Apple store refuses to fix my m1 macbook air, any advice?

[Koalified]

M1 macbook air bought 5 months ago.

Problem: the battery always drains a lot during sleep (fresh install, nothing installed), they recognise the issues and they told me that it's something people are complaining about so it's not related to my usage of the mac but something either from macos or hardware

the first 2 times I leave them my mac they told me that they run the tests and the hardware is fine and told me to wait for an update that may fix the issue

the third time I tell them that since I paid for a new computer and most of the people with the same mac don't have this issue I want a solution. I've always been extremely polite knowing that they are simple employees and they may not have the authority do fix/replace my mac.

After almost 2 weeks that they have my mac I call to ask the status of the repair. They told me that Apple's engineers said that the mac is fine and they got many reports of the same issue so I need to wait for an update.

This mac is been released 8 months ago and this issues still hasn't been fixed yet. Most of the people don't have the same problem and looking online I've read of a few people that solved the problem with a motherboard replacement.

I paid full price for this mac directly from the apple store, I find it infuriating that I should just be waiting for a software update while everyone else has a perfectly working machine. Also because if they haven't fixed it in 8 moths who can say how much time I need to wait?

Any advice? I'm really pissed and I don't want to be rude but I'm planning to ask to speak with someone that can either give me a replacement or promise me that they are going to be replacing something inside the mac because I don't want to get back home with a mac with that problem.

 

[Kung gu]

are you on 11.4? Plenty of people I talked to here have said they got better battery life on 11.4 than previous versions of Big Sur.

If on 11.4, then that should not be happening since you have no apps open. It should not drain that quickly. Something is wrong with your MacBook Air. I think it could be hardware issue like a bad battery.

see: https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...amazing-battery-life-on-big-sur-11-4.2298062/

 

[Apple_Robert]

It is probably a software problem. You don’t have much choice but to wait for a possible fix, or sell the Mac and get something else.

No need to be rude to Apple.

 

[Koalified]

It is probably a software problem. You don’t have much choice but to wait for a possible fix, or sell the Mac and get something else.

No need to be rude to Apple.

Then why most other people don't have the same problem? And why other Apple stores did a motherboard replacement and successfully fixed the issue?

 

[Kung gu]

Then why most other people don't have the same problem? And why other Apple stores did a motherboard replacement and successfully fixed the issue?

Go to a different apple store, tell them your problem. record it when it happens with activity monitor open on the side as proof.

You paid for a computer, you expect it to work. I would say this not just for Apple but for any manufacturer.

The M1 is a great chip and very efficient so it should not be draining like that.

No need to be rude to Apple.

Well people tend to get angry when things don't go their way. The OP has every right to get a better experience if he is not getting it at the moment.

 

[Apple_Robert]

Then why most other people don't have the same problem? And why other Apple stores did a motherboard replacement and successfully fixed the issue?

Possibilities…

1) You don’t have an actual problem. You have a false expectation
2) You have an intermittent software problem that does not actively show in the logs, which is why Apple says there is no problem.
3) If there was a hardware problem with the battery, more than likely it would show in the diagnostics

I can’t comment on what other unnamed people have had done to their Mac. Their situation may be different than yours.

 

[leman]

Cam you quantify what „drains a lot“ means? If it literally dies every night, you have all the right to request a refund or a replacement from Apple on the grounds that the laptop does not meet the expected bar. If you are just talking about couple percents, that’s fairly normal for laptops and does not constitute a severe usability problem (although I agree it’s annoying when other people have batteries that last for weeks).

 

[Koalified]

Possibilities…

1) You don’t have an actual problem. You have a false expectation
2) You have an intermittent software problem that does not actively show in the logs, which is why Apple says there is no problem.
3) If there was a hardware problem with the battery, more than likely it would show in the diagnostics

I can’t comment on what other unnamed people have had done to their Mac. Their situation may be different than yours.

The apple store recognise it's a problem and they also said that apple know it's a current issue that a few people have.

Cam you quantify what „drains a lot“ means? If it literally dies every night, you have all the right to request a refund or a replacement from Apple on the grounds that the laptop does not meet the expected bar. If you are just talking about couple percents, that’s fairly normal for laptops and does not constitute a severe usability problem (although I agree it’s annoying when other people have batteries that last for weeks).

The mac is waking every couple of minutes during sleep so it depends on the amount of time you leave it closed.
It's 1%/hour minimum with everything disabled(no power nap, no icloud, no handoff, no wifi, no bluetooth, no app installed, no indexing, no nothing). It's not normal and the store recognised it too and told the apple is aware of the issue. There's a thread in this forum where people are discussing the same problem

 

[Kung gu]

The apple store recognise it's a problem and they also said that apple know it's a current issue that a few people have.



