Magsafe 2 burn .. Amazing

[djbuddha]

Well .. you'd think when they updated Magsafe, this problem would be gone.

Nope. Plugged it in for 10 minutes, and then THIS happened. (see the attached pic).

I have work I NEED to get done today and tomorrow with this thing and I have to wait for a "genius appointment" on Tuesday. This is ridiculous. Can't edit /render video with my rMBP with 56% battery left....and I'm NOT buying another adapter. I only got my rMBP at the end of October.

Anybody else have this happen with their new updated mag"safe" adapter?

 

[alphaod]

I've never had this happen with any of my MagSafe adapters (though I've ripped one apart by mistake), but from I've heard, this is covered by Apple.

If you need an adapter, just buy one and then return it later when Apple replaces yours.

 

[urkel]

Anybody else have this happen with their new updated mag"safe" adapter?

Ive had that happen several times over the last decade with multiple MacBooks and multiple adapters and I'm dying to figure out why. The problem is that the asking Apple community results in a standard deflection where they blame the user and the Genius Bar always claims to have never seen it before. (Ive had the same genius give the same response within a 6mo period so I'm guessing its a script).

If its user error then I'm fine with changing my ways but Ive done everything from running through power strips, using a UPS, unplugging at night and even in our new house it still seems to happen randomly. So I'm dying to figure out an official reason for the melting of MagSafe cables or 30-pin cables for some people, but not for everyone.

 

[bogatyr]

If you need an adapter, just buy one and then return it later when Apple replaces yours.

This is what I would do. That way at least you can get your work done while you wait and you're not out any money in the end.

 

[maxosx]

Your experience is not unusual, for some odd reason Apple tends to use cables that are not very durable. Having a spare on hand has served me well.

 

[throAU]

Your experience is not unusual, for some odd reason Apple tends to use cables that are not very durable. Having a spare on hand has served me well.

I'm not sure what peeps are doing with their cables, but between

iphone 3g
2x iphone 3gs
2x iphone 4s
mac mini
macbook air
macbook pro 15"
2x ipod nano
ipod shuffle
ipad2
ipad4
ipad mini

(i.e., i have a lot of apple charger and charger/usb cables kicking around)


I've had ONE cable get slightly wonky in the past 6 years.

 

[Brian Y]

That's not the strain relief issue we're used to seeing - notice how the cable is split further *down* the cable, not right at the end??

 

[quasinormal]

Just out of interest djbudda, do you wrap the cord around the charger when not in use?

 

[bobcan]

Hmmmm.. TOO Tightly Wrapped, methinks..

Just out of interest djbudda, do you wrap the cord around the charger when not in use?

I just looked at the pic, and my thinking exactly.. ** Too Many People seem to think that the 'wrapping' part of the MagSafe needs to have the cable cinched around it like a Straight Jacket to keep it SAFE.. The Block will more than likely NOT escape if you just lightly wrap the coil around it, or better yet simply coil it in a ~6" Loop and place it where it needs to be in your Bag!!

Much as 'throAU' says above, I have had MBPs since Vers.1 in Apr-06 and never had any cable issue as such.. I am in the Pro-Audio Industry and a definite cable nerd, and even MUCH more robust cables than these are capable of being abused.. Some very easily..

Anyway, it appears to me as thought this one has lived a Hard Life when it was 'put away to rest'.. Hopefully some Apple Genius may be lighter in judgement.. Good Luck!!

 

[chrise2]

cables don't like sharp bends. This is how I wrap mine. Has worked well for me so far.

 

[tshrimp]

.....
If you need an adapter, just buy one and then return it later when Apple replaces yours.

Is this ethical?

 

[IllmasterMath]

Is this ethical?

Yes. His charger failed well within the 'reasonable' limits dictated by Apple. Additionally, the company which sells itself in no small part on its exceptional service is making him wait two days for an exchange that should take less than a minute. He has work to do which now can not be done. Is it reasonable to expect him to spend even more money to make his computer (which should work) work? If he bought one yesterday Apple would have probably just reimbursed him, actually.

 

[djbuddha]

Update ..

So I called Applecare yesterday evening and they advised that I ignore my genius appointment and just get into the Apple store when they open. They also gave me a case ID number to reference the issue.

(It's Family Day today in Ontario, so today was a zoo in the mall. I didn't anticipate the hour it took to park lol).

So I get into the store and am greeted by a genius, who didn't even want to take my case ID. She says "well we can't really do anything, if you can wait a few hours we can look at your laptop...."

I snap. lol

"Look .. if you notice, I'm not holding my Macbook, I'm holding my charger. I was advised to bring it in so you guys can assess whether or not this was due to physical abuse on my part. Which it wasn't which is VERY obvious upon actually looking at it. Which you're not even doing. To be totally fair, I only plugged it in for around 10 minutes and it actually lit up. I blew the fire out and unplugged it immediately. Had I put this thing to charge while I was sleeping, me and family could have damn well been killed, so instead of following protocol and asking me if I have updated my software, have the common sense to realize that if this doesn't get resolved in a way that I deem satisfactory, I WILL be reporting this to my work, which happens to be a radio station, which happens to be owned by a huge conglomerate you may have heard of named ROGERS" lol

(this isn't a lie, I DJ for a radio station, and I could easily get this on the news if I wanted to lol)

"So what exactly are WE going to do here?"

she says: "I'll be right back"

She comes back out, now MUCH more co-operative:

"OK .. there are 2 ways we can deal with this matter.

