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iPad mini Pic: I just broke my rMini

J

jogales

macrumors member
Original poster
Jun 27, 2008
50
10
I slipped on a wet curb and came down (not very hard) on top of my laptop bag. My MacBook was totally fine, but my 2 day old rMini wasn't so lucky :(

aCWBs7B.jpg


It was in a smart case, in a padded laptop bag, under my MBP. The force somehow transferred through my MacBook to the Mini without harming the MacBook at all. There's no external damage at all on the Mini, not that that really matters at this point. Interestingly enough, the working part of the screen seems to have reverted to non-retina:
P2eGUHs.jpg


I'm headed to the genius bar later today to see what Apple will do. I'm hoping they'll take pity on my clumsiness :p
 
If you have Applecare+ they'll replace it for $50 but if the casing has no apparent damage they'll probably replace it under warranty.
 
It's kinda dishonest, but if there's no sign of damage, don't tell them what caused it. You'll just instantly kill your chances of getting it fixed for free.

This kind of thing can be caused by a loose display ribbon cable. My ex's iPod did the same thing (it wasn't dropped). They might just replace it under warranty.

The broken bottom half totally looks like News Stand btw.
 
blueroom said:
If you have Applecare+ they'll replace it for $50 but if the casing has no apparent damage they'll probably replace it under warranty.
Click to expand...

If the casing has no damage, just say it stopped working. Happened with my Galaxy S4's display. Google replaced it for free.
 
Just got off the phone with Applecare. I decided to be honest and tell them what happened. In the past, this has worked the best for me.

They told me that it would be $250 to replace. Applecare+ plus the cost of a replacement is only $150, so I wasn't too happy about that. I countered by saying that it has NO physical damage whatsoever. I said that if I hadn't been honest, they would have replaced it right away because there is no way to tell what caused the problem.

The senior advisor told me to take it to an apple store and not tell them what happened. She said if they inspect the device and can't find any physical damage, they can't prove anything and should replace it. I have an appointment for this evening...we shall see.
 
I thought my idea was shady and dishonest. Looks like even AppleCare reps are suggesting it :D
 
YanniDepp said:
I thought my idea was shady and dishonest. Looks like even AppleCare reps are suggesting it :D
Click to expand...
I tried to be honest. I understand what other people are saying, but starting off by lying just wouldn't sit right with me. Now that it's an official applecare solution though...;)

{edit} The more I think about how I fell, the more I feel like it wasn't caused by blunt force. My 13" laptop was completely covering the iPad, so any force would have been distributed evenly, not just to the one side. I'm wondering if you're right about a cable being jarred loose.
 
Last edited:
Most likely the display cable got knocked loose as suggested above. I don't think the screen itself is actually damaged. It's an easy fix for apple so I wouldn't sweat it. Just take it back and say that it's not working.
 
Another option might be through your credit card company depending on how you paid.

My original Mini slid off my lap last year a few weeks after I bought it, and the screen shattered (bad luck).

I had bought it using my Discover card, and they offer 90-day protection against theft or accidental damage or whatever. I paid Apple to repair/replace it, and Discover reimbursed me the full amount after I faxed them the bill and completed the necessary documents.

Can't believe they do that, but they do.
 
YanniDepp said:
I thought my idea was shady and dishonest. Looks like even AppleCare reps are suggesting it :D
Click to expand...

AppleCare agents don't get commission for selling warranties/OOW swaps. They can't break policy over the phone - if you tell them it's dropped, they can't make an exception any more. That doesn't mean they're not human and can't tell you HOW to get your own exception ;).
 
jogales said:
I tried to be honest. I understand what other people are saying, but starting off by lying just wouldn't sit right with me. Now that it's an official applecare solution though...;)

{edit} The more I think about how I fell, the more I feel like it wasn't caused by blunt force. My 13" laptop was completely covering the iPad, so any force would have been distributed evenly, not just to the one side. I'm wondering if you're right about a cable being jarred loose.
Click to expand...

Additionally, you had it in an official Apple smartcase. That should have protected it as well. I wouldn't feel bad about "omitting the complete details of what happened."
 
Just take it back and say, "Look at this." While it might not be the entire truth, maybe it should have withstood this incident a little better.
 
jogales said:
I tried to be honest. I understand what other people are saying, but starting off by lying just wouldn't sit right with me. Now that it's an official applecare solution though...;)

{edit} The more I think about how I fell, the more I feel like it wasn't caused by blunt force. My 13" laptop was completely covering the iPad, so any force would have been distributed evenly, not just to the one side. I'm wondering if you're right about a cable being jarred loose.
Click to expand...

Not to run the morality police on you, but if on principle you didn't want to tell a lie, then having AppleCare telling you to lie shouldn't change your stance at all. Otherwise, you're just moral when convnenient and waiting for the slightest opportunity to be immoral.

Just pointing that out. :p I myself don't have any issues with not mentioning the drop.
 
I wouldn't tell them either.

