MBP AppleCare SUSPENDED Due To Scratch!

[Luftwaffles]

Is your lawyer free or something?

My lawyer charges $300 an hour, but even spending one hour with him defining "reasonable wear and tear" and going over the legalese in the AppleCare contract would be better than spending $700 so Apple can fix their failed component.

What I don't understand is your claim that that bent metal on the DVI port is "normal wear-and-tear". Don't you think you would have read something about that on this thread? It's absolutely unheard of that that kind of damage can occur from mere day-to-day use. The palm rest - I could see that being damaged by wear and tear. But the fact that you aren't mentioning how that DVI port could have been damaged suggests to me that you're hiding some incident from the rest of us.

I've actually stated at least four times how I think the DVI port could have been distorted. If you'll go back and read all of my posts, in almost every single one I state that the laptop is transported daily. I'll say it again...

It is picked up and set on desks every single day. When I set it on a desk, it typically falls about 1cm while I gently pull my fingers out from beneath it. Due to the size of the laptop, it should be expected that it would at least drop slightly when being set down. If you want to define that as "dropping" a laptop, then you are insanely overprotective. Over a period of 1.5 years, a material such as aluminum would gradually give way. In addition to setting it down, it is carried in a protective InCase sleeve and strapped into a backpack. The backpack is designed for a 15.4 inch laptop, and with that protective sleeve on, it is a very snug fit when I place it into the pocket and buckle it in.

Furthermore, if I actually dropped the laptop, there would be a dent or noticeable bend on the bottom of the case. There is no such crease or dent. I understand your suspicions, but some people are really taking their accusations too far.

 

[jmxp69]

I would just ask for a refund of the apple care and order a new fan and do it yourself.

That's exactly what I was thinking. It's a fan. Two wires....can't be that hard.

In the first 36 hours of owning my 17" MBP, I swapped out the hd. It's not that big of a deal to get inside.

And to the Genius that's concerned about fsck'ing up the logic board opening the case--that's BS. It's snug inside, but not that snug.

To the OP: The time you've invested in the forums, driving back and forth to the store, and on the phone could have been invested in replacing the fan yourself. Try it! Be careful, slow, methodical, don't pry or force anything. Keep pets, drinks and small kids away while doing the repair. You can do it.

J

 

[Luftwaffles]

That's exactly what I was thinking. It's a fan. Two wires....can't be that hard.

In the first 36 hours of owning my 17" MBP, I swapped out the hd. It's not that big of a deal to get inside.

And to the Genius that's concerned about fsck'ing up the logic board opening the case--that's BS. It's snug inside, but not that snug.

To the OP: The time you've invested in the forums, driving back and forth to the store, and on the phone could have been invested in replacing the fan yourself. Try it! Be careful, slow, methodical, don't pry or force anything. Keep pets, drinks and small kids away while doing the repair. You can do it.

J

At first I was considering it, but then I took into account the possibility of future failures in the laptop. If the logic board were to fail, sites like iFixit easily charge upwards of $800. Frankly, it's almost as bad as the exorbitant prices Apple quotes for repairs. Getting my $300 back isn't worth risking $800+ somewhere down the road.

If a fan failed after a little over a year of use, God knows what else could crap out on me within the next 2 years.

 

[MBPDiva]

Wow I'm surprised about how you are being treated.

We don't know how the OP's attitude was while in the Apple Store. We're only reading one side of the story. Attitude is everything. That's why I treat the CS with utmost respect so they will go beyond the call of duty to help me.

 

[acfusion29]

At first I was considering it, but then I took into account the possibility of future failures in the laptop. If the logic board were to fail, sites like iFixit easily charge upwards of $800. Frankly, it's almost as bad as the exorbitant prices Apple quotes for repairs. Getting my $300 back isn't worth risking $800+ somewhere down the road.

If a fan failed after a little over a year of use, God knows what else could crap out on me within the next 2 years.

Yeah... but since they refuse to fix the damn fan, what makes you think they'll fix the logic board?

 

[jmxp69]

Yeah... but since they refuse to fix the damn fan, what makes you think they'll fix the logic board?

Exactly. Especially since this is all on the record now.

 

[Luftwaffles]

We don't know how the OP's attitude was while in the Apple Store. We're only reading one side of the story. Attitude is everything. That's why I treat the CS with utmost respect so they will go beyond the call of duty to help me.

I was very polite in the Apple Store, and now that I think about it, I was probably too nice.

I was friendly in describing my problem, I didn't point a finger or demand anything. In person, I actually don't like to make a scene, although if my buttons do get pushed enough I can turn assertive damn quick. If it weren't for ER calling me up this morning and smoothing things over, I would have gone into the store today, contract in hand, and given them a free prostate exam with my size 12 steel-toed boots.