A) We can return the adapter as defective and give you a new one, BUT we would filing it as defective. Not as a safety concern.

or (pay attention to how terrible this is)

B) We can file a report which means that we have to ask you about 30 questions, our corporate offices will have to take over from here. Unfortunately because of that, we cannot give you a free adapter. From our opinion, we are recommending to the corporate offices, that you are sent a new adapter. As it's a safety thing, it gets out of our hands if you choose this option."

So I ask:

"If I purchase an adapter, what's the return policy?"

She says: "15 days"

I say: "What if corporate takes longer to send it."

She says: "I will try to get this approved from my manager to return the adapter once you receive the new adapter in the mail.

So she goes and speaks to her manager. Comes back and says:

"It should be fine, it's all in the notes."

(by the way, I'm leaving out the part where another genius came over and was attempting to say that the chord could have went up in smoke because it was bent too hard which could have broke the cable. After I explained that it was a full open flame and after she looked at the cable and realized it had never been bent from the area in question, she quickly apologized and started to spin this is a "safety concern)... Guess I put that in ... didn't I ... lol


They didn't want to say it to me anyway, but I heard other geniuses around me saying "All of our technicians are on lunch right now..." ... AWESOME

A gentleman came out from the backroom and said:

"I'll be dealing with your case, I just need to assess the situation and will need you to answer some questions."

3 hours later.

The same gentleman would come out periodically through the 3 hours I just mentioned and ask a few questions then run back to the back room. I'm guessing the delay had something to do with President's day (total speculation). He then drops my power adapter in front of me and says

"K .. you're good to go, Apple's gonna send you a new one in 3-5 business days."

So I had to purchase a magsafe 2 adapter. If they re-cant on reimbursing me once the new adapter arrives, I will hit the news lol.

The reason I chose this route is because if other issues like this pop up, it'll spawn a recall. If it's a safety thing, I'd like to know that it's handled before somebody gets hurt. I ended up running back to my car before the whole ordeal to get my macbook. I asked them for a magsafe 2 adapter to use, and I literally just sat there and edited video for 3 hours LOL (see the attached pic )

I'll keep you all posted on what happens next lol.

 

[djbuddha]

Just out of interest djbudda, do you wrap the cord around the charger when not in use?

NEVER

As a DJ, I learned a long time ago never to bend the ends where the connections are made. I usually give about 2-3 inches leeway before I tie my chords.

If I'm forced to wrap a chord around a charger or similar device, again, I give a lot of leeway to the connector.

 

[djbuddha]

So I just read the posts above and want to clarify something.

THIS is how I've wrapped almost every cable I've ever come across. To be honest, with the exception of one bad RCA and maybe some coaxial cables from the 80's. this is the first cable to fail me in a long time. I'll say that it's NOT the "proper" way to wrap them, but, in 13 years of DJ'ing, I've never had a cable fail. Ironically, in this case, this laptop is unrelated to the DJ field lol.

Again, I purchased this macbook and this adapter (which obviously came with it) in October of 2012. The pics below is the new adapter I purchased today, wrapped the way, I ALWAYS wrap it. It then goes into a pocket on its own in my bag.

Even at the Apple store today, they agreed that the cable was not bent at all.

Thoughts?

 

[bobcan]

Sounds like it went as good as it could, other than the painfully long 3hr wait..

Glad to hear that, usually Apple has been VERY fair to me with any issues, and I am happy to say they have never gone back on their word with me!!

 

[throAU]

red tape!


seriously in my experience and hearing from others, an aussie apple store probably would have

- looked at the charger
- picked up a boxed charger from the shelf
- handed it to you
- "Have a nice day!"

 

[djbuddha]

red tape!


seriously in my experience and hearing from others, an aussie apple store probably would have

- looked at the charger
- picked up a boxed charger from the shelf
- handed it to you
- "Have a nice day!"

That's what almost happened. I opted to make it a safety issue. What a stupid 3 hour mistake that was lol.

If it turns into an ongoing issue, at least it's documented.

 

[holyrita]

they probably could care less that you are a "dj for a radio station" and could get this on the news. it took 3 hours because they dragged out the interaction to waste your time because you pissed someone off. it should take 30 seconds to swap a power adapter

 

[Newfiejudd]

they probably could care less that you are a "dj for a radio station" and could get this on the news. it took 3 hours because they dragged out the interaction to waste your time because you pissed someone off. it should take 30 seconds to swap a power adapter

Apple QC and Customer service has taken a real back seat lately. I have been using MAC's for a long time now, and half the Genius people I have spoken with are kids that barely know computers let alone of offer any real suggestion on what could have went wrong. So to say that someone had enough time to waste 3 hours of their time and a customers is a bit silly.
It's just the big business mentality that I have seen growing in Apple over the last few years. Hell I have a rMBP with a faulty screen and throttling GPU and still can't get it fixed. Apple seem less inclined to help these day then they ever did before. IMHO

 

[Krazy Bill]

LOL!

