If you are looking for a rant, this isn't it but I'm posting this to get a second set of eyes on my situation.
The computer in question is a G4 PowerBook purchased in October 2003 with Applecare until October 2006.
As luck would have it she dropped it (in a backpack) at the airport soon after purchase. We checked out the computer and put it through its paces soon afterwards and the verdict was no harm, no foul except for the dent in the aluminum case.
Fast forward two years later and the drive starts to fail (at the end of the semester no less). First it's slow boot, then no boot (but still available as target disk), then dead.
I brought it to the genius bar yesterday and they confirmed the diagnosis but refused to cover the repair under Applecare citing the visible damage to the case. When I explained the amount of time and the fine functioning of the computer for 2 years until the failure, they were still unmoved. I ended up approving a paid repair for the drive (around $300) declining their suggestion of a "level 3" repair for $800 which would bring the machine back into warranty ("maybe your logic board was damaged by the drop"). Apparently the visible dent pretty much voids any warranty coverage.
I was not pleased to have to pay for the repair, but I don't really have enough information about the usual practices of Apple or about how long it takes drives to fail to know if I was hard done by by the genius bar. I.E. would the drop that produced the dent have resulted in drive failure much sooner than 2 years?
I guess since the drop voided the warranty, I should have cancelled the Applecare at the time of the drop.
Has anyone had the same situation with a different result?
One more thing. I asked since I was paying for the repair if they would put in a larger drive for the price of the larger drive. They refused saying it was their policy to replace like for like, which I understand if they are doing it under warranty. Is that really the policy?
The computer in question is a G4 PowerBook purchased in October 2003 with Applecare until October 2006.
As luck would have it she dropped it (in a backpack) at the airport soon after purchase. We checked out the computer and put it through its paces soon afterwards and the verdict was no harm, no foul except for the dent in the aluminum case.
Fast forward two years later and the drive starts to fail (at the end of the semester no less). First it's slow boot, then no boot (but still available as target disk), then dead.
I brought it to the genius bar yesterday and they confirmed the diagnosis but refused to cover the repair under Applecare citing the visible damage to the case. When I explained the amount of time and the fine functioning of the computer for 2 years until the failure, they were still unmoved. I ended up approving a paid repair for the drive (around $300) declining their suggestion of a "level 3" repair for $800 which would bring the machine back into warranty ("maybe your logic board was damaged by the drop"). Apparently the visible dent pretty much voids any warranty coverage.
I was not pleased to have to pay for the repair, but I don't really have enough information about the usual practices of Apple or about how long it takes drives to fail to know if I was hard done by by the genius bar. I.E. would the drop that produced the dent have resulted in drive failure much sooner than 2 years?
I guess since the drop voided the warranty, I should have cancelled the Applecare at the time of the drop.
Has anyone had the same situation with a different result?
One more thing. I asked since I was paying for the repair if they would put in a larger drive for the price of the larger drive. They refused saying it was their policy to replace like for like, which I understand if they are doing it under warranty. Is that really the policy?