Luckily when I went in to drop the laptop off today, the same genius wasn't there, so I avoided a potentially awkward situation where I more than likely would have chewed him out if he said anything.

 

[Fonzijr1964]

I was very polite in the Apple Store, and now that I think about it, I was probably too nice.

I was friendly in describing my problem, I didn't point a finger or demand anything. In person, I actually don't like to make a scene, although if my buttons do get pushed enough I can turn assertive damn quick. If it weren't for ER calling me up this morning and smoothing things over, I would have gone into the store today, contract in hand, and given them a free prostate exam with my size 12 steel-toed boots.

Luckily when I went in to drop the laptop off today, the same genius wasn't there, so I avoided a potentially awkward situation where I more than likely would have chewed him out if he said anything.

just fix it its clear the board would not be damaged or open it and look i u font see any stress well pop in the new fan and go for it. its an easy fix and it will bond you and ur Mac

 

[pnyc]

I agree with you. You were definitely too "nice" to them the first time you went in, I don't think you should have been rude, but you could have been more assertive. Still your behavior such as it was shouldn't have affected the way Apple representative has treated you and your problem.
As far as I can tell there is no way anyone can tell by looking at the pictures you've posted that the shown damage resulted from the computer being dropped or misused, if anything it's more indicative of heavy use.

I'm glad you're finally getting something of a more positive response from Apple. No matter how this issue is resolved/unresolved I would definitely inquire about filing some sort of an official complain with Apple specifically naming the location and the person you dealt with when your AppleCare was suspended.

 

[HLdan]

I've actually stated at least four times how I think the DVI port could have been distorted. If you'll go back and read all of my posts, in almost every single one I state that the laptop is transported daily. I'll say it again...

It is picked up and set on desks every single day. When I set it on a desk, it typically falls about 1cm while I gently pull my fingers out from beneath it. Due to the size of the laptop, it should be expected that it would at least drop slightly when being set down. If you want to define that as "dropping" a laptop, then you are insanely overprotective. Over a period of 1.5 years, a material such as aluminum would gradually give way.far.

I hate to sound mean but that total BS. I had an aluminum 17" Powerbook for 4 years and I used it everyday, at home, at the park, on trips. While in it's carrying bag it has slid off my car's backseat and onto the floor when I hit the brakes at sudden stops and out of the 4 years I had it, it never got a dent, scratch or shown any wear and tear.
The bow on the superdrive is from excessive pressure. The damage on the ethernet port does look like it was dropped or bumped extremely hard.

You can't get upset at people on the forum for what we "view" as what happened. Only you know the truth, but your pics don't ring of anything of how you "describe" what caused it. This is not standard wear and tear.

 

[HBOC]

a guy I work with had some problems with his MBP 15" 2.0GHZ. He had the logic board replaced and something else, i can't remember, just recently. Well, 2 weeks ago, the HD failed. HE took it back, and the genius said that it wouldnt be covered under AC. The genius implied that it was my buddies' fault. HE wasn't very happy, and shot off an email to sjobs and told him of his experience, the store location, etc. He also said he was going to post his problems on some blog (consumer something or another). The very next day, he gets a call from the Apple Store he was at the previous day and said they were getting him a brand new MBP 2.4GHZ!! They even threw in another apple care on it! HE saw the genius there, and went up to him and asked for his new MBP they had on hold for him

When i took my MBP in last night for it to be overnighted to Missouri to replace the logicboard (it's only 6 weeks old) , the genius at the downtown portland, oregon store was just a delight. Very helpful and knowledgeable. They are even going to overnight it back to me in orange county, as i am going there for xmas. What great service!!!

sorry to the OP for your experiences

 

[Semiopaque]

Do you have additional pictures of the full computer? Closed and the top and bottom? From what you posted, it doesn't look like it's in that bad of condition.

I have a refurb, about 4 weeks old now. There's no question that the screen top itself bows out a bit and it's been that way since I received it. It's not a huge deal for me as it works fine and placing a Radtech screensaver in the MBP when closing helps somewhat in easing the stress on it, however, if AppleCare is so picky (at least based on what I have seen from your current pics), I'm not sure it was the best purchase.

It's things like this that make people freak out about simple "defects" from standard manufacturing in new products - like why did my battery have 12 cycles on it already when I received it? Isn't it supposed to be new? I didn't worry too much (I did call AppleCare, though, to check) because I assumed that the refurb process would require some usage of the computer to check it and again, it is refurbished, but if small damages that could possibly have come with the product when it shipped (and still be completely functional) are going to be an issue in getting defects dealt with properly, yes, I am concerned.

Honestly, your DVI port looks screwed up, but without seeing additional pictures I can't say, as others have, that it was dropped. I really don't see how anyone can say that it is in terrible or good condition from what you have shown so far.

