Butterfly keyboard replacement experience

[Topkat]

I have a 2018 MacBook Pro 15” that cost nearly $3000 when new. The keyboard was rubbish from new, but it became unusable recently so I got the keyboard replaced at an official Apple repair centre. It took over a week to get my laptop back and when I got it back the screen was covered in finger prints and the screen was dirty like someone had eaten food by the laptop and the food had stuck on the screen. I clean my computer regularly and I had cleaned my computer before I sent it in and I don’t eat food near my laptop for obvious reasons (I don’t want to ruin the keyboard). The laptop also had slight scratch on the back of the screen on the aluminium part after it was return. I don’t have OCD but I checked for damage when it was returned and I saw it. I can imagine someone with OCD being quite upset.

It has only been around a month since I got the keyboard replaced and it has now started to play up again with double typing and not registering some key strokes randomly. I have the feeling that after a few months or so this keyboard will be unusable again and I will have to pay a hefty repair bill which is probably more money than the laptop is worth.

I have also noticed recently when I shut my laptop down and close the lid, the laptop will turn on again as I will hear the Mac OS chime like I have just opened the lid. So the laptop has not been repaired properly either. I’m really frustrated. It seems like I am going to have to lose my laptop for another week while Apple fixes it again. ?

I am really disappointed with Apple and this MacBook Pro. Shall I sell this laptop on to some other poor soul? I would feel bad doing that, I don’t want to pass the problem on to someone else who probably can’t afford to fix it out of warrantee. Shall I throw this laptop in the bin and buy something else? I would if I was rich. I planned on keeping this laptop at least 7 years when I bought it.

The right thing for Apple to do is replace these butterfly keyboards with working keyboards but they don’t. They just replace them with “new faulty” keyboards that will break again a few months later. I’m really disappointed. If I could turn back time, I would have bought a 2015 MacBook Pro 15 or dare a say it, a Windows laptop.

 

[Fishrrman]

Such are the hazards of the butterfly keyboard.
Can you trade it in for a replacement?

Aside:
When the butterfly keyboards were first introduced (on the 2016 MacBook Pros), I compared one side-by-side with a (just discontinued) 2015 MacBook Pro.
I bought the 2015, even though it was then "the older model", and never looked back.

 

[PBG4 Dude]

Repairs have a 90 day warranty. If you’re still having problems, call Apple back and complain.

 

[MBAir2010]

Shall I sell this laptop on to some other poor soul? I would feel bad doing that,

Most  fanboys know those MacBook pro models have defects, i say sell sell sell!
and i applied your conscious and morals!

"Shall I throw this laptop in the bin and buy something else? I would if I was rich. I planned on keeping this laptop at least 7 years when I bought it."

if you can sell that, keep the macbook for a base or something.
and if you could sell that, use the cash to get a better MacBook Pro, from 2010-2012.
they just simply work and someone will figure out how to get those sported when  won't down our road this decade.

 

[MBAir2010]

dare a say it, a Windows laptop.

I purchased a Dell XPS duding the 2019 dark days of MacBook pros
never regretted that and love the Notebook-laptop.

 

[Topkat]

Thanks for your messages. The problem of my laptop turning on again after shutting down and closing the lid seems to have rectified itself, but I don’t know if it will come back again.

I think I’ll give Apple a call soon and see what they say. I have the feeling my computer will come back in worse condition after the next repair and I really don’t want to be without a laptop for another week. I don’t have much choice though.

Thinking about my screen now, they might have mixed it up with someone else’s screen during the repair and that’s why it came back dirty and slightly scuffed. I would have expected Apple to at least give it a wipe to clean it up a bit before returning it though - even if the person sent it in dirty. Thankfully there are no scratches on the screen because that really would have upset me.

 

[iamMacPerson]

Most  fanboys know those MacBook pro models have defects, i say sell sell sell!
and i applied your conscious and morals!

"Shall I throw this laptop in the bin and buy something else? I would if I was rich. I planned on keeping this laptop at least 7 years when I bought it."

if you can sell that, keep the macbook for a base or something.
and if you could sell that, use the cash to get a better MacBook Pro, from 2010-2012.
they just simply work and someone will figure out how to get those sported when  won't down our road this decade.

You’re really going to sit here and tell me the 2011 and 2012 MacBooks were reliable? The 2011 with the absolutely horrid dGPU and the 2012 with the power VRM failures? Plus those laptops are so old they’re not usable for anything more than basic web browsing and document creation. Even the 2010 13” model is stuck with an ancient Penryn Core 2 Duo. None of them run anything close to a modern macOS build, stuck with Catalina which is only getting security updates for another year.

OP, I was in the same boat as you. I had the 2018 15” with the 2.7 i7 and 16/512 config. It was a great machine, most reliable I ever had… except the keyboard. Since I had a launch day unit, it was weighing on me that Apple is only fixing it for up-to 4 years after the date of purchase. I planned to keep the machine at least another 2 years or so, but barely 8 months left on the repair extension I decided to ditch it.

