2016 MacBook Pro 13" motherboard failure

[Beb1994]

Hi guys,

Newbie here so go easy on me!

Back in February I was working in Luxembourg, and one night I was just watching Netflix on my 2016 13" Macbook pro when it suddenly shut down. I tried to reboot but nothing was happening. No sound coming from the laptop whatsoever. I tried all the hard reboot methods but nothing seemed to kick it back on. Shortly after the world went into lockdown, I returned to the UK to quarantine and work at home, leaving the macbook in Luxembourg as I had to travel light and it wasn't turning on, assuming I'd be back in a few weeks anyway. On my return I picked it up, explained the problem to apple and took it to a genius bar to have a look at it.

They said they tried everything to get it back up but nothing worked and that as such it must be an issue with the motherboard or logicboard I can't remember which, and then quoted me a £460 minimum to get it repaired/replaced. I bought the laptop in April 2017, so I know the warranty will have expired, but seeing as such a major component of the computer has failed after a relatively short amount of time, through no fault of my own (I am by absolutely no means a power user!), they even confirmed to me there is absolutely no sign of accidental damage! Is there another route I can go down as I do not feel like shelling out half the price of a brand new silicon macbook air to fix a laptop that has failed through no fault of my own.

Where do I stand with regards to my consumer rights in regards to this product?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Beb

 

[brianmowrey]

Logic board is just Apple's lingo for motherboard. Yours has indeed failed, and needs repair. If your luck is great that will never happen. If your luck is normal, it's just part of maintaining your hardware. The catch is that in the retina era, the labor just to get at the MBP logic board is more intensive. More labor, higher £.

You don't have to use Apple for the repair. Contact your local shops for a quote. Make sure to ask if they actually do logic board repair, otherwise they will eagerly waste your time taking in the device in just to quote you a logic board replacement that costs more than the Apple quote.

 

[Beb1994]

Thanks for your message Brian!

I have contacted local shops and they have quoted me a cheaper price, but it is still £350 for the repair.

I have spoken to apple just now and they have told me that it is not covered under consumer law. Even though there is no sign of damage on my part, and it is a part of the hardware that comes with the computer that has failed after only 3 years, this would mean that the hardware sold to me was defective, so I don't understand why the repair of this is not covered under consumer law.

 

[brianmowrey]

You are within the timeframe to make a claim. However the claim would have to contend that the product was defective at time of sale. It's not as if Apple stuffed the board with cheap knockoff capacitors; it's that even max rated capacitors are subject to failure.

Anyhow, I'm an advocate for repairing any laptop that can still do its job. Your local shop's rate is good. But in the case of the 16 you're fighting with the butterfly keyboard which is defective, so that complicates the decision...