"Cracked" MBP screen, $1000 repair? AppleCare?

[poncho42]

I bought an Early 2015 13-inch Retina screen MacBook Pro online 5 months ago. It was pre-owned but stated to be in perfect condition, hardly used and always been in a case.

It's been working great until the other day when I gently touched the left side of my monitor and suddenly black and coloured vertical and horizontal lines appeared on the left and bottom sides of the screen. Touching any part of the screen made more lines appear, and a reflection of the top menu bar was flickering on the bottom of the screen, covering the app dock. Everything else was working fine but the flickering lines got worse with time so I stopped using it. Resetting the PRAM 5 times or so made no difference.

All the Apple Stores in my area required a reservation 2 weeks in advance so I chose an Apple Authorized Service Provider closest to me. I have the flu so I had a relative take it in for me today.

My relative was told by the technician that the error was probably caused by a hairline crack in the screen, even though they couldn't see it. They're going to replace the whole upper part of the computer for around $1,000 CAD. I have AppleCare until 2019 and was told that this wasn't covered by it.

Considering the computer has been in perfect condition since bought, never dropped, and the previous owner claims the same thing, is there any possibility the fracture was a manufacturer defect, or is there any way this can still be eligible for AppleCare coverage?

Thanks for any advice

 

[raqball]

Apple Care does not cover accidental damage, you'd need Apple Care+ for that...

 

[JPack]

Bring it to a real Apple Store and let a Genius take a look. If there's no obvious physical damage, there's a good chance it will be replaced under warranty.

ASPs are always more careful about allowing warranty repairs. If their claim is later denied by Apple, they won't be reimbursed.

 

[Cruz01]

I bought an Early 2015 13-inch Retina screen MacBook Pro online 5 months ago. It was pre-owned but stated to be in perfect condition, hardly used and always been in a case.

It's been working great until the other day when I gently touched the left side of my monitor and suddenly black and coloured vertical and horizontal lines appeared on the left and bottom sides of the screen. Touching any part of the screen made more lines appear, and a reflection of the top menu bar was flickering on the bottom of the screen, covering the app dock. Everything else was working fine but the flickering lines got worse with time so I stopped using it. Resetting the PRAM 5 times or so made no difference.

All the Apple Stores in my area required a reservation 2 weeks in advance so I chose an Apple Authorized Service Provider closest to me. I have the flu so I had a relative take it in for me today.

My relative was told by the technician that the error was probably caused by a hairline crack in the screen, even though they couldn't see it. They're going to replace the whole upper part of the computer for around $1,000 CAD. I have AppleCare until 2019 and was told that this wasn't covered by it.

Considering the computer has been in perfect condition since bought, never dropped, and the previous owner claims the same thing, is there any possibility the fracture was a manufacturer defect, or is there any way this can still be eligible for AppleCare coverage?

Thanks for any advice

Hi there, I have a friend that had 2015 model too (a few years ago). He was the first owner. A few months after buying this, he woke up in the morning to find a crack across his screen. He did not drop it and did not left anything on top of the MBP after closing the lid. At that time, there wasn't Apple Store in our country so he send it to Authorised Apple Service Provider and they also told him similar stuff and need to pay to get the screen replaced. He refused to pay as he did not drop it and there is not exterior damages on his MBP. He call Apple on the phone and after talking, he agreed to allow the Authorised Apple Service Provider to check and they check and discovered there is no negligence on his end and they replaced the screen free of charge. So I suggest that you call Apple direct when you are at the Authorised Apple Service Provider or bring it down directly to Apple Store.

 

[jerryk]

If it is out of warranty it is not covered. It is as simple as that. And since it was used you have no idea what the previous owner did.

Also, you can crack the screen without dropping the unit. Putting pressure on it from say books in a backpack can cause cracks to form. There are multiple layers in the screen and is sounds like one of those has failed or is cracked.

 

[Fishrrman]

As others have mentioned, take it to a REAL "Apple Store Genius Bar".

If the quoted repair cost is more than, say, $6-700, I'd sell it for parts and get something new or Apple-refurbished.