Id say if its like Dell's warranty to call and then they will send you a replacement battery. I thought the Apple Care covered accidental damage?

What's particularly offensive is that MacBooks frequently fracture at that location. Even if the computer hadn't suffered a ding, it probably would've cracked anyway. Apple hasn't taken responsibility for that major design defect, but it shouldn't stand in the way of a battery replacement.

My iphone was refused service for a dying battery because the screen was cracked (not shattered, just a hairline crack). The wifi died right after that, and I was powerless to fix that as well. Cracks are pretty common on iphones, and the crack appeared many months before my other problems, which were completely unrelated. I eventually ended up having to buy a new phone with a new contract to get my wifi back.

I had to deal with something similar I found Emailing the Senior VP of Apple Retail Ron Johnson (ronj@apple.com) was better then Steve Jobs (he personally got in touch with me within a few hours)

My MacBook (first gen, I had no choice) has cracked two times already in the same spot. The only response I got from the Apple "Genius" is that I shouldn't carry it around in the same bag as books (after I told him I don't carry books.) Um, Apple, aren't laptops portable computers?

Not to mention the numerous other hardware issues I've had in the past two years (hard drive and battery failure, charger melting...) and Apple doesn't list an e-mail on their website to contact for complaints.

Apple should replace that top cover. Mine had the same chip (not as massive though). My macbook was 2 years out of warranty and they replaced the $200 part for free.

My fiancé ran into a very similar problem a year ago or so. Her Macbook Pro had a key that popped off, but could not be put back on because the little rubber thing below it had also come off. This happened through normal use of the laptop, not because of a drop or anything like that. When she tried to bring it in to an Apple store, they refused service because there was a bit of cosmetic damage in the corner (much lighter than the one in this post's picture).

Their over-arching policy is pretty much that if something is wrong with your hardware and there's any evidence of any cosmetic damage (ie. you dropped it, or something) then they don't give you the benefit of the doubt, and assumed you caused all the damage.

However, after an extended call to Apple, I did finally manage to get them to repair the keyboard for free. Just took a lot of persuasion on my part.

Ah Mac, there is a hairline crack on my heart... Can you replace the battery on a Mac yourself or does it have to be handled by the company. If the latter that's shitty design and a sucker trap right there.

Apple has been pretty obstinate in replacing batteries regardless of if there was accidental damage or not. I had to personally refer the "product specialist" to Apple's own press releases regarding battery replacements for my model to prove to them that there was something wrong with mine. Those things must be pretty expensive.

I seriously thought that was a pick of my friends Mac book. His in the exact same spot and he didn't know how it happened.

I took my Macbook 13" in recently which was 3 years old and 2 years over the warranty because I believed the Airport card was going bad. It had the chipped corner. THEY REPLACED THE KEYBOARD AND HAND REST FREE, stating that apple had said to replace them do to manufacture defect.

So go back and tell them to fix they hand rest and then go back and get the other part fixed.

If you call the service number instead of taking it to the store, they'll just send you a new battery. It's extremely easy to replace, it really doesn't take a Genius.

that damage happens to pretty much all 13" MacBooks. i baby mine (always in a padded laptop bag when not on my desk), and it showed up after about 9 months of ownership.

was getting a HDD replaced, had that little crack in the right corner, when i picked it up form them, they informed me that they replaced the cover b/c of the crack. i didn't even notice the crack all that much, so i was pleasantly surprised.

i really just like to be very polite and direct with apple care. i state what i want, explain to them it's in their best interest to provide it, and usually get my way. never a real problem with their extended warranties... i've even had them extend the warranty on my macbook to other apple products.

@RodAox:

You can replace the battery yourself on all models except the new Macbook Pro. By having a non-removable battery on that model, they were able to make the computer smaller. That said, it's pretty straightforward to replace the non-removable battery on that model if you know what you're doing.

It's not just batteries. They'll use a damaged case as an excuse to get out of doing *anything.* But the good news is that the Apple Store I went to with mine referred me to a third-party place that is working on my MacBook right now.

This reminds me of the speedometer on my 06 Impala...no one wants to take responsibility...

Maybe Apple will..

Sounds like it's just the store being stubborn, and not AppleCare or the company in general. There are many alternative solutions, such as 1) going to a different store, or 2) dealing directly with AppleCare.

But for a petty issue such as this, where no alternate solutions have even been attempted yet, it's best not to burden Jobs or any other executive at this point. It's not necessarily the case here, but nothing is more annoying than the sense of entitlement that comes with some Mac owners (calm down, I have one too). At least try to remedy the problem yourself before whining to the CEO, demanding he fix it.

