Smoking can cause some pretty nasty looking internals to electronics, I understand their decision.
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Smoking voids your AppleCare warranty?
- Thread starter Bafflefish
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It's not just the fact the machine is dirty that breaks it. It's when all that dirt clogs up vents, not allowing air in or out. Also, it gets all over heat sinks/fans. So, it's heat that breaks stuff, not just dirt. Here are some lovely example of computer guts from a smoking household. The first pic with the nice, fluffy dust bunnies is normal, and can be easily cleaned with canned air or a vacuum. The dust from the smoker machines is sticky and is very difficult to remove.
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Look at the replies here...so many on one extreme end or the other. Why can't most people just be reasonable and accept that if your computer is plugged up with gunk then it's not a manufacturer's defect or problem (and this does happen sometimes..it's a fact)? I don't think they are going to start blacklisting people who are seen buying cigs at the corner store and if they did that would be equally as stupid.
Seems it's either "apple sucks and cant tell me I can smoke or not" or "yeah screw smokers" generally.
Seems it's either "apple sucks and cant tell me I can smoke or not" or "yeah screw smokers" generally.
My opinion is an extreme? Or did I misunderstand you? If so sorry but if not how can you say being "reasonable" is extreme? Why should Apple fix something you damaged with tar and gunk if that indeed happened? On the other end why would they refuse service because they smell smoke on you but the computer is perfectly clean? It's pretty obvious what is reasonable here. People don't seem to be reading the original story...Apple claimed it was gunked up and the owner not. Seems it would be pretty easy to prove with photos or video.
I don't smoke and I frankly find it repulsive. I grew up in a home with my father smoking, which turned me against it for good. Thankfully, he quit a few years ago. Still, I find Apple's refusal to honor warranties ridiculous. Not only is it a violation of contract, it is terrible PR for the company. I hope they either make good on these cases, or face a lawsuit.
Steve
Steve
Lawsuit for what? Where does anyone get the idea that the warranty covers damage that occurs due to contamination? If your laptop was plugged up with sugar from a drink spill or dirt from being used outside all the time do you think they would cover it? They cover defects due to their poor quality or manufacturing not your failure to keep it clean or gunk out of it.
I don't think people are reading the story. The original case was not because someone thought they smelled smoke...it was allegedly because of yellow tar gunk plugging it up. How is that unreasonable if true?
I guess the cigarette industry can brace itself for a new warning label:
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They'll care about their PC more because they can see the effects. XD
Honestly, I'm all for anything to stop smokers. My grand dad is a Doctor and showed me some dissected lungs of a long time smoker.
Apparently I threw up. XD
Nowhere in the contract does it say cigarette smoke violates the warranty. If the products is not designed to work correctly after being exposed to cigarette smoke, the contract should state that doing so violates it. Otherwise, Apple has no authority to breach the contract.
Steve
The fact that the dirt from the smokers computer is sticky is disgusting. I don't blame an Apple technician for refusing to clean up the gunk that circulated through somebody's lungs and came out their dirty mouth. It's like asking someone to smell your dirty gym sock.
If you don't like it then don't buy an Apple computer. They'll do quite nicely without your business.
Glad I quit (11 years ago). Yea, when I did smoke, I remember opening up my tower and cleaning out all kinds of dust bunnies attached to the sticky tar buildup. Haven't thought much about it until reading this thread. My machines are much cleaner these days.
Frankly some of the attitudes here stink far worst then cigarette smoke.
America is turning into the land of over sensitive cry baby wimps.
Cry me a river. So what! it's dirty. Get over it.
Lots of things are dirty.
Car exhaust is dirty. Air is dirty.
What about electronics assembled in Beijing, Los Angeles or Mexico city?
The air there is dirty and disgusting.
whatever I'm done with this
America is turning into the land of over sensitive cry baby wimps.
Cry me a river. So what! it's dirty. Get over it.
Lots of things are dirty.
Car exhaust is dirty. Air is dirty.
What about electronics assembled in Beijing, Los Angeles or Mexico city?
The air there is dirty and disgusting.
whatever I'm done with this
I guess then according to your logic since the warranty doesn't expressly forbid using it in a room full of chlorine gas or activating the keys with a hammer then that's fine too eh?
Do you have a point? Have you seen electronics assembly plants? They keep those places rather clean. Computers are manufactured with their environments they are going to be used in mind. The vast majority of them are built for office usage - not for biohazard and high chemical environments.
Weather or not smoking falls under that classification depends on the damage the product has received. If it exceeds what is defined as reasonable damage, then they may not have to do anything as it would fall under user abuse.
Its perfectly normal
Until I see real data on this I'll believe it has a lot more to do with Apples self righteous attitude than a wide spread problem of gunky computers. They probably think they're saving the world. Ha.
Wouldn't it probably take longer than the warranty period to gunk one up that bad anyway?
Wouldn't it probably take longer than the warranty period to gunk one up that bad anyway?
Judging by my dad's two year old PC, I would say no. I told him to get a new computer, and I wasn't about to try to fix it. He agreed after I showed him what he'd done to the inside. It looked similar to the pictures above. The fan on top of the heat sink could barely even spin.
Apple's warranty applies only to manufacturer defects. It doesn't apply to misuse or abuse. Smoking around your PC or Mac is abuse whether anyone wants to accept it or not. Just like spilling beverages on it or dropping food in it.
This warranty does not apply: (a) to consumable parts, such as batteries, unless damage has occurred due to a defect in materials or workmanship; (b) to cosmetic damage, including but not limited to scratches, dents and broken plastic on ports; (c) to damage caused by use with non-Apple products; (d) to damage caused by accident, abuse, misuse, flood, fire, earthquake or other external causes; (e) to damage caused by operating the product outside the permitted or intended uses described by Apple; (f) to damage caused by service (including upgrades and expansions) performed by anyone who is not a representative of Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider (“AASP”); (g) to a product or part that has been modified to alter functionality or capability without the written permission of Apple; or (h) if any Apple serial number has been removed or defaced.
http://images.apple.com/legal/warranty/docs/cpuwarranty.pdf
Not sure about saving the world... but saving themselves the cost of replacing otherwise good products that got screwed up by environmental pollution... That's something worth saving.
Having been used in a house with smokers they think there's a health risk servicing that Macbook Pro? Was it gunked up? They didn't say. . . and if it was please explain the health risk. The Macbook Pro didn't pick up smoking did it?
Iced Earth Avatar, cool, go Johnny go! Haa.....
Ya know, it's the one thing about Apple computers I don't like, the cult mentality of many users. Sure, they claim to have their own minds and opinions, but in reality whatever Apple says and does is the greatest thing in the world!!
That may be, but it's not what they are claiming. They're saying it's actually a health risk to repair them regardless of who is paying!! So moreover, show me data proving that!!!