HELP! New MacBook Air Damaged out of the box

[TheRealDamager]

Do what you feel is right, but that is the tiniest, almost imperceptible dent. I would take pride in it as my way to identifying my machine.

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It is not a flaw. It is not an imperfection. It is damaged. I plan to resell mine next year, and something like that would knock 5% or more off the value. Unacceptable. Mine would go back immediately.

I highly question a 5% hit on value based on that. Only for the OCD customer.

 

[chanyitian]

After waiting anxiously for my new 2012 MacBook Air and tracking the shipment everyday, it finally arrived. I was so excited, took it right to my room and proceeded to carefully unbox my lovely new machine.

I take it out of the box, gently take off the plastic, and lift the screen with one finger. I then switched it on, as my finger lifted after pressing the power button, i saw it. A tiny dent, in my brand new, freshly built from the factory MacBook, that I've just paid over £1000 for! I'm SO disappointed.

Now, it really is tiny, but the fact is that I've paid for a Premium product. It should be perfect. Most people probably wouldn't care but it really does bother me. I've been looking forward to getting a MBA for a long time and I don't think I should have to make do with ANY faults, not matter how small.

I'm going to take it to the Apple Store tomorrow, but I'm worried about what they'll say. What if they blame me for it? How do I prove that it was like this out the box? Anyone else here had a similar problem? How did Apple deal with you?

Here's a picture, you can see the dent just above the thunderbolt port:
Image

I understand your frustration. I have ordered a 2012 macbook air too. We have paid >1000 $ and flaws should not be accepted because we expect perfection. You should call Apple and have them replace it as its not your fault. good luck!

 

[palpatine]

Do what you feel is right, but that is the tiniest, almost imperceptible dent. I would take pride in it as my way to identifying my machine.

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I highly question a 5% hit on value based on that. Only for the OCD customer.

The MBA is 1,000. I would mark it down about 50, because I cannot compete with people who have mint condition Macs on the market. I know, because I list my computers about 50 or so above people with scratches and dents on their stuff, and my computers sell. Believe me, if you can write "Looks brand new without a single dent, scratch, or blemish" on your ad, it means a lot, because buyers know that you treated it well. A dent on the outside indicates rough handling. It isn't OCD. Smart consumers look for these kinds of things.

Maybe you could get more out of your computer. You are a better salesman than me.

 

[skuid87]

Thanks for all your suggestions guys.

I just got off the phone with Apple. They were very understanding.
They have already arranged a replacement to be shipped with High priority. I'm told I will have it by the end of this week latest.

They will also arrange for a courier to pick up my old MacBook and said that I could choose when to send the old one back. So I can make sure I'm not without a Mac at any time.

I also asked her what would happen if the replacement Mac had any defects. She said that am entitled to a Perfect mac and if they will replace any defective mac no matter how many times it takes.

Lets just hope the next one is perfect out of the box!

 

[Smartie]

Thanks for all your suggestions guys.

I just got off the phone with Apple. They were very understanding.
They have already arranged a replacement to be shipped with High priority. I'm told I will have it by the end of this week latest.

They will also arrange for a courier to pick up my old MacBook and said that I could choose when to send the old one back. So I can make sure I'm not without a Mac at any time.

I also asked her what would happen if the replacement Mac had any defects. She said that am entitled to a Perfect mac and if they will replace any defective mac no matter how many times it takes.

Lets just hope the next one is perfect out of the box!

I'm happy for you. That is good service from Apple, being allowed to keep the dented machine for transfer of data and then ship it back.

 

[JBST]

Thanks for all your suggestions guys.

I just got off the phone with Apple. They were very understanding.
They have already arranged a replacement to be shipped with High priority. I'm told I will have it by the end of this week latest.

They will also arrange for a courier to pick up my old MacBook and said that I could choose when to send the old one back. So I can make sure I'm not without a Mac at any time.

I also asked her what would happen if the replacement Mac had any defects. She said that am entitled to a Perfect mac and if they will replace any defective mac no matter how many times it takes.

Lets just hope the next one is perfect out of the box!