The mac is waking every couple of minutes during sleep so it depends on the amount of time you leave it closed.
It's 1%/hour minimum with everything disabled(no power nap, no icloud, no handoff, no wifi, no bluetooth, no app installed, no indexing, no nothing). It's not normal and the store recognised it too and told the apple is aware of the issue. There's a thread in this forum where people are discussing the same problem

huh that is weird. Cause I seen people here say they lose no charge overnight on the M1 sometimes and you are losing 1% with basically everything off.

Are you on 11.4?

If yes, then it's looking like a hardware problem to me.

 

[leman]

The mac is waking every couple of minutes during sleep so it depends on the amount of time you leave it closed.
It's 1%/hour minimum with everything disabled(no power nap, no icloud, no handoff, no wifi, no bluetooth, no app installed, no indexing, no nothing). It's not normal and the store recognised it too and told the apple is aware of the issue. There's a thread in this forum where people are discussing the same problem

I agree that it’s not normal but at the same time it’s not a crippling issue. We are talking about less than 10% charge loss overnight that can be compensated by couple of minutes on the charger. You said yourself that Apple has acknowledged the issue and is working on a fix, which is exactly what can be expected from them for such a minor problem. I don’t think that you are entitled to anything more than that under the current western consumer protection systems. I agree that it sucks, but no product is 100% perfect and it makes sense that issues are prioritized (and compensated) based on their priority. Your issue is unfortunately not major enough.

 

[leman]

If yes, then it's looking like a hardware problem to me.

The most likely culprit is a power management bug.

 

[Zahni]

Any adapters, like "china" USB to HDMI?
This devices may prevent the M1 from sleep.

 

[Koalified]

Any adapters, like "china" USB to HDMI?
This devices may prevent the M1 from sleep.

No adapters, no monitors, nothing.

 

[Kung gu]

The most likely culprit is a power management bug.

Most people are fine 11.4

Its a select few like OP that have a problem. I think a motherboard swap will fix it.

 

[seadragon]

M1 macbook air bought 5 months ago.

Problem: the battery always drains a lot during sleep (fresh install, nothing installed), they recognise the issues and they told me that it's something people are complaining about so it's not related to my usage of the mac but something either from macos or hardware

the first 2 times I leave them my mac they told me that they run the tests and the hardware is fine and told me to wait for an update that may fix the issue

the third time I tell them that since I paid for a new computer and most of the people with the same mac don't have this issue I want a solution. I've always been extremely polite knowing that they are simple employees and they may not have the authority do fix/replace my mac.

After almost 2 weeks that they have my mac I call to ask the status of the repair. They told me that Apple's engineers said that the mac is fine and they got many reports of the same issue so I need to wait for an update.

This mac is been released 8 months ago and this issues still hasn't been fixed yet. Most of the people don't have the same problem and looking online I've read of a few people that solved the problem with a motherboard replacement.

I paid full price for this mac directly from the apple store, I find it infuriating that I should just be waiting for a software update while everyone else has a perfectly working machine. Also because if they haven't fixed it in 8 moths who can say how much time I need to wait?

Any advice? I'm really pissed and I don't want to be rude but I'm planning to ask to speak with someone that can either give me a replacement or promise me that they are going to be replacing something inside the mac because I don't want to get back home with a mac with that problem.

Are… you… on… 11.4????? You’ve been asked twice by those trying to help you.

 

[Koalified]

Are… you… on… 11.4????? You’ve been asked twice by those trying to help you.

I don't know for sure, the last time I left my macbook at the store 11.4 wasn't out yet but they told me they've updated the mac and the issue is still there so I would say yes

 

[deanforwin]

Well it sounds like a software issue.

No offense, but I think you're making your life difficult by these fixations. How are they "refusing to fix?" They literally ran diagnostics and told you an update should fix the problem, so wait for it. Is "Prevent computer from sleeping when display is off" on? Try and turn off. Also uncheck "Wake for network access."

 

[KeysAcross]

A good friend of me had exactly the same issue. We both bought M1 Macbook Airs when they were released. Mine was perfect, his had exactly your described issues. The only solution was a replacement of the whole device by apple.
Here's his story:

Macbook Air 2020, Mit neuem M1, Batterie … - Apple Community

translate.google.com

 

[Trenches]

M1 macbook air bought 5 months ago.

