Or he could have admit his stupid ass spilled something in it.

I had a co-worker who said the same damn thing "I didnt spill anything in it" in response to Apple denying his Powerbook G4 repair. I got my hands on it later on and sure enough quite obvious signs that coffee had been spilled in it.

That being said, I ALSO currently have in my possession a MBP that had a ceiling and rain water dump on in when the roof came in in one of our satellite offices. Blew out the dust, and the charger was shot, but the MBP works like a charm. Just had to get a replacement charger from Apple.

When these situations come up the first thing you do is ask the company for digital photos of the liquid damage. That being said, Apple has the best customer satisfaction rating in the business.

They didn't get that rating by pretending laptops have liquid spill damage when they don't. They're good at making the customer happy... but they won't cover damage that's not covered by the warranty just to make you happy.

While I do appreciate the tools of destruction magically appearing in his hands, this guy is a child.

@cheviot: Apple will send you photos of the damage. They have for us in the past.

I'm always mystified when I read about people who are disgruntled about Apple's customer care. They've never not fixed an issue, whether it was my fault or not or whether it was covered under warranty.

The best was an iBook that was pretty beaten up, mostly because it was dropped on hardwood floor a couple of times - I sent it in to fix a monitor issue, it came back looking like new.

More recently, I had a dying hard drive replaced. I declined the data transfer option, since I thought I had backed everything up. After I got home and realized the backup process went wonky, I called the store and they backed my data up for free.

Are these people just catching the customer service reps on their bad days?

I wish I had thousands of dollars to throw away on expensive toys that I could smash with a sledgehammer.

Dumbass.

I worked for three years as a cell phone CSR/tech at a dealer. People use this stor ALL THE TIME! "I didn't spill anything on it" or "I didn't drop it in anything", but the red litmus paper and corroded green copper says that it got wet. People don't understand that you can't leave things out in the car overnight, or that it may takes weeks or months for liquid damage to manifest. This guy acted childishly and didn't follow any courses of action that The Consumerist would have given him, had he simply asked for help.

disregarding the veracity of his claims for a moment, what do you all say of the potential of an Apply employee spilling something on the laptop during diagnosis/repair for another issue, and blaming the customer for it?

How could you ever prove otherwise? It must have happened to someone somewhere.

An analogous situation might be a mechanic that f's up your car when you bring it in for a check up or some other issue.

Wow, he sure showed them!

That dungeon master needs to learn to work the system. I wonder how long it took him to decide which sword from his collection to use for that video.

The problem I have with this video, besides the whole D&D vibe, is that he ignores the Rule of Three, i.e., narrative is more effective when you group things in threes, be it in repetition or in sequence.

In this video, the sledgehammer should have been the third item. Not that it would've made this video more enjoyable or anything, but it would have made it slightly less amateurish.

@Deusfax: I used to work in an Independent Camera Repair shop,and whenever I'd f**k up someone's camera (which from time to time happens, no repair tech is ever 100% flawless) I'd always make it right with the customer. We'd usually eat the cost of the repair and set the customer up with a loaner. I don't think a repair tech made this goof with Smashy's MacBook.

Spill damage doesn't always mean that there was liquid applied directly to a component (i.e. coffee on the keyboard). It could be that water vapor condensed inside his Mac and caused the problem. Then again, now that it's smashed to bitty bits, the whole issue is moot. The guy's just a smashtard who wanted to break sh*t.

In checking out systems in an OEM's repair facility, I've seen hundreds of systems "mysteriously" show up with anything from soda, water, to (jealous!) cat piss on system boards and components.

I'm not saying it's impossible for his story to be true, but it is pretty unlikely compared to how much attempted fraud does occur.

michael, first off, have a cocktail, smoke a bowl, take a nice warm bath, rub one out, or whatever the fuck you gotta do to calm down... now that's better. have a seat... be honest, did you spill something on your macbook? are you sure?... well could someone else have spilled something on it?... then you need to talk to apple... shhh, now wait a minute... talk to apple to show you proof of water damage and we'll continue from there... i know, but start with them and remember to stay cool... alright buddy? i know it sucks, but just calm down and we'll work it out.

