We bought our son an MB Nov 2007 at Apple store in London, UK. It has performed flawless and he’s very happy with it. We just went for a short holiday in Egypt. My son used the MB on one evening (playing Runescape what else…) He closed the MB just before going to bed. The morning after, he opened the MB and found a rather large crack, some 3 cm in on the screen at the top left corner. The crack increased its size during the day to almost cover the entire screen.
We spoke to our local Apple store and as the story goes, they claim that the computer was abused and the damage caused by an object being on the keyboard while being shut. This is not true as I was present when my son closed the lid of the computer. I have had a good battle with the shop manager and so far after arguing 2 hours in a civilised manner, it looks like they will repair it F.O.C. Although it seems to me that ‘I won’ the battle but I’m highly disappointed with their initial, can I hesitate to say stubborn, stance. One thing for sure the crack came by it selves over night. Keep up the pressure and you can win the battle. It is a fabrication problem as far as I can judge.
Beyond this incident. my view is that Apple products are fab! (Windows user since IBM PCG was born….so there are some experienced PC usage behind me to compare the 2 camps)
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Apple (and some of their apologists say), “the screens don’t crack by themselves!”, therefore, it must be YOUR fault. Of course screens don’t magically crack. But they are a lot more likely to crack when housed in flimsy casings that can’t allow you to take the computer anywhere without possibly breaking it. It’s a laptop computer, not a piece of fine china.
I had the same exact trouble your son did with my Mac. That’s really the answer. Apple knows there is a design flaw, and can’t risk opening up the floodgates by admitting it. If they don’t fix mine, I’m taking them to court. They will repair it eventually…I’m not worried about that.
Rob Stumpf on October 3rd, 2008 at 2:38 pm | Link
Apple can not ignore us! We all have been sent away blaming we have done this to our labtop! I am not afraid we will win a lawsuit, therefore i want to have 100 cases and go public with this huge problem they have. Please help me, and fill in the form i made, and the website! The world deserves to know how crappy they are with there clients!
WWW.MACBOOK-PRO-CRACKED.COM please visit the website!
Dennis
Dennis on December 2nd, 2008 at 11:58 am | Link
I have a similar problem with a MacBook 13″. This is my first apple laptop and I purchased it less than 1 month ago. I recently took the computer on a trip to Mexico. The MacBook worked fine on the airplane, but once I arrived at my condo, the screen was cracked. I carried the laptop in a carry-on case and it did not leave my side ever. It was not dropped, it was not closed with an object in the clamshell, it just broke!. I took it to the Apple Store and was told that even though it was less than 30 days old it was not covered under warranty (they don’t cover water damage or physical damage). There is no physical evidence of any damage on the screen (no scratch marks, no indentations, nothing, just a screwed up display). The only option I have been given is that I can have the unit repaired for around $800. Nice support Apple!
Erik Runstrom on January 3rd, 2009 at 9:21 am | Link
Inherent Product defect In Macbook Pro
Unacknowledged by Apple
On Tuesday 5 April 2009 I opened my Apple MacBook. The glass cracked before my eyes and spread like a fault line along the screen. Since I have never dropped or abused this laptop, I asked the agents in Singapore to replace the three month old 13 inch Macbook. After taking pictures they advised me to appeal to Apple or pay $800 to repair the cracked screen. After countless calls to Apple Care, the person in charge turned out to be in Sydney. When I asked her full name/email/fax, she refused to give it to me. She said she has never heard of cracked screens ever before and if the Singapore shop said I had to pay for it, she would stand by their decision. I said this is obviously a manufacturing defect - computer screens do not just crack after three months of use - so they should replace it. Believe it or not, she recommended a legal recourse through the courts! I just cannot believe this. If a machine is faulty or sub standard, the manufacturer should be interested in the customer’s problem, should ask to see the computer etc. Upon my pressing, she gave the address of the local Singapore apple office for me to write to. But she snidely added, “…they will refer to me anyway and this will still land up on my desk”. So Hanna from Sydney, who is too far away to see anything but pictures of my cracked laptop – who will not place our conversation on record - and who advises me to sue Apple - this is my only recourse to get this matter solved? Unhappy, I then found this and a plethora of websites where countless unhappy customers who purchased the MacBook described exactly the same unexpected cracks on their screens***. I began to ask people who bought them - only to hear the same story. Obviously Apple know of the problem! All they do is to recommend customers to go to an external tribunal to solve the problem - and so obviously they cannot correspond on the matter – because documentation will acknowledge the customer’s case! Or they blame the customer for abusing the laptop. Gullible customers who pay for cracked screen are in the majority it seems.
