Anyone who can help I'm absolutely desperate and would appreciate it sooo much!!!! I was using my two month old macbook to check my email when out of nowhere it shut off. The next day I took it to the genius bar and they shipped it off to the repair place. The "genius" assured me that it should be covered under warranty since the computer is literally only two months old. Today I received an email saying that my liquid damage sensor was triggered and that the repair will be $750!!!! I honestly have never let a drop of liquid touch this computer, it's the most valuable thing I own and I treat it as such. What's more, I live in Colorado, one of the driest places ever and highly doubt it was any type of condensation. The manager of my local store said that these liquid sensors are foolproof and that I have no other option but to pay the fee or give up on my brand new prized computer. My question is: is there really such a thing as foolproof? Are they actually so arrogant that they believe that their technology is perfect? How can I fight this? I bought an Apple computer thinking that Apple is an ethical company that actually cares about its customers, not a corporate monster. They are behaving just about as monstrously as any evil corporation I can think of. I am a recent college graduate and am about to spend the next year teaching underprivileged children English abroad, earning just about enough money to cover my basic living expenses. Please HELP!
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supposed "liquid damage"
- Thread starter Shannon.Warren
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Well, most likely, some type of liquid got in there. I could be anything from sweaty palms to moisture in the air.
But if you are really sure that you didn't do anything to it, you could always talk to AppleCare on the phone to try and get it worked out.
But if you are really sure that you didn't do anything to it, you could always talk to AppleCare on the phone to try and get it worked out.
Is there an Apple Authorized Service Provider nearby? If so, take your machine there and see what they think. Most tend to be more lenient about damage than Apple itself is.
Otherwise, I'd get back in touch with a manager at the Apple Store you went to and ask them to provide photographic evidence of the damage itself, not just the submersion indicators. Ask if there is damage to the components inside, etc. If the photographs seem to indicate that there isn't, ask if they would be willing to make an exception for you.
Keep in mind that very few people are willing to own up to the liquid damage they caused, and everybody wants a free lunch. Therefore, Geniuses are often very tired of hearing people claim that they didn't spill anything on their computers, so you've got to find an alternate method of getting what you want. Raising your voice will not help. Be polite, make good eye contact, use their names, etc. Ask for a manager's manager if you have to, but maintain civility. If no one in the store will help you, ask them if there's a number you could call to speak to someone higher up in the company. If they won't provide it, call Apple Care and ask for it.
As a side note, I've played with those indicators before, and it takes about 20 seconds of direct contact with a significant (read: puddle) amount of water to trigger them. The more water, the brighter red they are.
Otherwise, I'd get back in touch with a manager at the Apple Store you went to and ask them to provide photographic evidence of the damage itself, not just the submersion indicators. Ask if there is damage to the components inside, etc. If the photographs seem to indicate that there isn't, ask if they would be willing to make an exception for you.
Keep in mind that very few people are willing to own up to the liquid damage they caused, and everybody wants a free lunch. Therefore, Geniuses are often very tired of hearing people claim that they didn't spill anything on their computers, so you've got to find an alternate method of getting what you want. Raising your voice will not help. Be polite, make good eye contact, use their names, etc. Ask for a manager's manager if you have to, but maintain civility. If no one in the store will help you, ask them if there's a number you could call to speak to someone higher up in the company. If they won't provide it, call Apple Care and ask for it.
As a side note, I've played with those indicators before, and it takes about 20 seconds of direct contact with a significant (read: puddle) amount of water to trigger them. The more water, the brighter red they are.
Scary stuff. I guess it's time to store your computer in a cool, dry place now.
Scary stuff. I guess it's time to store your computer in a cool, dry place now.
Not that I'm advocating fraud, but those sensors are extremely easy to ''fool'' as in disable. There was a blog post a little while back where someone showed how to do it. Although it obviously involves opening up your macbook, which has risks in and of itself.
If you're curious, there's Google. Not going to link or post instructions about that here.
Hmm, I wonder if their shipping box got rained on. My father dumped a whole bottle of water into his uMBP 15" and it didn't trip the sensor (and got for a free repair, but it was still broken, so he complained and walked away with a 17" for $300 more, so lame). Anyways, they are only supposed to trigger with LOTS of water on it, like you dropped it into the tub or a lake. I would phone Apple and plea on this one.
Scary stuff. I guess it's time to store your computer in a cool, dry place now.
IBM put effort in to stop spill damage. You can spill coffee onto their machines, and they will remain on & functional.
Apple put effort into finding a way to better determine if there was spill damage, so they could void your warranty once your machine is destroyed.
The subtle differences in design philosophy...
It's nice to know some people aren't afraid of some adventure inside their comptuers.
Yeah I here great things about the Lenovo/IBM keyboard tray having drainage holes to save the machine.
Actually, not really. I have seen a few articles detailing the ones in the iPhone, and they can be partially triggered by sweat and long exposures to high humidity. Granted, they start white, and red means they got wet; some service techs however were calling pink coloration water damage even though that's indicative of moisture exposure.
the problem is that the service manuals that we tech's use to verify are very specific in saying that a sensor has a reddish color no matter intensity means a voided warranty...
And btw white books and macbooks alum since early 2008 have liquid sensor in the top case only
2009 models have liquid sensors in the top case, logic board and even the battery conector!
You must be new to Apple. Yes, they are that arrogant.
Don't let them get away with it.
Sensor is Secret
Dude
I took my 12 year old niece and her MacBook to the genius bar at the Apple store to find out why her laptop wasn't working. We started talking to the tech he said it looks like water damage without even opening the case then he said he could replace the logic board or could sell us a new MacBook at a reduced price. I ask him to at least look at the inside to see if the sensor had tripped, he came back in 20 minutes and showed us the water damage, all the sudden my niece came clean( a surprise to me) remembered spilling a bottle of water on the keyboard. I then ask to see the water sensor he said he could not show us it was secret. All that happened about six weeks ago my niece called me yesterday and said her MacBook was working again she said its like magic.
The moral of the story is be patient it may work again.
Dude
I took my 12 year old niece and her MacBook to the genius bar at the Apple store to find out why her laptop wasn't working. We started talking to the tech he said it looks like water damage without even opening the case then he said he could replace the logic board or could sell us a new MacBook at a reduced price. I ask him to at least look at the inside to see if the sensor had tripped, he came back in 20 minutes and showed us the water damage, all the sudden my niece came clean( a surprise to me) remembered spilling a bottle of water on the keyboard. I then ask to see the water sensor he said he could not show us it was secret. All that happened about six weeks ago my niece called me yesterday and said her MacBook was working again she said its like magic.
The moral of the story is be patient it may work again.