MBP AppleCare SUSPENDED Due To Scratch!

[sushi]

This thread isn't about disputing who or what caused the cosmetic damage to the machine, it's about the fan that failed.

You miss the point. The fan damage could be caused by damage to the case, and if so, would not be covered under warranty.

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.

This here in may be the issue. Your perspective on this issue. Personally, I never drop my laptop even 1 cm onto a table or desktop. You seem to think this is normal handling. My guess is that your laptop gets beat around a bit more than your realize while in your back pack.

Had it been dropped, the casing would be bashed. It is just the plug that is slightly bent.

The case does not have to be bashed if it was dropped.

It looks like the MBP was dropped or banged on edge. You can clearly see the warping of the case in this picture.

Certainly hasn't been dropped that's for sure. If it had been dropped, there would be a proper dent on the casing.

There is a dent in the casing! You can see it in the picture above. And look how the top of the case is curved.

My guess is that the OP set his back pack down harder than he realized and the damage is based upon edge impact forces.

The Metal on the DVI port is bent. This is not caused by 'Yanking' on a DVI cable.

Agree.

There is more going on here than a scratch.. Scratch my head in disbelief.

Completely agree.

That is not a scratch. It is a dent, plain and simple, caused by impact.

He said that the lead genius at the Apple store took another look at my laptop after I dropped it off, and said that her "years of experience" tells her that it will probably result in accidental damage.

It isn't a scratch. It is a dent.

This probably happened while in your back back and you set your back pack down harder than you realized.

I said okay, you and I and everybody in that damn store knows that the scratch is accidental damage, but there's also a dispute over the definition of "wear and tear", and why does that change the fact that a fan failed?

A scratch is on the surface.

Sorry, but your case is dented and not scratched. And the dent is inward and not outward which further indicates an accidental impact along the edge.

When the accident that resulted in this dent occurred, the dent could have affected the rest of the components mounted to the case. If you look closely at the picture above, the case itself is curved along with the dent

Does not compute.

Agree.

 

[paolo-]

Very deep scratch on palm rest... normal.
Bendy superdrive, normal. The metal is thin, no wonder they changed it to the unibody design.

Ding in the DVI drive, who gives? Seriously, even if you had accidentally hit it on the side of a table or something near the DVI port, sure it would have dinged, it's aluminium. Especially in the axis it's dented, it probably didn't take all that much force. I still don't see how that would affect the fan that's quite far away. Sure, it's not in good shape, but it all sounds like a reason to cheap out.

Let's look at it this way... The guy spends 350$ on applecare and just wants his damn 1$ fan changed, nothing more.

EDIT : I also don't see how a fan would stop working from being bumped. Heck, you could probably drop a hammer from a foot directly on the fan and it would still be kicking.

I guess if it was logicboard damage, the revoking of applecare wouldn't be all that much out of place. But, my personal opinion is that the revoking should be done later on, if there is logicboard damage in the future...

 

[Sir Cecil]

I have a small dent in a Powerbook and it's worked fine in the three years since. If I had a fan problem next week and an AppleCare person told me it must be related to the knock, he'd be wrong.

 

[Luftwaffles]

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.

I'm not dismissing the fact that my use of the laptop has caused those cosmetic scars. I completely understand that the way I handle the laptop can definitely play a role in the appearance of those scars.

HOWEVER, what I am asserting is that the type of cosmetic damage we are dealing with is completely normal for a laptop that is easily 3 generations (1.5 years) old, and that a small bend such as the one on the DVI port is completely normal and to be expected when you take into account how much this laptop "gets around" (for lack of a better term).

To call it anything other than "wear and tear" would be suggesting that Apple didn't design the laptop with the intent of it being carried around and used all day, every day. If I wanted a nice immobile centerpiece for my desk, I would have bought an iMac.

 

[sushi]

I'm not dismissing the fact that my use of the laptop has caused those cosmetic scars. I completely understand that the way I handle the laptop can definitely play a role in the appearance of those scars.

