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Comment by joncalhoun | Hacker News Reader

Have you ever tried to get something Apple branded repaired when it is out of warranty?

The repairs tend to basically cost as much as it would to buy the same item refurbished regardless of the issue.

SSD died on your MacBook air selling for $500 on eBay? That will be a $450 repair sir.

Sure, they may have manuals and everything else at the Apple store, but there is very clearly a reason why companies like iCracked and iFixIt exist, and it isn't because Apple offers such a wonderful and affordable repair shop.

It would be great if Google offered a way to get the phone repaired through them, but using Apple as an example of how it should be is a bit insane to me.

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So this happened to me. My 2012 retina MacBook Pro battery was dying. Which makes sense, I used it every day for over four years.

I figured I could take it to Apple for a battery replacement. They said they would do it — for $900. They told me it involved replacing the entire bottom half of the computer as the battery was glued in.

So I called their support line and complained that the laptop was perfectly fine and it shouldn't cost that much to replace a battery. They ended up replacing it for free, as well as the screen (because they identified that the anti-reflective coating was starting to wear). So while the policy was ridiculous, the actual outcome was very positive.

> $900. They told me it involved replacing the entire bottom half of the computer as the battery was glued in.

WTF? This is nonsense.

Apple prices for battery repairs are clearly outlined on their web site[0]. This has always been what I (or relatives/friends/coworkers) paid for France[1] when I had to change a battery.

[0]: https://support.apple.com/mac-notebooks/repair/service/prici...

[1]: https://support.apple.com/fr-fr/mac-notebooks/repair/service...

That is the exact page I used to argue my case with Apple on the phone. I said it was misleading that the price given to me at the Apple store was so much higher than what was listed on their website.

They told me that those prices are the service pricing, but do not include parts. And because the entire lower-half of the laptop needed to be changed in the rMBP model, the total cost would come to about $900 AUD.

The actual item listed on the repair invoice is "Top Case Assembly with Battery" @ $562.73 and the "Hardware Repair Labor" charge is listed at $289 AUD.

Did you ever have friends or relatives change the battery in a retina MacBook Pro? Apple cannot remove the battery because it is glued into the lower case assembly. And so when I got my machine back from Apple the trackpad, keyboard, and lower aluminium chassis was brand new (however the bottom plate, logic board, and internals were the same).

I've heard of this happening before. If the non-battery bit of that part of the computer breaks you pay $900 (or whatever), but if you just need the battery replacing you pay a heck of a lot less, or even nothing. The repair involves exactly the same actual work being done and part. The Apple Store employee must have accidentally selected the wrong maintenance option in the system.

The Apple employee at the store explained that they cannot remove the battery from the rMBP model as it is glued in place.

When I complained in-person and through phone support I was told the same story specifically about the retina MBP model. They said that the standard charge for battery replacement in this model included the entire lower case assembly. I heard this from about four different support agents, even when it was escalated to the special support agent that was able to eventually authorise the free repair.

When I received my MacBook Pro back from battery service the keyboard, trackpad, and lower aluminium chassis were brand new. So they did change it all out just to replace the battery.

This is just nonsense. In some cases the repair may cost the same as refurbished item but definitely not always. And remember that refurbished item is not new so it's not guarenteed to last for ever either. Cracked screen repairs for example aren't the same price as a new iPhone.

At least with Apple I can drive to a physical store, hand my laptop or phone over and know it will be repaired properly. And in many cases I've been either (a) upgraded to newer hardware or (b) just had the device swapped entirely.

A few points:

1. Cracked screens are incredibly easy to fix, so the one example you can give that doesn't cost an arm and a leg is the one thing that arguably any random repair shop should be able to do.

2. Not everyone even lives near an apple store, so while you might benefit from driving in to a physical store, there is a large chunk of the population who won't (at least not without driving a few hours).

PA is a great example of this - the only stores in PA are basically around Philly and around Pittsburgh. Live anywhere else in the state and you are driving to a store out of town.

That isn't so bad if prices are reasonable, but when you get there and hear "$600 to replace the battery" the stores start to feel less useful.

I understand that there is value in the Apple store. I'm not trying to say that there isn't any, but I do believe the original comment overstates that value, especially when Google (or a third party they work with) offers a pretty reasonable replacement plan as an add-on to your purchase.

Also little known fact: Mac repair hardware costs are price capped when repairs are done through an Apple Store. So replacing a keyboard and battery is close to the same price as replacing the screen, battery, logic board, keyboard, power board, etc... as they repair and replace basically up to every part of your laptop, the price stays capped (except for labor but that's low because they work fast). Most people don't know about this. Apple keeps it quiet for some reason.

More like $200 to replace the battery in the case of a laptop (you said $600, a wild exaggeration). Or $100 if we're talking about a phone.

Or free if you paid $100 - $250 (depending on the class of device it covers) for AppleCare.

AppleCare is head and shoulders above other extended warranty plans in my experience. Others tend to be jokes or ripoffs or both.

> 1. Cracked screens are incredibly easy to fix, so the one example you can give that doesn't cost an arm and a leg is the one thing that arguably any random repair shop should be able to do.

Provided you can find spare parts, good luck finding spare parts for the Pixel. For Apple products it's usually a breeze.

In this case, if we're comparing to cracked screens, Apple charges $129/$149 on their iPhones.

I realize you are just providing info, and I appreciate it, so I want to preface this by saying I am also just trying to add some context to the conversation.

The pixel offers a $99 replacement plan, plus an additional $99 every time you replace the phone, up to 2 times. I think it lasts for 2 years.

If the only thing holding you back on getting the phone is being able to get it repaired, the cost difference is $70 or $50 the first time you break your screen, and $40 or $0 the second time, and the plan covers more than just broken screens.

The biggest downside is that you have to front the $99.

Right, it's very similar to most plans where you break even around ~2 screen replacements. Like you said, if you have to utilize the insurance for things aside from the 2 screen replacements, then you come out even further ahead.

But that requires foresight in buying the insurance and most people just don't have that. In my case, I have only ever broken one phone, so buying insurance with the idea that I break even at ~2 incidents would not be worth it for me. In the Pixel's case, I would like the option to pay full fees for fixing rather than only the option of previously having had foresight AND having to break my phone twice.

I recently took my Macbook to get a new battery at the Apple Store. While I was there, I asked for them to fix the lid as it was a little loose and was bugging me.

Not only did they not do it (they initially said no problem), they lied and told me I needed to replace the entire panel for $800 as it was a broken `spring` and could not be fixed.

I called bullshit and fixed it myself at home with a screw driver set.

$800 to tighten a screw?!

Yes.

4+ year old iMac with dead video card. I took it to the local authorized Apple dealer, who wanted $50 to diagnose the problem.

Dealer called back and said Apple agreed to replace the video card for free and cover the $50 dealer diagnosis fee.

That sounds like a recall.

I had the same thing on an older MacBook Pro with dodgy graphics card. Took it in to an authorised dealer, who didn't charge me up front for diagnosis, to then get a call saying it had been replaced and no fee was due as covered by Apple under a previous recall. This was in the US.

This is so dead wrong.

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