Apple wants to charge $300 extra to repair an unrelated dent, what are my options?

[mossme89]

The logic board on my 2008 Unibody MacBook Pro just failed. I was in the middle of gaming and it just shut off and wouldn't turn back on. I was quoted by the Apple Store that it would be $310 to replace it through an Apple Depot. So they send off my laptop and today I get an email that it would be $610 to repair my computer. Called them up and it turns out that they saw that I had a dent on the casing by the trackpad (it's been there for 3 years.) They want to charge me an extra $300 to repair that cosmetic damage which is BS. And they won't JUST replace the logic board, it's all or nothing.

So now im seeing what my options are. Do you think it's worth it to try and negotiate with the Apple Store to try and get the price down to $310 and just replace the logic board, or am I wasting my time? And are there any places that would repair the logic board for $400 or less?

 

[sarthak]

I'd pass on repairing it. You said you have a 2008 MBP. I see them going on eBay for anywhere between $300-450. You'd be better off getting a used one from eBay and upgrading it such as memory or hard drive if you have an upgraded model. The machine is not worth what you're going to pay to repair it. Remove the Hard Drive and sell it on eBay. Take that money and get another one from eBay.

 

[surroundfan]

Maybe get a logic board off eBay or similar and do a DIY upgrade?

However, I'd be inclined to get a new MBP now...

 

[zipur]

why not just dump the old and get a MBA? You would be current and have a much snappier machine.

 

[maxosx]

Here's what I've done when faced with no option other than an unscrupulous depot. I called Apple escalated the call and courteously but firmly asked for a replacement. Apple agreed and shipped a brand new upgrade replacement.

 

[mossme89]

Here's what I've done when faced with no option other than an unscrupulous depot. I called Apple escalated the call and courteously but firmly asked for a replacement. Apple agreed and shipped a brand new upgrade replacement.

What do you mean by asking for a replacement? Are you saying they charge me the $310 they quoted me and ship me a replacement, or I pay the $610 and they ship me a newer model replacement?

 

[sofianito]

What has to do the faulty motherboard with the dent on the casing? Absolutely nothing...

A couple months ago, Apple replaced my late 2007 17" motherboard due to well-known nvidia 8600 GT GPU issue. I had a dent on the bottom of the case and the genius bar guy just took note of it.

Your option is to go to another apple store and escalate the issue to customer representative in case you face dumb apple store manager and staff...

Good luck.

 

[GoCubsGo]

Here's what I've done when faced with no option other than an unscrupulous depot. I called Apple escalated the call and courteously but firmly asked for a replacement. Apple agreed and shipped a brand new upgrade replacement.

If you were faced with the exact same dilemma as this OP then you're no more entitled to a replacement than he is. What he is entitled to is ******** free repairs. In that, he should be able to get his MBP logic board fixed without having to shell out cash to replace a top case. Especially if the top case is unrelated to the LB issue.

OP, I would escalate but I would simply say you want to pay for a new LB. If you're not ready to move to a new machine and pay hundreds more then the $310 repair cost isn't bad. I'm a little surprised they quoted you $310 for a logic board to be honest. Is this Apple Depot place an authorized repair shop and are they giving you a brand new logic board ordered from Apple? Apple charges more for logic boards, I think.

 

[Ray Brady]

Apple charges more for logic boards, I think.

I had the logic board replaced on my early 2008 MBP at an Apple Store back in March. It was only a little over $300.

 

[mossme89]

If you were faced with the exact same dilemma as this OP then you're no more entitled to a replacement than he is. What he is entitled to is ******** free repairs. In that, he should be able to get his MBP logic board fixed without having to shell out cash to replace a top case. Especially if the top case is unrelated to the LB issue.

OP, I would escalate but I would simply say you want to pay for a new LB. If you're not ready to move to a new machine and pay hundreds more then the $310 repair cost isn't bad. I'm a little surprised they quoted you $310 for a logic board to be honest. Is this Apple Depot place an authorized repair shop and are they giving you a brand new logic board ordered from Apple? Apple charges more for logic boards, I think.

It's a nasty looking dent, but that's all it is. It's unrelated to the logic board issue.

I was told they would only charge me if it was directly related to the logic board failure, which it isn't. Any advice on escalating? When I called up, the AppleCare Representative basically said to talk to my store, there's nothing he can do.

 

[GoCubsGo]

I had the logic board replaced on my early 2008 MBP at an Apple Store back in March. It was only a little over $300.

I guess they're either cheaper than I thought or just cheaper now. MLB repairs have been quoted higher but maybe that is for water damage.

It's a nasty looking dent, but that's all it is. It's unrelated to the logic board issue.

I was told they would only charge me if it was directly related to the logic board failure, which it isn't. Any advice on escalating? When I called up, the AppleCare Representative basically said to talk to my store, there's nothing he can do.

Email Tim Cook. Evidently that helps.

 

[thundersteele]

$300-ish is the discounted flat rate repair that Apple sometimes offers.

I wouldn't know why then they give you such a hard time about the dent, but maybe there is a reason to do it - e.g. the dent could make the repair more complicated (tension on some screws).

We totally need photos!

 

[mossme89]

$300-ish is the discounted flat rate repair that Apple sometimes offers.

I wouldn't know why then they give you such a hard time about the dent, but maybe there is a reason to do it - e.g. the dent could make the repair more complicated (tension on some screws).

We totally need photos!

I don't have images, but I can describe it. It's about a 3 inch long ripple dent extending from the trackpad out towards the right. It's been there for 3 years and the only damage that it caused was my hard drive to fail as it's right over that area.

 

[mossme89]

So from talking to the Apple Reps, what is sounds like is going on is that because of the dent, maybe it's causing the repair to be more difficult. Still, that makes no sense. Is a nasty dent but its over the SuperDrive and hard drive area, not the logic board.