HOWEVER, what I am asserting is that the type of cosmetic damage we are dealing with is completely normal for a laptop that is easily 3 generations (1.5 years) old, and that a small bend such as the one on the DVI port is completely normal and to be expected when you take into account how much this laptop "gets around" (for lack of a better term).

To call it anything other than "wear and tear" would be suggesting that Apple didn't design the laptop with the intent of it being carried around and used all day, every day. If I wanted a nice immobile centerpiece for my desk, I would have bought an iMac.

That's not a scratch. It takes force to make a dent like this.



Look at the top part of the case. You can clearly see that it is warped. From the looks of it, this particular MBP has experienced impact on the edge. And that can affect other components in the laptop, to include a fan. That is why Apple wants to take it apart and examine the inside.

 

[kelvin805]

It's kinda funny to see how this thread has just blown up. Speaking from two different experiences I've had with your gen of MBP. I had a friend's backpack strap break on him, and his back pack drop down. It was probably a decent 5-5.5 foot drop, straight on a corner. Denting was actually kept to a minimum and there was only some metal that had jutted out slightly. That was a friggen 5 foot drop at the very least and it caused in the grand scheme, minor damage. As for you saying it hits the table when you put it down, sliding your fingers out, shouldn't create enough of a force to dent it in a specific area. Sure bowing on the palm rests make sense, but the part on the DVI port, I can't honestly believe that that was caused by "normal usage". As for the argument that you travel with it a lot, and that Apple should make computers that can withstand these stresses, my brother rode to and from work for probably the greater part of a year with his MBP, and there is nothing worse than cycling on roads that have bad pavement, that would definitely cause a lot more stress and his still looks in quite pristine condition, I use that term lightly. So honestly looking at it, wear and tear:
Bowing on super drive - sure, you place your hands there, maybe a little bit more pressure than usual, I dunno, somehow happens
Scratches on palm rest - we'll assume you have a metal watch and it gets scratched up
Dents on lid - Even if you are transporting it, in a bag, with an incase sleeve, then you need to hit it with something to have that force go through the sleeve and make a decent impact on your lid. Or if you got that outside of the sleeve, what the hell were you doing.
Dent on DVI port - Definitely not normal wear and tear, dropping it a cm or more EVERY DAY is not normal wear and tear, pulling it in and out, maybe crack or scratch the plastic. But something's missing in this picture here, hopefully you don't have to fork over lots of money.

*Edit* But looking back at the picture above, between the bottom of your macbook pro and the resting surface you still have some clearance between it(resting surface) and the DVI port and the area in question, how do you manage to dent that even when you have nominal clearance.

 

[Luftwaffles]

That's not a scratch. It takes force to make a dent like this.

View attachment 149225

Look at the top part of the case. You can clearly see that it is warped. From the looks of it, this particular MBP has experienced impact on the edge. And that can affect other components in the laptop, to include a fan. That is why Apple wants to take it apart and examine the inside.

I'm not CALLING that a scratch. It is a dent. Yes, I said it. That is a dent. The metal is deformed. What I completely disagree with and what I find absolutely insane is that people are claiming that an impact causing a deformity of that size could mean the failure of a component on the other side of the machine.

Logically, one would think that if an impact caused enough damage to make that dent AND damage the left-side fan, the right fan would fail in exactly the same way, or the DVI port (or any other port in the vicinity) would not function perfectly.

The DVI port functions perfectly, the cable connects to the port with absolutely no trouble. IF a drop was experienced that could cause such a minimal distortion in the aluminum case (ALUMINUM. It's not Tungsten for Christ's sake!) and that caused a fan to fail on the opposite side of the machine, then the point still stands that there is very shoddy workmanship involved in the construction of the laptop.