I had a very similar chip on my macbook case, and they replaced the entire top part for free-- I also had some staining on the hand rest. They gave me no problem about it and replaced the piece in less than 24 hours.

And the same thing happened again so I have to take it back-- same chip, and same stain on the left. Honestly, I LOVE apple but whatever they used for the top of the macbooks is pretty thin and shabby!

@egoods: Thanks for the alternative email address. I have been trying to email sjobs@apple.com since October and nobody at Apple has given me the courtesy of a response. I'm actually not considering buying an Apple product ever again due to the lack of acknowledgment.

@Johnny83: Yes, you can convince them to send you a new battery. Download Coconut Battery (free) and if the battery is under 80% of it's capacity with less than 300 cycles it can be replaced - you must be within your warranty period of course so 1 year without AppleCare or 3 years with.

However, Apple has long been known for this sort of nonsense. My business uses 90% Apple machines but I still think this policy is bunk.

MacBooks suffer from that kind of issue all the time when you treat them with anything but the lightest touch (an unfairly light touch I might add.)

Someone I've worked with quite closely had their hard disk die on them. Apple made them spend $450 to remove a dent in their 12" G4 PowerBook's case before they would repair it. Had she known a hard disk would have been less than half that cost, she probably wouldn't have repaired the superficial damage.

Reminds me of cell phone companies that wont replace the battery due to "moisture damage" inside the battery compartment.

@chilled: Not sure why, but your post made me laugh. Well played.

@mgy: In some respect, and I'm not defending Apple here, the burden of proof is on the customer, especially if she or he is calling in their request.

However, if you read (and can quote) Apple's support documentation: 300 cycles, 80% capacity, you've done a couple of refreshes (completely use the battery, charge, wait a couple of hours, check status), an SMC reset (for Intel machines, PRAM for previous CPUs), etc. etc. They will acquiesce. You just need to be prepared to have a defence against anything they'll ask you and don't hesitate.

Also, be polite and friendly, it goes a long way.

You should have them replace the top case and then go b ack and have them replace the battery. My top case cracked THREE TIMES within the first year and I had them replace it each time for free. The last time, the battery w as also not holding a charge and they tried to pull the same thing as well. I waited till I got my computer back from replacing the top case then I immediately complained about the battery. They couldn't do anything.

Is it that hard to replace a battery on a MacBook? I thought most laptop batteries just popped out after releasing some clips on the back. Or is this more like an iPod battery scenario, a way for Apple to generate service revenue?

As an expert in product safety, I have to agree with apple on this one. From the safety aspect, the enclosure completes both the fire and electrical enclosure, and having this ghip in the enclosure violates the applicable safety standards (in other words, the enclosure no longer complies with the safety standards) If apple were to replace the battery without also repairing the enclosure, they would likely be violating the terms of their safety certification and could be opening themselves up to a huge liability if they replace the battery, and it catches fire as the whole point of the fire enclosure is to try to contain the fire inside the enclosure as much as possible so that the fire does not spread to your desk orwherever you left the laptop.

This worries me as my MacBook is chipped in the same area (not as bad, though). But, then again, the last time my battery had issues, the local Apple Store ordered a replacement no problem.

Apple probably won't replace it due to their 'you opened up the case to replace the battery yourself, couldnt do it and now you're asking us to do it' clause.

Had it happen to a few gen1/gen3 ipods that had recieved some cosmetic flaws due to being sat on in a cinema (forgot to take out of my pocket until too late)

@JWBrockman: Did you buy another iphone, or did you vote with your dollars and get something else?

What sucks the most about the case of the plastic Macbook, is over time it damages it self. I have a line and a scratch mark in my screen, a line across the click button and the chipping damage all because these are the main pressure points when the screen is closed. No abusive handling, just normal use.

I actually just looked, if that is a picture of the macbook with the chipping damage, THE BATTERY IS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE LAPTOP so the chipping shouldnt matter. Just spend the cash and do it your self. you should even use the apple certified US 5 cent coin to unlock the battery.

@kmw2: Good tip. I've always received better service by calling. The so-called geniuses always seemed to find some reason to blame me for my computer's problems and not really fix anything, even for an ibook that was part of that big logicboard recall fiasco. But if I called service, no problem, they'd send a box for me to ship my machine and *most of the time* it would come back actually fixed.

@seamer:

This is a MacBook. They have removable batteries. The only portables from Apple that don't are the MacBook Air and the 17" MacBook Pro.

