Smoking Near Apple Computers Creates Biohazard, Voids Warranty

[whopis01]

Unless you've just arrived in 2009 on a time machine, you know that smoking isn't good for you. Did you know, that smoking isn't good for your computer, either? It's true, at least according to Apple. Two readers in different parts of the country claim that their Applecare warranties were voided due to secondhand smoke. Both readers appealed their cases up to the office of God Steve Jobs himself. Both lost.

I took my mid 2007 apple macbook (black) into the Jordan Creek Apple Store in West Des Moines, Iowa, on Saturday, April 25th, because I had been experiencing some issues with it overheating, and figured the fan was bad. After some initial testing, they took the computer in for work under my Applecare plan, which has over a year remaining on it.

Today, April, 28, 2008, the Apple store called and informed me that due to the computer having been used in a house where there was smoking, that has voided the warranty and they refuse to work on the machine, due to "health risks of second hand smoke".

Not only is this faulty science, attributing non smoking residue to second hand smoke, on Chad's part, no where in your applecare terms of service can I find anything mentioning being used in a smoking environment as voiding the warranty.



http://consumerist.com/5408885/smoking-near-apple-computers-creates-biohazard-voids-warranty

[Deja Q]

1. K&R

Apple needs to prove its claim on this.

[greennina]

2. Apple never honors their warranties.

Seriously, no one should be surprised by this any longer. I'm the owner of four Apple laptops that quit while under warranty. My fifth laptop from them has a problem with the keyboard that they won't fix, and they won't sell repair parts for it. I'll probably buy number six from them when my patience with the keyboard runs out.

[ohheckyeah]

6. wow.

Dell never asked me if the computer was in a smoking environment when they honored their warranty.

[pnwmom]

8. Not true. I got a brand new Apple laptop when mine broke down

a couple months before the end of the warranty -- and it was a significant upgrade because that's what was available in the store.

The rest of my service on four computers over the years has also been excellent.

It seems odd that you would buy 5 laptops from Apple if their service has been so poor.

[uppityperson]

12. Would you pm me where you take yours since we've had trouble with ours

and can't get much help. We come to Stl sometimes and could bring it there if you have a decent place you'd recommend. Thanks.

[pnwmom]

14. Done. n/t

[uppityperson]

22. Thanks.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

16. Apple "honored" the warranty on my iBook multiple times, but never actually fixed it!

Fuck I hated that machine,

[Jane Austin]

20. Can you find an Apple dealer or repair shop who works regularly

with Apple?

Our local shop gets approval for things we haven't been able to.

[BlueJazz]

24. I've got 4 invoices in my drawer for repairs on Mac's that Apple will not pay even though...

I've sent them EVERYTHING they asked for.

Sons-a-Bitches

[proud2BlibKansan]

37. They've honored mine

[mudplanet]

41. I'm calling BS on this. I've owned a number of Apple laptops

and had to use the warranty on three occassions and on each occassion service was quick and excellent.

In fact, generally I'd get the machine back within three days!

On one occasion I sent in a machine for warranty work that I had spray painted caution yellow to avoid having it stolen. As near as I could tell they returned a new machine to me.

[JVS]

3. !

:popcorn:

[Go2Peace]

4. Heavy smoking leads to tar all over the internal components. I can see that voiding a warrenty

I understand the frustration, but what happens is a computer's on the inside, attracts dust and smoke particles as the components give out ions. This leads to components lined with sticky tar. The tar decreases the lifespan of the components. In addition it is difficult to clean and it essentially can trash the system.

I can understand both sides but I also would not expect anyone to have to work on a system where the internal components are layered with sticky tar.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

18. Not even close to true today with PCs

[Go2Peace]

28. ...

[JoeyT]

36. Depends on what part you're talking about.

It does tend to screw the fans up sooner than they otherwise would've died. Depending on how well ventilated the room is it can also kinda cake up on the heat sinks. (I scrape it off mine on a regular basis.) It's not gonna cause catastrophic failure or anything, just shorten the life of the fans by a little bit.
Though, from what I've seen, smoke isn't nearly as bad as cat hair. Which will probably be the next thing Apple starts refusing warranties over.