Also, to kelvin805, dropping the notebook while in a backpack is a different case. The damage would be much different and isolated to a different part of the notebook depending on how the backpack landed, how much padding the notebook had and so on. And you say that it did cause damage, metal jutting out, et cetera - If I could see that notebook and take pictures as big as the ones I posted, the damage would look a whole lot worse. I think what everybody needs to do is take a look at their own old-body MBP and map out the distortion of the metal relative to the total height of the port and the distance between the bottom of the connector and the bottom of the port. That will give you a good idea of how insanely small the dent is, rather than looking at a very, very large picture that makes the damage look considerably worse.

 

[kelvin805]

Also, to kelvin805, dropping the notebook while in a backpack is a different case. The damage would be much different and isolated to a different part of the notebook depending on how the backpack landed, how much padding the notebook had and so on. And you say that it did cause damage, metal jutting out, et cetera - If I could see that notebook and take pictures as big as the ones I posted, the damage would look a whole lot worse. I think what everybody needs to do is take a look at their own old-body MBP and map out the distortion of the metal relative to the total height of the port and the distance between the bottom of the connector and the bottom of the port. That will give you a good idea of how insanely small the dent is, rather than looking at a very, very large picture that makes the damage look considerably worse.

The back pack was dropped as is, it was an o'neil one that was quite old, no sleeve, so very little padding, essentailly probably like 3 pieces of fabric. I'm not disputing the idea of a fan being unrelated, but that dvi port looks pretty dinged up for normal usage. I would love to map out the distortion, but too bad it doesn't exist

 

[MrM]

I'll keep you guys posted, thanks for the moral support

Apple is dropping the ball here. You shouldn't be screwed over because of a ding that doesn't have an effect on the problem at hand.

 

[sushi]

I'm not CALLING that a scratch. It is a dent. Yes, I said it. That is a dent.

Glad that you finally recognize that.

What I completely disagree with and what I find absolutely insane is that people are claiming that an impact causing a deformity of that size could mean the failure of a component on the other side of the machine.

Look closely at the picture or the actual MBP and you will see where the case is warped. Since we don't have a before and after photo to compare, and normally cases are not warped like that, the dent is indicative of damage to the inside of the computer.

Edge or sideways impact can affect components across the laptop. I've seen it before numerous times, both Mac and PC laptops.

It doesn't look like much but there was a stress force that was strong enough to affect the case by warping it as well as creating a dent.

Logically, one would think that if an impact caused enough damage to make that dent AND damage the left-side fan, the right fan would fail in exactly the same way, or the DVI port (or any other port in the vicinity) would not function perfectly.

Not at all. Damage effect can vary depending on the angle and intensity. Just because the DVI port, or right fan was not affected, does not mean that the left fan was not affected as well.

IF a drop was experienced that could cause such a minimal distortion in the aluminum case (ALUMINUM. It's not Tungsten for Christ's sake!) and that caused a fan to fail on the opposite side of the machine, then the point still stands that there is very shoddy workmanship involved in the construction of the laptop.

Not at all.

I'll give you a completely different example that might illustrate my point. My friend and I both had Palm Pilots. His fell about 1.5 feet onto it's edge and was toast. Mine on the other hand, was accidentally launched about 5 feet high over 25 feet and landed horizontally. It worked fine and did for many years.

The point is that one landed on the edge and the other flat on it's back. One worked. One was toast.

How an electronic device is subjected to impact will affect the outcome. But you know that already.

 

[Luftwaffles]

Glad that you finally recognize that.

Never disputed that fact.

Look closely at the picture or the actual MBP and you will see where the case is warped. Since we don't have a before and after photo to compare, and normally cases are not warped like that, the dent is indicative of damage to the inside of the computer.

Edge or sideways impact can affect components across the laptop. I've seen it before numerous times, both Mac and PC laptops.

It doesn't look like much but there was a stress force that was strong enough to affect the case by warping it as well as creating a dent.

Yes, I certainly haven't ruled out stress-over-time as being a determining factor. However, assuming that stress over a period of time did cause such a warp, there would not be enough damage caused to the internals of the machine for a fan to stop working.

