Filed under: Found Footage
Found Footage: A Philosophical Discourse on Apple Warranty Care
Hey kids, this is a story about a man, his laptop, and his extended warranty. Maybe it's true. Maybe it ain't. But it's sure got heart. And a sledgehammer.
Seems that Apple refused to honor a warranty repair, said the Mac had spill damage. The owner said "No way". And rather than fork over about $800, he decided to tenderize it with a sledgehammer.
To which we say (and join on in, if you know the tune): Don't you break my Mac, my achy breaky Mac, I don't think it'd ever understand, and if you break my Mac, my achy breaky Mac, you never really liked it anyway.
Apologies to Robby Ray Stewart Billy Ray Cyrus and thanks to Corey Davis.

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Mark Grimes said 7:53PM on 6-21-2007
GRRR I feel for ya man!
Apple pulled the same scam on me over my old Tibook... "Spill damage" when I've never left it alone, and nothing has ever spilled on it. They wanted 95% of the parts replaced to the tune of $900 -- at the time though a replacement was about over $2300 due to the upgrades it had in it, new it was when the tibooks were still real pricey when beefed up (~$2700) -- so as I couldn't afford a new one to replace it, I had to cough it up and there was no way to prove myself in the clear. The tibook in its original state was a lemon, it always had something go wrong on it and had been in and out of the depot more then once but for different parts... not enough to where I could call them on the lemon law. After the repairs, it is still alive today and running perfectly 6 years later... I believe the only part they didn't replace was the miniPCI modem.
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tony b said 7:53PM on 6-21-2007
at least get the words right!
Don't Break My Mac
My Achy Breaky Mac
I just don't think it'd understand
And if you Break this Mac
My Achy Breaky Mac
It might blow up and kill this man.
Wooooooohoooooooo!!
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Aleks said 8:05PM on 6-21-2007
I'm not trying to excuse Apple here on any part but just like phones, there's a little indicator on the logic board (same with the razr and other cell phones) that determines whether liquids got into the case.
If this indicator does turn a different color, it will indicate "spill damage" and hence void your warranty. There are extra checks in Apple repair whether the engineers replace boards with "spill damage" for free.
So this could be either:
1) A repair person spilling Mountain Dew over the board and is covering his ass.
2) Indicator was already in the wrong state
3) It got wet on the way to the repair shop.
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james said 8:05PM on 6-21-2007
i have a working relationship with genii at the apple company. the thing that kills me is when they get giddy over perceived user damage. like, when they see real damage they're good about it. but when they deem somebody difficult they pull out a comb and look for the littlest thing to say "ha! you dropped it!"
or worse, once they've decided they found something that's it. the decision is done. my fave? the girl who went to school in arizona, and they said it was damaged from humidity. wouldn't back down for nothing.
then again, in my dealings with applecare i've always had the best and easiest of service. so it's tough to say. i think it's a problem you run into anywhere with people in power.
i always say you're best off visiting a genius in person. that way they have to look you in the eye. moreover, that way you can say "show me this spill damage."
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MajorMauser said 8:22PM on 6-21-2007
Loser probably got so drunk and forgot he spilled beer on it.
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Gist said 8:23PM on 6-21-2007
I'd like to point out that sane people, no matter how broken the computer, don't take sledge hammers to their electronics on their front stoop.
This good sounds like he's an asshole. For all he knows, his wife spilled something on it, or a co-worker, or even a pet.
Or who knows, it could be Apple's fault. But scrap the Macbook on eBay for parts and make some cash back... don't be a tard and smack it around like a 12 year old spoiled brat.
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Edsel said 9:07PM on 6-21-2007
I've been where he's at with cell phones, banks, cars, a lawnmower, and Apple hardware. I once seriously considered immolating a six month new BMW in front of the dealer because they were blaming me for the car's dysfunctional computer.
It's what I call the "death of customer service".
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Greg Perkins said 9:16PM on 6-21-2007
I agree with a previous statement, that this all comes down to communication. If this had been a face-to-face conversation instead of a customer support phone call, both parties would likely have been satisfied, or, more importantly, the customer wouldn't have been left feeling completely impotent in the face of an arbitrary judgement he believed was false. When you pay the extra money for Applecare on an already expensive laptop, Apple should acquiesce even in cases where there has been user error: anything else will only result in more incidents like the above.
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Project MKULTRA said 9:24PM on 6-21-2007
Some people are so immature, if they can't get their way they have temper tantrums!
I guess we will never know if there was water damage. If this would happened to me I would have removed the upper case/ keyboard and used distilled/ de-ionized water to clean the affected area. As this how the board is cleaned after manufacturing. Then allowed it dry. If I knew that there was no way that there was water damage I would taken the unit the Apple Retail Store and asked them to open it in front of me and show me the damage!
Distilled/De-Ionized Water = $5.00
Toothbrush for cleaning = $2.75
Watching a dumb-ass system engineer crush his MacBook because he doesn't know how to clean a water logged Mac = priceless
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Dave said 9:37PM on 6-21-2007
What a douchebag.
So he talked with about three people, was told no, and this is how he handled it? He could have pursued it further with Apple, sued them in small claims court, sent his story to consumerist.com, etc. Instead, he let his inner spaz take over. That he went for the hammer so quickly tells me that side of him isn't buried very deeply.
Would love to have sympathy for his situation but his little tantrum prevents it. Little boys like to break stuff and get attention - glad he had a big hammer and access to YouTube so he could get his fix.
Don't worry about him. After he cried I'm sure his mom made him feel better by making his favorite cookies and then letting him eat them on the couch (just this once). He didn't want to miss a moment of wrestling on TNT.
I've had frustrating experiences with Apple but I called them and handled it like a sane and reasonable person.
