Apple service centre - what to expect?

quad_red

Hi folks,

My parents in law bought a macbook just under two years ago on our recommendation. It sits on the kitchen table and is used for internet and skype pretty much exclusively. Isn't moved around, sits on the table.

They said that it had a few issues but am sort of shocked to see the state it's in. The macbook rubber base is badly bubbled (which I've read about online) and the unibody case has two hairline cracks in it. The build quality is truly appalling.

One to the upper left of the keyboard, going from the space inbetween the power port and the network port to the start of the indent where the keyboard starts.

The other crack is near the hinge on the back of the screen.

Now, they insist it hasn't got any abuse and they'd be straight up if there was.

I'm going to bring it down to Dublin this week and was going to call into the authorised apple service centre/shop at Grafton street. The macbook is almost two years old so it's out of immediate warranty.

Anyone know what to expect? Will this stuff be repaired outside the first year of warranty? Can those cracks be repaired?

Cheers,
Quad

whiterebel

quad_red wrote: »

Hi folks,

My parents in law bought a macbook just under two years ago on our recommendation. It sits on the kitchen table and is used for internet and skype pretty much exclusively. Isn't moved around, sits on the table.

They said that it had a few issues but am sort of shocked to see the state it's in. The macbook rubber base is badly bubbled (which I've read about online) and the unibody case has two hairline cracks in it. The build quality is truly appalling.

One to the upper left of the keyboard, going from the space inbetween the power port and the network port to the start of the indent where the keyboard starts.

The other crack is near the hinge on the back of the screen.

Now, they insist it hasn't got any abuse and they'd be straight up if there was.

I'm going to bring it down to Dublin this week and was going to call into the authorised apple service centre/shop at Grafton street. The macbook is almost two years old so it's out of immediate warranty.

Anyone know what to expect? Will this stuff be repaired outside the first year of warranty? Can those cracks be repaired?

Cheers,
Quad

They MAY replace the casing, its quite a well known issue. You should be bringing it back to where you bought it, or ringing Apple it bought online. I must admit I never heard anything about the rubber bubbling, but the cracks near the screen, and at the edge beside the trackpad are well known.

Greentree_uk

Quad,

I've never seen the topcase crack in that way, and I've seen alot! Def the screen and the bottom case of your white macbook should be replaced, they are now a common issue. The rest depends on Apple. You could call apple and argue your case for a topcasing. Mileage may vary

quad_red

Thanks for the replies lads.

To my not inconsiderable irritation, I checked my MacBook bought in 2009 but the same type of white unibody.

And it has a crack in the exact same place! Then I got my sister in law who has a much newer unibody white mac (in the US) and hers has a crack in the same place as well! Now, they're smaller the crack on my folks in law but they're definitely there.

Check yours if you have them. Place the Mac closed onto a flat surface with the side that opens at your belt buckle. Then look at the hinge surface of the MacBook on the left. Look closely - out of the 3 MacBooks we have in our family one is cracked badly and the other two have hairline cracks.

quad_red

For reference: the bubbled base



http://i1067.photobucket.com/albums/u436/quadreddead/196a31c8.jpg

quad_red

The cracked hinge

http://i1067.photobucket.com/albums/u436/quadreddead/39b821f7.jpg

The crack on the case by the keyboard (dust looks like dirt in the pic. And my father in law had sticky tape on it)

http://i1067.photobucket.com/albums/u436/quadreddead/a7b7b2f1.jpg

MiniNukinfuts

I've heard of apple replacing the base plate on out of warranty macbooks like that, i'm unsure about the whole case though, i'd imagine they would. Those last two photos kinda look like the MB was dropped.

If I were you, i'd phone apple directly, explain the issue, they might just send you out a replacement base plate, or ask for you to send it in.