Apple has the best customer care in the business. My boyfriend spilled a pop on my Powerbook. When I sent it in, obviously they said I would have to pay to have it replaced. However, they were unable to find one of the parts they needed, so they sent me a brand new Powerbook for free. I think it pays to be really nice to the customer service representatives. I was always polite and kind, even when it took three months for them to give up on finding the part. Patience paid off!

I noticed that he reported that Apple said that "if he took the $700 for the repairs and used it to purchase another brand of laptop, they were fine with that". That gives me the impression that something about the situation was unreasonable; either the spill damage was so obvious that they thought this "Systems Engineer" was trying to pull one over on them, or his behavior on the phone was so rude and intolerable that they simply did not care he was no longer a customer.

What's sad is that he could have given the laptop to someone and let them pay the repairs and someone could have a Macbook for $700. Instead, he chose to look like an immature 15 year old.

Some people deserve $300 crap laptops from China; this clown is one of them.

It sounded like he was going to cry.

Always wear your safety goggles before taking out rage on products.

Wow, how absurd some of you people are. This person has a genuine issue and you look to you're own great experiences as nullifying what he claims is a legitimate problem. So what if your experience was good with Apple. What most of you dont understand is that there are those who don't get the help they are looking for and this is their forum for communicating what they feel is rightfully wrong.

Now I am sure at one point in your lives you HAVE experienced poor customer service and were shocked because you heard they were normally great with their customer service. What method would you use to try to communicate to others your experience? Maybe the best thing is to recognize what he experienced and possibly provide like experiences and how you overcame them or alternate avenues for resolving such problems.

But then again, you all must be Apple stock holders and assume that your precious company is not able to commit such horribly un-customer friendly acts. Go back to drinking your Xanax laced mocha latte's from Starbucks and stfu.

Also what the hell is with you people. "video less amateurish" I suppose someone like Steven Spielburg would be directing such a masterpiece as SMASH MY MAC UP. OF COURSE THIS IS MADE BY AN AMATEUR!! Do you honestly think he was trying to make art? You are an eff tard.

D&D? What are you still in the 70's? Go get your Magic cards and run back to your eff tard friends. Since when does an axe, sledgehammer, golf club, and sword and then smashing a piece of technology have to do with D&D. You sir are an eff tard.

can you get different levels of applecare? I know with *cough* dell *cough* evil *cough* you can get a package that covers everything (including a pitcher of beer that a girl in my frosh dorm dumped on hers) with a tech at your house the next day.

Also, was this dude in the room when it stopped working? or was it during a party when someone yelled from the other room "uh...dude...your computer just stopped working...can I have more 7-up?"

@zentec: Apple laptops are made in China.

I took what I considered reasonable steps to get the problem resolved. Beyond that, I spent my money elsewhere rather than spending it on repairs. I voted with my money, and didn't further profit a company that gave me bad service. I salvaged components from the laptop and sold them, and used that money to buy a different brand of laptop. A company gets 1 chance to satisfy me. I refuse to hold a company to a lower standard than my clients hold me to. I find it hilarious how many personal attacks are being made. Lotta apple fanbois up in this bitch.

For the record I loved my macbook, and I loved OS X, I just disliked the service I got. I will never spend money with Apple again after this situation. My video was quite fun to make, immature or not, it was a blast.

I actually think the problem was thermal in nature, since the laptop was getting to very high temps in the week or so leading up to it dying completely. The mainboard looks a little toasty to me, showing brown spots that look like burns, around the cpu. It does not look like spill residue to me, since it won't wipe off at all. I have the parts in a bag here and I have inspected the mainboard and the cdrom drive for residue from a spill and I'm unable to see anything beyond the brown spots around the cpu.

