Apple refuses to fix MacBook Pro May 23
Apple Store
CRABTREE VALLEY MALL
RALEIGH, NC.
I was called on the 21st of May by Apple to come pick up my Macbook Pro after having it repaired.
Why was it repaired? Here is the short back story.
I had a cracked LCD screen a few months ago. I paid nearly 1400 bucks to have it fixed and repaired (which included the top and bottom assembly). A month after I got it back I noticed that the display would not latch properly, not without my forcing it shut. I also noticed separation between the plastic lining and the metal assembly on the top and bottom of the chassis. This was also noticed on the display. At the time I needed it for school and for work setting up a few websites, making money etc. Semester was over, caught a break in work and met the tech at the Genius bar to address the issues on the weekend of the 12th of May. Genius tech agreed it was flawed, sent it to Apple Care to be fixed at no cost to me.
Went to pick up the laptop the first time on or around the 17th of May. I refused to accept the repair because there was still a large bulge between the lining and bottom assembly from the audio port to the back of the laptop. I could easily get my thumbnail in it. It was still present on the other side of the laptop but less prevalent. The display was never replaced so the condition on it still existed. The genius tech said he sees a lot of laptops come in with this “condition” and it seems to be typical. He said he couldn’t guarantee anything, but he would send it back to Apple Care. He also said they may send it back without touching it.
Well here we are on the 22nd of May and this time its MUCH worse. Though I was optimistic, I still couldn’t accept the repair. The top and bottom assemblies looked great, no issue there.
My issue was now the display itself. It has what I would say is a horrendous U bend when closed and latched.
Please let me know if I’m being a little over sensitive, here are the pics (click for 6 MP version):
I was helped by Khalil Smith, the General Manager of the Apple Store at Crabtree Valley Mall in Raleigh, NC. I told him that I was not comfortable accepting the laptop in this condition.
I told him the assemblies and plastic lining looks great but I was concerned about the bend in the display. I asked him to send it back to Apple Care.
He said, “I will not authorize any more work on this laptop”!
I asked again that he send it back to Apple Care since I did not feel confident in the integrity of the display due to the large bend.
He replied that, “The repair falls within our specs.”
I asked to see the specs.
He said, “They are confidential”.
I almost lost it at this point. He then said if I refuse to pick the laptop up, they would follow their abandonment procedure where I would be called at a regular interval for 60 days. I picked up the work authorization paper work and said that I would like this as a record of the repair on it. He forcefully snatched it out of my hand and said “that is only if you pick it up”. I asked him to make a copy of it, twice if not three times, before he went to the back and did it. He didn’t copy the itemized repair page that showed exactly what was repaired.
So if you could let me know if I’m just being a little too sensitive about this Id appreciate it. They know perfectly well how much we spend on these machines, and at that price we deserve to have it looking and functioning perfectly, especially right out of a repair depot.
I worked for the Apple Store at Southpoint Mall in Durham, NC. for about 10 months (approximation) or so when I was in College, this being about 2 years ago. I left when I was offered and internship at a Fortune 100 company where I currently work now as full time Engineer.
Given the experiences Ive been through the past 2 weeks I’d like to thank Apple for disowning one of its “own”.
Not only do I feel discriminated against, I am thoroughly disgusted, and deeply offended by the way Khalil Smith, a General Manager handled the situation. I have no confidence in the Management of the store to do what’s right. My trust in Apple has been violated. My enthusiasm as an advocate of Apple and its products is substantially degraded. I also have little faith now in the Depot, nor any repair entity of Apple to fix this machine properly.
After all, the more time I have to wait for the Macbook Pro to get fixed the more money I lose. That isn’t good.
It also seems that this is a long, on going problem. A thread on Macoshints forums took a poll of the Macbook Pro display warpage.
Apple Inc, Digg, Slashdot, Consumerist, Reddit, MyBiggestComplaint, MacOsHints, will someone please help me?
JC May 23
As one former employee to another, you know as well as I do that Depot sucks. They usually break more than they fix, and it’s a miracle that they manage to get as many acceptable units out as they do.
But I feel for you for sure. They’re giving you the line of “well, it still works, so we have no problem with it.” And that’s ok to an extent, but I agree that they could’ve been more sensitive to your requests. I’ll admit that the degree of separation doesn’t look TOO bad, but you paid 2 grand for a piece of equipment that should meet your standards. I’d head over to another Apple store and see if you can’t find a Genius or Manager that will listen. Explain your situation, say that you feel that you’ve been treated with a little less than the respect that you believe you should be afforded as a customer, and bring up the point that I just did (”I paid $2000 for this machine and I think that the condition it’s in is unacceptable.”)
You’ve worked at a store, so you know that managers and genii are more apt to tune out customers that are making ludicrous demands, but if you approach it calmly and cooly, I’m pretty sure you’ll find someone who will be sympathetic and be willing to help you out in resolving the issue.
(And see if the repair can possibly be done in store. The guys in the back are overworked as it is, but they’re better than the ones at depot. And at least this way you have potential accountability.)
Bob May 23
Hope this helps a little.
http://bobmeetsmac.com/apple-refuses-to-fix-poorly-repaired-macbook-pro/
buzzdroid May 23
You should file this over at MyBiggestComplaint.com. The more people that hear about this kind of thing the better.
I have seen many MBP’s with this defect. I thought at first it might be bent because of something I did. I think they’re just like this. I’d love to see the specs that say you can have a bent MBP.
Anon May 23
Go look at the rest of the MBPs on display in the store. lots of them do the same thing.
leet May 23
anon,
They do not do it to this degree of severity. Also, just because the store laptops do it which are thoroughly beaten day in and day out since their release, does not mean mine should come back from the repair depot looking like this… especially with a BRAND NEW DISPLAY, TOP, and BOTTOM housing.
