Popular YouTuber Says Apple Won't Fix His iMac Pro Damaged While Disassembled

[2010lexus]

Linus Sebastian, who runs the popular YouTube channel Linus Tech Tips, recently shared a video in which he claimed Apple and an Apple Authorized Service Provider denied to service his damaged iMac Pro.

For background, Sebastian and his team fully disassembled the iMac Pro in January for their video review, which shows components like the main logic board and memory modules laid out individually. The real-time footage of the damage occurring in the new video appears to be a reenactment with visual effects.

The damage resulted when they dropped the display while attempting to reattach it to the aluminum chassis. Towards the end of the video, Sebastian also says the iMac Pro requires a new logic board and power supply unit, suggesting there may have been a short circuit that caused damage to internal components as well.

Sebastian contacted Apple to inquire about repair options, and visited the Genius Bar at an Apple Store, but the company ultimately declined to service the iMac Pro. In an email, an Apple support advisor placed blame on limited availability of replacement parts, but the actual reason is likely rooted in policy.

As has long been the case, Apple's terms and conditions for repairs stipulates that the company will not service products that have failed due to "unauthorized modification," including "faulty installation, repair, or maintenance by anyone other than Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider."

Apple's limited one-year warranty is also void if a product has "damage caused by service, including upgrades and expansions, performed by anyone who is not a representative of Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider."

In his defense, Sebastian confirms he is aware of those policies, but his argument is that Apple should still be obligated to repair the iMac Pro if he pays out-of-warranty fees. In the video's comments section, reaction is mixed, with some people agreeing with him and others siding with Apple.

iMac Pro is a non-user-upgradeable, all-in-one workstation by design, so it's easy to see why Apple may not be interested in servicing one that was fully disassembled. While the team at Linus Tech Tips may be more tech savvy than some, a lot can go wrong when an average customer tampers with internals.

After the repair was declined by Apple, Sebastian and his team contacted an Apple Authorized Service Provider in Canada, where they are located. The repair shop also declined the repair, but their reason was allegedly that Apple has yet to offer the required certification courses to service the iMac Pro.

However, Apple's internal iMac Pro Service Readiness Guide obtained by MacRumors states that ATLAS online training and learning resources for servicing the iMac Pro have been available in English since December. We also spoke to multiple sources who completed the course and received certification months ago.

The guide adds that iMac Pro service parts availability began in early to mid January, with replacement logic boards, flash storage, and memory available by late February. Multiple sources at Apple Authorized Service Providers also confirmed that iMac Pro displays are available with two-week-or-less delivery estimates.

MacRumors contacted a reliable source who confirmed that Apple Authorized Service Providers are permitted to deny service for any product that has been opened or modified by a customer, regardless of warranty, both for safety reasons and to avoid responsibility if the machine cannot be fixed.

In the end, Apple has to draw a line somewhere, and not everyone will agree with it. MacRumors contacted Apple, but a spokesperson declined to comment. We've also contacted Linus Tech Tips for comment.

Article Link: Popular YouTuber Says Apple Won't Fix His iMac Pro Damaged While Disassembled

You know all you people that just say how much you hate this guy and then thinks it’s ok for Apple to refuse to fix or send replacement parts for his iMac pro are just wrong.
What he is doing is showing you how poor Apple’s customer service and product support is. But then again most people on MacRumors think Apple can do no wrong.
Apple this just shows how bad your product support is

 

[Michael Goff]

You know all you people that just say how much you hate this guy and then thinks it’s ok for Apple to refuse to fix or send replacement parts for his iMac pro are just wrong.
What he is doing is showing you how poor Apple’s customer service and product support is. But then again most people on MacRumors think Apple can do no wrong.
Apple this just shows how bad your product support is

Or he's showing that there are rules and if you break them it doesn't matter how rich you are. I mean, I had an entire MacBook Pro fixed because of thunderstorm damage, outside of warranty, for 128$. Apple has the best customer service. This guy knew what he did was wrong and he did it anyway.

 

[2010lexus]

How is it bad behavior to do something against the rules, where it says they won't fix it, and then go over to them and expect them to repair it? Maybe it's not about the money, maybe it's about there being a single set of rules for everyone. Maybe there shouldn't be a set of rules for the rich and another for the rest of us. I don't expect anyone to do anything if the rules say they won't.

How about supporting your products. And when someone needs parts to fix a product that you manufactured you support them and sell them the part. Why should you care how the computer got broken as long as it’s not a warranty issue

 

[alzo]

Can you thumbs down a post?

