First Gen Macbook Air Battery Exploded! Advice Please.

[Nipz]

Hi Guys,

So over the weekend my Macbook Air has been asleep on the desk as i have been away. I came back to it yesterday evening so notice the lid wasnt shut, like someone had closed it with a pen or pencil on the keyboard.

After opening it up i noticed their was a massive warping to the left side of the trackpad!

I took the bottom of the laptop off to see what had happened and noticed the battery had split down the side and bent all the case out of shape.

Here are some pictures:

I am at work until 4:15 today so cant ring Apple until then. I understand the laptop is 2 1/2 years old but still cant accept the fact that my £2000 laptop has exploded!! What advice would people give me when ringing Apple tonight?

 

[Oli3000]

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1001315/

Suggests that sometimes they may replace it for free - but if it is out of warranty you may have to pay the replacement fee which is £99 normally (about 129$ - http://www.apple.com/support/macbookair/service/battery/).

More info here:

https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/11056539/

And here:

https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/9875442/

 

[Nipz]

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1001315/

Suggests that sometimes they may replace it for free - but if it is out of warranty you may have to pay the replacement fee which is £99 normally (about 129$ - http://www.apple.com/support/macbookair/service/battery/).

More info here:

https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/11056539/

And here:

https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/9875442/

Thanks for that.

I will be annoyed if they dont replace the laptop for me. Just replacing the battery wouldnt solve the problems with the case.

 

[miles01110]

You probably shouldn't have opened the bottom case. That's just one more excuse they can use to justify that it was user damage.

 

[OSMac]

Be interesting to hear the outcome.

I suspect the first tech thought will be it was dropped,
And next it was left in a hot environment like in a car in the sun.

If you can convince them that's not the case I'd suspect they might help.
Having opened the case might present a hurdle for you.

 

[Nipz]

You probably shouldn't have opened the bottom case. That's just one more excuse they can use to justify that it was user damage.

Thats very easy to put back on without them knowing. I am sure your are allowed to take it off yourself anyway. You are with the other laptops to do RAM and HDD upgrades.

 

[Nipz]

Be interesting to hear the outcome.

I suspect the first tech thought will be it was dropped,
And next it was left in a hot environment like in a car in the sun.

If you can convince them that's not the case I'd suspect they might help.
Having opened the case might present a hurdle for you.

I live in the UK so its never "hot" here lol

Where does it say i cant undo the case?

 

[Oli3000]

Thanks for that.

I will be annoyed if they dont replace the laptop for me. Just replacing the battery wouldnt solve the problems with the case.

True, having another look at the pictures it does look totally buggered. I would imagine whatever you call and say to Apple, they are going to want you to take it to a Genius bar to fully understood the degree of damage! It might be best to just book an appointment and go there straight away!

And agreed, removing the case probably was not the smartest idea - it is probably best to try and put that back on and make it look as untouched as possible!



"(a) to damage caused by accident, abuse, misuse, misapplication, or non-Apple products; (b) to damage caused by service (including upgrades and expansions) performed by anyone who is not an Apple Authorized Service Provider; (c) to a product or a part that has been modified without the written permission of Apple; or (d) if any Apple serial number has been removed or defaced "

Is the official wording - so it isn't a problem - as long as they believe that you were not trying to upgrade anything - which they shouldn't! But still. Best to put it back on.

 

[Nipz]

True, having another look at the pictures it does look totally buggered. I would imagine whatever you call and say to Apple, they are going to want you to take it to a Genius bar to fully understood the degree of damage! It might be best to just book an appointment and go there straight away!

And agreed, removing the case probably was not the smartest idea - it is probably best to try and put that back on and make it look as untouched as possible!

No love for taking the case off lol

I can get that back on no problem - they will take it off within 2 minutes anyway i am guessing so wont know the difference.

I live about an hour away from the nearest Apple store so makes it a pain to travel their after work. I will ring them after work and get the ball rolling.

 

[OllyW]

Thanks for that.

I will be annoyed if they dont replace the laptop for me. Just replacing the battery wouldnt solve the problems with the case.

You should be able to get it repaired, the Sale of Goods Act offers customer protection outside of the manufacturers warranty.

But...

You probably shouldn't have opened the bottom case. That's just one more excuse they can use to justify that it was user damage.

Miles is correct, you should have left it in one piece. You should try and put it back together before you return it back to Apple. If it won't go back together, at least you've got photographic evidence of it's state before you dismantled it.

 

[Nipz]

You should be able to get it repaired, the Sale of Goods Act offers customer protection outside of the manufacturers warranty.

But...



Miles is correct, you should have left it in one piece. You should try and put it back together before you return it back to Apple. If it won't go back together, at least you've got photographic evidence of it's state before you dismantled it.

Thanks very much for the advice with sales of good act! Was going to pull that out when they tell me to get lost I will get the case back on tonight no problem and tell from what i have read online the battery has gone.

 

[iStudentUK]

Thanks for that.

I will be annoyed if they dont replace the laptop for me. Just replacing the battery wouldnt solve the problems with the case.

No way should you pay for this. Stand your ground if they play up, the law is probably on your side. However, I expect a genius will take one look at this and replace it.

Even if they make you pay make sure you write "paid under protest" on your bill/receipt before you pay, the you can carry on chasing it up later.

I'd be interested to know how this pans out.

 

[Nipz]

No way should you pay for this. Stand your ground if they play up, the law is probably on your side. However, I expect a genius will take one look at this and replace it.

Even if they make you pay make sure you write "paid under protest" on your bill/receipt before you pay, the you can carry on chasing it up later.

I'd be interested to know how this pans out.

Thanks for your support

I wont be handing over any money. I am sure they will understand that this is not expectable.

 

[OSMac]

Just did a quick search on google and your not alone.