Jo Jun 6
Interesting how your first sentence quickly glosses over how this whole affair began with you damaging the computer badly enough to merit a $1400 repair where they had to replace the display, top and bottom “housing”. I’m not defending Apple’s behavior, here, but the fact that all this began with abuse of the computer changes the landscape a bit.
——
There was no “abuse” of the computer. Ive been a system admin for DoD for 7 years, for a Public Ivy University for 3 years, qualified on computer maintenance and electronic maintenance on ICBM missiles among various computing platforms. I know and understand how electronics operate and should be handled. I currently work as a network engineer at a Fortune 100 company. The screen was replaced because it was knocked in to a door frame as I turned around to quick with said laptop in hand. The bottom line is that you pay 1400 bucks for a repair, it had better look like new, but obviously no one at apple has said skill set.
-Admin
Jo Jun 18
Uh, smacking your computer into the wall is abuse, intentional or not.
——
What does this have to do with the quality of the repair, especially when it cost $1400.00?
-Admin
Jon T Jun 29
I have to say, I think you lot are a bunch of whining moaners. My MacBook Pro from build week 13, has had this since the day I got it. Has it had any adverse affect on me? Or on it?
EN OH, no, none whatever.It isn’t like it’s meant to be waterproof and this little gap lets in water is it.
Live with it, it isn’t hard unless you are at the extreme end of the vain register.
If you lot had your way Apple computers would be costing $8,000 each.
Ge64 Jul 8
My brand new 3 day old santa rosa MBP 15″ is already warping, and its just about as bad as in your pics! I thought it may have something to do with using it while closed due to heat, but seriously, they should be made to withstand that… I just got a whole lot less happy with it now that its ugly, after all, the design is one of the big reasons to buy any mac, and its also what makes tehm so expensive. If i hadnt cared about how my laptop looked, I wouldnt have paid for a mac.
Kevin Jul 28
I ended up on this page while googling about some latch problems on my MBP.
I have to say kudos to Apple for not wasting their money on you. You destroyed your laptop, got it fixed for half the price of replacement, and then call a tiny bend a horrendous U bend.
You need some real problems in your life, so you can put your Apple troubles into perspective. As it stands, you’re nuts.
Pete Aug 4
My Mac Pro 15″ was bought with the lid warped. In the first week the inner case had seperated from the outer case by 1-2mm because the computer gets so hot, you are unable to touch the front of the computer. Apple cares excuse was this is normal but they said they would look into this. The computer was sent to an engineer to look at it. When my computer was returned after 2 weeks the computer was damaged. There was screw driver marks all over my mac pro with black dirty finger prints allover. My mac pro was only 1 month old, when it was returned it looked like a 10 year old computer. I WILL NEVER TRUST APPLE CARE AGAIN.
Michael Sep 17
Just received my new 15 inch MBP, special ordered the glossy from a local retailer. Took 3 weeks. It’s warped. I’m steamed. I’m aware that the wider and flatter you make a sheet of aluminum, the more prone you are to some warpage … and I know that aluminum shrinks and expands like wood (actually twice as much as steel), but I guess I just had high hopes after laying out $2000. Hot on the heels of returning two brand new 65 inch Toshiba big screens that had crooked displays, … I’m losing all hope. Woe. Woe is me.
Jav Oct 30
The display is not warped. if it was, it would be cracked, they have a very low tolerance for force - about 4mm of feex arcoss the display will crack any modern LCD panel.
The issue here is not with the Display, so much as the housing. the “display” sits inside the housing.
And It is Aluminum. And Aluminum bends when it is used, or taken apart.
Leaning on the bottom will cause warping of the bottom case (slight) and the force of everyday use, over time, will cause that “warp” in the display housing, esp if you keep it in a tight bag.
Jsut grab the housing with both hands, thumbs on the corners next to the Apple and Spotlight icons, and pull with one,a and push with the other, slightly. the case will center itself. if you twist too hard, you crack the display. too little and you do nothing. The display has some wiggle room around the display, so it doesn’t transfer much of this twisting stress to the LCD itself but this of course is at your own risk.
The force of merely removing the display housing causes this as well, and will go away as the unit gets used. 6m from now, it may be on the other side. there is absolutely noting wrong with the unit, it’s cosmetic housings, or the Display.
Just use it and get over it. It’s a tool, not an investment. now get back to using it.
Anonymous Coward Jan 4
My 17″ Macbook Pro’s display casing is also seriously warped–my display does function. Despite AppleCare, Apple refused to replace it because the warranty does not cover the casing. The worst part is Apple does not sell the 17″ display housings and the display. So, if I want to repair my seriously warped display, I have to pony up around $800 dollars. I could almost buy a new Macbook at that price.
——————–
I feel your pain!
-Admin
JP Mar 23
http://appledefects.com/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page
“It is within spec” - expect to hear that a lot if you have any defects with your apple product…warped case? It is within spec. Discolored LCD? It is within spec. Hissing speaker and clunking hard drive? It is within spec.
Seriously, don’t do business with these people. The corporation doesn’t listen to its customers, and the customers are too stupid to even complain to the company (the fanboys). If they had the same defects on another company’s product, they would be outraged, but because it’s an apple product, even the most hideous defects are acceptable to these zealots. I guess people call it Steve’s “reality distortion field”.
Dylan Tyler Apr 17
In response to all of this: If your mac gets to the point of warpage where it is inoperable or you just don’t wanna pay a lot of money to apple care there is a website that sells all diffrent parts of the MBP and MB including and up to the display casing upper casing, lowercasing and keyboard area. For a lot better of a price and a one year warranty so check it out dawgs!
http://www.macservice.com/howitwacorks.html