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MBP AppleCare SUSPENDED Due To Scratch!

It's amazing how a few here are going back and forth arguing their points. It's a forum and just state you opinion and wait and see how Apple responds. Apple markets the Applecare warranty to cover repairs past the one year period. Most people do not require it but sometimes they do like this person.

If Apple does not have technicians skilled enough to open the machine and fix a fan and close it back up without incident, they need to be super sizing it at the local burger joint. I believe that Apple should at least fix the fan. If they happen to replace the DVI connector or any part of the case, they are doing the OP a favor. Like the lady bug laptop here on this forum or even myself, I think that Apple will step up and go beyond what is anticipated.
 
tcphoto said:
It's amazing how a few here are going back and forth arguing their points. It's a forum and just state you opinion and wait and see how Apple responds. Apple markets the Applecare warranty to cover repairs past the one year period. Most people do not require it but sometimes they do like this person.

If Apple does not have technicians skilled enough to open the machine and fix a fan and close it back up without incident, they need to be super sizing it at the local burger joint. I believe that Apple should at least fix the fan. If they happen to replace the DVI connector or any part of the case, they are doing the OP a favor. Like the lady bug laptop here on this forum or even myself, I think that Apple will step up and go beyond what is anticipated.
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I can understand though that a bent port, "could" in by chance, cause a problem when removing the case, and risk damage to the logic board.

All though I do wonder, whether or not they could just simply bend the port to shape and then open it up.

But if they do believe it to be accident damage, then you may have a hard time, convincing them to believe otherwise.
 
Well, the thread title is untrue, and I think that's why a lot of people started in on this guy. Apple Care was not suspended due to a scratch, it was suspended due to that dent.

That said, I think Apple is being uncharacteristically stingy about this. I can understand their position - getting the top case on/off a dented machine could create issues. However, I can't imagine how that dent would result in the fan's death, and they do have an obligation to fix that. The least Apple could have done is told they guy they'd take it in, look at it, and if they had an issues with the top case, he'd be responsible for paying for it. Otherwise they'd fix the fan and that would be that.

I'm sure Apple is thrilled to have so many crusaders on its behalf flooding internet message boards, but you guys should really pull your lips out of Apple's butt. Whether this guy is right or wrong, Apple is most certainly not the saintly company you guys make them out to be. They're also wildly inconsistent. All these people mentioning getting their laptops repaired with water damage - the OP should at least get his fan replaced.

Oh yeah, and OP - you kind of lost me when you mentioned the possibility of getting a brand new laptop out of this. I hate it when people try and use a warranty as an upgrade program. That's not what it's for and it's just being greedy.
 
let them just hand you ot a new fan (they said its covered but just wont change) and replace it on your own...
 
Kaupa said:
let them just hand you ot a new fan (they said its covered but just wont change) and replace it on your own...
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What's worse is that the bearings on the fans are notorious for going out prematurely but in this situation I wouldn't be surprised if it were simply jarred out of place.
 
sirivers said:
Beyond all the back and forth I would still like to know what exactly is going on between this guy and apple. Has he called Customer Care instead of dealing with the corporate guys? (believe it or not they sometimes do more).

What's the timeline of events? We can argue until the cows come home about who did what and what constitutes damage. Ultimately the record is the only thing that apple will care about when it comes to fixing this thing. What is the previous repair history on this computer? has it had similar lower case repairs? Has this fan been a continuos problem?

Was it literally a genius on a bad day spitting venom at a customer who didn't deserve it? If so you have a consumer case against apple. Truthfully if you want action you should not expect apple to do something just because you feel they have to do it for you, you should expect apple (or any corporation) to move to do the right thing only if they expect to have bad press or legal action against them. Have you mentioned that you have this thread? perhaps you should find a blog to write up your story to. Apple does not like to have people tell there sob stories and are much more likely to help you in the end. It might seem cruel or unfair but honestly these companies have a lot more money than we do right now and they wont let it go as easily as one expects.

