Butterfly keyboard problem

Unfortunately unless your local consumer protection laws have any way to help you out here, then your only options are to pay for the repairs or buy a new laptop. I do find the later versions of these parts (Keyboard and Display) seem to be a bit more reliable, but the butterfly is flawed no matter what since it only takes the smallest spec of dirt to jam the mechanism and the micro switch is just a poor design which is the cause of the repeating keys or unresponsive keys.

Personally I find all of the Apple USB-C Macs are poorly designed and the later 2018+ models have extra hardware security which has other issues as well. When they work they are fine, but when there are issues they are a complete pain in so many ways.

The Apple of today is no where as consumer friendly as they were 15+ years ago. In the past Apple would regularly provide free repair exceptions when presented with a well presented & reasonable case, but today this rarely happens. Some of these USB-C laptops had four to six free repair programs available (not all were public) while other laptops should have had some of those repair programs extended to them as well as they suffered from the exact same type of failure (I tried to convince Apple, but they refused our requests -- years ago they probably would have provided a free repair to us). Even with all these complaints Apple still seems to be the best OEM to offer voluntary free repair programs.

HerThomas1979 wrote:

My dad bought a new MacBook Pro 13" in 2017 for 2000EUR in Belgium. It slowly began to show problems related to the butterfly keyboard problems. Apple started a Keyboard Service Program in 2019. Now some keys even don't work any longer. You have to push them very hard. My dad said that it always was more difficult to write long letters but thought it was his fault. Now that the problem got worse we went to an official apple service store, lab9. They referred to the service program and said it was a free repair. The laptop went in for diagnosis. After a few days he got a call from the store. The program is valid for 4 years after purchasing. Now he has to pay 700EUR.

There is also a problem with the screen. It show vertical flikkering lines. Those lines are only visible on grey or light blue services on the screen. For this problem he has to pay 800EUR.

We called Apple Support. They said the program expired and they would not help us in any other way. Even after a call with a senior there was no solution offered.

My dad paid a lot of money for a good quality product. He expected to do 6 or 8 years with his machine. Instead he got a faulty product that was never working good. We are deeply disappointed in the quality and service from Apple.

The butterfly keyboard problem is a hidden default on the date of purchase. The new laptops have a better keyboard since 2019. Apple knows it was a bad mechanism.

I gave my dad my backup MacBook Pro 15" 2013. The reason I told him he should buy an Apple Macbook. It still works perfect.

Are other people having the same problem? What can we do?

Apple: people will not forget. Take good care!

Right, butterfly key board had 3 generations of issues (2016-2018) before they finally gave up on it and went back to the scissors mechanism the 'magic keyboard' starting with 2019 Intel 16" MBP

You can plug in an external keyboard.

You can try a wireless keyboard

You can pay out of pocket

You can trade it in Apple Trade In

I would submit your Apple Feedback Product Feedback - Apple

Contact the corporate office Contact - How to Contact Us - Apple

HerThomas1979 wrote:

Apple reaches $50 mln settlement over defective MacBook keyboards

https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/apple-reaches-50-mln-settlement-over-defective-macbook-keyboards-2022-07-19/

It means Apple settled it in the Court of Law.

submit your Apple Feedback here:  hhttp://www.apple.com/feedback

Contact the corporate office Contact - How to Contact Us - Apple

HerThomas1979 wrote:

Thank you for your reply.

We were hoping for an actual fix for our problem without breaking the bank.

We were also hoping that Apple would take their responsibility for a faulty mechanism.

My car was serviced in the garage after 6 years because a production fault was detected.

A keyboard is an essential part of a computer. So if a production fault was detected, it should not have an expiring date to solve those production faults.

In fact, I think Apple should actively try to contact all those people who have this problem. Like your car is recalled. We were never informed, not on the date of purchase or after.

In Europe we have a law 'hidden defects'.

In France, in addition of the conformity guarantee, you benefit from a guarantee of hidden defects (articles 1641 to 1649 of the French Civil Code). Hidden defects occur when the item is "unfit for the use for which it is intended, or which so diminishes its use that the buyer would not have acquired it, or would only have paid a lower price for it, if he had known about them". A defect is said to be hidden when you do not detect it during a simple examination.

You have 2 years from the discovery of the defect to act in guarantee for hidden defects.

I understand— my hands are tied... this is the user to user support forum.

If you want to carry on a conversation with Apple Support it will have to be through their link in the upper right hand corner of this page—

same as here: Apple Support

or

Call Customer Support  (800) MY–APPLE (800–692–7753)

or

Outside the USA—Contact Apple for support and service by phone

See a list of Apple phone numbers around the world.

Contact Apple for support and service - Apple Support

Here's a 2018 article all about the keyboard: https://bgr.com/tech/macbook-pro-2018-butterfly-keyboard-fixed-ifixit/

The service program was established and Apple stopped using the design. Those actions were Apple's final fix.