 

[2010lexus]

Or he's showing that there are rules and if you break them it doesn't matter how rich you are. I mean, I had an entire MacBook Pro fixed because of thunderstorm damage, outside of warranty, for 128$. Apple has the best customer service. This guy knew what he did was wrong and he did it anyway.

So if you buy a computer from Apple you can only do certain things to your computer or on your computer or you can’t get parts for it. Is that the rules you agree to when you buy a computer from Apple.

 

[Michael Goff]

How about supporting your products. And when someone needs parts to fix a product that you manufactured you support them and sell them the part. Why should you care how the computer got broken as long as it’s not a warranty issue

So you suggest anyone should be able to do anything and Apple should thus be forced to deal with his bad behavior? No company would do that. I had a screen break on my original RT and had to tell Microsoft the machine was running slow and they needed to send me a replacement. That was actually the idea from support, for the record.

So if you buy a computer from Apple you can only do certain things to your computer or on your computer or you can’t get parts for it. Is that the rules you agree to when you buy a computer from Apple.

If you buy a computer, there are only certain things you can do or they won't sell you the parts. The only difference here is that Apple designs their computers and doesn't just buy a whole bin of off the shelf parts.

 

[2010lexus]

So you suggest anyone should be able to do anything and Apple should thus be forced to deal with his bad behavior? No company would do that. I had a screen break on my original RT and had to tell Microsoft the machine was running slow and they needed to send me a replacement. That was actually the idea from support, for the record.



If you buy a computer, there are only certain things you can do or they won't sell you the parts. The only difference here is that Apple designs their computers and doesn't just buy a whole bin of off the shelf parts.

Most companies if you need replacement part for whatever product it my be. Will be more then happy to sell you or an authorized dealer the part. And they won’t ask why or how did it get broken. Because if you did a no no we won’t sell you the part.

 

[Michael Goff]

Most companies if you need replacement part for whatever product it my be. Will be more then happy to sell you or an authorized dealer the part. And they won’t ask why or how did it get broken. Because if you did a no no we won’t sell you the part.

I want to live in whatever fantasy world you live in.

 

[teohyc]

I'm wondering... So if you accidentally dropped the iMac Pro, bent the feet so bad it can't stand, Apple also has the right to refuse repair?

Or basically any part that you accidentally damage, like if you plugging in a spoilt USB cable and damaged a USB port, Apple can refuse repair?

Does the two examples sound right? Both accidental damage by user and obviously not covered by warranty.

 

[Michael Goff]

I'm wondering... So if you accidentally dropped the iMac Pro, bent the feet so bad it can't stand, Apple also has the right to refuse repair?

Or basically any part that you accidentally damage, like if you plugging in a spoilt USB cable and damaged a USB port, Apple can refuse repair?

Does the two examples sound right? Both accidental damage by user and obviously not covered by warranty.

If Apple refused to repair a thing, there's not a lot I can do. But typically, Apple goes above and beyond as long as it isn't perfectly clear it wasn't an accident.

 

[0007776]

Not repairing it under warranty is reasonable, but it makes no sense that they wouldn’t take his money and do an out of warranty repair.

 

[paul4339]

I'm wondering... So if you accidentally dropped the iMac Pro, bent the feet so bad it can't stand, Apple also has the right to refuse repair?

Or basically any part that you accidentally damage, like if you plugging in a spoilt USB cable and damaged a USB port, Apple can refuse repair?

Does the two examples sound right? Both accidental damage by user and obviously not covered by warranty.

Correct... when Apple (or most other companies) repairs something, they guarantee that it’s repaired... so if the damage is bad enough (or odd/special enough) that they deem they can’t repair it, they will tell your to go to an AASP. Also, if you meddle with it, Apple will not touch it and recommend you go to an AASP.

The AASP will also have to option not to touch if they deem they can’t repair it or it’s not worthwhile to tackle.

In this case the AASP that Linus contacted didn’t have the training to repair MacPro, so they aren’t allowed to sell parts or work on it until they get certified.

All Linus had to do was to tell Apple it was an accident and NOT tell them that it was meddled with (or find an AASP that has training).

 

[Michael Goff]

Not repairing it under warranty is reasonable, but it makes no sense that they wouldn’t take his money and do an out of warranty repair.

Nah, it makes perfect sense. They apparently looked it over and determined it wasn't a job they wanted to take.

 

[Markoth]

If you buy a BMW and crash it, BMW won't fix it, you'll have to find a third party repairer.
If you buy a Rolex, and drop it, Rolex won't fix it, you'll have to find a third party repairer.
If you buy a Burberry Jacket, and you tear it, Burberry won't fix it, you'll have to find a third party repairer.
If you buy a pair of Ray Bans, and you step on them, Ray Bans won't fix them, you'll have to find a third party repairer.
If you buy a Sony stereo and you break it, Sony won't fix it, you'll have to find a third party repairer. (Sony won't even fix your item if it breaks under warranty, they just will pay the bill when you get it repaired somewhere else - I know this from experience.