In the end after reading this guys stories and seeing how he has responded to our "attacks" but not to give us updates with what is happening with apple im willing to believe he probably dropped this thing a couple times and tried to get it fixed, and by some extraordinary set of circumstances he got a REALLY angry genius who decided that today just wouldn't be this customers day.


Shake it off man, make some calls. Raise the alarms, make a HELL of a lot of noise and you will be surprised by how quickly your problems will be resolved. This is not just for Apple, but for any corporation that is not fulfilling its customer promise.
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I've provided complete updates on the situation throughout the thread, you just have to read all 6 pages to get them.

I've only had to take this computer in once before for a startup issue. The genius literally reseated the RAM (dunno why I didn't think of that) and sent me on my merry way. Other than that, the machine has had no other issues or problems.

To recap my course of action so far, here is what has happened:
  1. Took the machine into an Apple store and had service refused and warranty suspended due to cosmetic damage
  2. Called up AppleCare and described my situation, the extent of the damage and how angry I was at Apple's decision
  3. The AppleCare rep agreed and stayed with me for an hour, calling around to many departments trying to figure out what we could do to get the machine fixed
  4. After the AppleCare rep couldn't help me any more, I was sent up the chain to Customer Relations
  5. Customer Relations rep was briefed by AppleCare, and I reiterated everything I told AppleCare
  6. The rep then spent about 15-20 minutes talking to one of his associates about how they could help me out
  7. The end result was a proposal to send the machine in on a requote, and depending on what was affected they could fix it for as low as $329.99
  8. Sent an email to Executive Relations (sjobs@apple.com) describing my situation, everything that had happened, and why it made me angry. Threw in a line about Dell, HP and IBM's support having no problems like this.
  9. Next day, I got a call from Exec. Relations. He spoke to me and the Apple Store regarding the conflict and told them to accept my machine so it could at least be inspected. They were completely booked, but he got me in there within the hour to drop the machine off.
  10. ER called me to discuss the lead Genius's analysis of my machine (same story), when the repair depot would get the machine and so on.

So obviously, there's been quite a bit of progress made. The real fun starts tomorrow, though, when the depot gets my machine, inspects it and gives the verdict to Executive Relations. I'll mention this thread and the many responses I have received, the thousands of hits, et cetera. A little leverage goes a long way!

EDIT:
Queen of Spades said:
Oh yeah, and OP - you kind of lost me when you mentioned the possibility of getting a brand new laptop out of this. I hate it when people try and use a warranty as an upgrade program. That's not what it's for and it's just being greedy.
Click to expand...

Actually, that point wasn't brought up by me. Somebody else mentioned that they had heard stories of Apple giving out new laptops:

MVApple said:
It sounds strange to be treated this way when we hear stories about people getting entire new laptops because of a poor experience.
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...To which I responded:

Luftwaffles said:
And yes, I've heard many stories of brand-new computers being awarded in some situations. I won't cross my fingers... but as an aside, one of those unibody pros would be *really* cool... ;)
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I'm not asking and nor have I ever asked for a new laptop, or stated that my intention was to get a new laptop. In fact, in numerous places throughout the thread I've stated "All I want is this fan to get fixed."
 
thats great, hope they fix it without making you pay for a case replacement, i personally think this is ********. apple should offer accidental cover even as an option, in australia it costs $580 for apple care, but dell charges $220 (on a studio 15) for 3 years repairs for anything that goes wrong with the machine etc theft spills drops. why do we even have to pay a premium for warranty, we have to pay about 120% extra for something thats not as good.
 
iSpoody 1243 said:
thats great, hope they fix it without making you pay for a case replacement, i personally think this is ********. apple should offer accidental cover even as an option, in australia it costs $580 for apple care, but dell charges $220 (on a studio 15) for 3 years repairs for anything that goes wrong with the machine etc theft spills drops. why do we even have to pay a premium for warranty, we have to pay about 120% extra for something thats not as good.
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You won't have to pay even half of that if you buy it off Ebay.
 