While I expected some skepticism, I didn't expect all the personal attacks. Are all apple fans this fanatic or is it just the vocal minority?

I've often had great luck with the Apple repair desk and, at times, if you are very nice, they will fix something that you admit to having broken (like keys I've busted while trying to pry out a small wedge of a taco chip from inside the keyboard)

My approach is to be honest and offer up front to cover the cost of repairs that I'm responsible for.

However, they do need to get rid of the term Genius Bar. Perhaps it is just me, but I would rather have the geniuses of the world working on cancer research or string theory rather than adding memory to my Mac.

-Henry

This guy sounds like a sorry soul, who screwed up and knew he screwed up. Applecare repair centre would have taken photographs of the damage; they don't just arbitrarily send units back without proof of damage. If he was to provide people with his information, you were to call, and request pictorial proof they could supply it.

@henrythoreu: one of the main reasons I bought the macbook was a story a friend of mine told me. He had an older titanium powerbook with applecare. He spilled an entire Dr. Pepper on it, and they gave him a refurbished unit 1 month before his extended warranty was up. I was impressed by this story, and it led me to believe that applecare was all-inclusive. I bought the laptop, and after about a month an applecare rep called me and convinced me to get the extended warranty. I did assume it was all-inclusive, and had I spilled anything on it, I would have been sure to mention it, since I was under the impression the warranty covered just about anything after hearing my friends story. I did not spill anything on the laptop, and they refused to warranty the product. I was stunned by this, having heard so many good things about their service.

What a childish way to handle things.
Good thing a person didn't piss him off to that extent, huh?

i can't speak about applecare b/c i have never dealt w/ them directly. however, i have been on both the customer & business side of consumer electronics repair in the past & i can say with certainty that "water damage" is a cop out commonly used by more than one repair center to circumvent warranty coverage (followed closely by "impact damage").

whether or not applecare is one of "those types" of repair centers, i cannot say. one would hope not, but i've heard my share of stories about them.

@macisdumb: Your handle doesn't exactly lend the air of mature objectivity to your screed. Of course, neither does the actual screed.

Where are the "This wouldn't have happened with a Mac!" people now?

As a general rule, I like to do things that are fun. Destroying my macbook was fun. I got a group together, we had some beers, I broke out all the bigger tools I had at my disposal and sledged the hell out of it. Other than that, I could care less if apple likes what I have to say about their service or not. I read somewhere that when someone receives good service they tell 2 people, but when they receive bad service they tell 10 people. I just happen to know how to use the internet, so I'm telling thousands. Tough shit if apple or any of their fans don't like my video, I like it and that's all that matters. There are a lot more people that now know about the crappy service I got than if I just sat around and bitched about it in a couple forums.

Good work, consumerist.
This may be the first article in a while that took a look at the story and didn't automatically side with the consumer!
Here's the deal - apple says it has spill damage. If you disagree, ask for evidence.
If they refuse it, either be a big boy and get it fixed on your dollar (there are plenty of shops that will fix it for less than you might expect) or donate it to a high school or other worthwhile charitable cause.
Smashing it with a hammer makes you look rather silly.
However, I will be the first to say that it is your property. If you want to smash it, that's your issue and I don't care.
But posting it all?
Well, that's just asking for people to call you an idiot.
We all make mistakes - will you learn from this one?

@jeffislouie: I've learned that apple fans turn immediately to personal attacks when given any evidence that Apple is in the wrong. Regardless it's amusing the hell out of me. The burden of proof is on the accuser, as such I have the pieces in a bag, and will probably take some high resolution pictures to post on my blog in the next day or two. I have to borrow a good camera, mine won't do a high enough resolution to show anything. I really don't feel I have anything to prove to a vocal minority of apple worshipping asshats, but again, it's entertaining.

@dulakian:
A few things:
Just 'cause you THINK a type of coverage is included doesn't mean it is. Always make sure to ASK and then READ the contract.