Seems many others have had the same issue with expanding batteries and case damage.

http://www.dolphinstreet.com/blog/macbook-battery-exploded.php

http://www.macnn.com/articles/09/09/29/incident.matches.reports.from.apple.online.store/

http://www.macusersguide.com/2009/04/the-ever-expanding-macbook-battery/

 

[Nipz]

Just did a quick search on google and your not alone.

Seems many others have had the same issue with expanding batteries and case damage.

http://www.dolphinstreet.com/blog/macbook-battery-exploded.php

http://www.macnn.com/articles/09/09/29/incident.matches.reports.from.apple.online.store/

http://www.macusersguide.com/2009/04/the-ever-expanding-macbook-battery/

Yea i noticed there was other but nothing for a Macbook Air.

 

[iStudentUK]

Thanks for your support

I wont be handing over any money. I am sure they will understand that this is not expectable.

Good attitude! Apple don't have a leg to stand on, so long as you don't have a habit of putting your MBA in the oven.

Just did a quick search on google and your not alone.

Seems many others have had the same issue with expanding batteries and case damage.

http://www.dolphinstreet.com/blog/macbook-battery-exploded.php

http://www.macnn.com/articles/09/09/29/incident.matches.reports.from.apple.online.store/

http://www.macusersguide.com/2009/04/the-ever-expanding-macbook-battery/

Seriously, s.14(2) Sale of Goods Act 1979. Really strong case! (Not legal advice! )

 

[Nipz]

Good attitude! Apple don't have a leg to stand on, so long as you don't have a habit of putting your MBA in the oven.



Seriously, s.14(2) Sale of Goods Act 1979. Really strong case! (Not legal advice! )

My girlfriend is a law student so the legal side is covered but i will do some reading myself!

I know Apple will just say to bring it in before they can make any decisions which means i cant sort it until the end of the week!

 

[iStudentUK]

My girlfriend is a law student so the legal side is covered but i will do some reading myself!

As I said, they should repair/replace on sight if they have half a brain!

If not it isn't a hard area of law at all. Your gf will know all about SOGA

Give 'em hell!

 

[Nipz]

As I said, they should repair/replace on sight if they have half a brain!

If not it isn't a hard area of law at all. Your gf will know all about SOGA

Give 'em hell!

I will report back after i speak to them tonight on over the phone!

I dont think they will want to replace a 3 year old laptop with a brand new 2011 model, but hey we can try!

 

[torbjoern]

I live in the UK so its never "hot" here lol

Where does it say i cant undo the case?

In the UK? Then they'll say that it's water damage from all the rain.
Sorry to hear about your computer.

 

[Oli3000]

In the UK? Then they'll say that it's water damage from all the rain.
Sorry to hear about your computer.

The majority of the UK actually rains very little. It's just ALWAYS overcast, and then it dumps it all in the channel. We could probably deal with it if it did rain all the time, but it just sits in the crappy bit in-between!

I think it is likely Apple will offer you some sort of refurbed Rev A, or maybe let you pay the difference? (Although maybe not as the new ones are cheaper). But, they surely do not have to replace it. If you buy a car, and the engine blows up after 5 years and the car catches fire, I doubt you'd see the car company giving you a replacement... BUT, then again, if it was due to a faulty component produced by the car company, then they probably would?! So it could swing either way, I guess! It would be down to Apple to prove that that battery isn't faulty and it was user caused. There we go, long winded way to the solution.

 

[Beaverman3001]

I'd refuse anything but a replacement machine in this situation. I think the odds are in your favor, I can't imagine a genius looking at that and not being able to justify a replacement.

 

[iStudentUK]

But, they surely do not have to replace it. If you buy a car, and the engine blows up after 5 years and the car catches fire, I doubt you'd see the car company giving you a replacement...

If the laptop is found to be faulty (which I think it is clear it is!) the buyer is entitled to ask for a repair or a replacement. However, if one remedy is much more onerous on the seller they can choose the less onerous one. So Apple can elect to do a repair if it is much cheaper for them; however, it must be completed in a reasonable time and without undue inconvenience to the buyer. If they can't do that then the buyer can ask for a replacement or a refund (less a reasonable amount to reflect the age of the goods and the nature of the fault), again with regards to how onerous each one is on the seller.

The vast majority of complaints are settled without the courts getting involved. But whenever I have a problem in a shop I always ensure whatever I get is at least what the law says I am entitled to.

It would be down to Apple to prove that that battery isn't faulty and it was user caused. There we go, long winded way to the solution.

No, it is down to the OP (it's only the seller's job in the first 6 months). However, in this case it would probably be quite easy!

It's worth learning this stuff. Consumer rights aren't that hard, you don't need to be a lawyer.

 

[Nipz]

The majority of the UK actually rains very little. It's just ALWAYS overcast, and then it dumps it all in the channel. We could probably deal with it if it did rain all the time, but it just sits in the crappy bit in-between!

I think it is likely Apple will offer you some sort of refurbed Rev A, or maybe let you pay the difference? (Although maybe not as the new ones are cheaper). But, they surely do not have to replace it. If you buy a car, and the engine blows up after 5 years and the car catches fire, I doubt you'd see the car company giving you a replacement... BUT, then again, if it was due to a faulty component produced by the car company, then they probably would?! So it could swing either way, I guess! It would be down to Apple to prove that that battery isn't faulty and it was user caused. There we go, long winded way to the solution.

Yea i do know what you mean. I just dont think anyone would expect to buy a laptop and it die well explode after just 3 years. Maybe a Dell but not at £2000! We will see

I'd refuse anything but a replacement machine in this situation. I think the odds are in your favor, I can't imagine a genius looking at that and not being able to justify a replacement.

I think a genius would but that might have to wait until the end of the week

 

[OSMac]

Any update ?