That said, I'm disappointed that the Genius didn't stop and think and at least say "Well, we could send it in and have the machine inspected before we make any decisions as to who should pay what." What would have been better for him to say would have been, "I'm not going to immediately blame you for causing the fan failure since I didn't open the machine and inspect it or ascertain the cause." Instead I had to spend two days talking to Apple and go all the way up the chain of command to even get that far.

Sure, when you're in a setting like a retail store you have to assume some things for the sake of time management, but immediately jumping to the conclusion that the customer is at fault and that he should pay an exorbitant amount of money before even sending the machine in is a horrible business practice and reflects very negatively on AppleCare's claims of "Long-term peace of mind" and "world-class support".

 

[THX1139]

Interesting thread. I have an old G4 laptop I bought in 2001 that has seen its share of abuse and it doesn't look half as bad as those photos. Of course, it hasn't been dropped either.

And I'm also curious as to why the OP thinks it's normal to "drop" his laptop on a desk even it's only a few centimeters? I've never had to drop mine when I set it down, why do you have to slide your fingers out and let it plop onto the surface? I just take mine out of the bag, set one edge down and then gently set the other edge down. If you're plopping it down, then you have no concept of how to treat a laptop. It's not built for the kind of treatment you have been giving (even though you think it's normal wear and tear) it so no wonder your having problems. Even though it's a laptop, it is still a sensitive electronic instrument.

 

[Aegaeon]

My 2 Cents

Ok, here's the thing. I'm pretty sure I have the same gen MBP as you (bought mine new on July 07, a C2D 2.4Ghz, 2GB DDR2, etc), so its pretty much as old as yours. I use it on a daily basis, as a university student. I would in fact call it heavy usage (which is to be expected of this model in any case). I carry it around inside an InCase sleeve, inside my backpack (Crumpler) every single time to and from classes. Granted, I play some pretty graphically demanding games as well (through Bootcamp), so its not just the physical casing that gets put to the stress test. On weekends, I come home and hook it up to my 23" ACD, and work from that. This is EVERY single weekend in the last academic year of owning the laptop, and on holidays it always stayed connected to the ACD. So as you can see, I use the DVI slot pretty extensively as well. In-fact it's not just with the ACD. Occasionally I download 720p or 1080p BL movie rips and hook up my MBP to the 60" flat screen hdtv in the main living room through the DVI adapter.

Personally speaking, I consider my self careful in handling the laptop, and I have no dings or scratches, even in this very heavy usage. I don't even have the small metal strip above the superdrive slightly bent. My DVI slot is not bent either, and I can guarantee that I use the slot frequently, constantly connecting my MBP to and out from the ACD. Am I lucky, or is this the result of taking care of the laptop? I think my explanation above speaks for itself.

Granted however, few of my friends also have MacBooks and MBPs. One of my friend has a MBP, and his palm rest is in fact slightly sunken, and he does have a few scratches (more so than what you have on your pic). And, reading from a lot of mac oriented sites, I can tell that users have issues with our model of the MBP, with the super-drive getting slightly warped, amongst other things. So I can believe that the super-drive being bent or even the scratches could be excused by the "Genius" at an Apple Store, since the super drive issue imo is a fundamental design flaw that was overlooked, but I digress. The scratches, are in the majority of the cases to be expected depending on how long you've owned the laptop, so even that is negligible when it comes to technical internal repairs.

With the DVI port being bent at the bottom in your case...I believe you half and half not. I believe you when you say that you haven't dropped the laptop. This is possible, since you can get dings on an aluminum surface without actually dropping it, but when you say that the ding is the result of constantly using the DVI port...I find that quite hard to believe, for several reasons:

1. This could be subjective, but I use my DVI port probably as frequently as you do, and there is NO signs of warping or dings on my DVI port in any way, so this is not the result of wear and tear, and I've had my MBP for around the same time frame as you.

