Apple Balks at Repairing MacBook Air Hinges Under Warranty

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Apple is apparently refusing to cover the cost of repairs to some MacBook Air notebooks, even though the devices are under warranty, according to a report at Engadget.

Some MacBook Air owners who embraced the device in its original iteration (Rev.A) have found that over time, with normal use, the hinge fitting the screen to the body of the laptop becomes irreparably loose, sometimes even catching and cracking.

Discussion about the problem first hit the Apple Support fourm back in Feb. 2008 and appears to be well documented, though as an official matter Apple says it is not a “known” issue.

The Engadget report relates a case in which “Apple did the repair for free, but only after we escalated the issue to a manager, who let us know how very nice of them that was.” Apple classifies the damage as “accidental,” and thus not covered under the normal warranty. The hinge repair costs around $800.

Let us know in comments below how widespread this problem might be among Cult readers and whether you think you’d have what it takes to get an Apple Repair manager to cover repairs to your broken MacBook Air screen.

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20 responses to “Apple Balks at Repairing MacBook Air Hinges Under Warranty”

  1. Ali909 says:

    Actually, there is no such thing as a “hinge repair” with most Apple products. “Fix” doesn’t seem to be in their corporate mentality. They insist that you need to replace the entire display assembly. That’s what the $800 price tag is about.