Macbook Air Hinge - warranty problems - advice please

[JamesBerry]

My revision 1 macbook air, 64gb ssd, hinge went last night.

Took it into the local apple service centre (not an apple store), and they have said that there is evidence the machine has been dropped in the past and so it is not covered.

The machine has been dropped from about a foot (when closed), about a year ago, and you can see the corner of the screen has bent slightly because of it.

They want nearly £500 to repair because the hinge is part of the screen, etc etc

Any advice on how to proceed?

I figure I could:
a. Get my insurance company to cover some of it (if Apple's reps say it was caused by dropping it then I guess there's a chance). I have a £250 excess.
b. Try taking it to an apple store and seeing if I can get some latitude from them. The service centre will not shift their position and even want a £30 inspection fee for me to get it back.
c. Suck it up and use the opportunity to buy a brand new one (can I transfer my applecare??) - perhaps sell it as broken for parts on ebay? It does have a 64gb SSD and the screen itself is undamaged so if anyone had shattered there screen it could be worth something.

Anyone got any ideas?


Best wishes
James

 

[phoobo]

a possible solution

http://duckproducts.com/products/detail.asp?catid=1&subid=1&plid=1

Seriously --- it's butch!

 

[GeekGirl*]

write to sjobs@apple.com I bet the fix it for you.

 

[GoCubsGo]

Applecare, I think you can transfer it from machine to machine. You may have to call them and ask that question. I know I did transfer it from one MP to another but they were the same spec machines.

The hinge, Apple people are total dbags about the dropping thing. The fact that the hinge went 1 full year after a drop seriously suggests that the problem is not the result of the drop. Unfortunately, the MBAirs have been known to have hinge issues therefore, it was inevitable that this would happen.

Repairing a very old machine, old in computer tech speak, is silly to me. For £500 I would not do it myself. I would sell it as-is, not for parts because the computer functions right? You could probably get £500 for it on eBay. Take whatever you get from it and buy a new Rev C or look for a refurb Rev B with SSD (that would be what I would buy). I have the rev B HDD and I love it. The rev C did not advance enough in specs for me to care about that revision.

Sorry about that luck. Normally if there was a drop days ago and suddenly you're here saying the hinge suddenly broke I'd have a different attitude, but this seems silly on Apple's part. Oh and it sucks that you have to pay to get it back. They could have clearly seen the damage due to the drop before they took it.

 

[three]

Even if it was dropped, they still should fix it if the MacBook Air had AppleCare. My MacBook Air was dropped and the top of the screen was bent a bit. When I took it in to get the hinge issue fixed, they didn't say anything and replaced the screen and the hinge for free.

 

[Lounge Deluxe]

c. Suck it up and use the opportunity to buy a brand new one

I'm in the process of buying a rev. C MBA and went to a few apple stores to play a little with it first before shelling out my cash. But closing and then opening the lid made me very concerned about the build quality of these hinges. It seems no matter how careful I opened the lid I would always put too much strain on the hinges and the area around them; every time they bended a little further than they are supposed to. I can see that this is a major problem no matter your level of care, so you could end up with the same problem sooner or later when you buy a new one.

If only these hinges were more like the hinges of my early 2009 MBP 17". When the lid is opened to its max you really get a sort of brick wall feeling, the lid can't go any further but the hinges or the construction around it won't give a millimeter.

 

[JamesBerry]

Even if it was dropped, they still should fix it if the MacBook Air had AppleCare. My MacBook Air was dropped and the top of the screen was bent a bit. When I took it in to get the hinge issue fixed, they didn't say anything and replaced the screen and the hinge for free.

I have it back now. I am going to take it into an official apple store on Saturday (have a genius appt) and see what they say. My problem is that the slightly bent corner is the one closest to the hinge that has broken. It does look bad, and I can easily understand that they may not believe me when I explain that the two incidents are entirely unconnected!

If they won't fix it FOC then I guess I'll buy a new one and ebay this one. It's a shame because aside from the hinge (and the slightly bent corner!) there isn't anything wrong wrong with it at all!

Best wishes
James

 

[JamesBerry]

Well my faith in Apple, and humanity in general is restored.

After paying the £35 to the local "service" centre and getting my Air back, I trapsed up the motorway to the apple store at Bluewater this morning. The guy there took one look at it and said he didn't think the dent had anything to do with the hinge breaking and agreed to fix it under applecare. Win!!!

Thank you apple for doing the right thing. In 7-10 days I will have my laptop back in one piece.



Although, I am slightly sad I didn't get an excuse to get a brand new one!

 

[JamesBerry]

Now have my macbook back from the apple shop... new top piece, and they also found a problem with the ram so new logic board.

Good as new!

Best wishes
James