"A company gets 1 chance to satisfy me. I refuse to hold a company to a lower standard than my clients hold me to."

I guess that's one way to think. Perhaps you could consider the fact that your clients are jerks if they are so willing to drop you over a satisfaction issue. OR perhaps you just aren't very good at retaining your 'clients'.
I work in sales. I have had deals go bad. I have salvaged the customer relationship.
Everyone - EVERYONE - deserves a second chance.
Just my opinion.
Not everything in life has to be cut and dry. And not every decision in life has to be so final. Calm down.
It's not like Apple told you to screw off, they just said that there was spill damage. Who cares if you couldn't tell after destroying the system?
You destroyed a piece of equipment that could have been repaired.
I hope you feel better.
Next time, no matter what computer you buy, get a warranty that includes accidental damage protection (ADP). They are only slightly more expensive that normal warranties.

I'm quite sure that :
"If Apple doesn't repair or replace my macbook, I will be making a video to put up on YouTube, and linking it to a post that details this incident. The video will be of me taking an 8 lb. sledgehammer to my useless macbook, and recommending anyone that wants a macbook to buy a cheaper pc laptop that can be replaced for less than the cost of a repair of a macbook."
didn't make apple stand up and listen - or care.
Frankly, issuing threats like that are downright hilarious because
A) only you think they work
and
2) the argument is insane.
You love your macbook so much that if apple doesn't repair it, you will destroy it and spend around $1000 on another system made by someone else. That's love alright.
Do you love your girlfriend so much that if she doesn't marry you, you'll kill your dog and get a new girlfriend?
Silly, silly nerd.

Sigh - The Dungeon Master never thought to escalate the issue, ask for proof, or even follow any advice Consumerist users are known for. Then he comes on the board and justifies his actions over a couple of beers. Sigh. Like the man says, "Tough Shit." How can you argue with this logic? It's his money.

I agree with the majority of these comments. Apple has never not fixed a computer that I've had a problem with. Prime example:

A friend of mine is one of these early adopters and after 8 months of owning the first version MacBook Pro, I bought it from him for $700 for my sister's college graduation gift.

As a precautionary measure, I took the computer into Apple to make sure everything was up to speed. They took it in, found that the logic board, heat sink and hard drive all needed to be replaced. (My buddy claims nothing had happened to it) but he did have the extended warranty on it. A week later, the computer was fixed.

When I picked it up, I noticed that the case had a bit of a bend in it that wasn't there before. I mentioned this to the genius and he sent it back out and they replaced the top and bottom case.

A perfect example of how this company works-- they WILL take care of you and in return, you wind up being a loyal customer.

2 weeks ago I bought a new MPB for myself, recommended an iMac for a friend that bought one and got an ipod for my dad for father's day.

They give, you give. Its a win-win. This guy should have gone over to lifehacker to see how to fix your laptop if you spill on it-- something with distilled water and letting it dry. Wasn't he an IT guy?

@dulakian:
Hey, I agree.
Apple is 90% hype.
They are propped up by the fan boy geeks who do nothing but praise their systems.
As long as you are entertained, it's your bag.
The righteousness isn't there though...
As long as you recognize the fact that you did this to entertain yourself, I'm good.
Pretending you did it to teach apple a lesson is just downright crazy.
Newsflash - Apple doesn't care what you think. If they did, they wouldn't be so snooty.
Personally, I get a little tired of my mac buddies telling me how awesome their mac is, then when I go to use it it's slow, doesn't work with certain applications, and is so outdated that my Acer with dual cores smokes it at half the price.

