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Spilled coffee on my Macbook pro keyboard, then apple breaks my screen!!

M

mhashem

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Sep 16, 2012
6
0
So the other day I spilled coffee on my macbook pro keyboard. The instant it happened i turned the laptop upside down, turned it off, and wiped the coffee off. Hours later i turn it back on and its working perfectly. A few hours after that the keys stop working, obviously the keyboard got fried. A few days later i take it to apple to get it repaired, mind you the laptop was working perfectly despte the keyboard being broken. They tell me i have to pay $240 to get it repaird and i was completely okay with that and so I give them the go ahead to repair it. A week later they tell me the repair is complete. I pick it up to see that they replaced the keyboard, but also saw that the screen was now damaged (mind you, it wasnt damaged when i brought it in). I ask the technican *** happened and he said that it was a result of the coffee, which i completely doubted as i had the laptop 3 days prior to bringing it in and the screen was FINE. Also, there was definitely not enough coffee to do that much damage. After arguing for an hour i saw that it was getting nowhere so I decided to walk away.

NOW, i would like to here your opinions(the pic of the laptop is below in the link), was this damage a result of the coffee or the incompetence of a genius technician?

THE LINK SHOULD WORK NOW!
http://s1269.photobucket.com/albums/jj599/Iraqi247/?action=view&current=05eeed78.jpg
 
Last edited:
Link doesn't work and I wouldn't pay for the repairs. Your estimate should have covered the fixes to get your computer to properly work again (minus cosmetic).
 
mhashem said:
So the other day I spilled coffee on my macbook pro keyboard. The instant it happened i turned the laptop upside down, turned it off, and wiped the coffee off. Hours later i turn it back on and its working perfectly. A few hours after that the keys stop working, obviously the keyboard got fried. A few days later i take it to apple to get it repaired, mind you the laptop was working perfectly despte the keyboard being broken. They tell me i have to pay $240 to get it repaird and i was completely okay with that and so I give them the go ahead to repair it. A week later they tell me the repair is complete. I pick it up to see that they replaced the keyboard, but also saw that the screen was now damaged (mind you, it wasnt damaged when i brought it in). I ask the technican *** happened and he said that it was a result of the coffee, which i completely doubted as i had the laptop 3 days prior to bringing it in and the screen was FINE. Also, there was definitely not enough coffee to do that much damage. After arguing for an hour i saw that it was getting nowhere so I decided to walk away.

NOW, i would like to here your opinions(the pic of the laptop is below in the link), was this damage a result of the coffee or the incompetence of a genius technician?

http://s1269.photobucket.com/albums/jj599/Iraqi247/?action=view&current=b8338514
Click to expand...

Your link doesnt work and tell me how coffee got from the base/keyboard to the screen? Doesnt seem probable at all. I would be livid.
 
mhashem said:
So the other day I spilled coffee on my macbook pro keyboard. The instant it happened i turned the laptop upside down, turned it off, and wiped the coffee off. Hours later i turn it back on and its working perfectly. A few hours after that the keys stop working, obviously the keyboard got fried. A few days later i take it to apple to get it repaired, mind you the laptop was working perfectly despte the keyboard being broken. They tell me i have to pay $240 to get it repaird and i was completely okay with that and so I give them the go ahead to repair it. A week later they tell me the repair is complete. I pick it up to see that they replaced the keyboard, but also saw that the screen was now damaged (mind you, it wasnt damaged when i brought it in). I ask the technican *** happened and he said that it was a result of the coffee, which i completely doubted as i had the laptop 3 days prior to bringing it in and the screen was FINE. Also, there was definitely not enough coffee to do that much damage. After arguing for an hour i saw that it was getting nowhere so I decided to walk away.

NOW, i would like to here your opinions(the pic of the laptop is below in the link), was this damage a result of the coffee or the incompetence of a genius technician?

http://s1269.photobucket.com/albums/jj599/Iraqi247/?action=view&current=b8338514
Click to expand...

If they said it'd cost $240 to repair, I'm assuming you'd get it back good as new after repaired.

