Difficulty with AppleCare.. HELP!`

[Applespider]

I do think this is kinda tough. The guy's not expecting the bottom case and SuperDrive to be replaced since he's accepted responsibility for the drop and probably beat himself up enough about that. He wants the hard drive fixed which has failed enough time after the drop to likely have little to do with it.

Why can't Apple just replace the drive and return the PB with the dents still there? It's not like he's going to send it back claiming that Apple dented it in this instance.

 

[dotnina]

Okay, wait ... you say you Powerbook fell 3 months ago, but everything has been functionally okay until just the other day?

In that case, I have trouble seeing how Apple can so easily pin it on you. I'm not saying you automatically have a case, I'm just scratching my head a bit over all this. This must be some nasty, nasty dent for them to implicate you so quickly?

Now then ... it seems like we might be jumping to conclusions about you needing a new hard drive. If the computer isn't "recognizing" the hard drive, that doesn't automatically mean the HD is bad. It could be that the connecters came loose, and for this reason the computer isn't aware of the HD's presence.

Just some alternative views to consider.

 

[Fourbin]

I do think this is kinda tough. The guy's not expecting the bottom case and SuperDrive to be replaced since he's accepted responsibility for the drop and probably beat himself up enough about that. He wants the hard drive fixed which has failed enough time after the drop to likely have little to do with it.

Why can't Apple just replace the drive and return the PB with the dents still there? It's not like he's going to send it back claiming that Apple dented it in this instance.

THANK YOU for being the first reasonable person on here. I am claiming that the laptop was dropped 3 months ago and I admitted that to them when I took it to the store the following day. The tech there told me I should be just A-OK with the laptop as long as I didn't mine the aesthetic damage. Since then I have been using the computer every day and have babied it and it has treated me well. Just the other night the hard drive starting screeching and the computer could not recognize it after being restarted. I'm pretty sure the hard drive just fried.. thus I don't think they should pin this on me. On top of that, they are telling me the Superdrive needs to be replaced when even after the hard drive wasn't being recognized, while on the phone with an Apple Care "specialist" I was using the System Restores discs in the Superdrive and it was functioning perfectly.

 

[dotnina]

Well, in that case it sounds like you need more details about why Apple said certain things needed to be repaired. Ask specific questions when they tell you they need to repair things.

It is pretty surprising that Apple wants to "force" you to fix the cosmetic damages. My guess is that you have fairly bad damage on there, the kind that might threaten the innards of your PB. Of course, this is just my guess.

I'd take it back and ask lots of questions.

 

[Sun Baked]

Well, in that case it sounds like you need more details about why Apple said certain things needed to be repaired. Ask specific questions when they tell you they need to repair things.

It is pretty surprising that Apple wants to "force" you to fix the cosmetic damages. My guess is that you have fairly bad damage on there, the kind that might threaten the innards of your PB. Of course, this is just my guess.

I'd take it back and ask lots of questions.

Since the repairs are Tiered, this Tier is probably replacing everything they see that might be damaged in that Tier.

You'd probably pay the same amount for the bottom cover and the HD at AppleCare, as you would for all the parts mentioned.

If you look at someplace like pbparts.com you'll see that the price they are quoting is most likely less than you'd pay to gather the parts yourself then pay somebody to do the work.

However an independent shop may charge half as much for just the bottom cover and the HD.

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As far as the HD just failing recently, if the bearings were damaged in the drop -- it could take a while for them to fail completely.