Dent in Macbook Pro. Will Apple fix it?

[thejadedmonkey]

get the little brat's parents to cough up a new laptop. tell them he fkd t up and its not not just dented but broken. i hate kids and the parents who let them do whatever they want without any punishment.

That's probably the best bet, actually. The dent not only voids the warranty on the screen and case, but because the dent is proof of physical damage, that actually voids the entire computer's warranty.

If you want your 14 day old computer to remain under warranty, your best bet is to a) get a new one or b) take it to an Apple store and have them fix it (roughly $800, as mentioned), so that Apple can be sure that no internal damage occured when the computer was physically damaged.

 

[harcosparky]

So how much does it cost to fix dents?

You should not be worried about the cost.

The parents of the ill mannered child are responsible, the same as if their teenage child drove their car into yours.

It's a new notebook, their child damaged it .... it is their responsibility.

APPLE is not responsible for damages outside of its control.

Furthermore, if you have to go in for a repair and the physical damage is in the area of the failed part, that may VOID the warrant.

I would take the notebook to the parents house, hand it to them and say ....

" nice to have .... nice to hold .... your child broke ... I consider it SOLD "

Then tell them how much it will cost to replace.


WHAT MAKES IT WORSE: This was a NINE YEAR OLD child that broke it, not some little 2-4 year old brat. Nine year olds, raised properly will know how to behave. Spolied nine year olds will not.


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[old-wiz]

You should not be worried about the cost.

The parents of the ill mannered child are responsible, the same as if their teenage child drove their car into yours.

It's a new notebook, their child damaged it .... it is their responsibility.

From what I've seen, parents of ill-mannered children do not believe they are responsible for their child's tantrums; they will blame it on you for having such an expensive thing around their precious child. You're not likely to see any help from them.

 

[Spencer Reynen]

harcosparky is completely right. Apple shouldn't have to pay for your problems, make the child's parents pay for it, just as pretty much everyone else on here is saying. After you get them to pay for it, you can go read up on what AppleCare is instead of just buying something you don't know about. Good luck!

 

[harcosparky]

From what I've seen, parents of ill-mannered children do not believe they are responsible for their child's tantrums; they will blame it on you for having such an expensive thing around their precious child. You're not likely to see any help from them.

At that point, I'd let the lawyers handle it.

Or file a small claims civil suit pro se.

 

[IllIllIll]

At that point, I'd let the lawyers handle it.

Or file a small claims civil suit pro se.

Come on. Seriously? You'd sue members of your own family over something like this? Get real.

 

[harcosparky]

Come on. Seriously? You'd sue members of your own family over something like this? Get real.

Nah, you're right ..... I'd invite them over and tell them to let their kids run wild, trash my place and destroy the high value items .... after all they are family and that according to you gives them the right!


Get real!

 

[siddharthseth]

I was stuck in the exact same situation within the first month of my purchasing the MBP. I now have two prominent dents on the left side. Stupid kids make me go

Anyway, here's what I did and this, my friend, would be your safest way out of the mess.

Take your MBP to the Apple Service Center, pronto. Talk to the service guy in charge and tell him that you have inherited the MBP recently and would like to perform a complete hardware check on it.

Ideally, if you're nice to them, they would do it for you without any hassles.
Once they're ready to do it, report a minor problem (like speaker output being less than usual). They would probably record the external damage in (the form of dents, in your case). You will then receive appropriate documentation (a receipt of sorts). They'll probably keep the machine for a day or so.

When you return to collect your MB, you'll get a final feedback form and a record slip which you'll have to sign. Now, assuming that there's not any comprehensive damage done, you'll be safe for warranty for the remainder of your warranty period.

You can show them your initial slip which would be a proof that the machine was dented fairly soon after your purchase and there was not much damage done.

This is how it has worked for me for the past 2 years and I have been provided with prompt service (including the replacement of a hard disk).

Hope this ethically questionable method works for you.

 

[TheJing]

Nah, you're right ..... I'd invite them over and tell them to let their kids run wild, trash my place and destroy the high value items .... after all they are family and that according to you gives them the right!


Get real!

Wow. I'm happy I'm not part of your family. I would obviously go talk to the kid's parents but I would never involve anyone else.

