Being forced to move on.

[0989383]

Guys, I'm seriously thinking I have no choice but to move on from my MacBook Pro.

I love the thing. It's a 2014 2.5GHz 13" unibody and it has plenty of life left in it yet.

But my keys started falling off and now one row won't function making it impossible to use my Mac for anything productive. It's not fit for purpose.

I've tried two eBay new keyboards but both have failed to work from the get go - one seller even claims my return was lost in the post so I got no refund. From two sellers I've had non working parts. I have no faith a third will be any improvement and as some of you know; it takes about two hours to get a keyboard in and out being careful and it's not something I enjoy having to do sequentially!

Apple quotes £350 for a Genius Bar repair and id consider it only they said it comes with a 90 day warranty for the repair... seriously!

There is no alternative. I can't repair the printed circuit board on my original keyboard.

I have a perfectly fine MacBook Pro with gorgeous screen and speed to go even at its age and yet I'm forced to sell its parts for possibly a total of £500 on eBay to buy a much inferior laptop as a result.

I just bought a new MagSafe charger too last month for £80.

If I'm missing any other alternatives that meant I could keep my Mac please let me know..

I emailed Tim Cook - doubt I'll get a reply - but other than that I'm screwed. It's well out of warranty...

I'm a student and having a computer is essential in 2017 - my once state of the art MacBook Pro can't hack the pace of moderate use.. maybe this is why we don't see them in offices and they go to Lenovo.. seriously considering making the move myself since at the very least they offer genuine spare parts when things do go wrong.

 

[Sanpete]

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.

 

[0989383]

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.

Oh god.. the thought of letting them near my precious Mac.. the thing is, they can't source any better parts than I can. They'll most likely find a used keyboard from another Mac which for all I know might not have much life left in it either.

I tried an Apple Authorised Repair centre who said when I asked for a quote 'Did you try Apple?' Yes. 'Our price is the same as that' *sigh*

 

[thesaint024]

Guys, I'm seriously thinking I have no choice but to move on from my MacBook Pro.

I love the thing. It's a 2014 2.5GHz 13" unibody and it has plenty of life left in it yet.

But my keys started falling off and now one row won't function making it impossible to use my Mac for anything productive. It's not fit for purpose.

I've tried two eBay new keyboards but both have failed to work from the get go - one seller even claims my return was lost in the post so I got no refund. From two sellers I've had non working parts. I have no faith a third will be any improvement and as some of you know; it takes about two hours to get a keyboard in and out being careful and it's not something I enjoy having to do sequentially!

Apple quotes £350 for a Genius Bar repair and id consider it only they said it comes with a 90 day warranty for the repair... seriously!

There is no alternative. I can't repair the printed circuit board on my original keyboard.

I have a perfectly fine MacBook Pro with gorgeous screen and speed to go even at its age and yet I'm forced to sell its parts for possibly a total of £500 on eBay to buy a much inferior laptop as a result.

I just bought a new MagSafe charger too last month for £80.

If I'm missing any other alternatives that meant I could keep my Mac please let me know..

I emailed Tim Cook - doubt I'll get a reply - but other than that I'm screwed. It's well out of warranty...

I'm a student and having a computer is essential in 2017 - my once state of the art MacBook Pro can't hack the pace of moderate use.. maybe this is why we don't see them in offices and they go to Lenovo.. seriously considering making the move myself since at the very least they offer genuine spare parts when things do go wrong.

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.

 

[Sanpete]

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.

 

[lambertjohn]

Guys, I'm seriously thinking I have no choice but to move on from my MacBook Pro.

I love the thing. It's a 2014 2.5GHz 13" unibody and it has plenty of life left in it yet.

But my keys started falling off and now one row won't function making it impossible to use my Mac for anything productive. It's not fit for purpose.

I've tried two eBay new keyboards but both have failed to work from the get go - one seller even claims my return was lost in the post so I got no refund. From two sellers I've had non working parts. I have no faith a third will be any improvement and as some of you know; it takes about two hours to get a keyboard in and out being careful and it's not something I enjoy having to do sequentially!

Apple quotes £350 for a Genius Bar repair and id consider it only they said it comes with a 90 day warranty for the repair... seriously!

There is no alternative. I can't repair the printed circuit board on my original keyboard.

I have a perfectly fine MacBook Pro with gorgeous screen and speed to go even at its age and yet I'm forced to sell its parts for possibly a total of £500 on eBay to buy a much inferior laptop as a result.

I just bought a new MagSafe charger too last month for £80.

