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driven · Mar 2, 2008, 10:18 PM

Some dude at the airport walked by a table and as he went he knocked my 4 week old MacBook Pro on the floor. (So much for the mac-safe connector breaking away!)

Anyway: I have a very minor dent on the lid (I can deal with that) but a much larger dent on the front left corner around the optical drive door.

Will Apple fix this if I bring it in to them? Has anyone had this done yet? How much would a repair cost? I'm assuming I'll need a bottom half of my case.

0157988944 · Mar 2, 2008, 11:39 PM

They will fix it, but not under warranty, as it was damaged by someone other than them (i.e. not a manufacturing fault) Call Applecare and ask for an estimate.

driven · Mar 3, 2008, 12:43 AM

I didn't buy the Applecare. I wasn't really concerned about it being fixed under warrantee. (I woudln't have expected that.) I just want it fixed. (Even if I have to pay for it.)

I'll stop in the Apple store when I get home on Friday. (First time I'll be home in 3 weeks, yeah!) Hopefully they can do something.

I'm so angry about this I could spit. (Angry at myself mostly .... if I hadn't rushed to send this report out .. if I waited until Monday then this wouldn't have happened.)

I have to learn to tell people ... when I'm off work ... so are your bloody numbers.)

Cold Warrior · Mar 3, 2008, 12:46 AM

I double they'll do anything there. They'll probably offer to send it off at the $300 flat rate repair option.

driven · Mar 3, 2008, 01:04 AM

I'd pay the $300. :-)

That would be reasonable.

Atheist · Mar 3, 2008, 01:08 AM

I'm still trying to figure out why you are mad at yourself for someone else's carelessness.

0157988944 · Mar 3, 2008, 07:32 AM

If it's only 3 weeks old, it's under Applecare.

MacosNerd · Mar 3, 2008, 08:21 AM

Originally Posted by adamfishercox

If it's only 3 weeks old, it's under Applecare.

Yes but the warranty will not cover accidental damage.

driven · Mar 3, 2008, 10:52 AM

Originally Posted by Atheist

I'm still trying to figure out why you are mad at yourself for someone else's carelessness.

I'm mad at myself because I shouldn't have taken it out in an area so busy in the first place. But ... trying to do the work thing and get them some numbers ... so much for a day off in the first place.

Besides ... who else can I blame. I don't even know who the guy was that did it. At least blaming myself I have a target. :-)

driven · Mar 3, 2008, 10:53 AM

Anyway: I'll call the Apple repair line today on my lunch break and see what they say.

0157988944 · Mar 3, 2008, 05:08 PM

Originally Posted by MacosNerd

Yes but the warranty will not cover accidental damage.

My original point.

driven · Mar 3, 2008, 05:11 PM

I'll visit the Apple store on Saturday. As soon as I find out what the repair cost is, I'll let everyone know.

drissa · Mar 3, 2008, 05:22 PM

This is what bugs me about the MBPs. The case dents and bends easily. A dent over the optical drive can even compress the opening enough to make inserting/ejecting discs problematic.

I'm not suggesting we should be slinging these things around, but a high-end laptop marketed to photographers/film-makers out in the field should deal much better with knocks and bumps. The plastic MB casing seems much stronger.

Black_Rain · Mar 5, 2008, 02:57 AM

Originally Posted by drissa

This is what bugs me about the MBPs. The case dents and bends easily. A dent over the optical drive can even compress the opening enough to make inserting/ejecting discs problematic.

I'm not suggesting we should be slinging these things around, but a high-end laptop marketed to photographers/film-makers out in the field should deal much better with knocks and bumps. The plastic MB casing seems much stronger.

may be just me... but i'd rather have a dent in my aluminum mbp than a crack in my mb

The thing I dont understand is how this guy just bumped it off and went on his business...

did he realize he bumped it off the table? was there any sort of apology? I would probably have asked for his number in case you found out after the fact that somehow he damaged your notebook from the drop...then i would politely ask him to pay...since he was the clutz...not you

icruise · Mar 5, 2008, 04:33 AM

Originally Posted by adamfishercox

If it's only 3 weeks old, it's under Applecare.

It's under warranty, but not Applecare (which is what Apple calls their additional, for-purchase warranty). But as has already been pointed out, it wouldn't matter if he had Applecare, since neither the standard warranty or Applecare cover accidental damage.

To the OP: Are you saying that the guy tripped over the power cord and that's what caused it to fall on the ground?