 

[Luftwaffles]

Unfortunately no, I do not have additional pictures of the other areas of the laptop. However, I can assure you that it is cosmetically pristine, sans the three discrepancies which have caused me an unnecessary amount of stress and frustration (Although based on most of the responses, nobody here really wants to take my word for it or believe a thing I say). Thanks to the orders of the higher-ups, the laptop is now in Apple's hands. The repair depot will disassemble and inspect the laptop and report directly to Executive Relations regarding its internal condition. My ER rep did me a favor by taking control of the case away from that particular Apple store - everything will now go directly to him. The only further dealings I have with the store is when I return to pick up the laptop.

And yes, people are really making Olympic record-breaking long-jumps when it comes to their conclusions. I just can't wait to get the final word back from the repair depot to prove you all wrong and vindicate my story.

As an aside, the laptop is a refurb, and I too have noticed that the screen doesn't shut exactly flush, there's at most a 1mm gap that's been there since the beginning.

 

[DaveTheGrey]

Nickname Luftwaffles + steel-toed boots =

 

[donbenjy]

If they send it back and say that the AC doesn't cover it, I would replace the fan if I were you, and you don't wanna pay for a new case. You can get Apple to refund you the remainder of your AC as it won't be useable

 

[convergent]

Unfortunately no, I do not have additional pictures of the other areas of the laptop. However, I can assure you that it is cosmetically pristine, sans the three discrepancies which have caused me an unnecessary amount of stress and frustration (Although based on most of the responses, nobody here really wants to take my word for it or believe a thing I say). Thanks to the orders of the higher-ups, the laptop is now in Apple's hands. The repair depot will disassemble and inspect the laptop and report directly to Executive Relations regarding its internal condition. My ER rep did me a favor by taking control of the case away from that particular Apple store - everything will now go directly to him. The only further dealings I have with the store is when I return to pick up the laptop.

And yes, people are really making Olympic record-breaking long-jumps when it comes to their conclusions. I just can't wait to get the final word back from the repair depot to prove you all wrong and vindicate my story.

As an aside, the laptop is a refurb, and I too have noticed that the screen doesn't shut exactly flush, there's at most a 1mm gap that's been there since the beginning.

Why do you care what anyone on here thinks? You posted pictures, and people are giving you their opinions. If people on here (who don't know you and have absolutely nothing to gain or lose by commenting) tell you that it looks like abuse, then that should be telling you something. Maybe you are being too rough with your gear. Maybe it was reasonable for the genius to think it was abuse.

I have had probably a dozen laptops over the years that I've used pretty heavily... sometimes traveling constantly with them. I've never had any dents or dings to the degree that your photos show, and I personally don't see how just placing your laptop on a desk and inserting the display cable could ever cause an aluminum case to be bent about a half inch. Whether the damage caused your problem or not is for Apple to decide, but you need to recognize that a number of people on this forum look at the pics and see it as abuse or damage. I actually chuckled when reading your last reply where you say your MBP is in pristine condition, other than the problems in these pictures.

This forum seems to have both extremes. On one hand you have people that get one scratch and want to return the system to Apple for replacement. And here we have someone that has dents in their case and says its from placing it on the desk. I actually had someone get mad at me once and pick up my laptop and toss it in the floor and it didn't have a dent like that. It killed the hard drive, but the case did not even dent from the drop to the carpeted floor.

 

[mackmgg]

yeah u got jipped. as i said the genius just sucked. some are nice and i guess others just are not. i will post a pic of mine when i find my camera. and yeah i have a VERY noticeable dent that IS due to dropping

 

[HLdan]

Unfortunately no, I do not have additional pictures of the other areas of the laptop. However, I can assure you that it is cosmetically pristine, sans the three discrepancies which have caused me an unnecessary amount of stress and frustration (Although based on most of the responses, nobody here really wants to take my word for it or believe a thing I say). Thanks to the orders of the higher-ups, the laptop is now in Apple's hands. The repair depot will disassemble and inspect the laptop and report directly to Executive Relations regarding its internal condition. My ER rep did me a favor by taking control of the case away from that particular Apple store - everything will now go directly to him. The only further dealings I have with the store is when I return to pick up the laptop.

And yes, people are really making Olympic record-breaking long-jumps when it comes to their conclusions. I just can't wait to get the final word back from the repair depot to prove you all wrong and vindicate my story.

As an aside, the laptop is a refurb, and I too have noticed that the screen doesn't shut exactly flush, there's at most a 1mm gap that's been there since the beginning.

Dude, why don't you relax. This isn't about US against YOU. You posted pics about your laptop, your upset because Apple is denying service due YOUR physical damage. You sound like you want the forum members to patronize you and side with you against the evil company Apple even though it was your own doings that cause yourself unnecessary stress and frustration.