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andrew harrison said 10:13PM on 6-21-2007
if you are so certain that they are wrong, you don't stop at the one-level-above-phone-monkey manager.
if you're that certain that what they are claiming is false, you keep on going up and up and up until you absolutely can't go any further up.
If you reach the top of the tech support team, move over to the public relations team.
in the grand scheme of things, it doesn't cost Apple very much to just replace your computer and be done with you rather than have you annoying them incessantly to prove you're right.
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Hideo said 10:18PM on 6-21-2007
THIS MIGHT LOOK FAMILIAR TOO MANY ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE BEEN TO AND APPLE STORE
HERES THE LINK
http://www.apple.com/support/products/terms.html
As Well its on the back of the repair confirmation YOU SIGN FOR
READ ON PEOPLE!!!!!
Limitations The Plan does not cover:
(i) Installation, removal or disposal of the Covered Equipment, or installation, removal, repair, or maintenance of non-Covered Equipment (including accessories, attachments, or other devices such as external modems) or electrical service external to the Covered Equipment;
(ii) Damage to the Covered Equipment caused by accident, abuse, neglect, misuse (including faulty installation, repair, or maintenance by anyone other than Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider), unauthorized modification, extreme environment (including extreme temperature or humidity), extreme physical or electrical stress or interference, fluctuation or surges of electrical power, lightning, static electricity, fire, acts of God or other external causes;
(iii) Covered Equipment with a serial number that has been altered, defaced or removed;
(iv) Problems caused by a device that is not the Covered Equipment, including equipment that is not Apple-branded, whether or not purchased at the same time as the Covered Equipment;
(v) Service necessary to comply with the regulations of any government body or agency arising after the date of this Plan;
(vi) The provision of replacement equipment during the period when the Covered Equipment is being repaired;
(vii) Covered Equipment that has been lost or stolen. This Plan only covers Covered Equipment that is returned to Apple in its entirety;
(viii) Cosmetic damage to the Covered Equipment including but not limited to scratches, dents and broken plastic on ports, that does not otherwise affect its functionality or materially impair your use;
(ix) Consumable parts, such as batteries, except in respect of battery coverage under APP for iPod or unless failure has occurred due to a defect in materials and workmanship;
(x) Preventative maintenance on the Covered Equipment; or
(xi) Damage to, or loss of any software or data residing or recorded in the Covered Equipment. When providing repair or replacement service, Apple will use reasonable efforts to reinstall the Covered Equipment’s original software configuration and subsequent update releases, but will not provide any recovery or transfer of software or data contained on the serviced unit not originally included in the Covered Equipment.
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cookiebrownie44 said 11:50PM on 6-23-2007
WOW thats sad...
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michael said 10:40PM on 6-21-2007
Good thing the guy's crApple MacBook did not have a cracked palm rest. I bought mine in January. In March, I sent it to Apple because of the first (yes, first) palm rest cracks.
Apple repaired it. No problems. No questions.
In June, I sent it to Apple because of the second (yes, second) palm rest crack. This time, Apple said the repair was not covered. I finally dug up the first repair record. They backed down.
Why has the Federal Trade Commission and the Better Business Bureau not investigated AppleCare and Apple? The company builds horrible laptops, takes your extended warranty money, and fixes them in a capricious manner. Why is there no recall of MacBooks?
I would not care if crApple sold the MacBook at Dell prices. I would expect Dell quality service. crApple sells the MacBook at H-P prices. Too bad crApple does not delivery H-P service. H-P prices and Dell service? Perfect recipe for class action lawsuits.
If crApple suffers enough class action lawsuits, then crApple might build a quality laptop. Of course, pigs will fly.
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Katie said 10:45PM on 6-21-2007
Ouch-that video literally pained me. I believe the guy didn't spill anything on his MacBook - though maybe someone else did? Or maybe the AppleCare guy is full of it. Either way, I bought a separate insurance policy for my Mac that covers just about any kind of theft, or accidental damage. That would include spills, but not sledge hammers. Zero deductible, $30 a year, well worth the peace of mind.
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Katie said 10:47PM on 6-21-2007
By the way, I purchased the policy from Nationwide, they were the folks who did my homeowner insurance. But I'm sure you could get it from anyone. I felt more comfortable going with a local company I knew.
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Chad Z said 11:10PM on 6-21-2007
Guess what, man, stuff like this happens. GET OVER IT! I have a broken Xbox 360 that M$ won't repair because they say that the statements I gave tech support lead them to believe I live in a dusty apartment. WTF?!?!
Oh well, I didn't grab my dorky friend, tape myself smashing it apart, then show everyone in the world how big of a douche bag I am. Apple has been nothing but amazing with me, and a video like this would never convince me otherwise. The guy obviously has some mental issues, or at least a Wasabi peanut up his butt.
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tony said 1:01AM on 6-22-2007
"Just woke up" one morning and it did not turn on? It sounds kinda strange. Since it already out of warranty why not open it up and take a look for yourself. Just another guy who can't except their own mistake and take responsibility for it - if you KNOW that you did not do anything why not talk to customer relations? the store manager? take a look for yourself - It seems wrong - I think he is mad that apple called him out - and as an "IT" guy it just seems that he would know more - what a sad, sad, person
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punk said 1:49AM on 6-22-2007
anyone who sledgehammers his mac knows his mac is toast. the dude obviosly spilled something on it, the techs called his on it (spill damage is pretty freaking obvious to anyone who has seen it) and he's calling his own bluff. so he does what comes next to someone who knows there is nowhere else to go. personally, if i toasted my mac with a beer, i'd toss it under a semi going 60.
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Jeffbbs said 3:19AM on 6-22-2007
I think the axe would have been better
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