if you have an APPLE CASE NUMBER on your matter - I would like to hear from you. Please scan the CASE SHEET and email it to siewhua.lee6@gmail.com. It is not right for Apple to ignore an inherent defect in their screens in this way.
LEE SIEW HUA on May 14th, 2009 at 9:05 am | Link
I am also disgusted with the standard of customer service Apple provide given the cost of their products. I purchased a macbook (standard, not pro) with Apple Care Protection Plan and after little more than 6 weeks a crack appeared on the screen which would spread before my eyes and worsen every day. When I brought it to an Apple repairs provider they told me that they refused to fix it under warranty because they knew Apple would refuse to pay them for the repair. I think it is disgusting that Apple charge an obscene amount of money for a flimsy product and then expect you to foot the bill for all repairs. I have previously owned iPods that have had an uncanny ability to break just after the warranty has expired but the purchase of a laptop should be viewed as something else entirely, it is an investment of a large sum of money and I would expect Apple to provide the necessary customer support instead of accusing its customers of wrongdoing. Before this I owned a Dell laptop which last 4yrs. 6 weeks of use is a complete JOKE and if Apple refuse to fix my macbook I will bring them to the Small Claims Court. I only wish I’d seen this site before I bought anything from Apple.
Rotten Apple on July 7th, 2009 at 11:29 am | Link
I am in the middle of a battle with apple over having my macbook 13″ screen replaced for the same issue. I left my computer on my desk alone in my apartment for a weekend, came back and the screen was cracked from left top to bottom right. This is the second mac I have had in 4 years. Both of my macs lost their hard-drives at only 6 months old and the macbook I have now is only 15 months. Something needs to be done about this! I keep being told this is not a known defect… this along with many other forums prove otherwise.
Erica on July 16th, 2009 at 11:44 am | Link
I broke my screen too, 2 weeks go….im sad! $1300 quote…I treat my macbook pro like its my child…
Danielle on August 9th, 2009 at 4:35 pm | Link
I was charging my MacBook Pro on my bed and had slightly lowered the screen. I left and returned several hours later to find a large crack across the screen, originating from the lower left hand clutch. I felt the computer and it was incredibly hot!
I called Apple Care and they told me I shouldn’t charge the computer on a soft surface because it could overheat and crack the screen. Apple Care told me they would fix the computer, however, when I took it to the Apple Store they told me they identified an “impact point” and that it was caused by accidental damage. They told me I had either dropped it or something was in the hinge and broke the glass. To replace the glass it would cost $1,200 dollars, almost the price of a new computer…what good is that (not to mention how terrible to toss away good LCDs into landfills)!?!
I was insulted that the “genius” practically accused me of lying to him, as the laptop was not dropped and there was no foriegn object in the hinge that would have caused this “hairline” crack across the screen.
Apple needs to take responsibility for manufacturing defective screens!!!! This is insane! The customer service at Apple is VERY subpar and I will not be buying another MacBook Pro ever again. Apple produces some other good products, but the fact that they do not acknowledge their own manufacturing errors is absurd!!!
Apple was manufacturing good products a few years ago, but now they have sacrificed quality for design. We need to get the word out that Apple is on a slippery slope to poor quality!!