BoyGeniusReport reports on a curious exchange between a Mac owner and Apple’s Steve Jobs. Said customer was irate because he spilled water on his MacBook Pro and was quoted a base $300 to start the repair with no guarantee it would fix the unit. He emailed Steve Jobs and the reply was:
“It sounds like you’re just looking for someone to get mad at other than yourself.”
Sound unfair?
Does anyone know the amount of work that has to go into working on a water-damaged unit? I do. Of all the things you could do to a laptop, spilling water (or other beverages) on it is the worst. Don’t believe me? Consider that it’s dangerous and can immediately short out a computer with a nasty sound. Consider that water is insidious and if it doesn’t short out a component immediately, it can move to other components within the unit. Consider that even if you think you’ve dried it, it can still corrode. Consider that if it’s coffee or other beverage then you can find, months later that the computer can short out due to mould growing inside it. I’ve seen it happen.
For a water damaged computer there is only one way to ensure a fix – replacement.
Other than that, you’re going to be replacing components (and laptop components are not cheap) piece by piece until eventually you’ve replaced all the bad modules. Only if you’ve taken one apart can you know how long this takes and the patience and skill involved to do it right, under a deadline, again and again. Time is money people and who’s going to pay for this time? I don’t have sympathy for anyone with this entitlement expectation. No-one else should pay for you being an idiot and this is why I hate seeing anyone hold a drink, be it water, tea, wine or whatever, over a laptop computer. One day, you’ll be standing arguing that someone should fix it for free.
And yes, threats to never buy a Mac again are petty and stupid.
Jeez, don’t let Butcher read this! I knocked over my coffee on his laptop. We cleaned it up, dried it off, and it’s been running fine for months.
I’m enjoying the blog.
Todd (AKA Bandit)
Coke or coffee/tea with sugar was the worst. There’s a reason the hoods use to pour sugar into petrol bombs.
– pj
The Fungus/Mould example was real. It was something to behold to be honest and the user took it very well considering. There was simply no otherway to explain the stains, corrosion and large fungal fruiting bodies inside the iBook.