Glad to here that your case has resolved and good to know that apple let you keep the current machine till you get the replacement. Thanks for sharing your experience.

 

[chanyitian]

Hmm... that's true. Can't believe I didn't think of that.

But would they charge me the shipping costs for the refund? How does this work? Would they arrange/pay for a courier to pick it up?

If you order another one and then later ask for the refund, you are putting yourself at risk. What if Apple really denied the refund? I think that the wise action is to return it asap so that Apple will take it seriously.

 

[skuid87]

If you order another one and then later ask for the refund, you are putting yourself at risk. What if Apple really denied the refund? I think that the wise action is to return it asap so that Apple will take it seriously.

Agreed. This would only have been as a last resort in case Apple were going to be difficult about a replacement.

Turns out they were very understanding so it won't be necessary.

 

[skuid87]

Well...

My new MacBook Air arrived today. Good news is that this one was fine out the box. It even has a Samsung screen.

Bad news is that the SSD is Toshiba.

I'd love to have the best of both worlds, but whats the likelihood of ever getting a Samsung screen AND a Samsung SSD?

 

[glen e]

I can't believe how many people buy into the fact that the SSD and screen have to be a certain type......or their experience will be terrible leading to loss of sleep...

 

[WRP]

I have considered that. And I know it's tiny. But it really does bother me. Might seem petty but the way I see it, £1000 is ALOT of money for me. I don't think it's unreasonable for me to expect a perfect product.

Not to be mean or the voice of reason or anything, but if 1K is A LOT of money for you, why do you have a desktop, laptop, new ipad and iphone?

 

[tERS09]

I think if i were in your position i would be getting a replacement. An imperfection like this would annoy me and ultimately hurt resale value.

 

[Barrierfreeman]

Well...

My new MacBook Air arrived today. Good news is that this one was fine out the box. It even has a Samsung screen.

Bad news is that the SSD is Toshiba.

I'd love to have the best of both worlds, but whats the likelihood of ever getting a Samsung screen AND a Samsung SSD?

Christ on a bike...just use the damn thing.

 

[lannisters4life]

Well...

My new MacBook Air arrived today. Good news is that this one was fine out the box. It even has a Samsung screen.

Bad news is that the SSD is Toshiba.

I'd love to have the best of both worlds, but whats the likelihood of ever getting a Samsung screen AND a Samsung SSD?

Looking at the whiners in the other MBA thread, most if not all 128GB drives are Toshiba, and the larger ones are Samsung, but seriously, it's not something you'll notice.

 

[kodeman53]

Christ on a bike...just use the damn thing.

Agree, 100%. I open the box, set the thing up and start using it. In a way, I pity people who are so obsessive they can't enjoy anything without first searching for the slightest blemish. I5 v I7 heat, battery life, which LCD is better, etc... So many OCD threads, so little time. Oh, we're supposed to actually use these devices?

"If you tilt the MBA at at 30.7 degree angle so the light from a 300w blub just reflects off the upper, right quadrant of the bottom of bezel and use polarized sunglasses I can just see a slight scratch between the F11 and F12 keys. Should I return it?"

 

[ColdFlame87]

I recently purchased a brand new retina MBP shortly after they were released. After waiting a few days to get one and not the 3-4 weeks it became after just a day I opened it as carefully as I could and to my dismay noticed TWO dents on the bottom of the case. I truly know how you feel OP I had spent 2300 on the machine and to see these kind of noticable blemishes on them is unacceptable.
I went to the Apple store and was told I would have to wait 3-4 weeks to get a replacement which was very frustrating. Although I didn't want to wait I went ahead and started the replacement and fortunately I only waited a week and half to get a replacement.
My point is Apple customer support is awesome for the most part and if you explain the situation they will provide you with the best course of action and the fastest way to get your replacement. Do not sit on it and just use it cause believe me it WILL drive you nuts.

 

[Barrierfreeman]

Do not sit on it and just use it cause believe me it WILL drive you nuts.

Don't get me wrong, if there is physical damage to the case then that is a good enough reason to send it back. It's the idea of returning a MBA, just because it hasn't got a Samsung SSD, that makes me roll my eyes.