Does not make sense to repair only the keyboard and when you receive it they'll tell you that your screen is broken so now you have to repair that too.

Everything should have been done all at once.

At the Apple store you should have said " I paid for a repair yet its still broken" they should take it in for a repair again.
 
I honestly argued with them for a solid hour and they still wouldn't budge. There only reply to everything i said was that the coffee did it and they weren't responsible for anything. I was pissed off and knew i was right, but I also knew that i could do nothing about it. At the end of the day, i did spill the coffee and because of that they can shrug the damaged screen has a result of the coffee and not their stupidity.
 
mhashem said:
I honestly argued with them for a solid hour and they still wouldn't budge. There only reply to everything i said was that the coffee did it and they weren't responsible for anything. I was pissed off and knew i was right, but I also knew that i could do nothing about it. At the end of the day, i did spill the coffee and because of that they can shrug the damaged screen has a result of the coffee and not their stupidity.
Click to expand...

I would have let it dried out for days before turning it on, then I would have taken it in and said something is wrong. Take it to a new store.
 
mhashem said:
I honestly argued with them for a solid hour and they still wouldn't budge. There only reply to everything i said was that the coffee did it and they weren't responsible for anything. I was pissed off and knew i was right, but I also knew that i could do nothing about it. At the end of the day, i did spill the coffee and because of that they can shrug the damaged screen has a result of the coffee and not their stupidity.
Click to expand...

I would escalate the matter. I'm trying to think of what would cause such erratic bleed. It's like they pulled the display apart and didn't reassemble it correctly, although I don't think they go as far as to disassemble displays. I'm pretty sure they'd replace something like that. When they took it in, didn't they do an inspection?
 
I did exactly that. I also took out the keys, cleaned up, and then took it to apple. That did nothing for me, those pricks still blamed the damaged screen on the coffee.

----------
thekev said:
I would escalate the matter. I'm trying to think of what would cause such erratic bleed. It's like they pulled the display apart and didn't reassemble it correctly, although I don't think they go as far as to disassemble displays. I'm pretty sure they'd replace something like that. When they took it in, didn't they do an inspection?
Click to expand...

Yes, they did an inspection, and the display was not DAMAGED. It was perfect. That's the issue. How does a screen go from undamaged before a repair to damaged after a repair? I am actually going to call applecare tomorrow and escalate it to a manager. The apple store manager was apparently to 'busy' to come talk to me.
 
I'm not sure why people keep doing this. Call AppleCare. Explain the situation. Be honest and tell them about your experience at the store.

I've had issues with the Apple stores and warranty claims. I've had issues with the Apple store and warranty extensions. I've never had a problem when I've called in to AppleCare.
 
mhashem said:
I did exactly that. I also took out the keys, cleaned up, and then took it to apple. That did nothing for me, those pricks still blamed the damaged screen on the coffee.

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Yes, they did an inspection, and the display was not DAMAGED. It was perfect. That's the issue. How does a screen go from undamaged before a repair to damaged after a repair? I am actually going to call applecare tomorrow and escalate it to a manager. The apple store manager was apparently to 'busy' to come talk to me.
Click to expand...

This is a weird type of display issue. It has the look of extreme backlight bleed, yet I'm not sure what other things can cause it. You should call Applecare. If Applecare doesn't help you, email executive relations. This is not something that should ever happen. I avoid eating or drinking around computers as I would inevitably do something like this.
 
Apple Geniuses not so much, I've had my troubles with them you have to argue and argue and prove them wrong, If I were I wouldn't have walked away you should've received your laptop in the same condition you left it in ( I assume the screen was working fine just the keyboard screwing up)+ it doesn't make sense that when they took it in they just diagnosed the keyboard issue, did they mention anything at all about the screen? lastly isn't there a flat fee for out of warranty devices like $300 that would've replaced the screen and keyboard? I could be wrong

their story just doesn't add up
 
whoknows87 said:
Apple Geniuses not so much, I've had my troubles with them you have to argue and argue and prove them wrong, If I were I wouldn't have walked away you should've received your laptop in the same condition you left it in ( I assume the screen was working fine just the keyboard screwing up)+ it doesn't make sense that when they took it in they just diagnosed the keyboard issue, did they mention anything at all about the screen? lastly isn't there a flat fee for out of warranty devices like $300 that would've replaced the screen and keyboard? I could be wrong

their story just doesn't add up
Click to expand...

