare+ (which covers accidental damage) after 60 days. The only problem is you have to call in (can't just buy it online) and they have to run diagnostics, so it's a bit involved. I am planning to get it.
Of course when a single key (or multiple keys) fail within your warranty period Apple will repair this for free. The problem is that they can't replace a single key on this keyboard, but have to replace the whole keyboard even if a single key fails. But, as said, Apple will do this for free within your warranty period.
But how can I force apple to do this? The problem is too that they already replaced it half a year ago because the Touch Bar and keyboard failed (5 keys failed). I had luck that this happened together with a TouchBar fault.
My first repair was inside the first year and at the moment I am inside the second year. I am not sure if this make a difference, but at the moment I am under the "Apple Care"-warranty. Is "Apple Care" equal to the 1 year limited warranty? I bought it with my MBP.
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You don't have to force anything. You simply go to the Apple store, show them your computer and tell them about the problem. Apple should take care of it. It does not matter if it's one key or multiple keys. Your computer is broken. Warranty is warranty. Don't overthink it.
Ok, then I will try my best. Possibly I have to drive to an Apple-"Apple Store" (not Premium Reseller). The problem is that im my country there are no Apple Stores, so warranty-repairs might be more a problem than in the US.
In that case call the Apple Customer Service and they will tell you exactly what to do. And of course warranty should not be a problem outside the US. Warranty is warranty.
That doesn't make any sense. 700$ can not be the price or the value for a consumer computer keyboard.
Its not - along with the keyboard the entire top chassis and trackpad need to be replaced too, as its all one part.
Basically, if you get some dust on your $2000 computer, you need to pay Apple $700 to repair it.
Seriously. What a joke.
Glad to see this. I waited for a long time to upgrrade my computer and made the mistake of dropping $$$ on a 2016 MBP. I've had a random rrepeating 'R' key since I got it. Unfortunately, since I purchased via the Apple website, the Genius Bar couldn't just swap out my MBP for a new one. So, I've been to the Genius Bar on three separate occasions to try to get the issue resolved. There was no dust/dirt/food under the keyboarrd. They cleaned it, they ordered a replacement key for the "R" key. They tried some other fixes (I'm still unclear on exactly what) .. and it's still doing it.
My next option (apparrently) is to leave it with them to ship it out and completely replace the keyboard. Guess it's a good thing I bought the Apple Care plan? But should it really come to that for so much money?
Oh, and I like the way no matter who I speak to at Apple, they always insist they've 'never heard of this happening before'. Sure.
My next option (apparrently) is to leave it with them to ship it out and completely replace the keyboard. Guess it's a good thing I bought the Apple Care plan? But should it really come to that for so much money?
Oh, and I like the way no matter who I speak to at Apple, they always insist they've 'never heard of this happening before'. Sure.
Again in the Apple Store and still no luck. The problem is indeed that the key is sometimes working, but only if I press it really hard. If it would be more keys or if the key would be not pressable they would repair it. But sadly partly functional keys seem to be excluded from Apple Care. They would repair it for me, but I will have to pay for it. The employees just suggested me to sell it and buy an used one of eBay (for an 1 year old device!!!). This is a really poor consumer-experience. The next step for me will be to request Apple to send it in for repair. I can't understand how an company this big can **** on their long-term-costumers to this extent.
If that is happening to you write a formal complaint to Apple. There is a known problem with the keyboards and Apple knows about it as well. Remember you are the customer and you paid a hefty amount of money to Apple. It is reasonable that you can expect a functioning keyboard for that money for a reasonable expected time. The class action mentioned in this thread is not there for nothing. If Apple does not want to help you, search some legal advice in your country and go that way. If you are in the EU you have customer protection, Apple is obliged to fix those things (even when not in warranty) if it is clearly their fault. Good luck!
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I did find it funny that some claim a little food, dirt, debris is normal on making these keyboards fail.
I've got a 6 year old laptop from HP. I've eaten so much used it. I've left it open for debris/dust to get on the keyboard.
Mine still works like it did day one.
I'm gross and should clean it, I know.
But my point is these are newer than mine. Obviously this keyboard wasn't made with the casual user in mind. Nor anyone outside a completely sterile environment. Heck, maybe not even then because your fingers have oil! So gloves, bubble conditions, and still no guarantee they will work right.
This is an obvious defect, in my opinion.
I've got a 6 year old laptop from HP. I've eaten so much used it. I've left it open for debris/dust to get on the keyboard.
Mine still works like it did day one.