I sold it for about a grand after fees (only a bit more than Apple would have given me, $940) and picked up a 2021 16”. I was originally considering a used 2019 16” because a program I needed for school did not play well with Apple Silicon or Rosetta, but they resolved the problem. The 2019s, while they have dropped in price considerably, the price-to-performance and price-to-spec ratio was still really in Apple Silicon’s favor. I was looking at a 2019 with the 2.4 i9, 5600m 8GB, 32GB of RAM and 2TB SSD for $2200. Compared to the 2021 I got, the CPU was slower, the GPU was slower, the RAM was slower with same capacity and the SSD had double the capacity for a grand less. But knowing Intel Macs are in a similar position to PowerPC Macs about a decade and a half ago, I just paid the extra $1000 for the M1 Max. So far I love the machine.

 

[MBAir2010]

You’re really going to sit here and tell me the 2011 and 2012 MacBooks were reliable?

i was telling Topkat that.

others here might agree that that era of MacBook pros were solid.
even today.
As far as longevity, this MacBook air I'm typing on from 2010 can still perform any task that my Dell XPS 2019 can.
Computers and equipment should last forever when taken care of.

 

[iamMacPerson]

i was telling Topkat that.

others here might agree that that era of MacBook pros were solid.
even today.
As far as longevity, this MacBook air I'm typing on from 2010 can still perform any task that my Dell XPS 2019 can.
Computers and equipment should last forever when taken care of.

Yeah those 2011 and 2012 MacBooks were hot garbage. I had both, both had logic board replacement up the wazzo for graphics problems. They’re not reliable at all, and it is well known both are trash.

 

[Christopher Kim]

OP, where are you located and when you say you got it repaired by an "official Apple repair centre", what does that mean. Was it done at an Apple store, or by a "3rd party" store that's technically an "Authorized Apple Reseller" or "Authorized Apple Service Provider"?

By your story on the condition your laptop was returned (Eg. dirty, fingerprints everywhere, etc.), I'm thinking it was the latter. Do you have access to an Apple store close enough to where you live? If so, I might try and get it done via the same Keyboard Service Program again, this time directly through Apple.

 

[Topkat]

I live in Turkey and it’s a 3rd party repair shop that was listed on Apple’s website that I got my keyboard repaired in. The repair shop is only around 12 miles from where I live. The closest Apple store that actually sells Apple products is around 160 miles away.

I took my laptop back again on Thursday and they asked me to demonstrate which keys were not responding properly and it took a bit of time but they eventually saw some keys were double typing and not responding other times. So they took it in for repair again and fingers crossed it won’t come back in a worse condition.

It took just over a week to repair the keyboard last time, hopefully it can be done quicker this time. Being without my laptop is really frustrating, because I have work to do and it’s the only computer I have at home (my iPad is only good for browsing the web). Oh well.

 

[Ballgag]

I live in Turkey

Theres the problem...

 

[Topkat]

Theres the problem...

No, Apple’s poorly designed keyboard is the problem. You get shoddy workmen in every country. Look what happened to this guy in America.

 

[Topkat]

I had my laptop keyboard repaired again because of some issues I had with it.

Look at the condition it’s been returned in. Glue on the top of the screen around rubber bezel, the rubber has also been cut/chipped too, the screen is covered in finger prints, dirt on the screen, dirt just below the MacBook Pro logo, scuffed on the rear screen panel which is more noticeable to the naked eye (this was done in the first repair). If the laptop was space grey the dent/scuff mark would be more visible.

I contacted Apple and they said they will get back to me tomorrow. Let’s see what happens. My laptop was in perfect condition until these cowboys got hold of it. ?

 

[Christopher Kim]

@Topkat I feel for you, that's pretty shoddy work... Given it was done by a 3rd party "Apple Authorized Service Provider", I wonder if & what Apple is willing to do, when they're not doing it themselves - ie. how much responsibility / help will they give if the repair shop is "Apple Authorized" and technically linked on their website as a place you can get service from in Turkey?

Definitely feeling fortunate that living in the US, we have much easier access to Apple stores, and can get service or repairs done by Apple themselves. Given everything that's happened economically in Turkey recently too, can imagine it's even tougher to be a customer who needs help these days. Best of luck

 

[Topkat]

Thanks for your comment Christopher.

I just spoke to Apple and they said that there are screenshots of before and after the laptop repair but they may have deleted them seeing as I collected the laptop without making a complaint.

I took a quick glance at my laptop then put it in my laptop bag and walked because I was in a rush. There should be a time frame of at least 30 days for photos to be deleted so Apple can investigate any complaints. Not everyone has time to scan their device all over for faults in the shop. There should be a time period of a minimum of 30 days for these screenshots to be saved. Is there anyway I can escalate this problem? The phone adviser I spoke to on the phone in Turkey wasn't very helpful.