Air repair
Short version: My MacBook Air is all better now. It was fixed on Thursday. (Sorry to not post sooner -- I know you were all waiting anxiously for news.)
Long version:
Sunday, while out at a cafe, I found that my laptop hinge was suddenly loose. In my experience with laptops, this is something that happens after a while and gradually gets worse, but with my computer less than a year old, I was pretty disappointed that the process had already started. Later, at home, I took a closer look at the problem, and it really didn't look good:
This wasn't normal laptop aging, it was real brokenness. I made an appointment for the next day with the geniuses at the Apple Store. (Is it really possible to read that sentence and not inject sarcasm?) My naive hope was that they'd simply reseat the hinge and replace the broken plastic piece while I waited. Naturally it would be covered by the AppleCare extended warranty I'd purchased with the computer.
Monday, Valley Fair Apple Store:
Me: Stand back! I have AppleCare!
Genius: What did you do to your computer?
Me: I didn't do anything. It just happened. Cross my heart and hope to die.
Genius: Sorry, our technicians have determined that despite what you say, this is accidental damage, so it's not covered by your AppleCare plan. We'll have to replace the entire display. You need to pay $750 and leave your computer here for 3-5 days.
Me: *cry*
Seeking better news, I went to the office of We Love Macs in Santa Clara. The Mac Lover I spoke to was awesome. He looked up the schematic of the Air to show me why it really was necessary to replace the display to fix the hinge. The price he quoted was similar to and somewhat higher than the Apple Store was going to charge, so at least I was reassured that it was a reasonable fee for work that had to be done. But there was still my disappointment over Apple not fixing the problem under AppleCare, which I expressed to the Mac Lover.
Mac Lover: It seriously just broke on its own when you opened it up? Hang on another minute.
(Mac Lover brings printout of a blog post with photos of another damaged Air hinge and tons of comments about the same problem.)
Mac Lover: Take this back the Apple Store and insist you aren't going to pay for it. It's their defect.
Me: My hero!
I went home with tentative hope. I looked around the web for other evidence of similar hinge damage and read all the comments on the blog post. Some people had gotten their repair covered by warranty, some hadn't. It all seemed to depend on whether the Apple person they talked to was aware that this is a common problem. This pointed to possible better success from calling AppleCare than from going into a store, so I gave phone support a try.
AppleCare: I see you're calling from sunny California.
Me: Yes, it's particularly warm and sunny today.
AppleCare: I'm in Canada. It's minus 5.
Me: Oh, man, I'm really sorry. [See what I did there? Sympathy, not mockery. Rumor has it this engenders a more positive response.]
AppleCare: It sounds like accidental damage to me, but if I have you send your computer in, it's up to the repair people to decide, and that could go either way. I'd feel really bad if you mail it out and they don't think it's covered. Go back to the store and tell them what you told me.
Me: Can I tell them the nice Canadian said so, too?
I gathered up all my evidence and carefully worded arguments, and I made an appointment at the Oakridge Apple Store, much smaller and less popular than the Valley Fair one.
Tuesday, Oakridge Apple Store:
Me, armed with printouts and debating points: I have AppleCare! Have you ever seen this very common defect before?
Genius: No, that's terrible. We'll fix that right up for you.
Me, casually sliding my unnecessary printouts back into my bag: Oh! Great! AppleCare?
Genius: Of course. Please sign this paperwork quoting a charge of $0. The part won't be in until Thursday or Friday, so take your laptop home until we call, and then we should be able to fix it within a day.
Me: I love you.
On Wednesday afternoon, the replacement part arrived. I dropped off my computer on Wednesday night right before the store closed. It was fixed by noon on Thursday. My joy overfilled the tiny space of the Oakridge Apple Store. Everything is all better now. Interestingly, I believe the new display is ever so slightly thicker than the old one, which suggests they've modified the design to make it sturdier.
Lessons learned:
* Rules about warranty repairs aren't necessarily set in, well, anything.
* Smaller Apple Stores have more time for their customers, make repairs faster, may be more inclined to make repairs under warranty, and appear to have just as many people working in them as bigger stores.