I'm gross and should clean it, I know.
But my point is these are newer than mine. Obviously this keyboard wasn't made with the casual user in mind. Nor anyone outside a completely sterile environment. Heck, maybe not even then because your fingers have oil! So gloves, bubble conditions, and still no guarantee they will work right.
This is an obvious defect, in my opinion.
I'm not sure why there needs to be a "class action lawsuit".
I bought a 2016 MacBook Pro in December, 2016. Earlier this year, I finally got around to bringing it into an Apple Store for repair. It was covered under warranty, and fixed right away (a couple days).
YES, it was inconvenient and time consuming, but I always need a reason to go to the Apple Store anyways. Not anything worthy of a class action lawsuit, I don't think.
I bought a 2016 MacBook Pro in December, 2016. Earlier this year, I finally got around to bringing it into an Apple Store for repair. It was covered under warranty, and fixed right away (a couple days).
YES, it was inconvenient and time consuming, but I always need a reason to go to the Apple Store anyways. Not anything worthy of a class action lawsuit, I don't think.
Three reasons -
- wait till your warranty runs out - you want to be paying $700 every 6m months for a repair?
- the inconvenience and cost for such a basic function is critical for many people - especially if it effects your income
- it's a bad sign flaw - apple are selling a product that, many would argue, is not fit for purpose and doesn't perform as expected, or whatever the legal language of the consumer protection laws are in your region
Not everyone has the time to go to an Apple Store.
Even if they have time to go to an Apple Store, they did rather do something else that matters to them (like spending time with family)
For some people, there are no Apple stores in their vicinity.
After Apple Care expires, do you still want to go to Apple Store and PAY them 700$ to repair your Pro?
Also, the reliability issue is so inherent in the Pro that it is almost as if buying a MacBook Pro is now a two part transaction: Step1 - Buy the Pro. Step2 - buy Apple Care. You need to complete both the steps to buy the Pro else you will pay!
I believe Apple deserves worse than this. They do not deserve the love (and mountains of cash) they are getting at the moment.
This person admits that it was inconvenient and time-consuming to get the computer fixed, and it was only a replacement, not a repair. Without a true repair, everyone's going to run out of warranty and have this problem happen to them. It's clearly a design flaw, not an intermittent issue. Thanks for taking the time to explain the situation to this person.
It's all very well Apple coming up with these (can we call them revolutionary at the moment?) ideas such a these butterfly keyboards, designed to keep device thickness to a minimum (of course) and we've seen other device 'failures' recently which have highlighted an apparent lacking in Apple QC of late; But in order to simulate many years of use, then somehow, many years of R&D needs to be crammed into a much shorter time in order to bring products to market in the soonest amount of time, or else risk having other vendors beat them to market. I've never understood this - all very well pounding a keyboard to death 24/7 in a laboratory but laptops are also lugged around, knocked, dropped and have to endure other punishment that I don't think can really be properly tested ENOUGH in that timeframe. Maybe it's because Apple are trying TOO hard to bring innovative solutions to the people that these failures are occurring - too much faith in a new technology right from the start that over the course of time will only show itself as prone to failure too far down the line. The fact that Apple seems to be under such close scrutiny from those who think that THEIR tech is the be-all-and-end-all doesn't help the cause. God, I hope they can get their mojo back to full effect soon.
Sweet Baybee Jeebus! It works! I finally found the time to go in to the Apple store and have the keyboard replaced under the replacement program. Dropped it on a Monday and they called me on Friday to tell me it was done. It is working flawlessly (for now).
At least the Techs are no longer claiming "this is the first I've heard of this issue!".
has another gotten their MacBook replaced because of this? 3 replacement times can qualify as a lemon in most cases and talking to a higher up might give an option for a store credit of what you paid for the machine. Thats they swapped out my white MacBook back in 2011 after the top case kept breaking which was a known issue for those. I have one more year left on my 2016 and I'm worried about the future with this keyboard.
I would be as well in your situation. This is where Apple being coy about what it's actually done in the repairs of the prior model is affecting users in a real way, and thousands of dollars are potentially at stake. If I were you, I might sell the machine and buy a new one that is guaranteed to be getting the membrane keyboard fix. The loss you take would be the amount spent out of warranty, and you're gaining peace of mind with the improvement.
something I dont really want to do because of apples design choice so I lose money out of it. If they would replace our computers after the 3rd time replacing the keyboard thats good service to me. Replacing it with a newer model with the updated keyboard they dont offer on the older ones