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Cheers - AE

Tuesday 24 November 2009

Smoking ban now extends to computer warranties.

Do fucking what? Ah, hang on, this is Apple we're talking about.
If you light up a smoke, your computer's warranty could go up in flames.

We all know that smoking isn't good for you or for your gadgets, but Apple seems to have gone a step further by refusing to honour the warranties on several Macs belonging to smokers.

Consumer advocate blog The Consumerist reports two examples of Apple stores refusing to honour the warranty on a Mac because of contamination from cigarette smoke. It seems the faults could be attributed to exposure to smoke and accumulated tar, although there is no specific mention of cigarette smoke in the AppleCare warranty contract.
Oh, you lot who still smoke are really in for it now. You think you're being treated like pariahs already? It's just beginning really, isn't it? Now the private sector is using the anti-smoker policies of governments as an excuse to avoid warranty work. Now I'm a big fan of Apple products but not so much the company, and I have personal experience of the situation with suddenly deciding that the warranty is void (in my case that was just before I was about to drop $500 on Apple Care, so that was fucking good timing on Apple's part) so this doesn't surprise me in the slightest. And even though I gave up smoking before either of my current Macs were bought this really boils my piss. Frankly if this prompts every smoker who fancies a Mac to go down the Hackintosh route instead it'll be no fucking less than Apple deserve.

4 comments:

Dick Puddlecote said...

It's been noted in the smoker community, AE.

... and if I know them, it will be widely disseminated. Quite an own goal to exclude a fifth of your potential clientele, I reckon.

JuliaM said...

"It seems the faults could be attributed to exposure to smoke and accumulated tar..."

In a computer..?!

What were they doing, blowing smoke directly into the air vents?

Angry Exile said...

DP, yes, possibly very much an own goal in the long term. I don't know if Apple are also among the righteous, are just shameless bandwagon jumpers, or are terrified that a non-smoking employee might develop a slight cough after handling the machine of a smoker and sue them. The last possibility seems unlikely as I'm sure Apple wouldn't hesitate to do the work if paid for it, so I suspect a mixture of the first two. As I said, good products but the holier than thou attitude of the company is starting to become annoying.

"It seems the faults could be attributed to exposure to smoke and accumulated tar..."

Did you notice the 'could be attributed' in there? Translation: we don't know what the problem is but since we've found something that wouldn't have been there when it left the factory we're going to blame that. Actually this is not a million miles off my own situation (though not smoke related). Since dealing with Apple in the UK was always a pleasure I thought perhaps it was just Apple Australia who were a pain, but now I wonder if actually orders have come down from on high: save money and increase revenue, don't do warranty work if there's even a semi-plausible excuse not to. Speculative on my part, true, but still.....

What were they doing, blowing smoke directly into the air vents?

I believe the Apple End Use Licence Agreement may shortly be altered so that it requires that any smoke be blown directly up Apple's arses only.

JuliaM said...

"I believe the Apple End Use Licence Agreement may shortly be altered so that it requires that any smoke be blown directly up Apple's arses only."

ROFL!

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