This is kind of long and drawn out, so I'll try to make it as simple as possible.
I've been having an intermittent "Service Battery" warning popping up for the past 6/8 months on my Mid 2009 17" Unibody MacBook Pro.
On Friday of this week, the battery warning came up and stayed up, so I took my UMBP into the Apple Store at South Coast Plaza here in California.
The Genius bar took my machine into the back, and came out about 5 minutes later to inform me that my warranty was completely void, and that "the motherboard was completely covered in dried, sticky liquid residue" and that my "warranty was completely void."
I have no idea how it got there, but I live in a house with kids, so I took their word for it, and asked what could be done.
They gave me two options: One, "send the machine back to Apple for a $1200 fee to get it put back under warranty," or two, "Pay $129 to have the battery replaced."
I wasn't thinking clearly at the time, as I was kind of in shock, so it didn't occur to me that my mid 2009 UMBP was almost out of Applecare warranty as it was.
I went and had lunch with my girlfriend while they replaced the battery, only to come back and be informed they had misquoted the battery price for a 15" machine, and that I owed $179.00 instead of $129.00.
So I paid for the battery, and took my machine home, and took off the back case to see what had been done to it, and see exactly how bad the liquid damage was.
First thing I noticed:
They had broken one of the clips while replacing the battery.
The second thing I noticed was a lack of dried liquid residue inside the machine. I found a small, yellowish sticky patch near the HD, but couldn't determine what it was, and if it was there from manufacture.
The third thing I noticed, which anyone who knows the slightest bit about the machine already knows:
You can't see the top of the motherboard, much less examine it, without taking apart the entire machine. If I'd been less panicked at the time, I would have called them on this. I took a mirror and a flashlight and tried to inspect the top of the motherboard, and didn't see any residue on the board.
Today, I called Applecare, and told them the same story I've just related above. The rep reminded me that I only have 210 days left on my extended Applecare warranty, and was shocked that the Apple Store charged me for the battery instead of replacing it under warranty.
I was also told that if I'd called Applecare, they would have sent me a replacement battery with installation instructions for FREE and a box to return the original battery in, regardless of whether or not the machine was liquid-damaged, which at this point I'm not even sure it was.
They also assured me that my warranty was NOT void, and the rep made a comment about the Genius bar being "full of..." before she caught herself and trailed off.
I'm waiting for a manager to call me back from the South Coast Plaza Apple Store to explain why I'm out $200, and why a tech tried to get $1200 out of me to extend my Applecare warranty about 3 months.
I've been having an intermittent "Service Battery" warning popping up for the past 6/8 months on my Mid 2009 17" Unibody MacBook Pro.
On Friday of this week, the battery warning came up and stayed up, so I took my UMBP into the Apple Store at South Coast Plaza here in California.
The Genius bar took my machine into the back, and came out about 5 minutes later to inform me that my warranty was completely void, and that "the motherboard was completely covered in dried, sticky liquid residue" and that my "warranty was completely void."
I have no idea how it got there, but I live in a house with kids, so I took their word for it, and asked what could be done.
They gave me two options: One, "send the machine back to Apple for a $1200 fee to get it put back under warranty," or two, "Pay $129 to have the battery replaced."
I wasn't thinking clearly at the time, as I was kind of in shock, so it didn't occur to me that my mid 2009 UMBP was almost out of Applecare warranty as it was.
I went and had lunch with my girlfriend while they replaced the battery, only to come back and be informed they had misquoted the battery price for a 15" machine, and that I owed $179.00 instead of $129.00.
So I paid for the battery, and took my machine home, and took off the back case to see what had been done to it, and see exactly how bad the liquid damage was.
First thing I noticed:
They had broken one of the clips while replacing the battery.
The second thing I noticed was a lack of dried liquid residue inside the machine. I found a small, yellowish sticky patch near the HD, but couldn't determine what it was, and if it was there from manufacture.
The third thing I noticed, which anyone who knows the slightest bit about the machine already knows:
You can't see the top of the motherboard, much less examine it, without taking apart the entire machine. If I'd been less panicked at the time, I would have called them on this. I took a mirror and a flashlight and tried to inspect the top of the motherboard, and didn't see any residue on the board.
Today, I called Applecare, and told them the same story I've just related above. The rep reminded me that I only have 210 days left on my extended Applecare warranty, and was shocked that the Apple Store charged me for the battery instead of replacing it under warranty.
I was also told that if I'd called Applecare, they would have sent me a replacement battery with installation instructions for FREE and a box to return the original battery in, regardless of whether or not the machine was liquid-damaged, which at this point I'm not even sure it was.
They also assured me that my warranty was NOT void, and the rep made a comment about the Genius bar being "full of..." before she caught herself and trailed off.
I'm waiting for a manager to call me back from the South Coast Plaza Apple Store to explain why I'm out $200, and why a tech tried to get $1200 out of me to extend my Applecare warranty about 3 months.