Damaged keyboard

[sapereaudesuzie]

My keyboard has a section of keys damaged by what is apparently liquid damage. At the Genius Bar they told me they would send in it as covered, but if the repair team found that it was accidental damage I would be charged $755 for the repair.

How do they decide? I am not so hot on sending it out only to be told I need to pay that much, which is not really feasible right now.

Would liquid damage not inherently be accidental? What are the provisions in the warranty for such an event?

Thank you!

 

[GGJstudios]

My keyboard has a section of keys damaged by what is apparently liquid damage. At the Genius Bar they told me they would send in it as covered, but if the repair team found that it was accidental damage I would be charged $755 for the repair.

How do they decide? I am not so hot on sending it out only to be told I need to pay that much, which is not really feasible right now.

Would liquid damage not inherently be accidental? What are the provisions in the warranty for such an event?

Thank you!

Warranty does not cover damage from accidents; only manufacturing defects. There are moisture sensors that will tell them if your Mac has been exposed to liquid.

 

[x86isslow]

Definitely not covered by warranty.

Do you have homeowner's or renter's insurance? Did you buy the computer on an American Express credit card? Reach out to them and see if they would cover the repair.

 

[vitzr]

Wow, what an expensive keyboard. Now I'm really relieved I didn't buy my fairly clumsy mom a MBP for her birthday.

Instead I chose a new ThinkPad that has a user replaceable keyboard. It is also designed to survive spills, they have a system designed with drain holes that allow the fluid to run out the bottom of the computer.

I know, cause one of the guys at work spilled on his. Since it was a sticky energy drink he ordered a replacement keyboard. Just $85 for the part & less than twenty minutes to change it (4 screws accessible through the bottom).

It'd be great if Apple made theirs easily serviceable with more reasonable parts pricing.

It's a good thing I'm quite careful

 

[GGJstudios]

Wow, what an expensive keyboard.

My guess is the price is for replacement of the logic board, not the keyboard.

 

[vitzr]

My guess is the price is for replacement of the logic board, not the keyboard.

That would certainly make more sense.

So sorry to hear of the misfortune. That's why they're called accidents, no one ever does this deliberately. How unfortunate.

 

[pscraig]

If Apple quotes you $755, take it to a local Mac repair shop. In my experience most incidents that Apple writes off as "liquid damage" are just a small quantity of liquid that only sometimes reaches the logic board. Problem is the keyboard is integrated deeply into the upper case, and these parts fetch around $200 used. Add in a reasonable labor charge and you're looking at half of what Apple might charge.

Even some liquid on a logic board might not be the end of the world-I've removed dried red wine from a logic board and it worked just fine. It all depends on the extent of corrosion of the components.

 

[chipchen]

Apple is not quoting you for a keyboard, they are quoting you for a flat rate repair with accidental damage. That means they will replace everything that has been damaged... up to corroded casing, shorted logic board, etc, etc... or just the keyboard... any and everything to get the machine up and running and under warranty again.

A lot of times though, accidental damage doesn't damage enough stuff to make it worth the cost of a flat rate repair from Apple. If your machine is working and it's just the keyboard that's having problems... you could probably replace the keyboard for less at a non-Apple Store (Apple Authorized Service Provider). They'd just charge you parts + labor.

Also, another place to go to could be ifixit.com. They also have repair manuals if you're willing to risk it yourself.

Just a note though, with the unibody style MBPs, you're probably going to have to replace the entire top (upper) case.. and that's pretty much the hardest part to get to. You pretty much have to take everything apart to get to it.... so even if you're good with electronics... it's probably a 7 or 8 out of 10 in difficulty.

 

[thundersteele]

My keyboard has a section of keys damaged by what is apparently liquid damage. At the Genius Bar they told me they would send in it as covered, but if the repair team found that it was accidental damage I would be charged $755 for the repair.

I think the genius bar was not really informative here. Did you actually have liquid damage or not?

If there is/was liquid damage, they will notice and bill you for the $755 full repair (including a restored warranty).

 

[chipchen]

I think the genius bar was not really informative here. Did you actually have liquid damage or not?

If there is/was liquid damage, they will notice and bill you for the $755 full repair (including a restored warranty).

It's cause once you tell them, they don't even look at it. They're not supposed to. They offer to send it into the service depot and let the decide about it. Basically, if there's no trace of damage, it's covered. If there is, and there most likely is, they will call the owner and request a credit card for the repair.