Problem: the battery always drains a lot during sleep (fresh install, nothing installed), they recognise the issues and they told me that it's something people are complaining about so it's not related to my usage of the mac but something either from macos or hardware

the first 2 times I leave them my mac they told me that they run the tests and the hardware is fine and told me to wait for an update that may fix the issue

the third time I tell them that since I paid for a new computer and most of the people with the same mac don't have this issue I want a solution. I've always been extremely polite knowing that they are simple employees and they may not have the authority do fix/replace my mac.

After almost 2 weeks that they have my mac I call to ask the status of the repair. They told me that Apple's engineers said that the mac is fine and they got many reports of the same issue so I need to wait for an update.

This mac is been released 8 months ago and this issues still hasn't been fixed yet. Most of the people don't have the same problem and looking online I've read of a few people that solved the problem with a motherboard replacement.

I paid full price for this mac directly from the apple store, I find it infuriating that I should just be waiting for a software update while everyone else has a perfectly working machine. Also because if they haven't fixed it in 8 moths who can say how much time I need to wait?

Any advice? I'm really pissed and I don't want to be rude but I'm planning to ask to speak with someone that can either give me a replacement or promise me that they are going to be replacing something inside the mac because I don't want to get back home with a mac with that problem.

First, get with the Apple Store manager and request a refund. If that doesn’t work, write a demand letter to the legal team and copy the store. Then you can file a small claims action against them both if they don’t budge. Any trial would be highly unlikely. If there was one, it’d be informal, and you’re guaranteed to have the issue reviewed by legal for resolution. I promise you, they’d rather give you a new computer and a gift card for the inconvenience than to waste a day of their pay dealing with it.

 

[Trenches]

Well it sounds like a software issue.

No offense, but I think you're making your life difficult by these fixations. How are they "refusing to fix?" They literally ran diagnostics and told you an update should fix the problem, so wait for it. Is "Prevent computer from sleeping when display is off" on? Try and turn off. Also uncheck "Wake for network access."

They’re refusing to fix by acknowledging the issue and saying “wait for a fix!” That’s a material defect (a hidden defect) in the product for which OP has a claim under the implied warranty of merchantability. I’d sue them in a half second.

 

[leman]

File a small claims action against them and have their legal team served with the paperwork. It’ll be informal, and you’re guaranteed to have the issue reviewed. I promise you, they’d rather give you a new computer and a gift card than spend $5,000 of pay, going to trial, and losing.

How much would it cost to file and support such a claim in USA? And why do you think Apple would lose because of a minor issue like that? As far as I can see it, they are fulfilling their contractual obligations to the letter.

 

[CheesePuff]

How much would it cost to file and support such a claim in USA? And why do you think Apple would lose because of a minor issue like that? As far as I can see it, they are fulfilling their contractual obligations to the letter.

Filing fee depends on your city or county, but is usually around $30 or so. Apple and many other large companies for minor legal battles like this simply do not show which results in a default win.

 

[leman]

They’re refusing to fix by acknowledging the issue and saying “wait for a fix!” That’s a material defect (a hidden defect) in the product for which OP has a claim under the implied warranty of merchantability. I’d sue them in a half second.

From https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/6602:

The term “material defect” does not include a defect that—
(A) has an insignificant or de minimis effect on the operation or functioning of an item or computer program;
(B) affects only a component of an item or program that, as a whole, substantially operates or functions as designed; or
(C) has an insignificant or de minimis effect on the efficacy of the service provided.

Now you have to argue that losing 1% of battery per hour of sleep is a significant and substantial issue that severely impacts the usability of computer. I don't think you would have much chance here.

So far, the factual basis is that there is a very minor issue and that Apple has promised to fix eventually. I don't think they have to do anything more than that according to the law.

 

[leman]

Filing fee depends on your city or county, but is usually around $30 or so. Apple and many other large companies for minor legal battles like this simply do not show which results in a default win.

And if they do show and the court agrees that your claim is frivolous and without substance, what are the consequences for you?

 

[Koalified]

From https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/6602:



Now you have to argue that losing 1% of battery per hour of sleep is a significant and substantial issue that severely impacts the usability of computer. I don't think you would have much chance here.

So far, the factual basis is that there is a very minor issue and that Apple has promised to fix eventually. I don't think they have to do anything more than that according to the law.

is 1% with nothing installed, as soon as I have my normal work stuff and my icloud is 20%+ every normal night.

I'm not going to sue anyone, I live in Europe btw, it's not a very minor issue for me working remotely and moving a lot.