This is moot. He can remove the battery all he wants- it's a user-serviceable part

A lot of my friends have that issue with the MacBook. They just brought it in to the Apple store an they replaced the whole entire surface including new trackpad and new keyboard!

@corinthos:

I had the exact same thing happen to my old G3 iBook. First a hairline crack, then a chunk of the casing came off. Looked just like that photo.

@segfault: I believe Gizmodo explained that there are a few screws on the bottom case that would allow an Apple Genius or AppleCare Service Tech to easily swap out the batteries.

I had an early failed battery on my Mac a few months back, I just called apple care, they checked the number of cycles and asked something else basic that I could look up in system profiler. Then they sent me a new one. They're pretty unlikely to request that you ship in your system for the replacement battery, so try giving them a call.

@JWBrockman: "The Crack" is just a precursor to death from what I've been hearing. Apparently the iphones are programmed with a virtual cyanide pill so they slowly self destruct the moment they sense even the slightest damage.

I've had a car like that, you let your tire pressure get a little low and the spark plugs explode.

How exactly did you get that crack? Apple Macbooks have a well known problem with the palmrests cracking. Mine's done it twice now, and Apple replaced the whole keyboard and trackpad assembly for me. Did it crack, and you kind of picked at it or ignored it?

Regardless, it wouldn't affect the battery in any way. I'd try to appeal if I were you.

Several people at Apple, including someone from sjobs@apple.com, told me specifically that any non-covered damage will prevent them from making covered repairs. They have an all or nothing policy. They fix all of it or they fix none of it. I pointed out how that wasn't part of the service agreement. They just said it was policy.

We did come to an acceptable agreement though. I paid half price to repair both the covered and non-covered issues.

@seaanemoneman: My MacBook looks like that too. I've had two, and they both cracked right there. It's a design flaw, due to how the computer closes.

I use my black MacBook while servicing computers at many locations in my workplace, often lofting the laptop backpack in and out of my car. While mine and many others haven't had the cosmetic issue mentioned here I have seen systems belonging to friends having that problem. It does make me wonder if Apple had performed any long-term testing of the plastics used for the cases.

@oneliketadow:

The problem isn't that the OP can't replace the battery himself. The problem is that the unit is still under warranty and thus the OP (rightfully) wants Apple to pay for the replacement battery, which they are refusing to do because of the damage.

@Illiterati:

I work for a college, and we've had pretty hit or miss service from "geniuses" about replacing stuff. So I and another employee ended up getting the Apple hardware and software certifications so we could apply to be an authorized service center, get our own GSX accounts, and order our own parts.

@About.A.Starflygirl:

Mine has a crack right there. My friend who is an Apple whore told me that it shouldn't be a big deal because they know about the defect. I'm going to be pissed off if that isn't the case.

@corinthos: Mine is chipped ALL the way across the front. It's very odd- the plastic just kind of flakes off gradually. Mine started at the 11 month mark of ownership. I guess it's a design flaw of that generation of macbooks.

Warranty is voided when system is subject to abuse or mishandling. This is not unique to apple.

@segfault:

Actually, it's only the 17" Macbook Pro that has the non-removable battery. The 15", like the silver macbook, is replaceable, but it is a little more complicated than the older machines - you have to open the access door, and I think pull out the hard drive, to get to it.

@JWBrockman: This is crap. Your phone was broken. Regardless of what you think about what is and is not related, your phone was cracked and therefore broken and not under warranty.

The Macbook is a totally separate issue. If he can take the battery out and swap in a new one and have no problems then yes, Apple should replace this under warranty.

Yes, unfortunately you can't do this type of swap with an iPhone so you wouldn't be able to test this sort of thing without ripping apart the phone and testing the batteries themselves. So let's say they did do that. They pay for the shipping to ship a new phone out to you as part of the warranty process, pay for the technicians to disassemble the phone and test components until they nail it down to the battery. Maybe it is the battery and it's fixable so they do. But what if it isn't? Now they have to reship your broken phone back to you and have you reship the loaner phone back to them, them paying the cost of shipping again and the back end customer service. The main point is your phone showed physical signs of abuse and while it might be just the battery that is defective, why take the chance and spend more than the phone is worth diagnosing problem that is more than likely user related.

Yes, I have an iPhone and I'm a huge fan. But I have a case. $20 and I don't have to worry about that sort of thing. I just picked on my friend because he has a shattered screen after dropping it on the pavement one too many times without a case.

Me: Why didn't you put a case on it?
Him: It looks better without it.....

Yea, mine looks just fine and I've dropped it around 15 times.

Sorry for the rant, and I love the consumerist and most issues on here but people have to have a sense of responsibility for their own actions.