I went into the Apple store in Charlotte, NC. Upon getting there i filled out the concierge and headed towards the “genius” bar. I get there, set my laptop down, and ask him politely to inspect the system.
The lower right side of the laptop bows down an extreme amount. I would say its close to a quarter of an inch. The “genius” that is helping me says that he “has never seen anything like this” then continues to say that this is definitely “Physical damage.” I reply that there is no way that this is physical damage, because this laptop doesn’t leave my desk or my house. He say and repeats this is “physical damage”, which is an insult considering that there is no physical damage to the case anywhere.
NO DINGS, SCRATCHES, DENTS OF ANY KIND.
He is very rude in his approach, and tells me that I am basically lying to him and that there is no possible way that this is caused from a defect of craftsmanship. I ask him to call the manager and he then goes and returns with the manager about 5 mins later. I’m guessing he’s explaining to the manager what is going on. I am a manager for a fortune 500 company and I can say that this is not a way to deal with costumers. Have the manager come out ASAP.
So then Joe repeats the same thing that the “genius” had just recited to me. I will not tolerate being cast off as a liar. He then goes on to quote that the repair would cost me $755. I have Apple Care on the machine which was another chunk of change. What does that cover? Good question. Seeing that I am not happy, he goes back to the back again and says that he will have it sent off to the Depot for them to determine whether or not the repair would cost me or Apple would cover it. What is the purpose of the manager? Good question.
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Sorry to hear that you laptop has a bow in it. But your posting it all over the place: you don’t like the employee’s attitude, you don’t like their escalation techniques, and you expect that your “Fortune 500″ status to carry some clout. It’s really about business practices. What would you tell the Goodyear store manager about your tire that failed, but looks like it was damaged? Apple has policies just like Goodyear, and either they repair it, replace it or don’t.
Gary on March 27th, 2008 at 2:55 am | Link
are you right handed? if you open the computer from the right side all the time you can bend it and it might not be a warranty repair.
steve on March 27th, 2008 at 1:42 pm | Link
Wow. I’m guessing someone doesn’t read to thoroughly. I said that I work for a fortune 500 company… “no clout implied” just general info that was given…. we aren’t allowed to treat people like that. If there is no evidence of physical damage… how can it be physical damage. There is nothing on the laptop at all to make anyone think that it would be from that.. The damage isn’t to the lid its to the bottom of the case. It is bowing in and should be something of high importance not put off as “Physical damage”. I have never taken the laptop anywhere and I open it from the center, which has no type of bearing on this situation. Why are you wasting time disputing something about someone on this site when this site is about complaints? Just chew on that for awhile. Oh btw this is the only place that I have posted on this… It happened on March, 26th at around 630est. My main concern is that this isn’t a cheap laptop and I have had it for approximately 9 months. Would you throw 3,000 dollars away in 9 months? Anyone in there right minds wouldn’t do such a thing.
William on March 27th, 2008 at 2:25 pm | Link
So you’re a manager for Walmart? Chevron? Because you work for a fortune 500 company doesn’t mean anything.
Jack Krelinstein on March 28th, 2008 at 8:03 am | Link
I think that the case looked bent… and the laptop is made from aircraft grade material. You can’t honestly fault the policy of a company when the laptop did clearly (in the photo you posted) look as if it could be damaged. Now having said that, if there happened to be a rash of people with Macbook Pros that had the same issue then yes… maybe a repair would be something I might expect, but this is really not the case. I myself have owned more than 10 macs and their service department has always been top notch in my book. In closing the title of “genius” was created by an apple executive, not the person you were dealing directly with. So I dont think you should reference that job title as if the technician you were working with claimed to be an actual genius. It’s a clever name for a technician… clever. that’s all. So don’t fault the the guy for that. Good luck with your laptop.
Gary 2 on March 28th, 2008 at 5:13 pm | Link
When i went to the genius bar they told me its the way you open the laptop. if you open it from the corners instead of grabbing it from the middle the aluminum will bend.
So its not your fault and apple won’t do **** about it. I am pretty angry too that I’ve payed $3000 for a laptop and get treaty like ****. I also have iMac and iPhone.
My iMac DVD-R wouldn’t burn dvd’s and the mac genius told me it was because I am burning files that are not copy-writing( downloaded movies, music, etc.) which i was told is totally retarded because this just happened recently..
After few arguments and me going back and forth couple times, they finally figured out the drive was broken.
My iPhone also was messed up and they replaced that instantly.
Sometimes, you get luck or very unlucky on who is helping you.
nh on April 1st, 2008 at 5:21 pm | Link
Hey, I feel the same way, I have the dent on the right side. In regards to what Gary 2 said, A LOT of people have this problem. Aircraft material my ass, my case got dented by the superdrive within 4 months; simple wear and tear problem. Apple should cover this, but according to the Genius I went to, they said $800 to replace the housing and that their warranty doesn’t cover “comestic” issues. Comestic issues that clearly prevented my CDs from entering the super drive on my pro.
Peter Lei on April 23rd, 2008 at 3:15 pm | Link
Hi, I bought my macbook pro 2 months ago and I noticed lately that the left side of the corver is a little bit higher and it leaves a small opening! it looks like it has a bent on that side. I didn’t notice that when i unpacked my macbook pro and i don’t think that i did something that caused that bent. After a search on the net i found this post and i realize that this has happened to others as well. i didn’t refer to the applestore yet but i intent to.