So the very first person you get was some pimple-faced <cough> genius. Probably with training wheels still attached. Instead of asking for somebody senior, you immediately go into a tirade and start waving some silly-assed radio "clout" around - threatening to tell the world about how evil Apple almost burned your house down.

Feel better?

 

[johnnnw]

I've had 3 iPhone cables rip at the part where it joins to the 30pin connector. It just separates from the plastic. I'm not even that rough with them...

Lucky for you the cable is covered under Apple Care.

 

[djbuddha]

they probably could care less that you are a "dj for a radio station" and could get this on the news. it took 3 hours because they dragged out the interaction to waste your time because you pissed someone off. it should take 30 seconds to swap a power adapter

It would have. Did you read the part where I opted to fill out the safety report? They said, I can be in and out now and it wouldn't go down as a safety issue, just a defect. If I wanted to make it a safety concern, I'd have to sit and wait a few hours.

LOL!

So the very first person you get was some pimple-faced <cough> genius. Probably with training wheels still attached. Instead of asking for somebody senior, you immediately go into a tirade and start waving some silly-assed radio "clout" around - threatening to tell the world about how evil Apple almost burned your house down.

Feel better?

LOL. Wow.

I don't walk in asking for senior management upon entering the store. The reason I snapped is because I'm holding a power adapter and she's like "nobody can look at your laptop..." (which I didn't even have in my hands at the time) ... AFTER cutting me off while I was explaining the problem.

Also the "clout" thing ... see below.

So to say that someone had enough time to waste 3 hours of their time and a customers is a bit silly. It's just the big business mentality that I have seen growing in Apple over the last few years.

Let's address the radio thing shall we lol.

Look, I've been on both sides of this fence. I was a technician for YEARS before I left the trade. I was a sales rep, a manager of a team of technicians who's jobs were to work with customers. This, also for a big box chain in Canada.

The bottom line is, and I was hoping most of you would take away from this is that this was a SAFETY issue. I only escalated it (yes, admittedly using the radio "clout" as some have so eloquently pointed out) because as Newfiejudd put it:

It's just the big business mentality that I have seen growing in Apple over the last few years.

You know she was about to send me home right? I pretty much HAD to use it to get ANY result.

The reason I chose this route is because if other issues like this pop up, it'll spawn a recall. If it's a safety thing, I'd like to know that it's handled before somebody gets hurt.

And not to sound like I'm doing any favors, but I hope they issue a recall because of me and others who report their issues with their magsafe adapters.

I was just reporting my experiences from my perspective.

Regarding this over-exaggerated comment:

threatening to tell the world about how evil Apple almost burned your house down

Evil Apple?

I have 2 MBPs
iPhone 3G
iPhone 4
iPhone 5
an iPod Touch 2nd gen
and am probably gonna buy an iPad 4 or the next iteration.

I didn't mean to lure out the trolls. But in all honesty, did I name Apple as evil? No. Did I attempt to point out some flaws in their customer service dealings, sure. We all have b**ched at one point or another about it. Sorry that I wasn't allowed to on your "sacred" forum. Stop trolling and actually comprehend the posts before you jump down my throat. It's sad that I had to even mention the radio thing at all. But again, it was the only way I got results in this case.

 

[vistadude]

They're just poorly designed cables. The brick part gets very hot, the rubber is very soft, and the insulation is very thin near the part where the cables comes out of the brick.

I previously had a dell laptop, and the connector between the brick and cable is actually made to separate, but on each end, the connections are very thick and strong, and they are made of a hard plastic rather then rubber.

So you've done nothing wrong, these apple cables break all time time. Almost everyone I know that has a macbook has had to buy a new AC adapter.

 

[SlickShoes]

I'm not sure what peeps are doing with their cables, but between

iphone 3g
2x iphone 3gs
2x iphone 4s
mac mini
macbook air
macbook pro 15"
2x ipod nano
ipod shuffle
ipad2
ipad4
ipad mini

(i.e., i have a lot of apple charger and charger/usb cables kicking around)


I've had ONE cable get slightly wonky in the past 6 years.

I have had:

4x iPhone
2 x iPod
4 x Apple laptop with magsafe

I have had 2 iPhone cables just stop working completely, I have had 1 mag safe connector just fall off, I had one unit just die and not provide a charge at all, and my most recent mag safe cable frayed into exposed wires.

My dog also bit the end off one but that doesn't count haha.

Apple have been great and replaced them all though so I can't complain too much, although this time I had to call them as the lady in the apple store implied that it was my fault the cable frayed and said I must have a rodent problem in my house which I thought was quite offensive. One call to technical support sorted everything though.