Pissed OFF! (In the Apple Store)

[JustGretchen]

Physical damage VOIDS your warranty. Plain and simple.

Why is this so hard for people to understand? The terms of Apple's warranty clearly state this.

There can be other things wrong that you may not be able to see or know about when there is physical damage to any unit.

 

[madog]

Is there anyway to get your mac checked out so that if you have any future problems they can't say the warranty is void because of THIS blemish???

The problem with that is that a spill, a dent, or drop damage, while potentially not having to do with a specific problem, can cause problems for the computer 2 days, 2 months, or 2 years down the road.

There's no way for Apple to know that every computer that comes in with physical damage that has an internal problem is related to that damage or not (except with most spill damage). Of course, the chances are higher that the physical damage caused it, so as a matter of policy it benefits them to deny all claims based on physical damage. It unfortunately doesn't matter if it happen 2 years before or 2 years after whatever else is wrong with the machine.

 

[daxomni]

On a side note why hasn't Apple introduced a toughbook of there own.

I admire Apple products because they're genuinely innovative and stylish, but I've yet to own any portable Apple product that fit my definition of "tough."

 

[jaw04005]

Physical damage VOIDS your warranty. Plain and simple.

Why is this so hard for people to understand? The terms of Apple's warranty clearly state this

Really where?

http://images.apple.com/legal/warranty/docs/cpuwarranty.pdf

 

[mdhwoods]

Really where?

http://images.apple.com/legal/warranty/docs/cpuwarranty.pdf

umm page 1 last paragraph.

This warranty does not apply: (a) to consumable parts, such as batteries, unless damage has occurred due to
a defect in materials or workmanship; (b) to cosmetic damage, including but not limited to scratches, dents
and broken plastic on ports; (c) to damage caused by use with non-Apple products; (d) to damage caused
by accident, abuse, misuse, flood, fire, earthquake or other external causes; (e) to damage caused

 

[lostless]

umm page 1 last paragraph.

This warranty does not apply: (a) to consumable parts, such as batteries, unless damage has occurred due to
a defect in materials or workmanship; (b) to cosmetic damage, including but not limited to scratches, dents
and broken plastic on ports; (c) to damage caused by use with non-Apple products; (d) to damage caused
by accident, abuse, misuse, flood, fire, earthquake or other external causes; (e) to damage caused

Well it states it won't cover cosmetic damage, or damage Caused by the damage. Does not state your whole computer warrenty is void with cosmetic damage. Whats the hard part is for apple is to decide what was caused by the damage, so they go the extreme route, and say that cosmetic damage, be it minor or major, may have caused the issue. Even thogh a customer states the problem started before the blemish.
Ive had the same problem. Genious stated that I had 3 dents. Those guys shurly do a nit pick job, because i only knew of the one. After he showed me the 2 other dents, I had no clue where they came from, since the are barly visible and could of been caused by anything. Doest help that mac book pros are made of aluminum, the softest metal I know (that computers are made of). Will dent at the slightest tap. My 1 dent would not even of showed up on a macbook, which is plastic. I dropped it 1/2 inch whrere it never left my hands. Just barly nicked a brick on a fireplace. But that damage was enogh to, according to the genious, void my 3 year apple care. Amaingly enogh he still replaced my bad battery, but refused to replace my Keyboard with 1 dead LED light, which in no way can be affected by a dent on the top. Whats funny, the genious said to take my computer to a metal repair shop to fix the dents, and then they would cover the keyboard. Went home after that. Called apple care, and they said the dents didnt void the warrenty, but could not tell me what it would cover now with the dents. I said the genious replaced the battery. He put me on hold, and then told me my apple care was good for parts inside, like the CPU, GPU, ect. but any external (Usb ports, KB, monitor) would not be covered now. Im just as confused and still dont know if parts go bad on the computer, they will fix it.

 

[Hrududu]

They are simply following Apple's protocol on this. In the future if something fails on your computer, how can you expect them to fix it if dropping the computer could (and most likely is) responsible for component failure? If it was dropped hard enough to dent the case, chances are good internal parts are effected. Next time be more careful who you allow to use the computer.

 

[GoCubsGo]

There are two sides which should be fully understandable. However, let this be a lesson to everyone. If it breaks get it fixed asap because you never know what may happen later on down the line. Had the issue been a more expensive one I bet Apple would have turned the OP away.

 

[jaw04005]

umm page 1 last paragraph.