Yes if any of these products broke as a result of manufacturers defect, then BMW, Rolex, Burberry and every other company I can think of have to offer a repair or replacement. Otherwise if you break it you are on your own. Anyone who thinks this is Apple's responsibility needs to start bitching about every other company on the planet because this happens with everything all the time.

Honestly, this whole thing is ridiculous.

Except they weren’t able to find an authorized third party who could get the parts...

 

[MandiMac]

I'm wondering... So if you accidentally dropped the iMac Pro, bent the feet so bad it can't stand, Apple also has the right to refuse repair?

Or basically any part that you accidentally damage, like if you plugging in a spoilt USB cable and damaged a USB port, Apple can refuse repair?

I don't think disassembling an entire machine and destroying it in the process counts as "accidentally". Remember an iMac is not user-servicable except for the RAM slot in the 27" version and thus not meant to be cracked open. I think it's a drastic answer, but not completely unforeseeable. If you dropped your iMac or damage an USB port - AppleCare is there for you.

 

[ROGmaster]

If you disassemble your HP/Dell/Lenovo/Sony laptop into a bunch of modules and parts, and in the process damage some of those modules/parts:

Will HP/Dell/Lenovo/Sony take that bunch of modules/parts, perform an out-of-warranty repair for the laptop for a fee, with that repair being warranted?

If not, will HP/Dell/Asus/Sony sell you modules/parts so you can do the repair and assembly yourself?

First Sony is not in the laptop business anymore.
Second HP, Dell, Lenovo are very big with business clients so going by their track record there is absolutely no reason to assume they couldn't of wouldn't fix any of their computers even if they are out of warranty and the damage was intentional.

 

[umusachi]

So you're saying the rules should mean nothing? Why bother having rules?

I’m saying I strongly disagree with the rules Apple impose in this instance. It promotes obsolescence and waste. People should be allowed to service their own products. And if they break it in the process Apple should not exclude them from a paid repair service. Imagine if you weren’t allowed to order parts if you serviced your own car..

 

[Miwarlock]

What seems to be missing here is the understanding that Apple clearly states what it will do either in or out of warranty at their discretion. If you don’t agree with those terms you don’t purchase the computer.

What we’re failing to understand is Apple’s point. If you purchase the repair parts and either have one of their techs, a 3rd party authorized tech or non-authorized tech service the iMacPro and it doesn’t work or worst even then it’s the first thing you’re going to do is get on YT and announce Apple, or 3rd party didn’t fix it.

From my understanding, the guy is better off just replacing the computer with a new one since the price of repairs and labor would end up costing him more then a new one in the long run.

Back in 1999 I bought an iMac then and knew the deal about the non-customer serviceable parts. I knew if I opened the iMac that I would void the warranty. I did it anyways because I wanted to upgrade the ram and that model require low-profile ram. I could not find low profile so, I got what was available which required me to cut the heat shield of the processor sure the ram worked but then the iMac stopped working because of the heat and shielding wasn’t protected.

I tried to out-smart The Apple tech guy took my iMac in stating it just stopped working. After a few hours I got a call that they would not fix the iMac in or out of warranty because I opened it up and had damaged the heat shield to the processor and installed the incorrect ram profile. As blue faced I became I knew it was my fault, sure I would have loved to have Apple repair the iMac at. My expense, but Apple would not touch it. It comes down to no matter how we may feel about this situation or where we stand either for Apple or the idiot who damaged his computer. Reading the warranty and any disclaimer should have been enough warning. Void warranty if tampered with, or opened by unauthorized service techs.

Apple like many of the computer industry always state they have the right refuse service.

 

[himanshumodi]

He has a channel with decent viewership and is using it to let people know about an absurd and consumer hostile policy that Apple has in place. We used to call that journalism. If you replaced Apple with Microsoft or Google or Facebook, everyone here would be applauding what he did.

This is not journalism. This is a tantrum. The issue here is also not of fan-boyism. Which seems to be the immediate go-to for people when someone thinks Apple was in the right. Most users here I am sure consume products from all the companies that you mentioned. And Apple is not immune to market wrath as was witnessed during the whole battery-gate episode.

