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MacBook Owners With Faulty Butterfly Keyboards Begin Receiving Payouts

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Apple customers who were affected by Apple's flawed MacBook butterfly keyboard design have begun receiving settlement funds, two years after Apple paid $50 million to settle a class action lawsuit.

macbook-pro-butterfly-keyboard.jpg

Emails about the lawsuit were sent out in December 2022 to MacBook owners eligible for a payment. In June 2024, the court issued a payment order, with payments set to be issued for approved claims by August 2024.

MacBook owners who had at least two topcase replacements from Apple within four years of purchase will receive a maximum of $395, while customers who had one topcase repair will receive up to $125. Those who had keycap replacements are eligible for up to $50.

Apple used butterfly keyboards in Macs from 2015 to 2019. Although the design was updated several times during this period, the butterfly mechanism was known for its susceptibility to failure. Thousands of customers experienced issues such as repeating keys, sticking keys, and complete keyboard failures, often due to crumbs, dust, and other debris.

In response, Apple launched a repair program in June 2018, covering the MacBook, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro models manufactured from 2015 onward. However, this program only covered devices for four years after purchase. Additionally, because faulty butterfly keyboards were replaced with the same butterfly mechanism, no permanent fix was provided.

Due to the widespread failure of the butterfly keyboard, Apple eventually switched back to the more reliable scissor switch mechanism. Since late 2019, all new Macs have featured scissor switch keyboards, which are more durable and better able to withstand everyday wear and tear.

Article Link: MacBook Owners With Faulty Butterfly Keyboards Begin Receiving Payouts
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2024/08/05/macbook-faulty-keyboard-payouts/
While I never owned a Mac with a faulty keyboard, it was pretty obvious this was a design flaw that impacted countless Mac users around the world.

The fact that this had to be settled through legal means is a stain on Apple's reputation. Not sure how much of a relief it is for anyone to get $125 after years of struggling with a malfunctioning keyboard, but, well, it's something.
 
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dannyyankou said:
I got my $125 for a top case replacement on Saturday.

But I also put in a claim about a replaced keycap and didn't get anything for that.
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How did you get paid? Were we supposed to fill out something for a claim? I thought it said it was automatic. I had three top cases replaced for fault keyboards...
 
My 12" MacBook had two cop covers and keyboards over this. I'm in the UK so I'm not eligible for anything but that doesn't bother me. Much.
 
A mere drop in the bucket for Apple's customers (and for Apple's own finances) considering all these machines came defective out of the factory and remained this way in customer's hands due to all replacement parts of course containing the same defective keyboard design.

Imagine if instead Apple were required to fix the flaw in each customer's Mac for good - I am not talking replacing all these Macbooks with 2020 models but Apple could have identified the flaw early and manufactured a revised replacement part.

They had ample time: The flaw was apparent in the 2015 Macbooks. Yet it wasn't until the Early 2020 13" MBP and the Late 2019 16" MBP that they threw that keyboard out. And instead of fixing the Macbook series they discontinued it.

If I sold faulty products (with a shorter warranty compared to my competition) that required multiple expensive repairs only to end up breaking again regardless (or provided equally bad services through my business) I'd have long been forced to close shop. Customers would start contacting their banks to try and get their money back if not actually trying to take me to court.

Yet with a big corporation you have no recourse whatsoever despite consumer laws in some places actually requiring to return the money after 1-2 failed repair attempts. Imagine trying to tell your bank your Apple product has failed multiple times in a row and you want the transaction reversed because Apple refused to return your money.

I love Apple products and use them all daily but I had my share of failures with an older Mac series where despite applecare the Mac failed for a 4th? 5th? time right after 3 years were over at which point I threw it out. Or on another Macbook I had the battery fail after just a year each time and had to pay for each replacement out of warranty. Can't even design your devices to last 2 years.

That being said my 14" from 2021 is doing fine still.
 
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If I only had a $1 for each time someone posted a problem with their butterfly keyboard back in the day while Apple still pushed it... only to be met by overwhelming defense of the butterfly and/or attack on the poster themselves for causing the problem... or just making it up.

Lesson to be learned (again): the knee-jerk to every post of some consumer having an Apple product issue is not to automatically assume THEY are at fault, or "cheap Chinese chargers", or they are just making it up, or "I don't have the problem" (so you can't be either), or "only a small number of users are affected", "99% have no such issue", etc.

Sometimes Apple just gets "it" (whatever it is) wrong and it doesn't kill Apple or ourselves to acknowledge a potential problem and constructively look for a remedy... instead of only letting it get all the way to this point where- by court action and Apple complying with a settlement or result- we finally acknowledge reality that there was- in fact- something wrong with an Apple product.

I'm glad those people who owned a faulty product design are getting some money back for their troubles. Hopefully, the cost of this motivates better quality control testing going forward to minimize such broad issues again. Many people who buy computing devices DEPEND on them. Get them as right as possible BEFORE they are shipped. Resurrect "just works" Apple. I miss that Apple.
 
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jhwalker said:
Got my check on Friday - had forgotten all about it, so a nice surprise :)
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Was it a paper check? I was automatically enrolled and I believe I filled out the form but forgot how the method of payment is received.
 
Right before the M1’s came out, Apple actually agreed to replace my 2017 MBP with a 2019 MBP for free, but it took so much work. I had that damn keyboard replaced at least twice, maybe more. Countless hours on the phone with Apple support, wasting time with all their ‘solutions.’ I’m glad they upgraded me but honestly would have preferred not wasting all that time…
 
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I had two MacBooks with issues and got checks for $125 (one top case replacement) and $395 (3 top case replacements). Regarding the latter, the MacBooks’s warranty expired August 2018 and the third time it was repaired was October 2018. The “deal” I was given at the time was to only pay for the part ($332). Glad to at least get some compensation.
 
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