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I broke my new macbook pro retina

Z

zephyr2095

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 22, 2013
24
1
Hello,
I somehow got my new 13 inches Macbook pro's (retina) display broken and apple wants me to pay one-third of what I paid for the computer to get it fixed. It feels unfair to me as I found a lot of people selling compatible displays( with warranty) at a much lesser rate.

I'd really appreciate if one could answer my following questions:

1. Would opening my mac on my own void it's warranty? ( It's less then a month old.)
2. Are the displays on ebay genuine?( The sellers claimed they were genuine.)
3. If I replace my broken display with the one on ebay, then it'll surely void my warranty. But if something happens to my computer, I can always replace the display back to the original and take it to the service center. Apple will never know because My machine will have the same parts that it came with.
4. There's a 1 inch wide black column on it's right hand side. Would it spread further?
5. Should I really pay apple to rip me off with their expensive spare parts?

Thank You.
 
zephyr2095 said:
1. Would opening my mac on my own void it's warranty? ( It's less then a month old.)
2. Are the displays on ebay genuine?( The sellers claimed they were genuine.)
3. If I replace my broken display with the one on ebay, then it'll surely void my warranty. But if something happens to my computer, I can always replace the display back to the original and take it to the service center. Apple will never know because My machine will have the same parts that it came with.
4. There's a 1 inch wide black column on it's right hand side. Would it spread further?
5. Should I really pay apple to rip me off with their expensive spare parts?

Thank You.
Click to expand...

Here's my answers
1. Opening the laptop does not void a warranty, since the rMBP has no user replaceable parts, opening the laptop and damaging it, does.

2. Maybe, ebay is a crap shoot.
...
5. Please explain a little more in detail as to why apple wants to charge you to repair your laptop and why you think its a rip off? The warranty only covers manufacturer defects, did you drop the laptop or break the display?

If the 13" MBP is anything like the 15" model, then the lcd display panel is glued to the back cover, so trying to remove that will most likely cause more damage.

Here's iFixit's display tear down of the 15" rMBP, it will give you insight in the difficulties of replacing the display panel of your MBP.
 
Last edited:
Try to sell it on Ebay - Maybe you'll find someone who is willing to pay more than 2/3 of the initial price for a damaged MBP.
 
Just pay the 1/3 wait a few days' and be done with it. Make an appt today if you don't have a case number already take it done drop it off , they'll send it out more than likely on Monday, or maybe they'll do the repairs in house, but if sent out I'd think that you would have it back by Friday.

As for eBay and what a seller tells you , IMHO good luck with that.

Fix it the proper way and then if you decide to sell it the next owner doesn't turn around and say that they found problems that may have come from you doing the repair yourself.
 
zephyr2095 said:
Hello,
I somehow got my new 13 inches Macbook pro's (retina) display broken and apple wants me to pay one-third of what I paid for the computer to get it fixed. It feels unfair to me as I found a lot of people selling compatible displays( with warranty) at a much lesser rate.

I'd really appreciate if one could answer my following questions:

1. Would opening my mac on my own void it's warranty? ( It's less then a month old.)
2. Are the displays on ebay genuine?( The sellers claimed they were genuine.)
3. If I replace my broken display with the one on ebay, then it'll surely void my warranty. But if something happens to my computer, I can always replace the display back to the original and take it to the service center. Apple will never know because My machine will have the same parts that it came with.
4. There's a 1 inch wide black column on it's right hand side. Would it spread further?
5. Should I really pay apple to rip me off with their expensive spare parts?

Thank You.
Click to expand...

Was it your fault? If not, then I would justify my argument if it arrived like that. If it was your fault or a relative, then just pay the money because you was careless with your machine.
 
Its not easy to do that repair. Look at the ifix link someone posted earlier. The product you get off ebay is likely a piece of junk. You get what you pay for.

Next thing I will say is... Repairing it your self, if you screw up its just going to cost you even more money. A lot of people, on a daily basis, try to fix something themselves. They do so much damage trying that it ends up costing way more then it would have to have it done by proper people. I am not trying to say you are stupid or not technically inclined... but it happens to a lot of people.

I would say... you broke it... just man up and eat the cost. It will save you headaches and money in the long run.
 
Personally, I would contact Apple Care and share your experience. You're not the first to open their Retina MBP, and have the screen crack.

If they don't offer anything, ask to speak to someone in Customer relations.
 
Thanks a lot for all of your replies.

