Hi,

As you may have read in this forum, I had numerous problems with my Rev A MacBook, which cost me a total of about $3600 in July last year. This cost includes the maxed out the RAM to 2GB which cost about $300 from the Apple Centre, APP for nearly $500, and some other stuff I bought with the MacBook that amounted to a couple of hundred dollars. My original complaint thread can be found here:

MacBook Problems :(

Anyway, on Monday I received a call from the tech bay of the Apple Centre from which I bought this MacBook. The guy told me, rather bluntly that the logic board was the problem because it had some corrosion, and it needed to be replaced. He then proceeded to tell me that I would need to buy the replacement logic board at a cost of about $2200. He said this was because normally, the Apple Centre would return the broken logic board to Apple and swap it for a new one, which they would then put into my MacBook while Apple repaired the broken logic board to be used as a replacement. But in my case the logic board can't be repaired by Apple, so I would have to pay to get the new logic board.

When the tech guy said the corrosion on the MacBook must have been caused by liquid spilling onto the logic board, I said I had never spilled anything on my MacBook - which is the truth. I've always treated my MacBook like a baby. What annoys me most is that when I originally sent my MacBook to get fixed for the black 'x' battery problem (as you can read in my other thread), they snapped in a new battery, thinking that was the problem, without checking the logic board. I got the machine back and it was still faulty, and I immediately put it back into the box after taking it out, plugging it in and turning it on. (It turned on the shut down again, the black 'x' icon was still present). This can all be read in my other thread. So basically, the tech bay did not do their job properly the first time, and now after two returns and a few months of not having my MacBook, they tell my it will cost me $2200 to get my machine working again. Perhaps if they had done a more thorough job the first time they may have seen the logic board had beginnings of corrosion and caught the problem before it became worse?

I realise that it is my word against that of the Apple Centre. But what is the use of taking out APP and going to the trouble of sending my machine back twice if this is the sort of attitude and explanation I get.

One other thing that frustrates me is that the Apple Centre I bought the MacBook from is one at which my family has been dealing for a few years. My father bought his Dual 2Ghz G5 + 20" ACD from them in 2004, I have bought a 60GB 5G iPod from them, and my brother has bought an iPod mini and an iPod nano from them. Besides that we have also been repeat customers for other products and software over the years.

This whole situation just smacks of an unwillingless to try and go the extra mile to support a loyal customer. As a family who has been using Macs since 1996, neither me or anyone in my family have never had this sort of thing happen after owning a Power Mac 7200, a 7500, a Power Mac G4, a PowerBook G4, two eMacs, an iBook and the aforementioned G5. (not all bought from this store mind you - we used to buy at Status Graph years and years ago).

Also, as a cadet journalist who is earning about $16,000 a year before tax, being told that my $3600 MacBook (now worth about $1000 or so, if that, with the release of the Rev C today) requires another $2200 to get working again...well...I guess you can see why I'm slightly annoyed.

So it's under warranty, and they aren't fixing it based on the fact they think you spilt liquid on it which damaged the logic board? What a cop out

I still don't get how while you under the 12 month warranty they are saying you need to pay...I think a call to Apple Australia might be a good bet here with the name of the store.

I'd be feeling pretty hard done by too, especially having taken out Applecare. Get back in touch with them I reckon but try to be polite even still. I've seen circuit boards in the past with corrosion that had no apparent immediate cause (i.e no other evidence of spills in a case).

If you feel done over cheated etc, you might want to talk to apple public relations tell them your side of the story - get names dates make notes form all and every the telephone conversation - (type it up like case notes so that if other people get involved you can email them your story without 2 much trouble) tell them you are unhappy with this situation and you would like it resolved. Let them know that you have looked after the machine and that the only time it has been out of your posession was when it was shipped back to Apple.

Be calm persistant and document.

It's a pain but with time they usually come to the party.

Good luck

Nevets

since when did it matter whether Apple can re-use a logic board be the deciding factor in whether yours gets replaced under warranty...!

i never realised Apple based their repairs on re-usage, or that reseller has some other reason for not doing the work perhaps!!

anyway looking at the history going with your problems, corrosion sounds like a pretty lame excuse for something they should have identified a while ago!

hope it gets worked out properly

Apart from the refusal to help you with your problem, the thing that staggers me the most is that a replacement logic board costs more than a brand new machine!

It's not like Apple is a third party repair company subject to the whims of their supplier, they manufacture the parts! How can their replacement parts cost more than a new machine.

"Sorry, we know you're after a new windscreen for your car but we're afraid you have stonechips and it's not covered under warranty. You can buy a new windscreen but that costs 1/3 more than the original purchase price of the vehicle"

Logic boards are expensive.

I know this sucks, but try to look at this from the service depts POV: - if they have any reason to believe that the machine has been treated poorly (this includes iPods), due to the nature of the service agreement from Apple the service dept does NOT get any recompense from Apple.

Its really sucky but true. I am not saying its right, I'm just saying I doubt its case of them deciding to not want to help you. And like all warranty returns Apple probably has their own techs verify all parts replaced under warranty (the ISP I work for does for modems) and if you keep sending non-faulty stuff back too often for too long you get in trouble for it.

I'm not 100% sure Apple's policy on this (or their entire warranty returns for that matter - I only have some knowledge from reparing my own machines and chatting to the techs) but as noted, it's probably a case of they can't afford the $2200 either.

Selling a new Macbook looks a whole lot better on a spreadsheet that repairing a dodgy macbook does.

If its under warranty and you haven't damaged it then dont take no for an answer.
Talk to apple directly and find a new repairer if your current one continues to refuse to help.

in this case it sounds as if the 'reason' is rather tenuous and convenient, especially since the problem seems to have arisen several months ago and was incorrectly identified as a faulty battery, when correct diagnosis would have shown that it may not have been. so perhaps to cover up for that mistake they're trying to make this one go away so that they don't get found out....?

btw i'm not haivng a go at you (a nordic god!), just playing devil's advocate to your devil's advocate...!

Seriously, go to a new repair centre, that's complete crap.

A battery leak could cause corrosion against the logic board... wonder if they explored this as being possible. I'd fight it and continue to fight it, get another opinion and even be in contact with Apple directly (customer service).

You'll need to contact Apple directly,

If they were to return that part to apple they would be charged fully for the new part thus leaving the service agent out of pocket.

Logic board corrosion usually has a reason, do you live close to any large bodies of water? also see if the AASP can tell you where the corrosion is, i'd be interested to know.

the inner L-shaped bracket, the underside of the keyboard and the battery would all have telltale signs of corrosion if this was the case.