As I said, I do believe a middle-ground where Apple provides spares for third-party vendors to repair Apple products should be reasonable. It distances Apple and removes culpability in case repaired products do not work. It transfers the risk of repairs to the user and third-parties. However, as the incidences of third-party repairs increase, there is a good chance that repair failure rate will also increase, and there is a gradual perception that Apple's reliability is no better than any alternative OEM. as a business policy, it is perfectly reaosnable for Apple to not undertake that risk. It is then upto them to ensure the resiliency of their devices and ensure repairs of in-warranty devices without abusing customer trust and delivering up to their expectation.

 

[Maxx Power]

"used to" = past tense

Not the same as DO.

We look forward to what may happen in the future by examining what happened in the past. Even our laws work this way.
[doublepost=1524212987][/doublepost]

I think the stuff that corecomputers did led apple cutting off selling people parts.
https://www.geek.com/apple/apple-uses-supplier-contracts-to-shut-down-mac-clone-company-552747/

That was 2003 though. The Anandtech Mac Pro incident was in 2009. So I am not seeing how this temporal progression is supposed to work.

 

[Commentist]

It is his property. He can do as he likes.

Your perspective is obviously risk-aversive. Many other perspectives aren't.

If I knew something I owned was hard/impossible to repair, then I'd be prepared to throw it away if I took it apart
and couldn't fix it. That's just the consequence of taking the risk.

 

[Maxx Power]

If I knew something I owned was hard/impossible to repair, then I'd be prepared to throw it away if I took it apart
and couldn't fix it. That's just the consequence of taking the risk.

That's your subjective interpretation with an "if". For instance - did Linus know that he was going to break all those parts? How could any of us have that level of foresight? In my opinion, willing to pay for all damages is a completely reasonable way of handling the responsibilities. Before you even mention that iMacs are not meant to be serviced, let me point out that websites like iFixit and MacSales exist to show that plenty of sufficiently-skilled people are working on the internals and are not afraid to source and swap parts.

I have pointed this out a few times already, but Anand of Anandtech broke a Mac Pro's logic board during his review in an attempt to upgrade the CPUs. In hindsight, did he feel that the Mac Pro was technically beyond him to service? It was fixed when an AASP proactively reached out to him and provided him a part for a fee. "Hard" is highly subjective and "impossible" is impossible. If it can be built, it can be repaired.

 

[mcfromthed]

I worked for Apple and saw similar experiences. If a customer came in with an iPhone that wasn't working properly or had been damaged, and we discovered it was a 3rd party display on the device, we would straight up deny service. We would instruct them to go back to wherever they received the repair and obtain their original display before we could assist. While they didn't install any 3rd party parts, they did however open a machine that they were not supposed to, giving Apple the right to deny service on it. If Apple did indeed take the machine in for repair and something else happened to be not functioning properly from what Linus did, Apple would be on the hook for it and would not be able to prove they did not screw something up.

 

[laptech]

The issue of 'Entitlement' appears strong regarding Linus attempting to throw money at Apple to get his brand new computer fixed. He buys a brand new iMac Pro with the sole intention of taking it apart for a new 'breakdown' youtube video for his channel. Reassembling the unit they break it, in the video you clearly see the front panel glass being dropped. What you also hear in the video is Linus specifically saying that it will probably need a new motherboard and power supply.

He is not Apple certified nor is he an Apple certified technician but yet his actions or those of his employees in reassembling a brand new Apple computer they have no experience in caused the computer to become faulty. Now they are expecting Apple to fix it or provide them the means to do so.

My question would be why?, they took it apart, they re-assembled it badly causing it to go faulty so why are people saying Apple should repair it or provide the parts to do so, a sense of 'entitlement' maybe, 'i can do what i want and you are obligated to fix it'.

This was no 'accident', it was not moved then accidentally dropped, it was intentionally disassembled and badly reassembled. Apple should not be forced to repair something done in this manner.

 

[shadowmatt]

For the record I had one of those MBP GPU repairs refused because there was allegedly signs of liquid on the optical drive. Not liquid damage, just liquid. The optical drive worked fine and the GPU failed the diagnostic to qualify it for replacement.

As for your other points, yes Apple did allow more repairs in the past. You can replace a board in an Xserve without a screwdriver if you're lucky. The sad fact is that the following list of things:

Lawsuits;
Health & Safety Regulations;
Entitlement;
Idiots who can afford expensive toys;

Have all been trending upwards for quite some time.

Thet refused to fix a manufacturing defect because of an unrelated component. Was this Apple or a authorised service centre?

A lot of is probably depends on the manager of the store and if you are a business customer I guess. I have pulled out the business angle before to get them to behave. But trading standards can be quite helpful in a lot of cases, mentioning such things, especially with admitted manufacturing defects seems to make them change their mind.