Apple Voiding Smokers' Warranties?
http://apple.slashdot.org/story/09/11/21/147253/Apple-Voiding-Smokers-Warranties
Mr2001 writes: "Consumerist reports that Apple is refusing to work on computers that have been used in smoking households. 'The Apple store called and informed me that due to the computer having been used in a house where there was smoking, [the warranty has been voided] and they refuse to work on the machine "due to health risks of second hand smoke,"' wrote one customer. Another said, 'When I asked for an explanation, she said [the owner of the iMac is] a smoker and it's contaminated with cigarette smoke, which they consider a bio-hazard! I checked my Applecare warranty and it says nothing about not honoring warranties if the owner is a smoker.' Apple claims that honoring the warranty would be an OSHA violation. (Remember when they claimed enabling 802.11n for free would be a Sarbanes-Oxley violation?)"
The Consumerist article quotes two people who experienced the same refusal; both appealed to "Steve Jobs's office"[1] and were rebuffed. "Consumerist has tried repeatedly to obtain some kind of answer about these two cases from Apple's media relations department, and we have received nothing on the record after months of waiting. Mostly, we're curious what the threshold is for smoke damage to a computer, and why this is not mentioned in the Applecare contract." Yeah, don't hold your breath waiting for that response (unless there are smokers nearby).
[1] WTF does that mean? Is that so Apple can pretend and market as if low-level user peons can speak with The Jobs[2] but he doesn't actually have to interact with them personally?
[2] Concidentally I just watched TNG "Who Watches the Watchers" last night -- "it is the Picard!" The aptness of this analogy is left as an exercise for the reader.
Mr2001 writes: "Consumerist reports that Apple is refusing to work on computers that have been used in smoking households. 'The Apple store called and informed me that due to the computer having been used in a house where there was smoking, [the warranty has been voided] and they refuse to work on the machine "due to health risks of second hand smoke,"' wrote one customer. Another said, 'When I asked for an explanation, she said [the owner of the iMac is] a smoker and it's contaminated with cigarette smoke, which they consider a bio-hazard! I checked my Applecare warranty and it says nothing about not honoring warranties if the owner is a smoker.' Apple claims that honoring the warranty would be an OSHA violation. (Remember when they claimed enabling 802.11n for free would be a Sarbanes-Oxley violation?)"
The Consumerist article quotes two people who experienced the same refusal; both appealed to "Steve Jobs's office"[1] and were rebuffed. "Consumerist has tried repeatedly to obtain some kind of answer about these two cases from Apple's media relations department, and we have received nothing on the record after months of waiting. Mostly, we're curious what the threshold is for smoke damage to a computer, and why this is not mentioned in the Applecare contract." Yeah, don't hold your breath waiting for that response (unless there are smokers nearby).
[1] WTF does that mean? Is that so Apple can pretend and market as if low-level user peons can speak with The Jobs[2] but he doesn't actually have to interact with them personally?
[2] Concidentally I just watched TNG "Who Watches the Watchers" last night -- "it is the Picard!" The aptness of this analogy is left as an exercise for the reader.