What is after sales service like with Apple?

  • They wont quote a price for a part over the phone – even a smashed screen which is rather easy to diagnose – they insist you visit the store to get a quote
  • The repair will not be done onsite and you will be subject to 7 – 10 days wait without your computer.
  • Their part prices are astronomical to encourage you to abandon your existing computer and buy a new one
  • High minimum charges are the norm so a new pair of speakers to replace worn ones will cost you £120+
  • Be careful with warranty claims (see below)

How Apple make money out of warranty claims

Two clients with broken ‘butterfly’ keyboards have told me that Apple refused to replace their keyboards under the Free Replacement Program because their logic board had a liquid stain on it – yet was working fine. The USA courts have forced them to replace the keyboards but as shown here Apple can still use it to make money!

Upgradability and how it affects the cost of a liquid spill accident

Since 2015 Apple have been permanently soldering the memory and sometimes the storage to the logic board. This gives you no way of unplugging these assets and upgrading them. With this limitation there is sense in future proofing your new laptop by choosing a bigger memory or storage configuration at time of purchase.

There are a some real downsides to this:

  1. You are paying at least double real market prices for the memory and storage!
  2. If you have a liquid spill damaging the logic board then you lose the memory and storage with it (and your data)
  3. To replace the logic board with that fixed memory and storage is going to be much more expensive than a logic board with removable assets.

Conclusion

Think twice before making your old computer an expensive paper weight.

  • Apple is not here to help you – its here to make money so their solutions are usually the most expensive
  • Your existing very expensive laptop is, without doubt, more robust and upgradeable than a new one
  • Part prices (like a new screen) have become much cheaper so it wont break the bank if a small disaster ensues.
  • Approved Apple resellers have the same motives as Apple and are bound by Apple rules.

My Opinion

If  Apple tell you a new logic board is required don’t believe them!

Their motivation may be to encourage you to buy another new computer [or make as much profit as this selling you an overpriced spare]. Give me the chance to  diagnose the true problem. I don’t have new logic boards to sell. It is highly likely I can perform a board repair at a small fraction of the cost of a new logic board. Buying a new laptop could actually be  a poor solution in the long run. The new models are getting far less repairable than the older ones and this is the catch – buying new can mean buying new again in a couple years.

The forgotten truth is that pre-2015 Macs of all types that are approaching 7 years old are great performers and just need a little love to keep them going for another 5 or more years.

Apple’s Suspect Ethics

Apple wont sell spares directly to me or you and it is true that in some cases they stop chip manufacturers from selling certain chips to the public. We the consumers should fight for the Right To Repair so that we can keep our computers running without being taken to the cleaners by the manufacturers who are building obsolescence into our devices. Apple are lobbying against the Right to Repair saying your data could fall into the hands of unvetted third parties [like me] but as far as I am aware Apple employs humans [like me] so where is the additional risk? It’s just an excuse of theirs to make more money by ensuring only Apple can ‘work’ on your computer. In my opinion Apple wont ‘work’ on your computer – the rules they bind their staff to is to offer an incredibly expensive repair with the hope you opt for a new computer. Either way they make the profit the company wants.