This warranty does not apply: (a) to consumable parts, such as batteries, unless damage has occurred due to
a defect in materials or workmanship; (b) to cosmetic damage, including but not limited to scratches, dents
and broken plastic on ports; (c) to damage caused by use with non-Apple products; (d) to damage caused
by accident, abuse, misuse, flood, fire, earthquake or other external causes; (e) to damage caused

That’s not the same thing as:

Physical damage VOIDS your warranty. Plain and simple.

Why is this so hard for people to understand? The terms of Apple's warranty clearly state this.

The terms actually do not state anything of the sort. They state that the warranty will not cover accidental damage.

Your entire warranty is not void, and just because an Apple Retail Store worker (manager or genius) tells you that doesn’t make it so. In the OP’s case, I would deal with AppleCare phone support from here on out as they have the proper escalation channels to deal with these types of issues.

By the way, Apple is the only major PC manufacturer who doesn’t offer any type of accidental damage protection. Yet, their entire line of notebooks is made out of aluminum (except the lonely plastic MacBook), which dents rather easily. Coincidence? I think not.

 

[SeanAppleDude]

Question: Why do today what you can put off until tomorrow?

Answer: Because your sister might drop your computer and then you're royally screwed.

Lesson Learned: Don't procrastinate.

Well, the reason It was put off is because the closet Apple Store is about an hour away, and I'm only 15, so It's not like I could drive there myself.

Oh, of course, but if she is older (and has a sense of responsibilty) she should have to at least contribute for damaging the computer, and directly voiding his warranty.

She's 23...

Apple, Is not at fault here.

I hate seeing people like you in the Apple store, Pissed off, Trying to get crap from Apple and when they don't tell you what you want to hear, You go crazy on them.

Take care of your computers. It will help you in the long run.

~

Last time I'd let your sister use your computer..

Well, I wasn't actually pissed off and attracting attention or anything, I was just a little suprised to find out my warranty would be void because of dent that is like 1/16 of an inch.

They are simply following Apple's protocol on this. In the future if something fails on your computer, how can you expect them to fix it if dropping the computer could (and most likely is) responsible for component failure? If it was dropped hard enough to dent the case, chances are good internal parts are effected. Next time be more careful who you allow to use the computer.

Well, as you may know, Aluminum is probably one of the easiest metals to dent, and bend. My mom has a polycarbonate iBook g4 and it hasn't got a single dent on the whole thing.

 

[nanofrog]

I have an almost three year old MBP which has some miles on it. Dings, scratches, and even a minor curvature dent near the express card slot. All from tons of road usage over the three year period and NONE from dropping it or mishaps etc.

It seems they want to deny as much warranty service, on any excuse, no matter how ludicrous/invalid it is, to reduce their expenditures on faulty hardware.

Any system with some age on it is going to have some cosmetic blemishes, yet have absolutely ZERO bearing on the functionality of the system. There are exceptions of course, but they tend to be really obvious. The OP's system didn't have that appearance.

It seems they say it to attempt to steer off abuse whether your guilty or not.

Unfortunately, this is also the case. Honest people would actually believe it, and make less effort to try to get actual issues repaired under the warranty. The US hasn't much in the way of consumer protection for warranty claims (i.e. make any exceptions/exclusions to the language used in the warranty). Supposedly some states might (state & local laws), but I've never discovered them myself, or heard of any that actually do.

 

[BlueRevolution]

Well, as you may know, Aluminum is probably one of the easiest metals to dent, and bend. My mom has a polycarbonate iBook g4 and it hasn't got a single dent on the whole thing.

That's because polycarbonate doesn't dent. It cracks, it chips, and it breaks. That doesn't have much bearing on damage to the guts of the computer, which I think is the point of contention.

 

[HBOC]

That’s not the same thing as:



The terms actually do not state anything of the sort. They state that the warranty will not cover accidental damage.

Your entire warranty is not void, and just because an Apple Retail Store worker (manager or genius) tells you that doesn’t make it so. In the OP’s case, I would deal with AppleCare phone support from here on out as they have the proper escalation channels to deal with these types of issues.

By the way, Apple is the only major PC manufacturer who doesn’t offer any type of accidental damage protection. Yet, their entire line of notebooks is made out of aluminum (except the lonely plastic MacBook), which dents rather easily. Coincidence? I think not.

If the computer is dropped, THE WHOLE COMPUTER is DROPPED, not just the part that was dented! You cannot drop a laptop in separate parts, so I don't see how the whole computers' warranty is void. I wouldn't expect Apple to cover my hard drive if i dropped the computer and it cracked the screen.

Now maybe if the OP had bought a lowercase and replaced it, and then went to Apple to get it fixed, they wouldn't know it was dropped. He kinda inadvertently shot himself in the foot by taking it in damaged.