2. Assuming what you said is correct, if the ding was the cause of wear and tear...that doesn't explain why the bottom strip of the port, and ONLY the bottom strip is bent UPwards. Hypothetically speaking, even if you were to use brute force and literally YANK the adapter from the port UP...the portion where it is bent on yours should NOT be bent.

3. Likewise, if you were to yank it with force DOWN (if the laptop was on an edge, and the adapter was sticking out, even then the portion where it is bent should not be bent.

4. If you were to yank it horizontally (if the pins weren't tightened) then it is impossible to bend the portion where it is bent on yours.

I don't know, the whole wear and tear causing the ding is kind of hard to believe. How it COULD have happened however, is if you were taking the laptop off or putting it on a table, and accidentally hit that small area of the DVI slot on the EDGE of a surface, probably the table. That would make perfect sense. If you were to have dropped the laptop, then the bottom of the laptop would also be bent near that area, but its clearly not (at least from those pics), which is what makes me think that it wasn't dropped, but rather accidentally hit on the surface of an edge.


The reason why the "Genius" said your AC is suspended could be due to 2 reasons:

1. The individual was being a douche, and was simply having a bad day <-- more probable reason

2. The bent part on the DVI slit could possibly hinder the removal of the case by interference (scraping?) of internal components. As a result it could be a risky thing. I highly doubt this though...since I've honestly seen worse case scenarios than this that have gotten fixed without any questions asked.

My point is reason #2 is going to be a difficult scenario to convince with simply the "wear and tear" argument.

Simply speaking from a moral standpoint though...its not fair as to how you've been treated so far though...I've seen literally idiots come into the Apple Store here in Toronto (Eaton Center), and get away with free fixes when CLEARLY it was accidental damage, so I don't think the inconsistency in the Genius staff is fair at all. And yeah I paid nearly 3 grand for my MBP when I got it (with the AC) and so naturally I would be a bit let down too if my laptop which was supposed to last me for the next 4+ years all of a sudden was being put on halt after 1.5 years of usage. I can imagine how you must feel in that scenario perfectly, but its just that its going to be a very, very steep uphill battle, partly cause some of the damage is yours which is most likely accidental.

 

[sushi]

Never disputed that fact.

Actually you did by calling it a scratch. But whatever.

Yes, I certainly haven't ruled out stress-over-time as being a determining factor.

Sorry, but that damage is not due to stress over time.

As I have repeatedly stated, and you fail to want to recognize since it will not support your view, is that while in your back pack, you probably set the back pack down harder than you realized and it cause edge or sideways impact on the MBP which resulted in the dent and warping of the case.

That said, I'm disappointed that the Genius didn't stop and think and at least say "Well, we could send it in and have the machine inspected before we make any decisions as to who should pay what."

Sure, that would be nice.

However, based upon the photos you have provided, plus your description of how you set your laptop down, and that you tried to pass off the dent as a scratch, it looks like the issue is the result of accidental damage.

but immediately jumping to the conclusion that the customer is at fault and that he should pay an exorbitant amount of money before even sending the machine in is a horrible business practice and reflects very negatively on AppleCare's claims of "Long-term peace of mind" and "world-class support".

To a degree, you have a point.

However, the customer is not always right and world class support does not mean the company fixes accidental damage for free.

I'm sorry to not agree with your side, but IMHO, there is clearly damage to the lower case and that damage could affect the operation of the fan even though it is on the other side of the case.

And I'm also curious as to why the OP thinks it's normal to "drop" his laptop on a desk even it's only a few centimeters? I've never had to drop mine when I set it down, why do you have to slide your fingers out and let it plop onto the surface? I just take mine out of the bag, set one edge down and then gently set the other edge down. If you're plopping it down, then you have no concept of how to treat a laptop. It's not built for the kind of treatment you have been giving (even though you think it's normal wear and tear) it so no wonder your having problems. Even though it's a laptop, it is still a sensitive electronic instrument.