Mitsos on May 15th, 2008 at 1:16 pm | Link
I’ve the same problem! The machine was fine when delivered, then over time has become warped. I really look after mine, transporting it everywhere in a LaRobe case, but still I’ve a quarter inch gap on the right hand side, and, the casing is coming away near to the front release button. The only reason I can think for this happening is picking the machine up from the side with one hand . But if this is the case, hardly high quality you expect for £2000 worth of machine! I’m an Apple fan, but feel a little let down by this.
Zak on May 15th, 2008 at 2:22 pm | Link
Hello, what I would suggest for anyone who purchases a macbook of any kind or any device from the Apple Store is to open the box next to the clerk who sells you the item, inspect it making sure everything works 100%, do the software update right there and have him/her teach you the basics in case you’re not familiar with the item. I accidentally dropped my macbook pro on the right side where the super drive is at causing it to not work properly, it hurt me like hell, but had to live with the consequence, luckily the computer works perfectly fine, but to fix the superdrive costs $1240, which is not worth it because of the side being bent. So hopefully in a few months from now, I’ll be getting a new one, gotta save up again. So once again, after u purchase your device, open it, inspect it and do the update.
Jose on June 5th, 2008 at 10:48 am | Link
Why wouldn’t you get an iMac or a Mac Pro if it’s just going to sit on your desk all the time - better performance per dollar. Sounds like there’s more to the story than you’re telling us.
People always **** their pants that AppleCare doesn’t cover their own wear and tear, just faulty hardware and repairs. Ask questions before you buy. Not to mention, Jack is exactly right. The Genius is just a technician. Genius was thought up by corporate, it’s not like he rode in on a high horse and selected the title.
Mango on July 8th, 2008 at 1:04 pm | Link
The top of my Mac Book Pro has also bowed. I’ve seen many posts about the same exact thing. Apple’s attitude has made sure this is the last product of theirs I buy. I didn’t put out $2000 on a laptop to have it bow like that. To top it off one of my cats knocked it off a table top in the middle of the night and the case bent near the DVD drive. I figured the case could take a fall from a table top on to carpet. I expect much better for the money.
jason on August 31st, 2008 at 9:55 pm | Link
Well
I have to agree…..I switched from being a 25 year PC USER to MAC in April and am very happy with the OSX operating system and I dished out nearly $3000 for my macbook pro as well plus Applecare (Which should be called AppleNOCare). I have had the system just about 5 months and my screen casing is bowed as well. I then noticed tat the casing on the left side is also bent. Now I really do not travel with the system at all and it has NOT been dropped or banged on anything either. I then made and appointment with Applecare about this and when they look at the system they said that this was caused by impact damage. There are absolutely NO dents on this machine at all and after reading across the net I see that this is a common problem and Apple is dong NOTHING ABOUT IT! Not exactly what i would expect but I guess tat is my screwup fir buying one. I could have bought 3 Dells for this price. I am not saying Dell is great but I have had many of them in the past with NO problems like this. For a $3000 machine it sure is a rickety hunk of crap….and gettin not help from Apple is even more disappointing. I am thrilled with the operation of the OS but their support less than SUCKS! They know this is a design flaw and it is cause if you look around and type in “waped screen macbook pro” you will find MANY complants.
Very Dissatisfied and will not be buying another if this is not corrected. I wish we could put together a class action against them.
Matt F on September 2nd, 2008 at 1:49 pm | Link
I think given the amount of people who seem to have this issue some effort should be put into bringing this to the attention of people who can help you. If the retail store and service department doesn’t do the trick then climb the ladder.This thread has become a bit inflated. This is a place to blast off, don’t get me wrong, but exercise your right as a consumer to speak to the individual that will hear your case. If “Joe” the store manager repeated what the technician said then ask to speak to a regional manager. Apple is a large reputable brand with a dedication to customer service. They are have actual stores!!! That takes guts for a computer company. They have a place where you can go and gripe if you are having issues. Face to face… So they knew what they are getting into when they did that. If you are taking the word of a shift manager as the end of the line then that is your fault as a customer for not going through the proper channel. There many be a faulty design… I have one and it’s not the case with mine so I can’t agree there, but wither way… It’s a machine. It’s not a perfect product and honestly nothing is. I judge my service from a company on a case by case basis. I have had great interactions with apple regarding both repairs and otherwise. My advice is to look into getting in contact with someone from apple customer service or a regional apple store manager and discussing any legit concerns about your purchase or the products issues with them directly. Good Luck.
Gary 2 on September 2nd, 2008 at 2:10 pm | Link
I JUST bought my mac book pro yesterday, opened it today…and instantly notice the gap on both sides of the brim of my laptop. I searched online to see if others had this problem, or it was just a defect my laptop happened to have. This is sad news. Even if i were to go back to return my pro for another one that isn’t bent, would i be wasting my time having the chance that it could be bent again in time. Obviously, from theses cases and especially mine, the mac book pro is or will be defected with this gap. With all the complaints, apple should fix this problem….this is baaaaad. Plus, apple is known for their high-end meticulous design. And what is this i find? a computer that does not close correctly.
apple, you still don’t have my confidence that you are better than a pc.
Anna Storelli on September 6th, 2008 at 2:50 am | Link