MacosNerd · Mar 5, 2008, 08:14 AM

Originally Posted by Black_Rain

may be just me... but i'd rather have a dent in my aluminum mbp than a crack in my mb

But all things being equal, the odds are much higher that an MB will come off damage free from a fall that would dent an MBP.

I remember back during the iBook days, an apple salesman wanted show how sturdy the laptop was so he dropped it on the floor from about two feet distance - while it was running. That polycarbonate shell is durable.

jogi · Mar 5, 2008, 10:01 AM

I'd DEFINATELLY send the bill over to the person that dropped it. He caused the damage, he pays.

driven · Mar 5, 2008, 10:27 AM

Originally Posted by Black_Rain

may be just me... but i'd rather have a dent in my aluminum mbp than a crack in my mb

The thing I dont understand is how this guy just bumped it off and went on his business...

did he realize he bumped it off the table? was there any sort of apology? I would probably have asked for his number in case you found out after the fact that somehow he damaged your notebook from the drop...then i would politely ask him to pay...since he was the clutz...not you

He was running. (I have no idea why or where they were going). But, the caught my power cord which somehow got wrapped around my display and then it yanked it off the table. (Really fast) The person yelled "Sorry" but kept running. If I went to chase him I'd have to leave my stuff all over the floor. (Not a good idea)

amazing · Mar 5, 2008, 11:32 AM

You could adopt the attitude that scars enhance the character of the laptop. And if nothing functional is kablooey, you could leave it like that until something else happens and then get everything fixed at the same time. Road warrior laptops give you something to chat about.

Eventually, when you upgrade to your next laptop, you pass the savings on when you sell it at reduced price.

driven · Mar 5, 2008, 12:24 PM

Originally Posted by amazing

You could adopt the attitude that scars enhance the character of the laptop. And if nothing functional is kablooey, you could leave it like that until something else happens and then get everything fixed at the same time. Road warrior laptops give you something to chat about.

Eventually, when you upgrade to your next laptop, you pass the savings on when you sell it at reduced price.

Actually I agree with you and I like that the "battle scars" all have a story. BUT: The way it bent it's broken open the seal in the case. So ... I'm worried about dirt, etc getting in there. I'm also worried that if something breaks under warrantee or apple care that they won't fix it but instead blame it on the carnage.

Any thoughts?

SierraDragon · 01:35 PM

Originally Posted by driven

... I'm worried about dirt, etc getting in there. I'm also worried that if something breaks under warrantee or apple care that they won't fix it but instead blame it on the carnage. Any thoughts?

• Thought 1: It was a smart move not to leave your toys and go after the guy. (a) No one wants to be involved with the TSA morons for any reason, including chasing someone thru an airport; and (b) the whole thing could have been a scam to get you to leave your toys.

• Thought 2: Get a repair estimate.

• Thought 3: Make the personal decision as to whether the repair is worth the cost. I agree that scars show character,

and the case split can be easily sealed with a little clear, gray or black silcone.

• Thought 4: Your concerns about if something breaks under warrantee or apple care that they won't fix it but instead blame it on the carnage are insightful. I would not have thought about that. IMO your concerns are legitimate. Maybe discuss it when you get the Apple repair estimate. If you choose not to repair the damage maybe Apple will document that the internals are still good for future warranty purposes.

Warranty is year one and free. AppleCare is years 2 and 3 and at $349 for limited coverage of a 2-3 year old laptop ridiculously expensive. Neither warranty nor Applecare cover damage, fire, or theft. And typical failed items (e.g. hard drives) cost less than $349 and in 2 years will be cheaper/better via third party anyway.

As to folks who prefer plastic as inherently more durable, I disagree. Both case types are really quite durable, just different vulnerabilities. E.g. a dent on the corner of a MBP might be a crack in a MB, and the act of deforming metal absorbs some energy that might otherwise damage internals. The point is that both are tough in different ways.

-Allen Wicks

Originally Posted by driven

...dent on the front left corner around the optical drive door.

Is your optical drive really on the left, or is that a typo? Mine (older 2.33 GHz 17" C2D MBP) is on the right, as is the gallery image at the online Apple Store.