Completely agree.

Personally, I would never treat mine that rough on purpose -- especially after paying so much for the darn thing in the first place.

 

[Luftwaffles]

Actually you did by calling it a scratch. But whatever.
However, based upon the photos you have provided, plus your description of how you set your laptop down, and that you tried to pass off the dent as a scratch, it looks like the issue is the result of accidental damage.

I am NOT calling the distortion on the DVI port a scratch! Show me WHERE I have ever referred to that dent specifically as a "scratch".

1. The individual was being a douche, and was simply having a bad day <-- more probable reason

2. The bent part on the DVI slit could possibly hinder the removal of the case by interference (scraping?) of internal components. As a result it could be a risky thing. I highly doubt this though...since I've honestly seen worse case scenarios than this that have gotten fixed without any questions asked.

I find scenario 1 to be the most probable cause of this whole mess. And scenario 2 was actually brought up by the Executive Relations rep when I spoke with him two days ago. What I find unbelievable about that is that if a distortion of that size would prevent them from being able to remove the case, then how the hell do they manage to safely remove the case on any other MBP? If any 1mm deviation in the case would prevent the removal of an entire logic board, then their processes are incredibly flawed, be it the design process or their repair depot's operating procedures.

We'll see what the repair depot says about it. Needless to say, they're alot more competent and experienced than we are.

 

[Furrybeagle]

I really find it amusing how people are 100% sure that someone dropped their laptops based off the dent on the side, when it really could be anything. I’ve seen computers that have been dropped with not a single resulting dent, and then I’ve seen computers in an Incase be bumped against some edge or surface and come out with part of the aluminum warped. As someone said, it’s aluminum, not tungsten. I don’t find it that hard to believe that it’s caused by normal wear and tear. I don’t understand why Apple is so reluctant… it’s a $5 part, and I can’t see how that small a dent would cause a problem with the repair (I’ve had larger dents and have gotten repairs with no questions asked).


But really… to be honest, I feel like AppleCare has been in decline recently.

When my (Jan 05) PowerBook G4’s AppleCare finally expired, it had far more damage than the OP’s example. The top strip of metal above the DVI port and modem were warped and bulging out, there was a large dent under the right USB port, and there were scratches all along the edges of the case, especially on the corners, suggesting that I had dropped it (which I had). Even the palm rests were covered with black spots and “scratches” from the aluminum case wearing down. Yet Apple repaired every problem I ever had with that computer. This included a dead SuperDrive (I don’t see how it could look like anything other than accidental damage), a screen which kept getting dirt lodged under it, the ENTIRE upper case (solely because I complained the trackpad hadn’t been tracking very well), and a loose hinge (MULTIPLE times). One time when I went to get it repaired, no Genius was available, so they let *me* fill out a report that the Genius would later look at. The Genius then called me after I left the store just to point out that the case damage might be a problem at the depot, but in the end they still repaired it, quickly, no questions asked.

Then I get my (Feb 08) MacBook Pro. After a month of really, really careful use (because I wanted this one to stay pristine) the fans started continuously spinning as fast they could, the trackpad controller kept dying, and I had reoccurring graphics corruption and kernel panics. Yet I had to wait over two weeks as it sat around in an Apple depot, because they couldn’t reproduce any of the issues with their “stress tests” (like the AHT ever finds any problems…). And it probably would have been longer, too, if I wasn’t continuously checking the repair status to finally see the “You need to call AppleCare at…” message. God forbid they actually call me. I realize it’s an expensive part, but why not just replace the damn Logic Board and be done with it? What else is going to be causing kernel panics and graphics corruption? And supposing I did lie about the defects, what would I have gained… a new Logic Board *exactly* like the old one, and a couple days (or weeks?) without my computer? There was no cosmetic damage, and this was the before the Unibody MBPs, so it’s not like I was trying to get a complete replacement.

