Apple(doesn't)care & My Macbook

Agentflit

So my 1st gen macbook hard drive died, I searched the model number (seagate ST98823AS) and I find stories about how they're defective. Great, I have applecare. I sent it in and apple says I have water damage, and unless I pay a zillion dollars they will send it back without repair and void my applecare. Sweet.

I'm 100% sure I never spilled anything on the laptop but I've heard the detector inside the case can be set off by a number of things like condensation, regardless of whether the computer was damaged by water. But, I've been blacklisted and have to deal with this somehow.

What's my best plan of action here? I'm not going to pay a zillion dollars.

EliteLamer

Try bitching at them some more.

eternalbl

E-mail the CEO, politely explain the situation, and make sure you're clear on what you want. It won't go to the CEO, it'll probably go to a case manager whose job is to deal with disputes like this. I say probably because I'm not sure how Apple is set up for this kind of thing, but in my experience, the front line can do basically nothing, won't be able to get you through to a case manager like that, and even their supervisors will be powerless.

Also, request pictures by e-mail of the water damage so you can at least see what they're talking about. It'll have the added benefit of whoever's on the other end seeing what their service center is on about. Anything that you can get for information is to your benefit, but if by blacklisted you mean Applecare won't even talk to you, you gotta just e-mail the CEO and hope they respond.

Agentflit

By blacklisted I just meant that they have "water damage" marked on my file now.

mooshoepork

Ask for the supervisor etc...work up the line. Don't be rude, be firm. There IS a difference. Someone will be more willing to help you if you aren't rude.

Good luck!

Centipede Damascus

My experience with things like this is that they really aren't going to back down about it.

Those engineers don't just randomly tag certain laptops as water damaged. You might not have actually thrown your laptop in a pool or anything, but somehow liquid did get inside your laptop and damaged the circuitry. Because of that, it's going to cost them more to repair it to proper working order for you. If they could repair it without the extra cost and not charge you, they'd do it.

My advice would be just to suck it up and pay the extra service charge.

eternalbl

Centipede Damascus wrote: »

My experience with things like this is that they really aren't going to back down about it.

Those engineers don't just randomly tag certain laptops as water damaged. You might not have actually thrown your laptop in a pool or anything, but somehow liquid did get inside your laptop and damaged the circuitry. Because of that, it's going to cost them more to repair it to proper working order for you. If they could repair it without the extra cost and not charge you, they'd do it.

My advice would be just to suck it up and pay the extra service charge.

I worked as front line phone support for a major computer manufacturer's laptop team... You'd be surprised how often a notebook was fixed at no charge despite claims from the service center of water damage. Sometimes even we'd get sent the pictures and there was nothing to even indicate water damage.

Thats also why I'd say to use apple's website to contact corporate, because if apple's anything like the company I worked for, even my supervisors' hands were tied when it came to helping with anything like that. But contacting corporate got a response in most cases from what I saw. Unless you're a total nutjob.

blanknogo

It's pretty easy to change the harddrive in a Macbook - just go pick one up for under $100.

Grundlterror

This happened when I returned my Razr for repair... they said it had water damage and the red dot was colored in. I told them that I specifically remember checking it before I sent it in and it wasn't red. They believed me and sent it back for free... but in the future I'm gonna make sure to take a picture of that before I send things in like this.

I don't know if Apple will react the same, however.

Agentflit

To complicate matters the last time I had my computer repaired (at a local mac store) they installed the top case incorrectly which I didn't notice until right before I sent it off. The trim near the palm rest is cracked too, which I hear is common. These are simple things but I can't repair them on my own...and apple wants $700+.

I'll give the phone a try again tomorrow, thanks to everyone so far.

i n c u b u s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHbrQqrgVgg

Do what that guy did, it sounds very similar to me.

i n c u b u s

Also if you do decide to do what he did, record it for us!

Agentflit

Just an update here, I emailed corporate and got a phone call the next day. She said there was no indicative of spill damage and that she'd call back in a week. I just got a call this morning and they're going to repair my macbook and reinstate my applecare as if nothing was wrong.

So thanks for all the advice (except the axe ), following through really worked!

i n c u b u s

Glad to hear it worked for you! The video ppost was only meant as a joke =].

Basar

Awesome news. Glad to hear that you just saved $700. Time to take H&A out for beer, am i rite?

VisionOfClarity

Ah, Applecare sucks unless you give them hell. They actually lost my laptop for 2 weeks after taking 2 weeks to repair it (which had to be done because an Apple genius broke my monitor and my optic drive). It took 4 hours on the phone (no joke, I had to miss a class for this) getting bounced from dept to dept until I found someone who had to make a memo to have the repair guys physically search the shop for it. In the end they found it and I got a free Nano.