I live in India and Apple is present here only through resellers. I paid around as much for 13 retina as I would have paid for the 15 retina in some other country.
Jobs here are hard to find and for a college student it is much more difficult.

There's a 1 inch wide black column on the right which is due to physical damage. Would it spread?

As for how I broke it, I was travelling by air and it was kept in my backpack. Somehow during the journey, it got broken in the overhead compartment where all the handbags are kept. I don't really know what to do. I contacted the airline but they refused saying the damage to the handbag was my problem and it was none of their concern. My travel insurance did not cover any laptop or the contents of my handbag.

After reading all the replies, I just feel I'll get it repaired. It's a wonderful machine and it's just sad to see it this way( My first mac).


PS: I got it for Rs 1,14,900 and apple wants me to pay around 35,000 to 45,000 rupees.
 
zephyr2095 said:
Thanks a lot for all of your replies.

I live in India and Apple is present here only through resellers. I paid around as much for 13 retina as I would have paid for the 15 retina in some other country.
Jobs here are hard to find and for a college student it is much more difficult.

There's a 1 inch wide black column on the right which is due to physical damage. Would it spread?

As for how I broke it, I was travelling by air and it was kept in my backpack. Somehow during the journey, it got broken in the overhead compartment where all the handbags are kept. I don't really know what to do. I contacted the airline but they refused saying the damage to the handbag was my problem and it was none of their concern. My travel insurance did not cover any laptop or the contents of my handbag.

After reading all the replies, I just feel I'll get it repaired. It's a wonderful machine and it's just sad to see it this way( My first mac).


PS: I got it for Rs 1,14,900 and apple wants me to pay around 35,000 to 45,000 rupees.
Click to expand...

The black column you are seeing is the leakage of the liquid crystal (or the LC part of LCD). It will spread, and if you press it a little in my go back in. I had the same problem with a non Apple notebook and it was a lot cheaper to replace as the LCD was not glued to it's enclosure. If you can find the entire clamshell of the LCD for sale on eBay or elsewhere for cheaper than 1/3 the price then it might be an easy repair. Don't buy the LCD module and expect to be able to glue it back in place. Just trying to do it without any dust getting inside is nearly impossible.
 
I know it's too late now. but.. you.. you.. you put your macbook in an overhead compartment!!? Why would you do that? I always keep my expensive products within reach & where I can keep my eyes on them.. I'd never think of putting them in a luggage compartment where others can throw heavy objects on top of them.
 
zephyr2095 said:
Thanks a lot for all of your replies.

I live in India and Apple is present here only through resellers. I paid around as much for 13 retina as I would have paid for the 15 retina in some other country.
Jobs here are hard to find and for a college student it is much more difficult.

There's a 1 inch wide black column on the right which is due to physical damage. Would it spread?

As for how I broke it, I was travelling by air and it was kept in my backpack. Somehow during the journey, it got broken in the overhead compartment where all the handbags are kept. I don't really know what to do. I contacted the airline but they refused saying the damage to the handbag was my problem and it was none of their concern. My travel insurance did not cover any laptop or the contents of my handbag.

After reading all the replies, I just feel I'll get it repaired. It's a wonderful machine and it's just sad to see it this way( My first mac).


PS: I got it for Rs 1,14,900 and apple wants me to pay around 35,000 to 45,000 rupees.
Click to expand...

I hear you, and its really unfortunate. But your best bet is get it done by Apple, I won;t really trust anyone especially from eBay.in. And I learnt a lesson that never to put my rMBP in the overhead compartment, I have been doing this and never imagined this could happen :eek:
 
Apple isn't the one that jammed an expensive piece of machinery into the overhead bin.
 
Dekard said:
I know it's too late now. but.. you.. you.. you put your macbook in an overhead compartment!!? Why would you do that? I always keep my expensive products within reach & where I can keep my eyes on them.. I'd never think of putting them in a luggage compartment where others can throw heavy objects on top of them.
Click to expand...

My macbook was in a laptop sleeve and inside a laptop bag. I did make sure nothing would happen to it. The air hostess said it would be unsafe for it to be with me during take-off and landing. Therefore, I put it up there and when I put it up there, the overhead compartment was entirely empty. It wasn't my fault because people carry bigger handbags then they are allowed to and nobody checks them.But if I put my stuff in the overhead compartment and I have the seat belt on then it is the stewards responsibility that nothing happens to my stuff because when I did put it up there I made sure that nothing would happen to it. I can't really go about reading the airline policies and taking the airline to court.