So it looks like I'm stuck with that $600 price tag. They told me it would be around the same price repairing it in-store. I am THIS close from leaving Mac. Actually at Best Buy looking at Windows machines. It's a shame that a $600 Toshiba lasted twice as long as a $1350 Mac.

 

[thundersteele]

So from talking to the Apple Reps, what is sounds like is going on is that because of the dent, maybe it's causing the repair to be more difficult. Still, that makes no sense. Is a nasty dent but its over the SuperDrive and hard drive area, not the logic board.

Essentially to get the logic board out they have to take out most components of the laptop. And they might not feel comfortable putting it back together with that damage. Sorry, I can't give any helpful advice.

Good luck with Best Buy, the windows machines they have there usually convince me very quickly to stay with Apple

 

[maxosx]

What do you mean by asking for a replacement? Are you saying they charge me the $310 they quoted me and ship me a replacement, or I pay the $610 and they ship me a newer model replacement?

See my response below

If you were faced with the exact same dilemma as this OP then you're no more entitled to a replacement than he is. What he is entitled to is ******** free repairs. In that, he should be able to get his MBP logic board fixed without having to shell out cash to replace a top case. Especially if the top case is unrelated to the LB issue.

OP, I would escalate but I would simply say you want to pay for a new LB. If you're not ready to move to a new machine and pay hundreds more then the $310 repair cost isn't bad. I'm a little surprised they quoted you $310 for a logic board to be honest. Is this Apple Depot place an authorized repair shop and are they giving you a brand new logic board ordered from Apple? Apple charges more for logic boards, I think.

I don't guess or speculate.

If one read my post carefully I simply said I had been trying to deal with an unscrupulous depot. MY case was different & yet the generalities were the same. They refused to fulfill their responsibilities unless I paid for something in addition to the problem it was in for, and one I did _not_ask them to fix. This is how my situation was the same as the OP.

Therefore I went high up within the hierarchy at Apple, got to a decision maker that was capable of being an adult, reviewing my case, and authorizing an arrangement to ship a brand new Apple MBP with higher configuration options than mine as a gesture of goodwill. I paid nothing. It was all free due their mistakes, and my long standing position as an Apple customer of over 15 years at that juncture.

 

[mossme89]

Email Tim Cook. Evidently that helps.

Did just that and got a call from executive level support. They're repairing it for the original $310 fee!

 

[GoCubsGo]

Did just that and got a call from executive level support. They're repairing it for the original $310 fee!

Awesome. Glad it has worked out.

 

[mossme89]

Awesome. Glad it has worked out.

Thanks! Appreciate the advice. Actually bought a Windows laptop and ended up returning it after I heard that they'd repair it for $310. Last thing, think an SSD is worth it to improve performance?

 

[robo456]

Thanks! Appreciate the advice. Actually bought a Windows laptop and ended up returning it after I heard that they'd repair it for $310. Last thing, think an SSD is worth it to improve performance?

I put a 128gb OCZ vertex 2 ssd drive that I had pulled from an older desktop I wasn't using anymore into my 2008 (I think) white macbook, and WOW, it's like a whole new machine.

I was ready to go out and get a new macbook air or something, but this upgrade bought me quite a bit of time with my old machine!

If I remember correctly, I have 4gb of ram in there too.

--rob

 

[Mr Rabbit]

I'm a little surprised they quoted you $310 for a logic board to be honest. Is this Apple Depot place an authorized repair shop and are they giving you a brand new logic board ordered from Apple? Apple charges more for logic boards, I think.

A few things...

$310 is a discounted "flat rate" cost for out of warranty repairs. They do this specifically to provide reasonable rates to owners of out of warranty Macs that are suddenly faced with otherwise high repair costs.

The problem with this though is that Apple has to warranty any repair they do either for 90 days or the remainder of AppleCare, whichever is longer. This means they have to return the Mac to you in a warrantable condition, i.e. a condition that is free from dents or other damage. While I agree the dent is likely unrelated to the logic board failure in Apple's eyes they have to replace that top case (which IS accidental damage thanks to the dent) in order to provide warranty on the repair, otherwise both Apple and the owner face a problem should the Mac's hard drive (or other component in the trackpad area) fail within that 90 day window. If they don't replace the top case, and the hard drive fails two weeks after the Mac is returned, then they are in a situation where the damage could have very well caused premature failure. It's not Apple trying to screw people, obviously because $610 is still a good price for a MLB and top case with labor involved, it's Apple trying to keep a consistent and fair repair service.

Apple's depots are definitely authorized. They are essentially large warehouses filled with ACMT technicians who repair Macs all day long, 6-7 days a week. The parts they use are the same parts that Apple would toss into a machine if it was repaired in house at an Apple retail store or an AASP. They may be brand new (if the Mac is new enough) or more than likely refurbished and heavily tested, same as any other manufacturer out there only with likely higher quality control.

My advice to the OP - Call AppleCare / Apple Customer Relations and explain the situation. If the Genius who checked in it made note of the dent at the time of quoting the repair then point this out to whoever you speak with. The depot is almost always much more scrutinizing when looking at any sort of damage but it's not uncommon to see AppleCare push a repair through regardless of the depot's findings. Hopefully they take care of you! Worst case you might have it returned (should be no associated costs), remove the battery/hard drive and attempt to fix or lessen the dent, then send it back in. You could also check top case replacement costs through an AASP as that + the flat rate repair might still be cheaper than $610.

Good luck!

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Did just that and got a call from executive level support. They're repairing it for the original $310 fee!

Awesome! Ignore the end of my last post!

(That'll teach me to reply without reading through the entire thread!)