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AppleCare Voided
- Thread starter jasphair
- Start date
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It's all about interpretation. Apple's policy is vague.
My manager at my local apple store interprets it as such that the unibody it will not void your warranty obviously since it states that specifically, but he believes that doing it to an older one does void the warranty.
You may be SOL
My manager at my local apple store interprets it as such that the unibody it will not void your warranty obviously since it states that specifically, but he believes that doing it to an older one does void the warranty.
You may be SOL
I can't agree more. Build quality of their products looks and feels good but actually is not that good. Computers don't last long like antique furnitures anyway. However AppleCare service is great once problem gets recognized correctly.
No policy is unequivocal. You did nothing wrong according to your interpretation of the policy. I hope it turns out well. Good luck!
Since we are talking about warranty policy...can apple refuse the 3 year extended warranty on a faulty logic board for our 8600MGT failures, that is if w'eve upgraded the hard drive?
Good news, everyone! ...I think.
I'm back from the Apple Store, and here's how it all went down:
--------------
I walked into the store, and was approached by someone on the floor.
Me: Hi, I'm here to pick up my MacBook Pro. *hands over Genius Bar paperwork*.
Employee: Alrighty... I'll be right back. *disappears behind the store*
The employee comes back out with my MacBook Pro, and some paperwork.
Employee: I just need you to sign these for me.
I sign the paperwork.
Me: Oh, can you please check my warranty? I got a call yesterday saying that my warranty was void, because I upgraded my hard drive.
Employee: Hmmm... okay, let me check on that for you.
The employee disappears behind the store, again, and then comes back out.
Employee: I talked to our technician, he says yes, because you upgraded your hard drive, the AppleCare is now void.
I keep my cool, and pull out the AppleCare Terms.
Me: Well, that's now how this reads... *points at highlighted section*
The employee doesn't really pay much attention to it.
Employee: Hmmm, okay, let me go ask again.
The employee disappears behind the store, again, and then comes back out.
Employee: My mistake, no, your AppleCare is only void for the upgrade.
Me: So... you mean the entire system isn't void of AppleCare?
Employee: Correct, only parts connected to the part you upgraded yourself. So, your screen, keyboard, etc, are still under warranty until October 2010.
Me: And what about the Logic Board?
The employee looks confused.
Me: Is it just the hard drive that's not under warranty?
Employee: Correct.
Me: So you're free to open the case up and do whatever you like, so long as you don't damage anything in the process?
Employee: Yes... that's correct.
-------------
So, I'm not sure what to think. It sounds like I may be in the clear, though I'm concerned about his confusion concerning the Logic Board. I'm wondering if my hard drive was noted in Apple's systems? I looked over my receipt and the work order (which I signed) and saw nothing written down, other than "Person will be coming to pick up the laptop".
Do you think I should call AppleCare and ask them to verify my warranty status? Is there a period of time I should wait (days, weeks) before I call, to ensure their systems are updated? Should I call, and specifically ask if my hard drive and all other parts are under warranty (and say for no particular reason, of course)?
I'm back from the Apple Store, and here's how it all went down:
--------------
I walked into the store, and was approached by someone on the floor.
Me: Hi, I'm here to pick up my MacBook Pro. *hands over Genius Bar paperwork*.
Employee: Alrighty... I'll be right back. *disappears behind the store*
The employee comes back out with my MacBook Pro, and some paperwork.
Employee: I just need you to sign these for me.
I sign the paperwork.
Me: Oh, can you please check my warranty? I got a call yesterday saying that my warranty was void, because I upgraded my hard drive.
Employee: Hmmm... okay, let me check on that for you.
The employee disappears behind the store, again, and then comes back out.
Employee: I talked to our technician, he says yes, because you upgraded your hard drive, the AppleCare is now void.
I keep my cool, and pull out the AppleCare Terms.
Me: Well, that's now how this reads... *points at highlighted section*
The employee doesn't really pay much attention to it.
Employee: Hmmm, okay, let me go ask again.
The employee disappears behind the store, again, and then comes back out.
Employee: My mistake, no, your AppleCare is only void for the upgrade.
Me: So... you mean the entire system isn't void of AppleCare?
Employee: Correct, only parts connected to the part you upgraded yourself. So, your screen, keyboard, etc, are still under warranty until October 2010.
Me: And what about the Logic Board?
The employee looks confused.
Me: Is it just the hard drive that's not under warranty?
Employee: Correct.
Me: So you're free to open the case up and do whatever you like, so long as you don't damage anything in the process?
Employee: Yes... that's correct.
-------------
So, I'm not sure what to think. It sounds like I may be in the clear, though I'm concerned about his confusion concerning the Logic Board. I'm wondering if my hard drive was noted in Apple's systems? I looked over my receipt and the work order (which I signed) and saw nothing written down, other than "Person will be coming to pick up the laptop".
Do you think I should call AppleCare and ask them to verify my warranty status? Is there a period of time I should wait (days, weeks) before I call, to ensure their systems are updated? Should I call, and specifically ask if my hard drive and all other parts are under warranty (and say for no particular reason, of course)?
Calling into AppleCare won't show anything unless there's something written in the notes. Your MacBook Pro will still show that it's enrolled under AppleCare. Your HDD is NOT covered anymore, if that fails, that's on you but everything from the logic board to SuperDrive is still covered.
I specifically asked an Apple Store employee if upgrading of my HD would void my warranty if I did it myself. He said he didn't think so and went back to check with the techies in the back and came out and told me that the only thing that would be voided is coverage on the replacement drive (of course!) providing that I didn't damage anything in my machine during the upgrade process.