[TicketyBoo]

42. Smoking

can be hazardous to your computer's health.

http://www.squidoo.com/cigarette-smoke-computer-damage

[Political Heretic]

5. Wow what a pile of anti-research, anti-science, anti-facts horeshit.

But hey, GREAT excuse to not honor warranty, in keeping with the fine tradition of Apple's assholery on warranties.

[pnwmom]

9. My experience with Apple has been great. And there's nothing anti-science

about the fact that electronic equipment can be harmed by dirty air.

[greennina]

11. It's a laptop!

It shouldn't need a ISO 14644-1 certified cleanroom.

I'm sorry. While Apple makes great products, they're crooks when it comes to honoring warranties. They know most people, like myself, will simply purchase another Apple.

[pnwmom]

13. I buy the warranties and I've never paid anything to fix a computer that's under one.

And I've been given a brand-new computer when my old one couldn't be fixed -- even though I had only a month or two left on the three year warranty.

[Political Heretic]

19. How many times has that been? One?

.

[pnwmom]

23. Over the years, maybe three times. But I can hardly complain that I rarely have a

chance to test my warranty. And that one new computer was worth the price of more than ten extended warranties.

[Kalyke]

40. So, Apple won't honor warranties if you live in a highly polluted area?

Wow, another reason not to spend megabuck$ more on a Mac over a PC.

[Warpy]

7. Back in the dark ages of computer jobs

smoking was strictly forbidden because it deposited so much crud on tapes, drives, discs, and magnetic readers.

Two great things about those jobs: the air conditioning and they were smoke free.

[pnwmom]

10. Exactly. And expensive electronic equipment is often kept in a "clean room." n/t

[ProgressiveProfessor]

17. Not like it once was, and certianly not personal computers today

[pnwmom]

26. Here are photos of what cigarette smoke can do to a computer.

http://www.squidoo.com/cigarette-smoke-computer-damage

[Confusious]

31. Oh please

You can get that with any moisture in the air, and it depends on where you live.

I lived in Alaska, no dust anywhere for years. Arizona, why bother, it's back with days. I get crud like dust and cat hair in my computer and have to constantly clean it out.

What next, you going to blame earthquakes on smoking? or volcanoes? Bullshit.

[TicketyBoo]

43. Oops.

Sorry. I posted the same link before reading all of the replies.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

15. Back in those dark ages, the discs were removable and not sealed like they are today

Apple meeps people regularly on the warranty. Its well known in the industry

[TicketyBoo]

44. Apple has been very good with me.

http://consumerist.com/5093188/apples-customer-service-kick-dells-ass-empirical-evidence-shows

[pnwmom]

21. Here are some pictures of the inside of a computer exposed to cigarette smoke.

And people wonder why this would affect performance.

The take home message: if you smoke near your computer, clean it regularly.

http://www.squidoo.com/cigarette-smoke-computer-damage

[Lisa0825]

25. Interesting! I never thought about that, but it makes sense since

my parents' smoking caused every surface in the house to have a coating of nicotine! And it definitely did collect every speck of dust too. It was sticky and nasty.

[Indenturedebtor]

27. Bwahahaha BS Alert! Code RED!!!!!!

I've cleaned hundreds of computers in smoking and non-smoking environments... they pretty much all look like that if you don't clean them for over a year.

You need to clean a computer every 6 months tops to keep it from overheating.

[HughMoran]

30. I just took apart a 2 1/2 year old Dell machine and it had very little dust in it

I'm sure that the dustiness of the environment matters as does whether the machine is ingesting sooty smoke. 6 months to look like that? I think you're exaggerating a bit - I've owned dozens of machines since the late 1980's and I've never seen one as bad as the one in those pictures.

[Fearless]

32. True story!

[invictus]

29. +1

[Confusious]

34. Oh please

You can get that with any moisture in the air, and it depends on where you live.

I lived in Alaska, no dust anywhere for years. Arizona, why bother, it's back with days. I get crud like dust and cat hair in my computer and have to constantly clean it out.

What next, you going to blame earthquakes on smoking? or volcanoes? Bullshit.

[pnwmom]

38. Right. And second hand smoke doesn't cause lung cancer either.

You can breathe in dust and moisture in any air, and it depends on where you live.

:sarcasm:

[DU GrovelBot]

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[Electric Monk]

35. Want a PMac 9200 clone?

It could be arranged...

[miyazaki]

39. From Apple, this is the dumbest shit I've heard of yet.

Keep em' coming.