...for the record, I just got a 2012 MBA 13" with Toshiba SSD and a LG screen. Guess I better go jump off a bridge or something.

 

[kodeman53]

...for the record, I just got a 2012 MBA 13" with Toshiba SSD and a LG screen. Guess I better go jump of a bridge or something.

As long as you are holding your 'second class' MBA13 when you do.

 

[Mackan]

Honestly, I will just keep it.

These are manufactured, not individually made by hand.

Your next Macbook Air will have another small 'flaw'. If it's not a dent, it'll be a mark, key scratched etc

Don't keep it, send it back.

Well, let's say you have a real problem with your MacBook Air that you need to use the warranty for. It will be totally unrelated to the dent. However, when Apple sees the dent, they will use it against you, claiming you dropped it, which might have caused damage. They will then not honor the warranty.

So, my advice is, send that machine back to the store asap. Don't take any risk.

 

[skuid87]

Not to be mean or the voice of reason or anything, but if 1K is A LOT of money for you, why do you have a desktop, laptop, new ipad and iphone?

Hahaa! Good spot. Not that I have to justify anything, but my iMac is 3 years old. The MBA is for my wife (replacement for her old and aged MBP). iPad is used as my own mobile working machine (I work across multiple sites and have dozens of meetings daily so it's perfect low cost solution). iPhone is...well its my phone

Thanks for your thoughts guys, that's all I was after. It was the dent that bothered me and for THAT I do feel I was entitled to a replacement. With regards to screen/ssd brand - it doesn't bother me enough to ask for a replacement!

Heck I didn't even know about it until someone mentioned it earlier in the thread. I only asked the question to get your thoughts about the likelihood of even getting the best of both worlds.

As nice as it would be, my (dent free) MBA isn't going anywhere!

 

[alphaod]

Looks fine to me. My iPad came with a ding like that. I didn't feel it was worth the effort to wait couple days for a replacement… just felt like a waste of time.

Since it's your time and money, you'll need to decide for yourself: is it worth your time?

 

[theSeb]

Well...

My new MacBook Air arrived today. Good news is that this one was fine out the box. It even has a Samsung screen.

Bad news is that the SSD is Toshiba.

I'd love to have the best of both worlds, but whats the likelihood of ever getting a Samsung screen AND a Samsung SSD?

It is not bad news. The toshiba in the 2012 MBA is damn fast and you won't see a difference. Please don't get caught up in the OCD hysteria.

 

[KPOM]

Well...

I'd love to have the best of both worlds, but whats the likelihood of ever getting a Samsung screen AND a Samsung SSD?

It is not bad news. The toshiba in the 2012 MBA is damn fast and you won't see a difference. Please don't get caught up in the OCD hysteria.

^This.

Also note that since the Toshiba uses a SandForce controller, benchmarks that use compressed data (such as DiskSpeedTest) will understate its speed. SandForce handles data by compressing it in a way that speeds up real world usage, but that isn't captured in most benchmarks.

Apple uses multiple suppliers for its components. All are up to snuff. It's a good thing we don't have a way to check the supplier of the RAM, or otherwise we'd probably have people complaining about how their RAM came from Elpida vs. Samsung.

 

[kodeman53]

Apple uses multiple suppliers for its components. All are up to snuff. It's a good thing we don't have a way to check the supplier of the RAM, or otherwise we'd probably have people complaining about how their RAM came from Elpida vs. Samsung.

Wait a minute. If I read this correctly, what you are claiming is, the people on this forum are NOT smarter than the Apple design engineers?

 

[ColdFlame87]

Don't get me wrong, if there is physical damage to the case then that is a good enough reason to send it back. It's the idea of returning a MBA, just because it hasn't got a Samsung SSD, that makes me roll my eyes.

...for the record, I just got a 2012 MBA 13" with Toshiba SSD and a LG screen. Guess I better go jump off a bridge or something.

Oh yeah, I haven't even checked to see what type of drive I have on the replacement nor do I care. As long as said drive works I don't flip out over what brand it is. Some people are just too picky.