True, every genius isn't the same. Some will use their discretion as to what will get fixed... Now I don't agree with what i wrote above, but i UNDERSTAND it. You can't be surprised if you drop a laptop, it causes damage, and then expect it to still be covered under warranty, even though it had been abused, to an extent..

OP, I would make your sister pay for ATLEAST a lower case for your MB. Or just buy it for a reduced price...

 

[ChrisA]

Not really. If the computer breaks, out of warranty, and its her fault, unless she is like 5 years old, she should have to at least contribute to a new computer. You break it, you buy it.

That is exactly it. If a 5 year old breaks something you blame the adult you did not supervise close enough or who had the poor judgement to give a child something valuable. But if the sister is an adult, the loan of the computer always goes with the implication that it be returned undamaged. A responsible adult would never ask to borrow something they could not afford to replace. The problem is in the grey area. we tend to give kids more responsibility as they get older. No one here can know what shade of grey your problem is. If the sister is a teenager then it is wrong to treat her as either a 5 year old or an adult. An in-between solution is best.

 

[jecapaga]

Well, as you may know, Aluminum is probably one of the easiest metals to dent, and bend. My mom has a polycarbonate iBook g4 and it hasn't got a single dent on the whole thing.

You know there is a multi-quote function when you want to respond to more than one person, yes?

 

[Consultant]

Well, as you may know, Aluminum is probably one of the easiest metals to dent, and bend. My mom has a polycarbonate iBook g4 and it hasn't got a single dent on the whole thing.

Aluminum is used extensively in modern aircraft due to its high strength to weight ratio.

 

[surflordca]

Harsh suggestion.

She is the one that dropped it. She buy's him a new computer and keeps the old one. I don't see a problem with that...

 

[uberamd]

They are simply following Apple's protocol on this. In the future if something fails on your computer, how can you expect them to fix it if dropping the computer could (and most likely is) responsible for component failure? If it was dropped hard enough to dent the case, chances are good internal parts are effected. Next time be more careful who you allow to use the computer.

This.

Dropping a computer can cause any unknown damage to the internals. If the hard drive was active at the time it could easily damage the drive, or cause internal damage that is obviously not visible from the outside. I have done computer repair for years, I know this happens. Someone drops it and the HD suddenly doesn't work, wireless stops working, etc. A drop can damage the internals, and thus Apple has a policy to protect against negligence.

 

[MasterDev]

The OP should be super happy that they still fixed the one issue. Usually they wouldn't even look twice after seeing it was dropped. Especially the asshats at the Indianapolis Apple store.

But still, OP, realize you good a good deal out of this, or get a life.

 

[daxomni]

Here's what I took away from this thread...

1. Don't buy an AppleSortaCare warranty for portable devices, as Apple apparently can't handle the idea that portable things might get scratched and dinged and will try to wiggle their way out of any future repairs once it no longer looks relatively new.

2. If for some reason you ignored point number one and bought AppleCare anyway, try to work with the phone bank over the Apple stores as you're likely to get a slightly more reasonable result than some random genius dude decides to give you. Many moons ago I worked for a retail repair shop and the mood over there was that any customers looking for a "free" repair under warranty were nothing more than cheapskate adversaries just out to screw us over. Looks like the Apple geniuses might have a somewhat similar mindset.

3. If your sister borrows your laptop and ends up voiding your warrant by scratching or denting it then she can expect to pay for any future repairs that aren't covered by the warranty during the period you purchased it for.

Sound about right?

 

[burns863]

I read most of the first page of posts and then didn't even bother reading the second page.

After recently leaving Apple as an employee in one of their retail stores it massively annoys me to hear people whinging and whining about issues caused only by themselves.

As stated clearly (and in greater depth than this), Apples Warranty does not cover cosmetic damage or damage caused by such damage. Its a clear cut, black and white situation.

Thankfully for you, Apple's customer service is second to none (despite what people like you make it out to be), and they have been understanding enough to carry out the repair for you anyway. I have genuinely never worked for a company that does so much for its customers. It used to frustrate me no end to see customers getting angry and annoyed at employees in the store when usually they had nobody to blame but themselves.

Your sister dropped it. Unlucky. That is not Apple's fault. Read the Warranty wording and get over it.

 

[HBOC]

Here's what I took away from this thread...

1. Don't buy an AppleSortaCare warranty for portable devices, as Apple apparently can't handle the idea that portable things might get scratched and dinged and will try to wiggle their way out of any future repairs once it no longer looks relatively new.