I never did expect apple to fix it for free and I do realise that somehow I was responsible for the damage even though I don't consider myself to be at any fault. This is quite evident from the fact that I'm asking for suggestions to get my wonderful machine fixed.

Just because I live in a third world country doesn't mean that I should pay any extra to get a new machine or to get it fixed. Mac prices were dropped after the introduction of the new haswell macbooks all over the world but we never saw a decrease here in India. This is unfair and people here shouldn't be treated this way.


I learnt my lesson. I'll get it fixed.
 
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zephyr2095 said:
My macbook was in a laptop sleeve and inside a laptop bag. I did make sure nothing would happen to it. The air hostess said it would be unsafe for it to be with me during take-off and landing.
Click to expand...

Can't put it on the floor under the seat in front of you? Can here in all flights in US. I put my backpack right under the seat in front of me. I would never put a laptop or electronics in the overhead bin.. that's just me.. I've seen how people handle their own luggage and don't want them near my precious electronics..
 
Man, why is everyone just rubbing it in that this guy's expensive tool was broken? It sounds like he already feels bad enough.

This is what I suggest:
Go on ifixit and other teardown sites, and check out their instructions for how to replace the display. Does it look like something you could do? Do you have the proper tools? Have you worked with similar size screws and wire connectors before?

If it looks like it is within you ability to do the repair, then look for a replacement screen. Do the ones on ebay look like the ones that ifixit sells? Are the wires the same colors? Are the labels in the same places? If not, that's a sign that it could be a fake. Compare to reputable sellers. See if an official Apple reseller around you would sell you just the screen?

Check on ifixit to see whether the same part number screen is used in more than one model (did it change from 2013 to 2014?) See if you can find a for-parts or broken macbook on ebay or other second-hand site that has a fried logicboard or something, but a good screen.

If all of the above doesn't sound like it's worth your time, then get it repaired by Apple.
 
maflynn said:
Here's my answers
1. Opening the laptop does not void a warranty, since the rMBP has no user replaceable parts, opening the laptop and damaging it, does.
Click to expand...

Opening the laptop doesn't void the warranty but it does? I'm lost on this claim. I believe you technically do void your warranty even if you don't damage anything.
 
I really feel bad for the OP.
Especially in india you never give stuff out of your own hands.

Nevertheless unfortunate things like this could happen to anyone!
I would recommend to everyone to get insurance for their macbooks.
Applecare does not cover damages.
 
If you bought the rMBP with a credit card, you might have loss/damage coverage for a short while courtesy of your credit card company.

It's one reason I always make my tech purchases with my American Express card.

I hope that works out for you. I sympathize-- sometimes bad stuff happens to good hardware. Bad hardware too: years ago I pulled my brand-new Winbook (remember those? the homecoming float in the crappy-PC parade) out of my briefcase to find the display shattered by insufficient padding in the briefcase. Drat! Replacing it came to about 1/3 the purchase price of that lousy machine, too.

It's not unfair of Apple to charge, and charge seemingly a lot, for a retina display replacement. That component easily represents 1/3 of the cost of your machine. For such a new machine, it is worthwhile to have Apple do the job with Apple parts so your Apple warranty remains in effect. There are cheaper alternatives out there but it's a dodgy sort of market for those things... might work out well for you, might not. For a new machine, it's not worth the risk, IMHO.

Good luck.
 
I have replaced an LCD on a non-retina MBP and I must say, it's not a procedure you want to do yourself if you want your laptop to keep looking new and shiny. In that case it was a 4 year old machine and I thought it was worth the risk of damaging it further considering that the official repair cost was as high as for a new laptop, but the value of the laptop was actually much lower.

It's an unfortunate fact that with an expensive laptop the repair costs would not be low either. Same with cars or anything else for that matter. When you consider making an expensive purchase on a tight budget, you have to ask yourself if you would be okay if something happens to it. If you would not be able to absorb the additional costs, think about your course of action if your laptop gets stolen or damaged beyond repair. It's less stressful if you prepare for such incidents in advance.
 
zephyr2095 said:
PS: I got it for Rs 1,14,900 and apple wants me to pay around 35,000 to 45,000 rupees.
Click to expand...
In the UK a 13" rMBP 8GB/256GB is £1249 compared to your Rs 114,900 (£1128) so the prices are not that much apart.
Have you thought about sending it to a cheaper country for repar? Is it possible?

Barney
 
Check to see of your credit card has any sort of purchase protection program. I know some amex cards cover that sort of thing.
 
I guess it's really that expensive after all, 800$ off of iFixit ouch :( . And it's not that easy to install too.

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