MBP Hard Drive failed... called accidental damage under Applecare. Help!

[kielo42]

A little background, because this is a complicated situation...
The first day I got my MBP two years ago, it fell off the coffee table and got a small dent in the left side. I thought it was a cosmetic problem, and didn't think much about it. Three months ago, when my laptop was in for repair because the screen cracked due to a manufacturing defect, I told the Apple employee that when my laptop was in for repair, and they inspected the dent and found that it could cause problems for me in the future, to repair it and quote me the price to fix it. I assumed that the price to fix that dent and prevent future problems would be a lot cheaper than fixing whatever may break from it in the future. I got my laptop back, with a note saying that the dent was a cosmetic problem and consequently they didn't feel the need to fix it. So that was all good.

Until my hard drive crashes. So I take it to the Genius Bar, and they send it in for repair. I get a call today saying that the dent was the cause of the hard drive failure, and that the failure wasn't covered under warranty because of accidental damage. They also quoted me $1240 to fix it. I wanted to argue that since they didn't fix the dent and charge me for that three months ago because it was determined to be a cosmetic problem, that it should be up to them to fix the hard drive, since I tried to take the preventative measure awhile ago and they said there was no problem. Do I have a case here, or should I just have them send the laptop back and try to get it fixed cheaper?

 

[djanthonyw]

$1240 for a new HD?

 

[kielo42]

$1240 for a new HD?

They said there were other things wrong with it too that they're blaming me for... like my keyboard is under pressure and they want to replace it. They also say there's spotting on my LCD that is due to user damage, though I don't know how that could happen since my laptop stays on my desk. Furthermore, the last time I got my laptop back from Apple, it came back with a weird line on the LCD that wasn't there when I sent it in... and they're trying to say that's my fault to. I don't know whether to email someone higher up on the service ladder, because the customer service lady I called was pretty firm about it being my fault.

 

[GoCubsGo]

Your story doesn't add up. A failed hard drive would never cost $1240. There haas to be more to the repair. I would get the thing back and replace the hard drive yourself. I can do it for you for as little as $300.

Edit: as suspected your OP lacks the above details. Something is not right but your lack of details up front and the misleading title suggests you'd be better off repairing the hard drive yourself.

 

[Freyqq]

Your story doesn't add up. A failed hard drive would never cost $1240. There haas to be more to the repair. I would get the thing back and replace the hard drive yourself. I can do it for you for as little as $300.

Edit: as suspected your OP lacks the above details. Something is not right but your lack of details up front and the misleading title suggests you'd be better off repairing the hard drive yourself.

300? A new hd costs like 70 lol.

 

[mac8867]

300? A new hd costs like 70 lol.

I'll replace it for $250 then

 

[agentphish]

You can buy a 320 7200rpm hitachi for 54 with free shipping on new egg right now! Take out 19 screws and you're there.

 

[Bill Gates]

I have read other stories on here of users with accidental damage and it's always the same. If you bring in a computer with obvious cosmetic faults, the price that Apple will quote you for a (potentially) unrelated mechanical part will include other parts to bring the machine back to like-new condition. That's why the quote they gave the OP is so high. His story adds up fine.

 

[AndrewCjDuong]

What a joke... call them and argue your ass off. Say that the only way you'll pay that much is if they swap it for a new MBP... Seriously? 1200? Jobs can go shine Ballmer's bald head.

 

[kielo42]

His story adds up fine.

Hers, actually. Additionally, when I took my laptop in to the Genius Bar, the employee I worked with said that since the dent has been on record for so long and that problems are just happening now that the dent wasn't the cause of the failure so my repair would be covered under my AppleCare. Would this be sufficient cause to get Customer Relations to give me a one time customer exception?

 

[Bill Gates]

Hers, actually. Additionally, when I took my laptop in to the Genius Bar, the employee I worked with said that since the dent has been on record for so long and that problems are just happening now that the dent wasn't the cause of the failure so my repair would be covered under my AppleCare. Would this be sufficient cause to get Customer Relations to give me a one time customer exception?

My apologies, ma'am.

As to your question, possibly, but the only way to know for sure is to try! I have heard enough stories on these forums to know that there are no set criteria for customer service agents to rule one way or another. Luck has a lot to do with it.

 

[kielo42]

My apologies, ma'am.

As to your question, possibly, but the only way to know for sure is to try! I have heard enough stories on these forums to know that there are no set criteria for customer service agents to rule one way or another. Luck has a lot to do with it.

Hopefully I'll be able to argue that since I flat out asked the Genius whether my hard drive would be covered and he said yes, that I'll be able to get a repair under warranty. It would seem poor customer service to reassure a customer that the machine was covered when sending it in, then slap on a thousand dollar repair charge a week later.

 

[Sun Baked]

The HD's tend to fail as often as floppies these days, so most likely a dying drive is more often than not simply a self destructing drive.

To do accidental damage to kill a drive usually means enough damage from a fall to pretzel the computer, a spill, or a power spike.

Since these machines aren't fixed by Apple when they get sent in, it is likely a case of Flextronics pulling a fast one.

Flextronics seems to like to do that to people...

Applecare has become a joke

Stand your ground and try to have the store you took it to fix it, and if you are having screen problems around 90 days after a new screen ... they are foolish idiots if they are saying you did it.

 

[kielo42]

I've been running hardware tests every few months since it happened too, and it's always come up as normal. I'm just worried that no matter how good of a case I present, and even though I was told it was under warranty at the ARS, they'll use that dent to get out of repairing it. If that happens, I'll have to cut my losses and buy a crappy Dell, I can't afford another Apple computer when I invested so much in this first one at the start.

 

[kielo42]

Stand your ground and try to have the store you took it to fix it, and if you are having screen problems around 90 days after a new screen ... they are foolish idiots.

I'm hoping that the repair people didn't have my machine's repair history on hand, becuase they only replaced the bezel and not the LCD under that first repair. So hopefully I can convince them that my most recent spotting problem is due to that first manufacturing defect.