If I'm missing any other alternatives that meant I could keep my Mac please let me know..

I emailed Tim Cook - doubt I'll get a reply - but other than that I'm screwed. It's well out of warranty...

I'm a student and having a computer is essential in 2017 - my once state of the art MacBook Pro can't hack the pace of moderate use.. maybe this is why we don't see them in offices and they go to Lenovo.. seriously considering making the move myself since at the very least they offer genuine spare parts when things do go wrong.

---

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.

 

[jerryk]

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

 

[0989383]

---

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.

Fact is.. except for Apple nobody else can source adequate working parts let alone genuine ones.

It's uneconomical to spend £350 on this machine for a 90 day warranty on the work from Apple
[doublepost=1489626561][/doublepost]

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

Battery is fine in that sense. It's well over 1000 charge cycles so not holding good capacity anymore but that I can deal with

 

[Queen6]

Guys, I'm seriously thinking I have no choice but to move on from my MacBook Pro.

I love the thing. It's a 2014 2.5GHz 13" unibody and it has plenty of life left in it yet.

But my keys started falling off and now one row won't function making it impossible to use my Mac for anything productive. It's not fit for purpose.

I've tried two eBay new keyboards but both have failed to work from the get go - one seller even claims my return was lost in the post so I got no refund. From two sellers I've had non working parts. I have no faith a third will be any improvement and as some of you know; it takes about two hours to get a keyboard in and out being careful and it's not something I enjoy having to do sequentially!

Apple quotes £350 for a Genius Bar repair and id consider it only they said it comes with a 90 day warranty for the repair... seriously!

There is no alternative. I can't repair the printed circuit board on my original keyboard.

I have a perfectly fine MacBook Pro with gorgeous screen and speed to go even at its age and yet I'm forced to sell its parts for possibly a total of £500 on eBay to buy a much inferior laptop as a result.

I just bought a new MagSafe charger too last month for £80.

If I'm missing any other alternatives that meant I could keep my Mac please let me know..

I emailed Tim Cook - doubt I'll get a reply - but other than that I'm screwed. It's well out of warranty...

I'm a student and having a computer is essential in 2017 - my once state of the art MacBook Pro can't hack the pace of moderate use.. maybe this is why we don't see them in offices and they go to Lenovo.. seriously considering making the move myself since at the very least they offer genuine spare parts when things do go wrong.

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

 

[chabig]

It's uneconomical to spend £350 on this machine for a 90 day warranty on the work from Apple

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.

 

[alFR]

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.

 

[leman]

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.

 

[l.a.rossmann]

Oh god.. the thought of letting them near my precious Mac.. the thing is, they can't source any better parts than I can. They'll most likely find a used keyboard from another Mac which for all I know might not have much life left in it either.

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!

Apple quotes £350 for a Genius Bar repair and id consider it only they said it comes with a 90 day warranty for the repair... seriously!

There is no alternative. I can't repair the printed circuit board on my original 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.

 

[Samuelsan2001]

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.

 

[0989383]

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.

It's a 2012 non retina but it was bought in 2014. Otherwise you guys would think it was 5 years old
[doublepost=1489663949][/doublepost]

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.

Apple told me the consumer protection means the seller is responsible to fix it. As I didn't buy it direct from them they say they can't help for free. the small company I got it from no longer exists I did look into this option

 

[Samuelsan2001]

It's a 2012 non retina but it was bought in 2014. Otherwise you guys would think it was 5 years old
[doublepost=1489663949][/doublepost]

Apple told me the consumer protection means the seller is responsible to fix it. As I didn't buy it direct from them they say they can't help for free. the small company I got it from no longer exists I did look into this option

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.

 

[maflynn]

It's uneconomical to spend £350 on this machine for a 90 day warranty on the work from Apple

For a 2014 machine, I'd pay, but since its actually a 5 year old machine and coupled with the fact that you need to pay for a new battery, I think you'll be better off using that money towards a new computer.

Whether its Apple or someone else, I think it may be time to consider replacing the old girl.

 

[sublunar]

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.

 

[jerryk]

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.

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.

 

[snaky69]

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.

 

[sublunar]

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.

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.

 

[maflynn]

I'm mystified as to why keys should be falling out after 2-3 years

Its not 2 or 3 years old. Its a 5 year old computer, he bought a used 2012 machine in 2014

 

[chrfr]

Battery is fine in that sense. It's well over 1000 charge cycles so not holding good capacity anymore but that I can deal with

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.

 

[jerryk]

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.

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.

 

[EnderBeta]

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.