Being forced to move on.

It's very rare for a Mac keyboard to fall apart like that, they do fine in many, many offices.

You could try calling some third-party computer shops and let them worry about finding a replacement that works.

On eBay a lot of sellers don't know or care much about their products--when I used to buy a lot there I had to pick sellers with over 99% positive feedback, preferably over 99.5%, to have much confidence, due to the way the feedback worked. I don't know if it's still that way. I spent a lot of time actually reading feedback.

 

Although £350 seems steep, I wouldn't say it's not a fair trade to squeeze another couple years out of the computer you speak so fondly of, especially since you got about 3 years from it already. Considering the alternatives of scrapping and buying something new, I'd do it if I loved my MBP that much and couldn't pay for a new one. Of course there's the Lenovo route (because offices have them and all). If I were in your shoes, I probably would balk initially at the repair cost. But I would probably see it as reasonable given the alternatives and weighing your needs. One guy's opinion.

 

A shop that regularly does repairs may well be able to source parts better than by using unfamiliar sellers on eBay. Even a used one would likely be fine, as they very rarely fall apart. You may want to consider it before you sell it for parts.

 

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That's just bazaar. I've never had a single key fall of any of the MacBooks I've ever owned. Sadly, I think you're going to have to pony up for a professional, warranted repair if you want your beloved Macbook back in service. Sorry for the bad news.

 

Is it possible that something else is wrong. Keys dropping out is unusual. Is that battery bulging (looks swollen) or anything like that?

 

Given that you will also need to replace the battery soon you will be better served with a newer notebook. Personally I would put my education first and Apple very much second. For the cost of getting your MBP up and running, you could probably pickup a decent used ThinkPad...

Q-6

 

Your thinking here is unreasonable. You're paying to have a new keyboard installed. It shouldn't take you more than 90 days to find out whether it works.

 

This is the 4th or 5th thread you've started about this. You either need to pay for the repair (which is what I would do) or buy a new laptop. I wouldn't worry about he 90d warranty on the repair, that's pretty standard for out of warranty fixes and you should know well within that time whether the repair has worked / if they've damaged anything else while doing it. OK, you might be unlucky and something else might break in a year's time - alternatively you might get another 3 years out of that machine. Your call as to whether you want to chance it or not, either way there's nothing more anyone on here can tell you that will change the situation.

 

If you are talking £, aren't you in UK and have some of the most consumer-friendly laws in the world aka. 5 year warranty? Because in the end - either its a manufacturing defect, or its your fault for abusing the laptop. In the first case, Apple should replace it for free, in the second you should pay for it.

 

Man, I wouldn't say there are no good women out there because I didn't meet anyone at a dive bar at 3 AM I could get along with. You can't say there are no good keyboards out there because look, ebay!!

Taking the keyboard out of another mac to put in yours is twice the work, and with retinas/airs, physically impossible. You have to destroy the old keyboard to get it out of the machine with how they rivet it in.

Good shops buy all the good stuff, and what's left winds up on eBay. Look harder and buy a proper keyboard!

If you do not like keyboard repair being 350, this is an excellent time to vote with your wallet and buy a machine whose keyboard is held in by 3 screws accessible in 30 seconds rather than 60+ rivets after removing everything from the machine!

I am also a little confused at 2014 unibody. The 2012 was the last model A1278 13" Unibody. They continued selling it and no one noticed they never changed the specifications(or price!) on it from 2012 onwards, but in 2014 I am pretty sure buying new you would have gotten a retina.

 

You are not being forced to do anything.

You could have got applecare and still have warranty, you can claim on your house insurance to get it fixed or replaced. As others have said you have 6 years consumer protection in England try going down that route with Apple they cold still fix it for free. And you can pay to have it fixed of course.

You have a fair few options to keep it going, so no you aren't being forced into anything, you are making a choice, that's your prerogative of course and do what you like but don't act like you don't have options.

 

And a good reason to buy from an establisehed Apple reseller or Apple themselves when residing in the U.K. Rears its head. Good to know cheers.

 

I'm mystified as to why keys should be falling out after 2-3 years - has the Macbook had an unusually hard life or been damaged? 1000 battery cycles suggests it's been well used. Have you tried to exercise the 6 year EU warranty legislation?The key point would be explaining that loose keys is probably due to a manufacturing fault present when the machine was brand new. You could continue by mentioning that the goods are therefore not fit for purpose during the expected lifetime of the machine.

Either way, the age of the machine couple with a battery that's probably over the hill I'd be considering using a bluetooth keyboard or external USB keyboard and land locking the laptop to continue to use it if you couldn't get some sort of satisfaction out of Apple. £350 sounds like an uneconomic repair to me for a machine in that condition although there will always be value in the parts for repairers.

 

I suspect it is because the battery is swelling so much that it is pressing on the keyboard and literally pushing the keys out. Battery swelling is and associated keyboard bulge are common end of life signs of a macbook (and other laptop) batteries.

The OP gives the states the machine is a 2014 unit. But, then contradicts themselves by saying it is a 2012 machine he bought in 2014. So we are talking about a battery that at least 5 years old.

 

Apple was still manufacturing the 2012 spec machine up until very recently, so no, it is not 5 years old. It uses 5 year old technology, but it could very well have been manufactured in 2014.

 

So he should go back to the shop and declare the battery to be faulty and not fit for purpose and see what can be done after that. If there's no joy then it might be worth selling it on as spares.

 

The ironic part is that if you have a fully functional retina MacBook Pro, and take it in for a battery replacement, you get a new top case, including keyboard and trackpad, for much less than they are quoting you, at least in the US.

 

I realize that. But isn't this a used unit was bought from a 3rd party shop that is no longer in business? Battery swell is uncommon in 3 year old units, but more so in a 5 year old unit. But, the machine is well used if the battery cycle count is over 1000. I believe Apple used to, or still does, replace batteries and top assemblies (trackpad and keyboard) at 800 cycle or less under warranty. Beyond that you are on your own.

 

A 2012 non retina is a 2011 model built in 2012.

In that model the battery can be replaced but you will need a Y screw driver bit to get the battery uninstalled and to install the new one.

I agree with the others. The keyboard in that model literally is near 100 screws that strip very easily that hold the keyboard in place. In light of the requirement for a new keyboard and battery I would suggest a new machine too.

If you would like to stay in the MacBook Pro line there are a couple of 2016 MacBook Pro 13" with 2GHz dual core i5 processors, 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD drives for $1269.

You could also go the ebay route and look for machines that have some Apple Care warranty remaining if you like.