Honestly, I hope you get what you want out of this situation but to sound so vindictive against the forum like you have to prove us wrong? Remember, you started this thread, you have to take good and bad posts. Isn't that what posted here for, Opinions?

 

[OrangeSVTguy]

Yeah you are gonna post on here and get opinions from just about every aspect and angle. That "indentation" by the DVI port doesn't look that bad and also doesn't look like it was from a drop. For all you know it could have been from when you sat your laptop down on a desk and it landed on a pen or something. It also doesn't look like there is much reinforcement there with the opening, an inch on either side would have shown probably no damage at all from whatever caused it. If that dent was on the corner(where it would have been more evident of a drop) I'd understand the POV of the Apple Genius but seriously, he must have walked in on his GF that morning with his best friend or something to be that much of a prick to deny your claim and "suspend" your AC. I've heard of people with more external "trauma" to their laptops and didn't have a problem when something failed on their computer due to manufactoring defects. Just look at all posts from the previous-gen MBs with their cracked palmrests.....

 

[mrmister]

Luftwaffles:

As for the rest, it's MacRumors--you'll run into more Apple apologists than almost anywhere on the web. C'est la vie.

 

[KingYaba]

I told him that as a college kid, I'm really in no position to shell out that kind of money

that kind of money

I'll call up my lawyer

Does not compute.

 

[michaelsviews]

I looked at the pictures of your system and considering the dents it would raise a serious alarm as to the Genius , what I am saying is , and I am sure this is written someplace in Apple land , as too there not going to go and spend a fortune repairing a machine. With your obvious damage which could be taken as abuse, the genius maybe thinking if I fix the fan than I am going to have to fix all the other obvious damage which is going to lead to cost's going up on Apples part. I could be wrong but, who knows.

Also there is YOUR side of the story and There side of the story and than there is the total truth about the whole deal. I am NOT calling you a liar just mentioning this and that is all.

I know you have the apple care but did you think about shipping it out to another authorized Apple repair facility?

Best of luck to you but maybe it would be better to suck it up and pay the 600 dollars. If you pay that will the make it look like new and fix the fan?

 

[darwinian]

I think that their inspection of your computer will come back in your favor, assuming your descriptions are accurate.

The only things I would say are

(a) Macro shots almost always make damage look much worse than it actually is - I honestly suspect that is the case with the DVI port, despite the fact that it is damaged a bit (not enough so that the DVI cable not to fit right?).

(b) The disc drive "bowing" is completely a fault of the old MBP design. A large percentage of MBPs I've seen serviced by anyone, Apple included, have had some problems with getting that top case snap back into place without slightly warping that thin piece that makes the top part of the disc slot. Yours is not that bad. Mine came back from Apple so misaligned that you could often hear the tops of discs grinding against the opening. Even the lever that Apple uses to fix this doesn't work that well. My 2 CD method was better because it applied pressure more evenly across the surface ... anyway, the whole point is to say that your drive slot does NOT look that bad.

We don't know how the OP's attitude was while in the Apple Store. We're only reading one side of the story. Attitude is everything. That's why I treat the CS with utmost respect so they will go beyond the call of duty to help me.

Agreed ... and herein lies the secret to receiving stellar service. Kindly explain your situation and your logic to the CS rep, and more often than not, you will receive the benefit of the doubt and a CS rep who wants to do everything within his/her power to help you. It's insane how many things outside of contracts companies will grant you -- all reasonable requests -- if you are just very polite and reasonable. Let's just say, I made them offers they couldn't refuse. Oh, wait ....

 

[Fonzijr1964]

I think that their inspection of your computer will come back in your favor, assuming your descriptions are accurate.

The only things I would say are

(a) Macro shots almost always make damage look much worse than it actually is - I honestly suspect that is the case with the DVI port, despite the fact that it is damaged a bit (not enough so that the DVI cable not to fit right?).

(b) The disc drive "bowing" is completely a fault of the old MBP design. A large percentage of MBPs I've seen serviced by anyone, Apple included, have had some problems with getting that top case snap back into place without slightly warping that thin piece that makes the top part of the disc slot. Yours is not that bad. Mine came back from Apple so misaligned that you could often hear the tops of discs grinding against the opening. Even the lever that Apple uses to fix this doesn't work that well. My 2 CD method was better because it applied pressure more evenly across the surface ... anyway, the whole point is to say that your drive slot does NOT look that bad.

.

same thing with my Black book. The grinding was what told me i had a problem. I just heard it one day and said oh my drive is bent

 

[thirdeyeopen666]

Also, the scratch on the palm rest showed up 2-3 weeks ago. The fan has been dead for the last 2 months. So there's one potential cause debunked.

C'mon dude... the scratch just showed up? I think you've got legit beef with the Genius not covering your fan due to the relatively minor cosmetic damage on your MBP. However, in several posts you've really tended to dismiss any of the damage to your notebook being your fault.