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MacBook Pro Repair Extension Program for Video Issues

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Re: MacBook Pro Repair Extension Program for Video Issues

#91

Post by alasdairnicol »

IanCal wrote: post #73
bpierre wrote: post #46

I had this model, and the graphic issues started to appear during the last summer. After having acknowledged the situation [1] (Apple doesn’t officially admit there is a problem, and chances are that I will have to pay for a new logic board since I am out of warranty), I went to an Apple Store in the UK for a diagnostic. I was about to pay for the new logic board, and the person confirmed to me that in case of a reca…

> - You have a 6 years warranty in the UK. It's worth remembering this, however it's not always 6 years. There's no fixed time, but 6 years for electrical goods is a fairly good point. This all comes down to the sales of goods act, which means good must be "fit for purpose". If an expensive laptop breaks after 4 years, then you can argue it wasn't fit for purpose and therefore must be fixed or replaced (or a full ref…

> If an expensive laptop breaks after 4 years, then you can argue it wasn't fit for purpose and therefore must be fixed or replaced (or a full refund issued). As long as you haven't caused the problem through misuse, you're covered.

My understanding is that under the Sale of Goods Act you are entitled to a partial refund [1], which reflects the use that you got out of the product. For example, if a laptop broke after 4 years, and 6 years was a reasonable lifespan, that suggests a 1/3 refund.

I believe that the new EU directive entitles you for a full refund for the 2 years of the warranty. In this regard, it's a stronger protection than the UK Sale of Goods act. In other regards, the Sale of Goods act is stronger (5 years to make a claim in Scotland, 6 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland).

> Unless you'd bought it from another person rather than a business, you should have received the same treatment. This isn't Apple being nice, this is them fulfilling their legal obligations.

Some retailers might be quicker to fulfil their obligations than others, so that's worth considering when choosing where to buy the product. My recent experience at the Apple store after buying from the Apple website was pretty positive.

edit: re-reading your post, I realise that you already pointed out that your rights are against the retailer, not the manufacturer.

[1] http://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/regulation/sale-of-go...

Re: MacBook Pro Repair Extension Program for Video Issues

#92

Post by morsch »

lloeki wrote: post #61
bpierre wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes sorry, the Apple warranty is 1 year, but the legal warranty is 2 years. https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=fr&tl=en&js=y&prev...

A quick note: Apple has you covered for two years in France, due to european regulations: the first year is handled by the manufacturer, the second one is handled by the reseller. This is important as in terms of resellers an Apple Retail Store is not considered the same as the Apple Online Store, and even mode important if you're not buying it through Apple. That said, every time I went to an Apple Retail Store I've…

The EU warranty regulations are always about the relationship between the customer and the retailer, never with the manufacturer.

Manufacturers are free to offer an additional warranty, and many of them do, but it's got nothing to do with EU regulations, and can be better or worse than the retailer warranty (e.g. in terms of who needs to pay for shipping, covered problems, proving who's to blame).

If your device breaks in the first months, you often have the option of either going to the retailer or the manufacturer.

http://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/shopping/shopping-abroa...

Re: MacBook Pro Repair Extension Program for Video Issues

#93

Post by alasdairnicol »

legulere wrote: post #75
lloeki wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A quick note: Apple has you covered for two years in France, due to european regulations: the first year is handled by the manufacturer, the second one is handled by the reseller. This is important as in terms of resellers an Apple Retail Store is not considered the same as the Apple Online Store, and even mode important if you're not buying it through Apple. That said, every time I went to an Apple Retail Store I've…

It doesn't even need to be an Apple Store. When my SSD died after the 1 year apple warranty I called Apple and was given an option of several Apple certified shops around me. They told me there that it usually takes a few days for apple to authorize the repair after the 1 year vendor warranty, but I was able to pick up my laptop again on the next day in the morning.

My Macbook died last month after 15 months, outside of the 1 year warranty. I had bought it from Apple's website.

The local certified shop wanted £99 to diagnose the problem. Apple weren't particularly helpful when I asked for help to get the fee waived (their staff in the US don't know about the UK Sale of Goods act, understandable perhaps), so I had to take a 40 minute train journey to my nearest Apple store.

The Apple store diagnosed the problem and immediately offered to repair it for free 'under UK consumer law'. I was pretty happy with the experience, but would have preferred if the local certified shop had been able to diagnose and repair the laptop for free instead.

Re: MacBook Pro Repair Extension Program for Video Issues

#94

Post by weslly »

ronyeh wrote: post #47

Unfortunately, I have a Mid 2010 MBP that is not covered under this warranty extension. It crashes/restarts all the time with a GPU panic that is caused by the nVidia card, and triggered by the OS. It never crashed with Snow Leopard (the stock OS for my model), but ever since I upgraded, it crashes consistently (Mountain Lion & Mavericks). I use gfxCardStatus to force the computer to use the intel graphics card. This…

I had the same problem with my mid 2010, they replaced the motherboard/logic board for free last year and it never happened again.

Re: MacBook Pro Repair Extension Program for Video Issues

#95

Post by rsfern »

pmjordan wrote: post #89
dmishe wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I believe the root of the problem, lead-free soldering joints, was common to all portables of that time

Nvidia and AMD GPUs probably generate more heat than Intel chips and so have likely been more badly affected. Has there been some breakthrough in the alloy used for solder that makes this less of an issue now? Also interesting that I've never heard of this issue with desktop GPUs, which get insanely hot. My guess is the solder pads are bigger and more widely spaced?

I'm not aware of any major breakthroughs in the past few years, but lead-free solder alloys are an active research area right now. Here's a SANDIA report from 2012 that has some context and some cool micrographs; you can find lots more by searching the web for tin whisker growth in lead-free solders.

(edit: pdf warning) http://prod.sandia.gov/techlib/access-control.cgi/2012/12051...

Re: MacBook Pro Repair Extension Program for Video Issues

#97

Post by Alex3917 »

milos_cohagen wrote: post #85

I'm on my 3rd logic board with my early-2011 15". To Apple's credit they covered it every time. I'm confused though.. does this news mean if it happens again, they'll cover it? And if so, for how much longer?

> And if so, for how much longer?

Apple stores stop stocking parts and offering any support 5 years after the model date. After that the only thing they will do is offer to clean your screen. If they have parts you can still mail it into Apple, or else you can look for parts at a third-party supplier, but that's about it. Not entirely clear what will happen in this case.

Re: MacBook Pro Repair Extension Program for Video Issues

#98

Post by zk00006 »

lucaspiller wrote: post #22

Has anyone else had issues with Macbook Air having marks on the screen which won't come off? These look like tiny scratches, but are in a line and roughly where the screen touches the top of the trackpad when closed. I've had it with both the 11" and 13" models of the current design. Apple replaced the screen on both, but the same happened and then my warranty expired.

Yes, same issue on retina Macbook Pro 15, bought 2013. Apple refused to repair the screen. It is clearly that the scratches match the structure of the keyboard. Previous model does not have this issue and is used identically. I bought the laptop in Japan and requested repair in Czech Republic. Apple refused my claims because "international" warranty is only for 1 year (I asked for repair after 2 years). The result? Screen is not repaired and difficult to use unless completely dark. This issue is quite common and It would be nice if Apple change its policy in this case as well.

Re: MacBook Pro Repair Extension Program for Video Issues

#100

Post by caseyf »

I have a late 2011 MacBook Pro that has this problem.

I called Apple this morning and they told me that I'd have to bring it in to an Apple store. The page on Apple.com offers a postage paid "Mail In Service" option if you are in the US but the customer service rep didn't know anything about that.

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