BUT, my policy to avoid this whole possible mess is that if I need to send my machine in I will put the original parts back in (RAM, HD and Superdrive) before I take it to the Apple Store. Best way to avoid any hassles.
Yeah, there's a lot of users in this forum who keep their original HDD and swap it when they send it in for repair, a bit of a hassle for old MacBook Pro users, not so much for Unibody users.
I was faced with the same questions before upgrading my hard drive (prev. gen MBP) and was told by my local certified Apple service tech that since I had already cloned my original hd to the new one, he'd only charge me $40 to swap out the drive - which to me was a reasonable price to protect my AppleCare. My original drive is waiting intact just in case... but even though I know I could easily do this myself, in the end I didn't mind paying for the peace of mind. Also, this Mac shop tech told me I could leave the upgraded drive in the laptop if I brought it in to him for any other warranty/AppleCare issue... like gpu, display, etc. No need to put the original back in, unless sending it out to Apple for some reason. But, he's qualified to do any type of repair, so I don't see the point of ever sending it in to Apple, or dealing with an Apple store.
You can check the status of your warranty here: https://selfsolve.apple.com/Agreements.do without calling them.
Try see if you're still covered by logging in. If the genius that talked to you is correct, then wow, this is GREAT news for everyone with modded Penryn MBPs
.Please verify with us if your warranty is as the genius said it was.
Hey Jasphair, would you mind attaching a copy of that macworld scan. I've searched everywhere and can't find it. I'd like to keep a copy in my computer records so that I can use that quote and reasoning first before whipping out the Applecare T&C. (not to mention it sounds like a nice read.)
swingerofbirch
macrumors 68040
When I was a contractor for Arise doing taking sales calls for Apple (answering 1-800-my-apple) we were told to lie about the upgradeability. It might not have been lying to my supervisors as I don't think they knew any better. But I was supposed to say that *no* Mac had any user-upgradeable parts except for the Mac Pro (and except for memory on others Macs). So we were selling unibody MacBooks where you could just easily swap out the hard disk, MacBooks which had instructions on how to do so inside the battery panel and we were still told to tell them they couldn't because we were supposed to try to upsell a larger hard disk as they couldn't be upgraded later. I eventually contacted apple's contractor relations department and never heard back.
But yes, there is a lot of misinformation and I do think it is purposeful misinformation. Even internally there was no clear policy and AppleCare agents often aren't even familiar with the warranty. You can speak to an AppleCare agent who believes the sales policy governs is somehow the warranty policy and thinks that even if a machine has had three repairs it can't be replaced because it's after 14 days of purchase (the number of days you have to return a computer from the Apple Store--not the number of days your warranty is valid). All sorts of craziness!
Know your rights. Read the warranty and you will be way more knowledgeable than the agents you speak to. If they say some BS, just say I read the warranty, the warranty doesn't say that. The warranty is more your friend than theirs!
But yes, there is a lot of misinformation and I do think it is purposeful misinformation. Even internally there was no clear policy and AppleCare agents often aren't even familiar with the warranty. You can speak to an AppleCare agent who believes the sales policy governs is somehow the warranty policy and thinks that even if a machine has had three repairs it can't be replaced because it's after 14 days of purchase (the number of days you have to return a computer from the Apple Store--not the number of days your warranty is valid). All sorts of craziness!
Know your rights. Read the warranty and you will be way more knowledgeable than the agents you speak to. If they say some BS, just say I read the warranty, the warranty doesn't say that. The warranty is more your friend than theirs!
I just got my first macbook and find it interesting that in the manual, it tells you how to upgrade your hdd and ram... There is no mention there of 'voiding' your complete warranty by doing so. I fully understand that Apple is not going to cover anything new that you put in, but all original parts should be covered unless they state it clearly in the manual where they tell you how to do it.
The hard drive upgrade policy depends on what model you have. I just called into talk with an operator and he gave me the following information:
early 2008 - you can replace the hard drive, but applecare will not cover damage to, or as a result of, the new hard drive. in otherwords, a defective display will still be replaced or a faulty graphics card will be replaced.
late 2008 (replacable battery unibody) - it's user replacible
late 2009 (built in battery unibody) you cannot replace it, period.
good luck. if it's one of the 2008 models, you're in luck. if not, that sucks.
the op was talking about a macbook pro made before october 2008 for the 15 and jan for the 17. The macbooks have a user replaceable drive. apple will just not cover the new drive.
There is no way that this is correct. Late 2009 models have instructions to replace the hard drive right in the manual. The only warning it gives is that any damage that you cause won't be covered by AppleCare.
Exactly why I always use the AASC whenever possible. They are most flexible when dealing with warranty repairs on modified Macs. The good ones deserve our support.
Cheers,
Unless you are commenting on someone else's post, you might try reading the thread. The OP's Apple Care is still good on everything except the HD he replaced.
The law is on your side.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnuson-Moss_Warranty_Act#Requirements
They basically have to prove that either the new parts or the installation of the new parts caused the damage before they can void the warranty. It would probably be more expensive to take them to court, assuming you get a lawyer, than just buying a new computer, though.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnuson-Moss_Warranty_Act#Requirements
They basically have to prove that either the new parts or the installation of the new parts caused the damage before they can void the warranty. It would probably be more expensive to take them to court, assuming you get a lawyer, than just buying a new computer, though.