2. If for some reason you ignored point number one and bought AppleCare anyway, try to work with the phone bank over the Apple stores as you're likely to get a slightly more reasonable result than some random genius dude decides to give you. Many moons ago I worked for a retail repair shop and the mood over there was that any customers looking for a "free" repair under warranty were nothing more than cheapskate adversaries just out to screw us over. Looks like the Apple geniuses might have a somewhat similar mindset.

3. If your sister borrows your laptop and ends up voiding your warrant by scratching or denting it then she can expect to pay for any future repairs that aren't covered by the warranty during the period you purchased it for.

Sound about right?

I don't know what world you are living in, but Apple doesn't market their products as bomb proof, drop proof, waterproof, crush proof, bullet proof, fail proof, etc. It is common sense (well, apparently not, it seems, which is sad) to most folk that you drop an expensive product with a lot of important, expensive and somewhat fragile moving parts inside, that it 1) will probably cause damage, both internal and external, and 2) will probably void the warranty, unless the warranty states, such as some Best Buy warranties do, that you can throw it off a cliff and they will replace it.

AppleCare has NEVER or WILL EVER cover abuse due to negligence and/or abuse due to careless acts. You put a cup of coffee right next to your MBP, a cat comes over and knocks it over onto your MBP. You expect Apple to cover this? If that is the case, maybe you are better off getting a tuff book or whatever they are called.

Furthermore, I have not had a bad experience with any genius's before. They have always gone above and beyond what I have expected, and even dropped some knowledge onto me about things i didn't know. I know that not everyone has had great experiences with the G, but overall, they have a good rep..

 

[BlueRevolution]

I read most of the first page of posts and then didn't even bother reading the second page.

After recently leaving Apple as an employee in one of their retail stores it massively annoys me to hear people whinging and whining about issues caused only by themselves.

As stated clearly (and in greater depth than this), Apples Warranty does not cover cosmetic damage or damage caused by such damage. Its a clear cut, black and white situation.

Thankfully for you, Apple's customer service is second to none (despite what people like you make it out to be), and they have been understanding enough to carry out the repair for you anyway. I have genuinely never worked for a company that does so much for its customers. It used to frustrate me no end to see customers getting angry and annoyed at employees in the store when usually they had nobody to blame but themselves.

Your sister dropped it. Unlucky. That is not Apple's fault. Read the Warranty wording and get over it.

Hear, hear.

 

[nanofrog]

...Apples Warranty does not cover cosmetic damage or damage caused by such damage. Its a clear cut, black and white situation.

It seems the broken BlueTooth board wasn't damaged by the impact though, according to the first post. The OP messed up by waiting to take it in to be repaired prior to the impact. So it's not so clear cut. They still repaired it, which isn't anything to complain about. But it's the comment that "They'd no longer perform any warranty work" on the system that caused the post to begin with IMO. I'd expect such a statement, but it's not the best for customer service.

Cosmetic damage from an impact, especially if it's a minor one, doesn't necessarily mean there's internal damage. You'd have to disassemble it and test the individual parts to determine the cause. That takes time, and translates into money for any company. They don't want to invest that kind of funds in warranty support. It does mean they have to draw a line somewhere, but if you open a system up, you can usually tell what happened (impact or not, as you'll find broken connectors and such). Not doing so is bad for customer service, and gives the impression (rightly so), that such a practice is being used as an excuse to refuse claims, thus saving the company money. It's a different story if they at least open it up, and give an explaination (specifics to that system, at that time) as to why it wasn't going to be covered.

I've seen many things with electronics, and even what appeared to be impact damage, was in fact a bad solder joint (i.e. run too fast, inadequate flux,...). Especially with the lead free solders on the market. They're not truly eutectic, and the microstructure isn't as good as it could be (especially when compared to leaded versions). It forms layers, as the component metals solidify at different temps, not singularly as a true eutectic alloy would. This is one of those situations that would need an extensive investigation to find, but won't be done. It's expensive (very time consuming), and unfortunately, more common than most people might think. It's usually only done to discover the causality of high failures on an assembly line.

 

[bruinsrme]

If you want a warranty that covers spills, drops, and almost anything else you can think of buy a Dell with complete care.
they have fixed everything I have called in about which includes the laptop falling in a snow bank, a coffee spilled right over the keyboard thanks to a moron tripping over his bag, falling out of the computer bag way too much cran and vodka, falling off a table due to my parrot wanting some attention (she got it) and so on.
Best $249 I have spent.
I would love an apple but having the insurance of next day (including weekends) on site repairs is the primary reason I haven't switched.
A mac mini might be in the future.