Zeeb · Mar 5, 2008, 01:12 PM

If your MBP is only 3 weeks old I'd just take a deep breath and have them replace the case so that you get a new looking machine again--and pay the bill. That will clear future service requests where they would blame any malfunction on the dent. Chalk it up to one of those things you can't control. You could say it was the guy running through the airport being careless--but people always run through the airport. You could say you shouldn't have had it out, but people use laptops all the time while waiting.

sogbrightlight · Mar 5, 2008, 09:14 PM

It makes me scared to buy a macbook pro in the future if it's so dent prone.

icruise · Mar 5, 2008, 09:35 PM

Originally Posted by sogbrightlight

It makes me scared to buy a macbook pro in the future if it's so dent prone.

Well, metal dents and plastic cracks -- that's just the way things are. But I used two 12" PowerBook G4s over the course of the last 6 years or so, and I only had one VERY minor dent in the casing. As long as you're careful with the machine, I don't think it's a big deal (aside from cases like the OP's, which would damage any computer to some degree).

driven · Mar 6, 2008, 08:16 AM

I concur. I had a PowerBook G4 for several years. When I sold it it looked just like it did when it came out of the box.

My MBP took a very hard hit. I'm not sure plastic would have done much better.

SierraDragon · Mar 6, 2008, 11:33 AM

Originally Posted by sogbrightlight

It makes me scared to buy a macbook pro in the future if it's so dent prone.

If you intend to drop your laptop on to hard surfaces from substantial elevations and you fear dents buy a Macbook.

If you intend to drop your laptop on to hard surfaces from substantial elevations and you fear cracks buy a Macbook Pro.

If you fear trashing the IMO important working parts of a laptop, don't drop your laptop on to hard surfaces from substantial elevations.

I don't have those fears in any major way and use Mac laptops hard in the field (pretty much everywhere) but even so after many years, many laptops, the most damage that has happened has been a few small character dings.

-Allen Wicks

driven · Mar 6, 2008, 07:47 PM

Character dings identify your property when someone takes it. :-)

Big friggin' dents though identify battle damage.

lisa_is_not_mac · Mar 6, 2008, 11:48 PM

Originally Posted by MacosNerd

But all things being equal, the odds are much higher that an MB will come off damage free from a fall that would dent an MBP.

I remember back during the iBook days, an apple salesman wanted show how sturdy the laptop was so he dropped it on the floor from about two feet distance - while it was running. That polycarbonate shell is durable.

I dropped my mb on to cold, hard cement from maybe 4 feet open, it was fine, then i pancaked it the next day and broke the mother board, the only salvageable part of it was the screen (not even the hard drive) Smooth move right?

ccwillows · Mar 7, 2008, 09:42 AM

I dropped my MBP about one year ago. It was a very sad, angry day that left a dent in the left corner of the bottom case. The more unfortunate news is that I had applecare, but dropping your MBP will void the warranty. I was only like 6 months into the 3 years. Also, the bottom case is one of the most difficult replacements, so they quoted me, $799 to fix it. I still have not fixed it. If you are handy, you can find a bottom case online for around $180 and replace it yourself, instructions included. This is a delicate procedure, though, so proceed at your own risk. Sorry for your situation.

makemineamac · Mar 8, 2008, 12:02 AM

Just a question, many credit cards have automatic insurance that protects you when damage like this occurs. By chance did you purchase it with a credit card? If so, you may want to see if you're automatically covered already. Just a suggestion. I know I have this protection on my AMex and Visa, and have used it a couple of times for accidental damage.

I have a dent right by the optical drive as well - it hasn't limited functionality, but it happened shortly after I purchased mine as well, so I know how you feel.

driven · Mar 8, 2008, 03:57 AM

Today was judgement day. I went into the Apple store with my damaged notebook.

The Genius told me that this repair would fall under "flat rate" of $610. He then said "I don't recommend you spend that much on a perfectly functional notebook."

My reply "Yes. That's good, but I am concerned about my warrantee."

Genius: "Don't be concerned: Your warrantee is over because you dropped it."

Me: "Whaaaa !!!!!"

Genius: (after looking around): He hands me a business card: "Go to this authorized dealer. He's five minutes from here, and he'll hook you up for a lot less. He's an authorized repair person so he can reinstate your warrantee. Save the $610 repair for when you back over the laptop with your car."

Me: Ok.

Now I drive over to Georgia's own Daystar Technologies and meet with Gary Dailey, President. Only five minutes after talking to this gentleman it becomes obvious that he loves his job.

He takes my laptop, and immediately disassembles damn near every component. He massages the aluminum to make it like new. (Seriously, you'd never know it was damaged.) He checks my serial number to ensure that Apple didn't record a drop. If they did he'd have to sell me some part. Apparently the Genius realized how minor the damage was and didn't record it. So ... I'm good to go.

