Applecare and damage

Question

Level 1

11 points

Applecare and damage

I have a 2011 Macbook Pro with Applecare. I dropped it sometime in its first year of life, causing noticeable external damage but no loss of function. Everything continued working fine for over a year since then.

In the last few days something has gone wrong with the RAM and/or logic board, and I brought the machine to an AASP this morning. They told me that the Applecare is completely voided due to the presence of drop-damage.

Is this true? I looked at Applecare's terms and conditions, and it says "Does not apply to: (ii) Damage caused by (b) accident, abuse, misuse, liquid contact, fire, earthquake or other external cause". I understand that it's difficult to prove that my hardware troubles are unrelated to the accident, but that line in the T&C is not synonymous with "Any accident will void the warantee completely." The AASP told me that applecare won't even cover diagnostics now.

MacBook Pro (15-inch Early 2011), OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.4)

Posted on Jun 17, 2013 2:58 PM

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Answer 1

Kappy

Level 10

361,741 points

Jun 17, 2013 3:01 PM in response to Emergent

I don't know that your warranty is voided, but there is no coverage to repair a damaged phone when you were the cause of the damage.

If your iPod Touch, iPhone, or iPad is Broken

Apple does not fix iDevices. Instead, they exchange yours for a refurbished or new replacement depending upon the age of your device and refurbished inventories. On rare occasions when there are no longer refurbished units for your older model, they may replace it with the next newer model.

You may take your device to an Apple retailer for help or you may call Customer Service and arrange to send your device to Apple:

Apple Store Customer Service at 1-800-676-2775 or visit online Help for more information.

To contact product and tech support: Contacting Apple for support and service - this includes international calling numbers.

iPod Service Support and Costs

iPhone Service Support and Costs

iPad Service Support and Costs

There are third-party firms that do repairs on iDevices, and there are places where you can order parts to DIY if you feel up to the task. Start with Google to search for these.

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Answer 2

Emergent Author

Level 1

11 points

Jun 17, 2013 3:04 PM in response to Kappy

As I noted in my post, I'm talking about a Macbook Pro, not an iPhone or other iDevice.

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Answer 3

Jun 17, 2013 3:06 PM in response to Emergent

There is no way for you to prove the damaged caused by the drop is not the source of your trouble.

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Answer 4

Emergent Author

Level 1

11 points

Jun 17, 2013 3:12 PM in response to Johnathan Burger

While that may be true depending on the nature of the damage, it does not entirely answer my question. For example, shouldn't applecare still cover things like diagnostics? In other words, isn't there a difference between "Applecare won't cover this repair" and "Applecare has completely stopped existing"?

Separately, is there a way to reinstate Applecare after a successful repair from an AASP?

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Answer 5

Kappy

Level 10

361,741 points

Jun 17, 2013 3:33 PM in response to Emergent

Sorry for that oversight. Still if you dropped the computer you warranty no longer covers an repairs caused by dropping the computer.

Specifically, AppleCard does not cover any problem resulting from user negligence. That includes dropping the computer.

It does not mean AppleCare will not cover any problem not having resulted from the drop. However, you may have a hard time proving otherwise.

You cannot "reinstate" the warranty after incurring a repair. Either the warranty remains in effect for any subsequent repair resulting from something covered under the warranty and not related to the damage you had repaired. You can clarify your situation by contacting AppleCare Customer Service: Contacting Apple for support and service - this includes international calling numbers.

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