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zman27

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 16, 2010
2
0
Here is my problem:

I have a black macbook that is ~2 years old (a bit under 2 years) and is under Apple care warranty. I have had several issues with kernel panics over this period. Until recently, I didn't have the motivation to act upon these before, as I have been at school and getting to an apple store was a large effort. A few weeks ago, the spacebar on my keyboard started to be unresponsive and no longer had any reaction when pressed. It was constantly depressed compared to the other keys.

Today, I went to an Apple Store in an attempt to get both of these problems rectified. I was told that the issue with the kernel panics was most likely due to some issue with the RAM, however a full wipe and reinstall would have to be performed in order to verify that it was not a software issue. When we talked about the spacebar problem the tech said that, if it was not due to an accident (and only due to normal wear) that it would be covered under the warranty, however if it is determined that the damage was due to an accident, then there would be a $755.00 service charge.

I am slightly confused, I know that the top panel replacement for the black macbook costs ~$150, not ~$800. I am just wondering if this seems standard to everybody, or if this interaction and response seems a bit off. Thanks
 
That is what I figured. Right before me, he was dealing with a student who had obviously damaged his macbook by dropping it or hitting it, but who was claiming that he didn't do anything with it, so it seems like he was treating me the same. I had the feeling that his main effort was to discourage me from actually pursuing a repair of my laptop. I am going to attempt to talk with someone else at the same store, and if not, I will go to a different store and hopefully find someone who is more interested in helping me.

Has anybody had a repair similar to this performed? If so, how much did it cost you?
 
The information you received at the Apple Store was completely wrong. The top case replacement for a Macbook of that age should be no more than 100 dollars. I do these repairs myself on an almost daily basis. If you provide me your serial number, I can give you the exact price for the topcase of your model. Typical topcase:
 

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