I think you have it backwards.
 
calderone said:
I think you have it backwards.
Click to expand...

:D , if he gave them the laptop with a fully functional undamaged screen , he should get it back in that same condition

I once had an apple genius tell me that their repair on my device might've caused further damage..... yes those were his words so I made it clear that I will not leave this store until I inspect and make sure this MB is in the same condition as i left it, that's when he went to get the manager..... you gotta be kidding me your repair causes further damage and I have to pay for it? not a chance in ....
 
whoknows87 said:
:D , if he gave them the laptop with a fully functional undamaged screen , he should get it back in that same condition

I once had an apple genius tell me that their repair on my device might've caused further damage..... yes those were his words so I made it clear that I will not leave this store until I inspect and make sure this MB is in the same condition as i left it, that's when he went to get the manager..... you gotta be kidding me your repair causes further damage and I have to pay for it? not a chance in ....
Click to expand...

The keyboard was fine after the spill, then went bad, same could happen with the display.
 
If I were that genius I would have denied service because if you spilled coffee on it then most likely other components would have gotten damaged its more of a liability because now you think they messed up your screen. when most likely you did it when you flip it upside down...
 
after coffee spill and laptop upside down then I would wipe it dry BUT I would NOT turn it on...Let Apple take care of it knowing they did turn on and they BROKE it. :apple:

Also I would take video of Apple store opens the laptop for evidence. :apple:
 
It's a shot in the dark, but there was an Apple article from several years ago that addresses what looks to be a very similar effect you have on your system:

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1258

Have you tried resetting the LED backlights?

As per the article link above, Apple recommends:

1.Press Control - Shift - Eject.
2.After the display goes to sleep, wake it by pressing any key on the keyboard.

Hope you get it sorted.
 
Half of the LED backlight bar is not operating. It's not uncommon, and rarely has anything to do with anything internal to the screen. Usually it's due to a problem from the inverter, which is powered via a connector on the logic board. It's entirely possible that the liquid spill made it to that connector, but didn't present the problem immediately because it needed time to seep into a connector, or shorted out the connection with the residue left after it dried, etc.

Speaking as a technician, they should have noticed it, but it doesn't make it their fault that it happened. I'd say the chances of them causing that accidentally are somewhere around 1/1000. Most likely it's simply another symptom of the liquid spill or an unrelated failure that happened in the same timeframe (and yes, I would say that's more likely than the technician causing the problem).

jW
 
I think the OP is not telling us the complete story. I believe the apple store initially gave quote to fix for $250 before opening and inspecting to fix the keyboard. Then once they opened, they found left over residue of coffee that has seeped through keyboard and damaged the logic board. The LCD problem you are seeing isn't from a damaged screen but logic board. A short on a fuse or damaged LVDS cable from the coffee is causing the backlight to dim at the bottom. The actual screen isn't damaged.
 
Just to update everyone, I escalated the matter to a Apple Customer Relations representative. The representative listened to what i had to say, and thereafter called the manager of the Apple Store that gave me trouble. An hour later, she calls me back and says the technician at the genius bar s 'sticking to his guns', meaning he is still arguing that it was the coffee that did the damage. However, to my suprise, she offered to fix the damaged screen at Apple's expense(parts+ labour covered). I honestly did not expect that, and I am suprised of the extent to which able is willing to go to keep its customers satisfied(even if they do believe that I caused the damage). All in all, I am NOW a happy camper.

Thanks for the help guys!
 
pretty obvious that once you flipped your macbook upside down, coffee got into the monitor connections. but good thing apple is extremely lenient with dealing with people trying to scam free repairs.
 
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