Mag Safe power cord sparks when connected or disconnected--whereupon the MacBook Pro 13'' dumps date and time, and all passwords, plus any/all unsaved information.

I purchased my MacBook Pro 13" from the Apple Store in Tucson, AZ, in mid-January. Since then, every time the Mag-Safe cord is jostled, not even disconnected, sparks fly from the power terminal on the computer, the computer shuts down, and dumps its passwords, as well as the date and time.

Any work in progress is also lost.

I work overseas, and Apple's advice was to give them my credit card number, await shipment of a new power supply and cord, and then, when I return the old power supply and cord, i'd receive a credit. That won't work, as packages from the US to my location take weeks if they arrive at all. There is no Apple Store within a reasonable distance. Or, Apple suggests, when I'm home on leave in mid-June, I should bring the computer to the Apple Store for repair--I have only days in which to do that, but I suppose I'll need to try. My concern is that I'll need to return overseas without my computer and won't be able to retrieve it for months, until my next leave.

This issue shows up elsewhere online. Is there a short in the power terminal in the computer, or on the Mag-Safe power cord, or within the computer itself? It's a known issue, thus I wonder why it hasn't been fixed.