The Problem with the MacBook Warranty: Battery Replacement

Hello readers,

Today I’m writing about Apple customer service and their warranty. Before I write about my personal experience, let me tell you first that I was able to get my new battery covered by the warranty but I was 99% sure I would not. If you read carefully, you may pick up some key words I used in order for them to “make an exception” and give me a new battery.

The MacBook Pro extended 3 year warranty:

I was disappointed because I have always supported Apple and was willing to pay more for the belief that they had better products and services. As they are pretty expensive, naturally I got the extended warranty because I was told if anything went wrong it would be replace. I asked about the battery specifically because I had a roommate who couldn’t even use her computer without the power cord after 3 years. They said if it no longer lasted, they would replace it. What key word I did not hear once during the purchase of my MacBook Pro extended 3 year warranty was defective. This word only came up when I told them I needed a new battery.

Battery Cycles:

I was told that the battery could not be covered by my warranty because it exceeded the battery lifetime cycle. This is the number of times that your computer charges. They keep track of the battery cycles in your About this Mac section. Before he checked this he asked if I recharged it properly. I told him that once it hits 100% I unplug it and when it is red and charge it religiously. That was how I was told to charge it by a technician. Since I did that, it means I will have a higher battery cycle. He then told me that he would see how many battery cycles I had to determine if they would change the battery under my warranty. I had about 950 cycles and he said that it was due to consumption not because it was defective. Apparently because it’s expected to only 150 cycles per year, going over means it isn’t defective.

The key words to get your warranty to cover the battery:

Since he said my battery cycle was over what they expected, I argued with him that if I didn’t charge properly I would have gotten the warranty. If I just left it plugged in, it would have fewer cycles, therefore it would seem defective.  All he could say is “no, that isn’t true” and he had no further argument. It makes no sense that I have to be punished for trying to preserve my battery, instead they say that since I used it properly It won’t get it covered by my warranty.

When the Apple technician told me that my warranty would not cover a new battery I was mad because I bought it for that exact reason. I was told that It would be covered if the battery was no longer to my satisfaction. Nothing about defective or consuming the product, had I known this I would have not purchased the warranty. I asked him how much the extended warranty for and he said $200. I had not used my warranty at all and it was about to expire in February and I kept telling him this. I told him I shouldn’t have bought the warranty because I never used it, and if I hadn’t gotten it I would have saved money and used it for the battery I needed now. Even though I had argued that point many times, only at one point he seemed to have given up and looked at his iPad and said “Oh, you haven’t used your warranty at all? I think we can make an exception then”. I was so happy and relived, but at the same time at the back of my head I’m thinking what the hell is this, that I have to fight my way through arguing to get what I paid for.

Overall Disappointment 

In the end I got what I wanted but I had to fight for it. It’s just ridiculous and I’m very disappointed in Apple. What was once a different company with great customer service, turned into something like insurance companies. They used to have the best reputation with warranties and I thought they would replace anything even if it was consumed. I still would have saved money if I did not get the warranty. I think I’ve learnt my lesson about warranties overall. I honestly will switch brands if I see something more giving to their customers. I hope that in the end something changes, ether Apple or the brand I choose in order to receive better customer service. I’ve had enough with phones companies and universities screwing me over, I don’t need more money wasted.

I hope that this helps anyone stuck in the same situation! Hopefully you will have a better experience than me. Don’t forget to Like our GGG Facebook Page!