Although I dislike the company overall, I really miss Dell’s warranty options (or at least what they offered back in 2002). They would repair any problem with the computer ON SITE. I literally left the computer with someone over lunch to come back with the entire motherboard repaired. Now was that so hard?


Anyways, to the OP: sorry that this issue has been giving you so much trouble.

 

[sushi]

I am NOT calling the distortion on the DVI port a scratch! Show me WHERE I have ever referred to that dent specifically as a "scratch".

From your prior posts:

• a very slight (think .5mm or smaller) bowing on the bottom of the DVI port.
  
• I acknowledge the fact that my use of the machine has caused the small cosmetic defects…
  
• I reiterated the fact that I don't *want* the cosmetic damage repaired, I just want a laptop that doesn't double as a barn heater. He claimed that because the genius didn't open the laptop in the store, there's no way they can guarantee that the "cosmetic damage" didn't result in any internal damage. Because as we all know, a scratch on the case can ruin your logic board much faster than, say, an overheating processor.
  
• a practically-microscopic distortion on the DVI port. Other than that, the machine is cosmetically pristine.

Various times you referred to the dent as cosmetic damage or distortion. My read is that you were referring to it like a scratch.

Just reading the extracts above, I see:

• Bowing.
• Small cosmetic defects.
• Cosmetic damage.
• Scratch.
• practically-microscopic distortion.

If I misunderstood you, then sorry.

However, the damage to your case as indicated from the dent under the DVI port and the warping of the case above the DVI port indicates impact from the edge or sideways impact. Based upon the warping and dent, the damage could be enough to affect the left hand fan. That much is certain.

This type of damage would be easy to occur since you carry your MBP in a back pack. From the way you handle your MBP when setting it on a desktop or table, I would not be surprised that you handle your back pack roughly -- more than you realize.

Now you may be lucky when Apple inspects the case. They may allow the fix for free and not count it as a result of accidental damage.

 

[sirivers]

So besides all the banter what is the update on what is actually being done by Apple?

It occurs to me that generally something like this we could argue all day about but what it comes down to is what Apple is doing right now to help you out.

 

[Flobber88]

If I were shown pictures of your DVI port without any explanation, I would easily assume that you dropped your laptop.

That ding is not from normal wear and tear. Whether it was from hitting something in your backpack or even a friend dropped your laptop without telling you, personally I would not expect Apple to react any differently.

Although that' my opinion, in the end I can see apple repairing your fan for free, as long as you keep on them. Ive called AppleCare over a measly 2 stuck pixels in a ACD and they offered to replace the LCD. Now that is service.

And from past stories Ive heard about AppleCare, it seems they realize a happy customer is better than an unhappy one (most of the time at least)

 

[e12a]

you do know that you can take the MBP somewhere else other than an Apple Store to get it repaired right!? I've seen maybe one response in this ENTIRE thread stating the same thing.

For example, if you have a university close by with a computer store, more often than not they are apple certified. They can order parts from Apple under AppleCare just like the Apple Store, and dont even have to send it in to a "repair facility" to get diagnosed (which if they have it Apple can hold it for ransom). They do the repair in house.

I work for one and i've seen some pretty beat up MBPs, but that is just BS about removing the top case and affecting the logic board because of the bend on the UNDERSIDE of the MBP.

Take it to an authorized service center. More often than not if they can see the problem they wont even charge for diagnostic (which should be free for in-warranty repairs).

lets look at it this way, apple is unwilling to replace a 5 dollar fan despite the OP buying a 240 dollar protection plan.

Not to mention their turn around times tend to be much faster. However, its winter break and they might be lightly staffed this time of year. I know my manager is the only one working this week.

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

actually no, its more like 4 wires. but still, not hard.

 

[kolax]

There is a dent in the casing! You can see it in the picture above. And look how the top of the case is curved.

Doesn't look like much of a dent at all - but I'm not denying it is wear and tear - the DVI port has obviously taken some knock.