 

[Apple OC]

sounds like the kind of kid only a parent could love ... chaulk it up to a lesson learned and live with the dent.

Apple is not responsible for the careless care of your new laptop.

Good luck over the up-coming Christmas season.

 

[johnhurley]

I received my 15' inch Macbook Pro exactly 14 days ago from today.

So here's what happened. I'm visiting family during Thanksgiving. My older cousin and I were playing Halo: Reach and my 9-year old cousin wanted to play.

Unfortunately it looks like you made a really bad decision on when and where to start playing games on your new laptop.

You did apparently know that your 9 year old cousin was in the vicinity. At that point the best choice of action would have been to shutdown immediately or at least move the action to a room that included a closed door.

Your cousin is just 9 years old. Bad things happen in situations like this.

While the apple coverage probably does not help house insurance might. Most of us homeowners would not want to try a claim for something like that because of the possibility of higher coverage costs in the future but it might be a possibility.

 

[SDColorado]

Depending on how the laptop was paid for you might be in luck. Some credit cards offer extended protection and warranty. My American Express card, for example, provided 90 days of protection against theft (up to $1000 per occurance) and accidental damage from the date of purchase. It also extends the terms of the manufacturers warranty for 1 year. It is worth checking the card you purchased it with, and see if they offer similar benefits.

But thinking that Apple should cover damage caused by an out of control family member is just not reasonable. His parents should cover it with no questions asked if your card will not.

 

[motoracer1486]

Depending on how the laptop was paid for you might be in luck. Some credit cards offer extended protection and warranty. My American Express card, for example, provided 90 days of protection against theft (up to $1000 per occurance) and accidental damage from the date of purchase. It also extends the terms of the manufacturers warranty for 1 year. It is worth checking the card you purchased it with, and see if they offer similar benefits.

But thinking that Apple should cover damage caused by an out of control family member is just not reasonable. His parents should cover it with no questions asked if your card will not.

This is actually a great recommendation - I always forget about the credit card company.

 

[SDColorado]

This is actually a great recommendation - I always forget about the credit card company.

Unfortunately not all cards do that, but it never hurts to check before shelling out the money yourself.

 

[-tWv-]

Just let it go.. Its not worth the money and trouble (unless someone else is paying). You are bound to have many more small scuffs/scratches/dents as time goes on. Just use it and don't worry about little marks and scratches.

 

[RedRaven571]

My American Express card, for example, provided 90 days of protection against theft (up to $1000 per occurance) and accidental damage from the date of purchase. It also extends the terms of the manufacturers warranty for 1 year.

I knew AE extended the warranty for an additional year, I never knew they provided accidental damage.

 

[SDColorado]

I knew AE extended the warranty for an additional year, I never knew they provided accidental damage.

I am not sure that all AE cards do, although I think so. I just checked even their most basic personal green card and it has the same benefit as my business card:

"When something you buy is broken or stolen, it shouldn't be your problem. That's why if you use your Card for eligible purchases, they can be protected from accidental damage or theft for up to 90 days from the moment you buy them."

I am not sure why only 90 days. I guess they figure you will feel better about it being damaged after you have had at least 90 days to enjoy it?

Edit: They also offer return protection as well, but it is limited. Not much use if it is an iPad or a computer.

"If you try to return an eligible item within 90 days from the date of purchase and the merchant won't take it back, American Express may refund the full purchase price, up to $300 per item."

 

[IllIllIll]

Nah, you're right ..... I'd invite them over and tell them to let their kids run wild, trash my place and destroy the high value items .... after all they are family and that according to you gives them the right!


Get real!

No, I never said that. But short of talking to the parents and asking them nicely to pay for the damage and make things right, you make yourself out to be a selfish, arrogant, and petty person by even suggesting that suing family members over a busted laptop is a good idea. It also says a lot about YOUR family.

There can be a middle ground here. Your "damn the torpedoes, I don't care if they're family or not, sue them" attitude is lame.

----------

I was stuck in the exact same situation within the first month of my purchasing the MBP. I now have two prominent dents on the left side. Stupid kids make me go

Anyway, here's what I did and this, my friend, would be your safest way out of the mess.

Take your MBP to the Apple Service Center, pronto. Talk to the service guy in charge and tell him that you have inherited the MBP recently and would like to perform a complete hardware check on it.