NOT YET: Gary runs a full diagnosis on my laptop to ensure that it really DOES work right. The laptop passes.

My bill? $40. Wow. Since I saved a small fortune I asked him to update my memory to 4GB. He was a bit more than crucial, but I was there, it was immediate and I just saved $570 !!!! (plus tax). As an added bonus he pays me for my old memory.

Life is great.

I am an Apple customer for life (again). The Genius didn't have to send me to a local store, but they did. My local store didn't have to save me a bundle, but they did. The passion for the people who work on Apple branded equipment is amazing.

Now, I need some police tape or barb-wire fencing to erect around myself during my next excursion to JFK airport. (smile)

As an added bonus, he cleans the case of my laptop with some magic formula. (Later identified as a special chemical called "fantastic." :-) Now my laptop looks great too!

My friend added this: "you geeks look out for each other."

Xarthan · Mar 8, 2008, 05:08 AM

sweet that's awesome man! You should go back to the apple store and buy the guy a coffee or something! lol

amazing · Mar 8, 2008, 11:13 AM

Just don't identify the Apple employee publicly on any forum, in any way, 'cause they get in all sorts of trouble for stepping out of bounds in giving your out-of-bounds advice.

driven · Mar 8, 2008, 11:59 AM

Originally Posted by amazing

Just don't identify the Apple employee publicly on any forum, in any way, 'cause they get in all sorts of trouble for stepping out of bounds in giving your out-of-bounds advice.

I was very careful not to do that.

BUT: This *was* an authorized Apple service center so I'm not sure it was anything he'd get in trouble for. He solved my problem *and* improved my customer loyalty. If anything he did his job really well.

imitchellg5 · Mar 8, 2008, 12:58 PM

$40! Wow! I want to take my much scarred PowerBook there. You got a great deal.
On the other hand, was that at the Perimeter store? I've found the geniuses there to be really nice.

driven · Mar 8, 2008, 01:09 PM

This was the Mall of Georgia store. It's probably one of the better Apple stores that I've visited. (I've been to MANY.)

Side note: They should sell t-shirts with the name of the store on them. Sort of like the Hard Rock and Hooter restaurants do. It could be like a geekish "hard rock" to collect the Apple Store t-shirts.

phoenix78 · Mar 8, 2008, 10:28 PM

Dont you guys have insurance for your macs anyway?? I think 'driven' was very lucky with his situation. Not usual that that sort of thing happens.

Applecare does not cover accidents/theft etc... I dont remember how much i pay for insurance for electronics but it isnt much and its part of my home contents cover... and im covered anywhere for about $10,000 damage. replaced with new.

driven · Mar 8, 2008, 10:48 PM

Phoenix78 brings up a good point. One that I'm now seriously thinking about. Yes, I got very lucky. It's unlikely to work out that way again.

However: I'd prefer not to use my homeowners insurance. I really only make a claim on the homeowners for catastrophic failures. (Fire, etc.) I don't want to get flagged as "claim happy".

A quick Google search brings this up:
Laptop Insurance From Safeware

I'm going to look into them.

EdipisReks · Mar 8, 2008, 11:07 PM

my renter's insurance would cover it, but they'd probably try to make out like it was my fault, as renter's insurance adjusters are notoriously stingy.

imitchellg5 · Mar 8, 2008, 11:07 PM

Originally Posted by driven

This was the Mall of Georgia store. It's probably one of the better Apple stores that I've visited. (I've been to MANY.)

Side note: They should sell t-shirts with the name of the store on them. Sort of like the Hard Rock and Hooter restaurants do. It could be like a geekish "hard rock" to collect the Apple Store t-shirts.

That's actually a great idea! I'd do it.

icruise · Mar 9, 2008, 01:11 AM

You can usually get separate rider policies from the place that you have your homeowners insurance from, and these are specifically designed to protect one piece of equipment from breakage or theft. I got one on my iPhone when I first got it, and I might want to do it for my computer as well. Supposedly making a claim on this kind of policy won't affect your overall rates.

driven · Mar 9, 2008, 01:17 AM

icruise,

Thanks. I'll check into it ...

That said: As of April 11th I'm going to be officially "homeless" for a few months. (I sold my current house and the construction on my new McMansion won't be completed until the summer.)

I'm also trying to see if I can get homeowner insurance to cover my stuff between homes, but not sure how that's going to work if I don't have a home. weird situation.