But I'd speculate that knock came when there was a DVI cable connected and the laptop has been going up and the DVI cable has been doing down and it has bent the port.

Either way, I doubt wear and tear would cause that, but then again, the whole argument is getting the fan replaced, and little knocks on the casing shouldn't be causing such an issue when a fan is worn out.

I'm pretty sure if it had been dropped, the last thing you'd expect to break would be the fan. If the hard drive, RAM slots, logic board and screen are all fine, then the fan has worn out and should be replaced under warranty regardless of the state of the casing.

 

[The Toddfather]

From your prior posts:

• a very slight (think .5mm or smaller) bowing on the bottom of the DVI port.
  
• I acknowledge the fact that my use of the machine has caused the small cosmetic defects…
  
• I reiterated the fact that I don't *want* the cosmetic damage repaired, I just want a laptop that doesn't double as a barn heater. He claimed that because the genius didn't open the laptop in the store, there's no way they can guarantee that the "cosmetic damage" didn't result in any internal damage. Because as we all know, a scratch on the case can ruin your logic board much faster than, say, an overheating processor.
  
• a practically-microscopic distortion on the DVI port. Other than that, the machine is cosmetically pristine.

Various times you referred to the dent as cosmetic damage or distortion. My read is that you were referring to it like a scratch.

Just reading the extracts above, I see:

• Bowing.
• Small cosmetic defects.
• Cosmetic damage.
• Scratch.
• practically-microscopic distortion.

If I misunderstood you, then sorry.

However, the damage to your case as indicated from the dent under the DVI port and the warping of the case above the DVI port indicates impact from the edge or sideways impact. Based upon the warping and dent, the damage could be enough to affect the left hand fan. That much is certain.

This type of damage would be easy to occur since you carry your MBP in a back pack. From the way you handle your MBP when setting it on a desktop or table, I would not be surprised that you handle your back pack roughly -- more than you realize.

Now you may be lucky when Apple inspects the case. They may allow the fix for free and not count it as a result of accidental damage.

The OP's thread title was misleading because stated his AppleCare was suspended due to a scratch. It was not suspended due to the small scratch he posted a pic of, it was obviously due to the dent.

 

[ntrigue]

I'm largely with the OP on this. However, it sounds as though they will be unable to rebuild the casing with the damages that exist. Perhaps try a third-party authorized repair center?

 

[Eddyisgreat]

The op is getting screwed, plain and simple. I Had a huge dent on the right side of the Machine which happened three months before my fan died, and AppleCare didn't give me any problems. The rest of the machine was immaculate but the dent was rather large, although I know it didn't screw up any of the components (I opened it up afterwards).

None of the damage indicated by the op would warrent a denial of a repair claim. Its a dent, not a bullet hole.

 

[GoCubsGo]

It is humorous at best for the OP to dish out the good ole "poor college student" defense and then speak about getting a lawyer. Pardon me, it was specifically stated that he was going to speak to "his lawyer". That said, a lawyer is completely uncessary when attempting to define wear and tear. What a lawyer should be doing (if he/she really feels like wasting their own time) is dispute the terms and conditions of Applecare. What representations does the Applecare contract make in terms of reasonable wear and tear if any? In other words, what contractual obligations does Apple have to fix this machine? Never rely on a technician to understand the contractual obligations of anything. This is for the OP and Apple to determine.

Something clearly happened to the OP's machine and it most likely occurred while it was on his person. That would make him directly responsible for the machine and the so-called damage. Accidents indeed happen, however, in my opinion (as well as a few others) I believe Apple is covering their asses on this one. Due to the damage on the case the repairs may cause more harm than good. You have a notebook with very limited space inside, that logic board may not bend around the dent in the DVI port, therefore, Apple should not touch that repair without quoting a price to replace the case.

Applecare is total bunk if you intend to really use your machine in the sense of tossing it around often and always. I think that is why I secretly baby my machines in hopes that my Applecare is never voided.