Ideally, if you're nice to them, they would do it for you without any hassles.
Once they're ready to do it, report a minor problem (like speaker output being less than usual). They would probably record the external damage in (the form of dents, in your case). You will then receive appropriate documentation (a receipt of sorts). They'll probably keep the machine for a day or so.

When you return to collect your MB, you'll get a final feedback form and a record slip which you'll have to sign. Now, assuming that there's not any comprehensive damage done, you'll be safe for warranty for the remainder of your warranty period.

You can show them your initial slip which would be a proof that the machine was dented fairly soon after your purchase and there was not much damage done.

This is how it has worked for me for the past 2 years and I have been provided with prompt service (including the replacement of a hard disk).

Hope this ethically questionable method works for you.

Ethically questionable? This is fraud, pure and simple.

 

[Nielsenius]

I don't know how close you are to your extended family, but if I were you, I'd politely explain the situation to the child's parents. Tell them how much this brand new, expensive item means to you. Tell them that the drop could have caused internal damage and the physical damage seen on the case could void the Mac's warranty. If they're reasonable they'll fork over the money and you'll have your Mac fixed in no-time. Don't threaten a small-claims suit or be a jerk about it. That'll get you nowhere.

If they refuse, do as someone else has already said and bring it in for an inspection.

 

[teleromeo]

If you paid with credit card check your CC contract, perhaps it's covered by an insurance.

 

[harcosparky]

No, I never said that. But short of talking to the parents and asking them nicely to pay for the damage and make things right, you make yourself out to be a selfish, arrogant, and petty person by even suggesting that suing family members over a busted laptop is a good idea. It also says a lot about YOUR family.

There can be a middle ground here. Your "damn the torpedoes, I don't care if they're family or not, sue them" attitude is lame.

Middle Ground - They pay for the damages caused by their children.

I raised my children to be responsible for their actions.

If they break something through horseplay, they pay the damages.

I am not selfish, arrogant, or petty. If my child broke something of theirs it would be paid for.

it's that simple.

 

[heisenberg123]

Middle Ground - They pay for the damages caused by their children.

I raised my children to be responsible for their actions.

If they break something through horseplay, they pay the damages.

I am not selfish, arrogant, or petty. If my child broke something of theirs it would be paid for.

it's that simple.

i was raised the same way, i was also spanked if i goofed up, hard to find good parenting now days

 

[IllIllIll]

Middle Ground - They pay for the damages caused by their children.

I raised my children to be responsible for their actions.

If they break something through horseplay, they pay the damages.

I am not selfish, arrogant, or petty. If my child broke something of theirs it would be paid for.

it's that simple.

I completely agree with the above. But we're not talking about your children now, are we? Threatening legal action against family members is not necessary in this situation, and overly excessive. If you feel it's appropriate, that DOES make you a selfish, arrogant, and petty person.

You mentioned you have children. Are you honestly saying that if this happened to you and one of your grandchildren was responsible, you'd actually take your own child to court? That doesn't sound selfish and reactionary to you?

If you're going to go that route, might as well sue for a couple million dollars for pain, suffering, and emotional distress, wouldn't you agree? Weak sauce.

 

[harcosparky]

I completely agree with the above. But we're not talking about your children now, are we? Threatening legal action against family members is not necessary in this situation, and overly excessive. If you feel it's appropriate, that DOES make you a selfish, arrogant, and petty person.

If you're going to go that route, might as well sue for a couple million dollars for pain, suffering, and emotional distress, wouldn't you agree? Weak sauce.

Honestly in my family it would not go that far. We were all raised the same way.

Sadly Personal Responsibility is not a common as it once was.



At least I didn't blame the OP for bringing out his MBP in the same room where the nine year old was. But somebody else did that.


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[IllIllIll]

Why don't you blame the OP for bring out his Macbook Pro in the same room the 9 year old was in.

Oh wait, somebody else already did that!

I'm not blaming the OP. I am saying that situations will exist where family members may not offer you the restitution you want. And suing them isn't the answer. Obviously you think it is, which is fine. But I like to think that getting compensated in this manner will cause much more bad blood, hurt feelings, and harm to relationships than it's worth. You think a MBP is worth more than that, fine. That says a lot more about you than anything else.