* Don't carry your laptop around in one hand.
Long version:
Sunday, while out at a cafe, I found that my laptop hinge was suddenly loose. In my experience with laptops, this is something that happens after a while and gradually gets worse, but with my computer less than a year old, I was pretty disappointed that the process had already started. Later, at home, I took a closer look at the problem, and it really didn't look good:
This wasn't normal laptop aging, it was real brokenness. I made an appointment for the next day with the geniuses at the Apple Store. (Is it really possible to read that sentence and not inject sarcasm?) My naive hope was that they'd simply reseat the hinge and replace the broken plastic piece while I waited. Naturally it would be covered by the AppleCare extended warranty I'd purchased with the computer.
Monday, Valley Fair Apple Store:
Me: Stand back! I have AppleCare!
Genius: What did you do to your computer?
Me: I didn't do anything. It just happened. Cross my heart and hope to die.
Genius: Sorry, our technicians have determined that despite what you say, this is accidental damage, so it's not covered by your AppleCare plan. We'll have to replace the entire display. You need to pay $750 and leave your computer here for 3-5 days.
Me: *cry*
Seeking better news, I went to the office of We Love Macs in Santa Clara. The Mac Lover I spoke to was awesome. He looked up the schematic of the Air to show me why it really was necessary to replace the display to fix the hinge. The price he quoted was similar to and somewhat higher than the Apple Store was going to charge, so at least I was reassured that it was a reasonable fee for work that had to be done. But there was still my disappointment over Apple not fixing the problem under AppleCare, which I expressed to the Mac Lover.
Mac Lover: It seriously just broke on its own when you opened it up? Hang on another minute.
(Mac Lover brings printout of a blog post with photos of another damaged Air hinge and tons of comments about the same problem.)
Mac Lover: Take this back the Apple Store and insist you aren't going to pay for it. It's their defect.
Me: My hero!
I went home with tentative hope. I looked around the web for other evidence of similar hinge damage and read all the comments on the blog post. Some people had gotten their repair covered by warranty, some hadn't. It all seemed to depend on whether the Apple person they talked to was aware that this is a common problem. This pointed to possible better success from calling AppleCare than from going into a store, so I gave phone support a try.
AppleCare: I see you're calling from sunny California.
Me: Yes, it's particularly warm and sunny today.
AppleCare: I'm in Canada. It's minus 5.
Me: Oh, man, I'm really sorry. [See what I did there? Sympathy, not mockery. Rumor has it this engenders a more positive response.]
AppleCare: It sounds like accidental damage to me, but if I have you send your computer in, it's up to the repair people to decide, and that could go either way. I'd feel really bad if you mail it out and they don't think it's covered. Go back to the store and tell them what you told me.
Me: Can I tell them the nice Canadian said so, too?
I gathered up all my evidence and carefully worded arguments, and I made an appointment at the Oakridge Apple Store, much smaller and less popular than the Valley Fair one.
Tuesday, Oakridge Apple Store:
Me, armed with printouts and debating points: I have AppleCare! Have you ever seen this very common defect before?
Genius: No, that's terrible. We'll fix that right up for you.
Me, casually sliding my unnecessary printouts back into my bag: Oh! Great! AppleCare?
Genius: Of course. Please sign this paperwork quoting a charge of $0. The part won't be in until Thursday or Friday, so take your laptop home until we call, and then we should be able to fix it within a day.
Me: I love you.
On Wednesday afternoon, the replacement part arrived. I dropped off my computer on Wednesday night right before the store closed. It was fixed by noon on Thursday. My joy overfilled the tiny space of the Oakridge Apple Store. Everything is all better now. Interestingly, I believe the new display is ever so slightly thicker than the old one, which suggests they've modified the design to make it sturdier.
Lessons learned:
* Rules about warranty repairs aren't necessarily set in, well, anything.
* Smaller Apple Stores have more time for their customers, make repairs faster, may be more inclined to make repairs under warranty, and appear to have just as many people working in them as bigger stores.
* Don't carry your laptop around in one hand.