@macisdumb: "This person has a genuine issue and you look to you're own great experiences as nullifying what he claims is a legitimate problem."

yeah he does have a legitimate problem, because how the hell is anything going to get resolved now, that he turned the macbook into kitty litter?

ps. except for the line at the apple genius bar being too fucking long, every issue i've ever had, have been happily resolved by apple with no hassle.

pss. if you're gonna smash some shit up, take a cue from this kid: [www.youtube.com]

@jeffislouie: While you seem to think getting a second chance is someone's right, it is not. I agree that I shouldn't have assumed the warranty was all-inclusive, but since I did nothing to the laptop to cause it to fail, I never needed to clarify that for myself. Only after they said there was spill damage did I go back and read the contract and realize it was not all-inclusive. My argument has been and always will be that I didn't spill anything on the laptop. There is no simpler argument than that.

Paying to repair an apple means apple profits off the parts. Since you cannot get apple parts from anyone but apple, I had no real 3rd party to go to. And having been bent over by the company, I wasn't about to give them more profit by paying for a repair that should have been covered by the warranty in the first place. I wasn't even into the extended warranty at the time, the laptop was 7 months old.

Your girlfriend analogy doesn't hold up, since my girlfriend is a person, and I don't intend to take a sledge to a person, it's completely off the mark. In that situation I would simply find another girlfriend, just as I found another laptop.

For those of you that argued either way, you don't know the facts from both sides. Before you start to bash Apple or the consumer, you need to hear both sides of the story. But obviously, that can't happen. As always, both sides will have different stories to tell.

I've worked as computer technician before not for Apple, but if you work as a computer technician somewhere else, it's all the same. The companies I have worked for do try to use different techniques to NOT cover warranties, only because it will cost them time and labor. Apple is no different--they could've done the same thing. Every single company has one goal: profit. Something mysterious could've happened while they had the laptop, who knows. In the end, it saved them money.

As far as the consumer is concerned, sure there are tons of people who love to commit fraud and try to get a new laptop. If he did indeed spill anything, shame on him. Making a video that disparages Apple because of his own fault is definitely not a professional way to handle the situation. Plus, if he wanted to smash his laptop--LET HIM DO SO! It's not our problem. I'm still on my Macbook and enjoying it. It was actually quite interesting what a MB looks like when you take heavy tool to it.

For the guy who crushed his laptop: before you got all angry, you should've taken it elsewhere, and see what the problem was. Now, you say you're a systems engineer... you should've been able to at least inspect it and provide your case for it. I would *assume* Apple would listen even more carefully about the issue, especially once you said you opened it up and inspected the circuit boards, and that you are an engineer of some sort.

And I have to say this -- for all of you fanboys out there, stop kneeling down to Apple! I'm an Apple user, as well. I don't praise every decision they make. Just because they make decent computers doesn't mean they're always right. You've all been brainwashed!

@MisterE: I'm brand new to consumerist, never heard of it before today. I'm not going to escalate anything to receive service. The company can service my account, or I will go elsewhere. Apple fans seem to expect some sort of mystical loyalty because the product is good. I got bad service, I took my business elsewhere. I just took the extra effort to make a memorable impression on all you apple fans after the fact.

@dulakian:

"Your girlfriend analogy doesn't hold up, since my girlfriend is a person, and I don't intend to take a sledge to a person, it's completely off the mark. In that situation I would simply find another girlfriend, just as I found another laptop."

Well, at least you wouldn't sledge your girlfriend.

How about this one:
If your 1978 Honda Civic broke down and Honda said that the warranty expired, would you sledge the car and buy a new one?
Wait. That doesn't work either.
Forget it.
Perhaps next time, and I'm just saying, you could try a little more before you turn to your trusty sledge.
Best of luck!
:-)

@cobaltthorium: So, you automatically assume everyone is a liar?

"A company gets 1 chance to satisfy me."

i'm interested as to whether people think this is reasonable. obviously, if you have a completely terrible initial experience with a company, that's pretty good reason not to use the company's services again. but we all screw up sometimes--do companies "deserve" forgiveness? what (if anything) could bring you back to a company that messed up, if they didn't apologize for / fix the situation to your satisfaction? recommendations from others? a new product that's really cool?

Won't anybody think of the children? THE CHILDREN?