Warranty issue (Apple pisses me off): what can I do?

[Queen6]

I side with the OP if there is no external damage to the display or lid, Apple should be bound to enact reapairs as the unit should in the first place be designed to deal with the rigours of daily use.

I have two 15" MBP`s and a 13" Air I dont intentionally knock them around, yet I fully expect a reasonable level of durability. Should my Air suffer a similar fate I would take it as far as possible, goods should be fit for purpose, if Apple are supplied with with a subpar component the end user should not be the one to suffer.

In general Apple`s customer service in the US is second to none, outside it can be very much a lottery especially when dealing with authorised retailers. Stand your ground and dont be fobbed off...

 

[iMacC2D]

Removed.

 

[BanjoBanker]

I have a BlackBook which has had the screen replaced. I had it sitting on an end table in my den and I slipped walking past and caught myself on the table: palm down on the closed BlackBook. Result, small crack in the LCD and NO visable damage to the case or the back of the screen. None. My AARP looked it over and told me he had seen LCDs broken before with no visable signs of impact or anything else which would lead to a crack, and I am sure if Fred has seen it, other service people have too. A 19" LCD monitor at my office developed a crack last year and I know it was just a manufacturing defect. The monitor has not been moved, or even cleaned, since it came out of the box. The only time it has been touched was unpacking and repacking. But the LCD cracked. I am not saying the OP is telling the truth or lying. LCDs crack sometimes for no apparent reason and sometimes they are damaged with no tell tale signs. Apple service is better than most other computer makers, and as a result, a lot of folks expect Apple Care to pay for everything. They see a lot of broken LCDs and I am willing to bet a high percentage of the owners say the machine has never had an impact to the screen or lid, so the natural response from them is to say "accidental damage" right off the bat. I had a bad hard drive on my son's MacBook replaced under warranty and his case looks like someone drug it behind a car. It was covered with impact damage, and Apple Care said that none of the obvious impacts caused the drive to fail. I wonder how the OP's appeal to Apple came out?

 

[orfeas0]

Sorry for what happened, call Apple instead and see what happens? Also, herein lies your problem see it many times here - where did Apple state they would provide you a higher level of support? Lots of people assume I paid more, I should be treated better, but unless Apple explicitly promised better, these 2 are unrelated to each other.

They didn't state they would provide a higher level of support, but their products do have a warranty, and since their technical support guys said there is no external damage or sign of misuse, they SHOULD replace the screen since it's most likely a defect.
That's what a warranty is for, anyway. If they can blame you for every problem on the laptop, why do they even claim to have warranties?

My friend had a similar problem. Since day 1, his right usb port on his MBA doesn't work with external hard drives (although it works for a mouse).
And when he took it to apple, they said he damaged it.
That's pretty lame if you ask me.
But those things only seem to happen in europe. From what I heard, apple in the USA has a very good customer support.
Too bad they have one of the worst in europe, at least here in Greece.

 

[avionicsman]

I've seen similar happen with displays. especially when they're glass backed. (not sure the MBA's). I've seen it happen quite a few times with E-readers in particular.

They're so thin, and the glass is millimetres thick at best. What happens is somehow, at some point, a tiny crack gets formed in it. you may not see it for a while, or at all.

But then due to the constant warming, cooling cycle of using a screen, or ambien temperatures, Glass expands and contracts. Eventually this can lead to "shattering" of the Glass base, often in a sudden unexpected timing. Like sitting closed on the desk.

this is not considered a manufacturers defect when this happens, as according to the device makers, they often claim the only way it happened, is there had to have been some initials shock, even if it were years / months ahead of time that caused the initial crack in the glass.

The most frustrating thing about it, as you stated, the front and back of the device would look perfect and unbroken. the front of the screen perfectly smooth.

Attached is a photo of my Kobo, yes, E-ink, but uses as i described a thin glass as the bases of the screen which was subjected to the forces i stated

Image

Awesome LordVic


I pick up the MBA today from the repair place (Simply Computing) great store good guys. but I feel their hands are tied in these issues!!

 

[kd5jos]

Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof

Let me say, in 30 years of working with computers, in harsh conditions, even in the military, I have NEVER seen a screen spontaneously crack. There are MANY people that would label an LCD screen spontaneously cracking as an extraordinary claim. If this happened to me, I would expect to be told EXACTLY what you were told, unless I had the extraordinary proof to back up my claim. Let me state, I am not calling your honesty regarding this issue into question. What I am saying is that you have not provided ample evidence of your assertion that the LCD screen cracked due to a manufacturing defect. If I was called on to render a verdict in this case (as a jury member in a court of law), I could only support Apple's position. Not because I like them. Not because I do not believe you. But because my personal experience tells me that there must be evidence to support the claim. And no, the apparent lack of damage to the glass and the case are not extraordinary proof. They are a good step in the right direction, but are NOT conclusive in and of themselves.

 

[David085]

I think you damaged the screen. Get it fixed and stop whining.

I also believe you damaged it, Pay to get it fixed and stop whining.

 

[daonesteven]

I also believe you damaged it, Pay to get it fixed and stop whining.

I'm gonna have to go with this assessment as well. OP I'm not saying you're a liar but there could have been an incident that would have caused it that you didn't account for, simply because you just had no idea it happened or even thought to make that association. Though this is as conjectural as an LCD cracking by itself, which of the 2 is more believable to a reasonable person and a likelier cause here?

 

[lbfjrmd]

And no, the apparent lack of damage to the glass and the case are not extraordinary proof.

would a halo hovering over the undamaged MBA with a broken LCD be extraordinary?