brand new macbook pro damaged in drop - advice wanted

[MtnTomR]

Hello all,

A terrible accident occurred yesterday and I dropped my new Macbook Pro 15" unibody. Everything seems to be running fine, however, half of the screen backlights are out, the aluminum screen case corners are slightly dented and catch a little bit when the machine is opened or closed and the top case has a couple of scratches and a dent near the trackpad. I know, it's absolutely terrible so please don't make it any worse with a lectured response. I am very careful with my belongings and take very good care of them, but accidents do happen. So my question is what should I do to repair or replace the machine? Is it more beneficial to just purchase a new machine and hopefully pay for most of it with the parts on the old? The repair costs are nearing $1000.

MBP 15" Unibody
2.66 GHz I7
8GB RAM
500 GB HD @ 7200 rpm
Screen was upgraded to Hi-Res, although that probably doesn't matter anymore...

Thank you in advance for your advice and suggestions, they are greatly apprecieated.

-Tom

 

[alphaod]

Did you pay for it with a credit/charge card? Some like American Express offer accidental protection for the first 90 days.

 

[Wafflausages]

Your best bet is to get it fully repaired by apple or you can try finding parts on a parts-source site though i doubt you can get it cosmetically repaired. Theres also what the above poster said

 

[Eddyisgreat]

If Apple quoted the repair costs for all the damage, then go that route. If you are just looking to restore functionality, get the display replaced (not sure how much, I think a little over $400 according to users here).

Otherwise have it replaced, though you aren't going to be able to part out damaged components to pay for any majority of the laptop (since those looking to buy used components will oft go for lightly used components.) You might be able to move the logic board if the price is right.

 

[Stingray454]

Check what insurance you have. I have an extended home insurance that cover damages to devices such as laptops, phones and similar no matter how they got damaged (stolen, dropped in water, dog ate it or whatever) for an excess in the range of about $200. Or, as someone mentioned, maybe you are covered by some credit card insurance. Make sure before you spend a lot of money on expensive repairs.

 

[MtnTomR]

Thanks everyone for your replies and suggestions. I have checked with my credit card company (Citi) and they do offer accident protection for up to $500 on my card. I guess I'll have it repaired and hope that the claim goes through without any problems. Does anyone know of any good, reasonably priced repair centers? I live in an area where the nearest repair facility is over 300 miles away so I will have to send it somewhere to have it repaired. Thanks again!

-Tom

 

[itripped]

Tom, that sucks. I feel for ya. Whatever you end up doing, I hope you get your comp. back up and running again.

For what it's worth, when this happened to my wife's computer a few years ago, we couldn't afford the repair costs and applecare had expired. So we did the next best thing: she sourced a replacement screen on ebay (there are many reputable vendors for this kind of thing) and I went on ifixit.com to get detailed instructions on how to go about swapping it out.

Short version, it worked and the laptop was restored. If you are in a real bind this might be an option to consider.

 

[alphaod]

Thanks everyone for your replies and suggestions. I have checked with my credit card company (Citi) and they do offer accident protection for up to $500 on my card. I guess I'll have it repaired and hope that the claim goes through without any problems.

-Tom

File a claim now because they might ask to see the damage.

 

[MtnTomR]

@itripped - Hey, thanks man. That's a good option to self-repair, however, I looked at the ifixit instructions and it appears that I would need to take the macbook almost entirely apart to replace both the screen and top case, which I'm not sure if I can handle.

@alphaod - Thanks for the heads up, that's a good thought. I talked with Citi and they told me to just have it repaired and save the receipts, which is pretty nice I guess.

Does anyone have any experience or feedback about powerbookmedic.com? Their prices are right and they offer a 1 year warranty on parts and labor however, they are not an "authorized apple service center." There is an authorized apple service provider in town, but he refuses to do the work because of the difficulty! It looks like Powerbookmedic is the route I'm going to take at this point. Thanks again guys!

 

[Rithem]

You can try to go to a genius bar and hope that you get a sympathetic genius like I did and get it replaced for free.