Luftwaffles said:
So you're perfectly fine with saying that everybody who has the slightest bit of damage on their laptop doesn't deserve to have ANYTHING on their computer repaired under warranty?
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Reading comprehension. It's key in these situations.

What you're claiming as normal wear and tear, others are claiming as user damage. Unfortunately for you, Apple agrees with the user damages faction.
 
Get the Mythbusters involved, and have them replicate an impact that would cause that level of dent. Measure the forces, and estimate if it was from a drop of several feet, or repeated setting on desk from a 1 cm height. My guess is physical testing would show it is more than wear and tear from a 1 cm drop on the desk each day.

I feel for you, but can see Apple's POV on this one. You have not one, but 3 independent damages to your case, one which looks like it was caused by a drop (the DVI port), and the other two that could have been caused by a million things. It makes sense to me (and obviously Apple) that a drop could cause other things on the other side of the laptop to be damaged. Read your warranty paper work over carefully checking for any clauses that give Apple the right to refuse service if the unit looks user-damaged. To beat them on this one, you are going to have to put yourself in their shoes, understand their policies and their warranty language as good, or better than they do, and come up with a very compelling argument that makes sense even from their POV.

I wish you nothing but the best with it............
 
Something just occurred to me, and I'm now angry that I didn't realize it beforehand...

If they think that opening/removing the case to fix the fan will somehow damage the internals due to the bend in the DVI port, then WHY does replacing the case make a difference? If I approve the replacement case, they'll have to open the machine and remove the internals anyway. They'll be opening up the case either way! The only difference in replacing it with a new case is that Apple gets my money.

I can't wait to see how my Executive Relations rep answers that one.
 
Sounds like you got a bad turn of events. Someone with their head in the light (not up somewhere) will fix this for you I hope.

Let us know.
 
Luftwaffles said:
Something just occurred to me, and I'm now angry that I didn't realize it beforehand...

If they think that opening/removing the case to fix the fan will somehow damage the internals due to the bend in the DVI port, then WHY does replacing the case make a difference? If I approve the replacement case, they'll have to open the machine and remove the internals anyway. They'll be opening up the case either way! The only difference in replacing it with a new case is that Apple gets my money.

I can't wait to see how my Executive Relations rep answers that one.
Click to expand...

I suppose it may be possible to use an alternate method to remove the case from the rest of the components that will, in effect, damage the case beyond usefulness but leave the interior components intact. Something still seems odd about the difficulty in getting the case off just to see what's going on inside, though.
 
Link.

The logic board does not need to be removed to replace the left fan, therefore the DVI port does not need to be pulled through the dented lower case. The possibility for the logic board to be "stressed" during the repair according to Apple is null.
 
I have AWESOME news on the situation!

I just received a call from my Executive Relations rep, who told me the machine was received and inspected.

The repair depot found the cosmetic damage to have no effect on the fan. They've replaced the fan under warranty and everything is working as it should be! The cosmetic damage has been noted so future warranty claims won't be as hellish as this experience has been. At the time of his call, the machine was already sent back to the Apple store and inspected one final time by the lead Genius. It's ready for pick up and I'm going to get it immediately.

On a side note, they also replaced the SuperDrive as a precautionary measure. The repair depot noted that the slight bowing on the Superdrive has been known to cause some ejection problems in other machines, but that's something I should be able to correct myself.

As for the DVI port, they seem to have had no trouble at all working around the dent. The repair depot noted that there was absolutely no internal damage, ruling out a drop, fall or other high-G impact. I haven't been charged a dime and Apple has gone above and beyond the call of duty by replacing the Superdrive. That's all I could really ask for!
 
That's fantastic. I figured it would all work out if you could just get someone to look into it further. Congrats - was definitely worth your extra effort.
 
Awesome news!!

I had the same issue with the bowing SuperDrive in my June 2005 Powerbook. Normal use over 2.5 years caused it to bend slightly, and my sisters' 2004 PB is the same way.

And for all the haters in this thread.....MUUWWWAHHHHHAAHHAAAAHHAAHAA!!!!!
 
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