Truthfully speaking yes morally it isn't right but then again you wouldn't be the first or the last person to do it either ;)
 
jogales said:
I tried to be honest. I understand what other people are saying, but starting off by lying just wouldn't sit right with me. Now that it's an official applecare solution though...;)

{edit} The more I think about how I fell, the more I feel like it wasn't caused by blunt force. My 13" laptop was completely covering the iPad, so any force would have been distributed evenly, not just to the one side. I'm wondering if you're right about a cable being jarred loose.
Click to expand...

If you used a credit card for purchase, depending on the card, Visa and Amex will cover accidental damage for 90 days.
 
Just tell them your not happy with the screen's color gamut.

I once bought a coffee table from Target that I was planning to use as a TV stand. It of course came in a narrow box and was in a 50 pieces. I spend half a day assembling it and when I got to the last step in the instructions it said not to put anything heavier than 40 pounds on it. The TV weighed about 100 pounds and when I placed it on the coffee table it immediately bowed in the center. So I tried to nicely disassemble the table to put it back in the box for a return. Unfortunately that was completely impossible so I had to break the table into a million pieces to stuff it back into the box. When I showed up at Target the customer service person asked me if there was anything wrong with the table. I said no it's perfectly fine, I just changed my mind. Let's just say there was nothing salvageable in that box. The moral of the story is that you're a better people than I. :)
 
My son cracked my iphone way back when. Smashed the screen. I made an appt at the apple store for the battery not charging. When they came over to me to see the phone I pulled it out of my pocket and let it fall on the ground and acted stunned that it was smashed. They replaced it with a new one on the spot saying its ok because it happened in their store. LOL. Apple is awesome.

You are not lying if you just take it to apple and show them and don't say anything. Don't be a chump.

By the way I didn't lie. The phone was completely smashed. It would not charge anymore.
 
I've seen videos of iPad/iPhones in cases being slammed against a wall, thrown on the floor with no display damage like yours. I say the iPad has some sort of durability in its design that your particular iPad failed at.

Would return as a defect.
 
First off, I'm very sorry to hear about your broken iPad, that totally sucks!

Here's something you probably don't want to hear. If you really want to take the moral high ground you have to be willing to accept the consequences of your actions. Saying that they should replace your rMini because you're being honest it's really a moral position. Instead your pushing a moral dilemma to the service tech who is working under Apple's policy which says that they will only replace hardware with manufacturer defects. Now the service tech has to possible lie saying the hardware was defective knowing it was caused by your accident.

It's very possible they will take pity on you and replace your rMini for no charge. Or it's possible they will say we're very sorry but it's going to cost you $250 for a replacement unit which is cheaper than a new unit. You can try to make your case that it shouldn't have broken since the fall wasn't that hard. However in the end it's up to their discretion.

Or you could just turn it on and say look at this screen it doesn't look right. :)

PS. Ironically I see the Bible in the middle of your screen.
 
I'm not going to drop-test my new Retina iPad mini right now, but I accidentally dropped my old iPad mini a few times over the past year. It was virtually indestructible. My guess is that a cable came loose. Of course, since it's sealed the Genius Bar might not be able to get it open to reconnect it, but maybe they can send it out for a repair for less than $250. In any case, I second the credit card idea. If you paid for it with certain cards, such as American Express or Visa Signature, you get 90 days of accidental damage coverage.
 
The whole truth: You slipped and fell on the bag. You got to work. You turned on your rMini. It looked like this. You looked for damage. There is none.

The truth: You got to work. You turned on your rMini. It looked like this. You looked for damage. There is none.

You have technically still told the truth...but I know how you feel. But if Applecare said to, I wouldn't think twice.

Good luck!
 
Charliebird said:
Just tell them your not happy with the screen's color gamut.

I once bought a coffee table from Target that I was planning to use as a TV stand. It of course came in a narrow box and was in a 50 pieces. I spend half a day assembling it and when I got to the last step in the instructions it said not to put anything heavier than 40 pounds on it. The TV weighed about 100 pounds and when I placed it on the coffee table it immediately bowed in the center. So I tried to nicely disassemble the table to put it back in the box for a return. Unfortunately that was completely impossible so I had to break the table into a million pieces to stuff it back into the box. When I showed up at Target the customer service person asked me if there was anything wrong with the table. I said no it's perfectly fine, I just changed my mind. Let's just say there was nothing salvageable in that box. The moral of the story is that you're a better people than I. :)
Click to expand...

And I once bought a Bissell carpet cleaner from the local K-Mart. Got it home, and the thing looked like someone had cleaned their backyard with the thing. I took it back immediately and tried to brow beat their employees for not checking the contents before accepting it, and even before putting it back out for sale. They just didn't care. It's amazingly depressing the level of quality and customer care you find out there... Sad... Whatever...
 
Have you considered that having a cable loosen without any sign of physical damage might be a manufacturing defect/warranty? Jolting an iPad is not necessarily supposed to shake a cable loose, especially if it inside a case that is inside a padded bag. That's about as protected as it can get.
 
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