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Apple service is terrible! 13" MBP hinge pop

thadoggfather

thadoggfather

macrumors P6
Original poster
Oct 1, 2007
16,346
17,467
So I have a 2010" MBP 13" (one of a many I had, two had obvious in the center dead pixels, one scraped against the body when I closed the hinge, etc)

The new magsafe stops charging if I move it so they replaced that, wheh.

But my hinge makes a snap crackle and pop and I can't fix it. I tried sliding the hinge left and right, still does it. Some positions more than others.

I took it in and had the hinge tightened. Fixed the problem for all of 5 minutes. Brought it back and..

Anyways, the genius (a different one) was really rude and told me they all do the same thing. I said my mom's aluminum macbook never does, he said it was a different hinge assembly. I also told him a lot of my friends have the same model (13" MBP) and no hinge issues.

He said try the floor models, they'll all be the same. I tried two random ones, no matter how slow I moved them, no clicking/snapping response.

I asked to speak to the manager who claimed it was a difficult problem to identify that would result in probably no repair and they didn't just have to replace the toplid, it'd be the whole hinge assembly -- admitting this right after saying he doesn't know the root of the problem because he is the manager, not a technician. Also interesting after the first tech confirmed there was an issue and tried resolving it by tightening the hinges but failed.

So the techie and the manager denied me service especially after being told they all do it and me putting his claim to the test. Also all this after the first genius told me there was an issue and tried fixing it really quickly but the issue came right back.

I also told him clearly they all don't do this as Apple wouldnt advertise a sleek macbook pro with popping and crackling problems.

What jerks and what a heap of misinformation from one genius to the next. This guy was arrogant and didn't want to put any time into diagnosing my machine.

UPDATE: now it's at an AASP where I expect it to be given the light of day. I'm done with this one Apple store, always crowded, one out of every two geniuses is arrogant, etc...

Never had a worse apple experience than at any other store.
 
You are being way too picky. Just enjoy your machine and don't worry about the pops. Mine does it but my wife's does not. Hers is a few months older so it may be true it will stop.
 
Do you live near another Apple store? Perhaps try calling Apple support and explain your problem. They may open a support ticket for you meaning the Apple store may well have to repair it. It's worth a shot!
 
Eh I give up. I shouldnt have to try another location. I'm going out of the country in 2 weeks for a semester in Europe. I can't be bothered with this garbage anymore -- Apple is no good. They're getting too popular, greedy, and full of themselves.

If the thing breaks off, I'm going to tell Apple to kindly insert the machine into their...

I'm beginning to value my time more than putting myself in the process of jumping through rings of fire to have a machine that should work without making these absurd noises and without as much resistance. But oh well.
 
thadoggfather said:
Eh I give up. I shouldnt have to try another location. I'm going out of the country in 2 weeks for a semester in Europe. I can't be bothered with this garbage anymore -- Apple is no good. They're getting too popular, greedy, and full of themselves.

If the thing breaks off, I'm going to tell Apple to kindly insert the machine into their...
Click to expand...

and that will get you no where :p

It's worth trying it for again for your sanity - just be civil with them.
 
I was civil with them, they were very arrogant and resistant. Even the store manager, who had no idea what he was talking about.

They said all the floors model do it. None of them did. They still told me I was SOL.

This is not the way to treat the customer right. Especially for a company that prides itself on customer service.

I love the iPhone 4 too. And i've had a few Apple laptops, to say the least. But I can safely say, Apple sucks. They need a successor to trump them already.
 
It's tough to describe sounds in text, but I'll try!

If your Mac's screen is open, try grasping it by the top left or top right corner and closing it at a reasonable pace. If, at a specific point in closing the lid, you hear a nice *CRACK* sound and are able to feel something when the *CRACK* occurs, you need a new hinge mechanism.

If your noise is different, the solution may be different.

Now, Apple Stores aren't able to order just the hinge mechanism, so if they perform the repair, they will replace the whole display assembly.

This issue is not caused by accidental damage, and we've even seen this issue "out of the box" once before, like you're describing. Replacing the hinge fixed it.

If your Apple Store still isn't keen on fixing it, you might show 'em this post. I'm an Apple-Certified Mac Technician, working for an Apple-Authorized Service Provider, and if your symptoms are what I described in the second paragraph of this post, it doesn't sound like an accidental damage issue. In our experience, replacing Apple Service Part # 661-5558 (Display Clamshell) completely resolves the issue.

If your Apple Store won't fix the issue, we'll be happy to fix it for no charge. Unfortunately, we'd still have to charge the actual shipping cost, which should be around $8 each way.

I have a feeling, though, that if you visit Apple a second time, they may be a bit more helpful.

Good luck! :)
 
The manager and genius both shunned me and told me it was a normal issue that was considered within spec.

So for that reason, I am not going to go back to that particular Apple store. They are a bunch of terds.
 
thadoggfather said:
The manager and genius both shunned me and told me it was a normal issue that was considered within spec.

So for that reason, I am not going to go back to that particular Apple store. They are a bunch of terds.
Click to expand...

Rather than staying in a funk about it (because you are), you should call Applecare and explain the situation. That store you went to probably has sucky management, but that doesn't equate to all of Apple, that's just one store. I agree with you about not going to another store but you should contact Applecare, they will have you send them the computer and most likely will repair it and you should tell them of your unfortunate experience at the retail store.
You can try that avenue or you can remain in a funk and continue to tell us (the choir) how pissed you are which will get you nowhere. I can assure you that manager and his genius haven't lost an ounce of sleep after meeting you, but I'm sure they will if you complain. If you keep your mouth shut and keep your defective computer, you'll be doing exactly what Apple wants you to do, it saves them money and no bad press.
 
You need a new hinge. Apple Stores don't replace just the hinge; they replace the entire display.

Fortunately, it's not a functional issue, so you'll still be able to use the computer while you wait.

You could always find an Apple-Authorized Service Provider*(AASP) near your (http://tinyurl.com/findaasp), and ask if they're able to order the display assembly under warranty and then install it "while you wait" once it comes in. Not all AASPs offer "while you wait" service, though.
 
Thanks fluffy.

Going to take it into a AASP tomorrow. Hopefully they'll be more helpful.
 
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