How to not look foolish at the Apple genius bar?

June 23, 2009 7:57 AM

How to not look foolish at the Apple genius bar?

So I have had my macbook air for about 18 months, and love it like a child. When I purchased it, I got the two year Apple Care warranty. Recently it has been having hinge issues. The right hinge makes a weird clicking noise when I close it a certain degree, and the even the right side of the bottom case makes noise if I hold my computer in one hand. On top of that I am getting intermittent screen flicker in the rightmost inch of my monitor.

My question is will Apple be able to do anything about a hinge? Is there anything I can do/say that will increase their desire to help me? Also what do I do about the intermittent screen flicker, which doesn't show up all the time? Should I take pictures? Any insight into getting help from Apple would be greatly appreciated.

I am located in NYC and am planning on going to the 14th street location.

posted by amileighs to Computers & Internet (16 answers total)

You have apple care. This is what you bought it for. They'll fix it.
posted by chillmost at 8:03 AM on June 23, 2009

This sounds so much like the classic issue that plagued several generations of iBooks. They'll definitely have seen it before and I would stake good money that it will be covered under your warranty.

If you're worried that you won't be able to reproduce it, you could maybe make a short video with a digital camera and bring that to show them.
posted by bcwinters at 8:03 AM on June 23, 2009

That's my local genius bar! They're really great (and I have asked some less than intelligent, well-informed questions) -- they prolly won't give you any trouble, but just like anywhere else, be polite but firm.
posted by cestmoi15 at 8:10 AM on June 23, 2009

It's very possible two problems are related. I haven't worked on any recent Apples, but I've done a log of Laptop service. Laptops generally have a very thin ribbon cable that connects the hinged screen to the rest of the computer. If the screen is out of alignment, perhaps due to a broken hinge, that cable could be torn or not seated properly, causing screen flicker.

Don't worry about looking foolish. It's their job to help you and I'm sure they've seen it all. When I used to do computer repair people would show up with computers that had coins stuck in the floppy drive and keyboards with blood on them. Broken hinges and screen flicker on a laptop is a very common problem. It's not like you're showing up with your finger stuck inside it. It's also possible this could be a known problem with this model and they've seen it a billion times and know exactly what the issue is.

As for what they'll be able to do, it really depends on the warranty status and whether this is considered normal wear and tear, etc. All you can do is take it to them and see what they say. A clicking hinge to me sounds like broken plastic and/or a broken thread that the screw goes into, which can be costly. Again though, I'm not familiar with recent Apple machines and whatever space-age, weightless polymer containing Steve Jobs' DNA they're built with.

Pro tip: They're not all actually geniuses. They're Apple store employees. Don't be intimidated.
posted by bondcliff at 8:11 AM on June 23, 2009

Second what Chillmost said. You have Apple Care. That is what it is for. Have them fix every problem that comes up no matter how small. Relax. I have been to many Genius Bar's around NYC and NJ and everyone has been very cool and helpful.
posted by blast at 8:33 AM on June 23, 2009

Don't forget to make an appointment! I looked foolish when I drove 40 miles to the nearest apple store around noon on a weekday only to discover no one could even look at my computer until 5.30.
posted by radiomayonnaise at 8:38 AM on June 23, 2009

It's very possible that the screen and hinge issue are related, and if so it is all the more reason that they may have to perform significant repairs. As others note, that is what Apple Care is for. I doubt they will hassle you, and I assure you that this is a real problem and you will look far less noobish to those guys than 90% or more of the folks that essential come in for basic computer lessons ("wait, I can't install my old windows apps on the macbook with the same CDs?"). Taking pictures might help prove your point but I suspect it won't be necessary.
posted by drpynchon at 8:41 AM on June 23, 2009

I see that you mention the 2-year warranty, but I am wondering whether you actually have three years total. When I bought my iBook oh these many years ago, it came with one year of warranty automatically, and when that was nearing its end I purchased Apple Care, which added another two years' coverage.

Anyway, to answer your question, I will join the echoes of people saying this is entirely coverable under your warranty. One thing to note though is that if your warranty does in fact expire at 24 months, you may want to wait and see if anything else crops up so you can get it fixed all at once (since they'll take away your baby for a little while during the fix).

This is low-risk because even if a repair is done faultily or the problem crops up again, you still have 30 extra days to re-repair that particular problem. Unfortunately that didn't help me when my screen flicker returned 45 days after getting the computer back from the shop...
posted by Pomo at 8:58 AM on June 23, 2009

Yep, your hinge and screen flicker problem are related. Now, you can't look as crazy as the person with a VERY advanced case of the hinge/screen issue who ductaped her problem for MONTHS. It was not the hardware issue that perturbed me or even the smoke that arose when it gave up the ghost but damn it, that duct tape ruined the aesthetic.

Your problem is completely covered under Apple Care. The only time I have been refused was when a mug of hot tea was dumped on my laptop.

But remember to call and book ahead.
posted by jadepearl at 9:27 AM on June 23, 2009

Take it in before the problem gets worse; my MacBook Air's hinge failed completely after clicking for a while and I was told last week, at the 14th Street store's Genius Bar, that it was "gross physical damage" and not covered under AppleCare.
posted by nicwolff at 10:16 AM on June 23, 2009

Actually, I was told that by a Genius Bar "greeter", not a "Genius", and haven't had time to make an appointment to argue my case. The NYC Genius Bars appointments go fast; right now the only time available at 14th St is 1 PM this Friday.

Hey, I wonder if we went in together that would help? Since it seems that my Air has an advanced case of what yours has, it might help show that this is a common problem with the Airs... I live pretty close by, so MeFiMail me if you get an appointment next week and want me to meet you there, or maybe we can coordinate appointments...
posted by nicwolff at 10:25 AM on June 23, 2009

nicwolff, take it back and talk to a different tech. There's no reason (outside of you dropping your MBA or spilling liquid on it) for them not to cover this kind of problem. Whoever told you that this should not be covered is simply wrong. If you continue to get stonewalled at the 14th St. store, take it to the 5th Ave store. Also consider escalating the problem to the Genius Bar Manager or the Store Manager.

Be polite! Don't be a dick! It won't help at all. Be persistent but polite and you'll eventually get someone to help you get this problem fixed. FWIW, I've seen a few of the MBA's hinge failures...not enough to convince me it's endemic with this model, but enough to say that it's not a one-off or fluke failure.
posted by mrbarrett.com at 10:52 AM on June 23, 2009

FWIW, there are known problems with the MacBook Air hinge. If it were my computer I'd be very polite but would not take no for answer because it's a design flaw, not a problem of abuse.
posted by 6550 at 12:08 PM on June 23, 2009

I don't even have Apple Care and when I brought in my MacBook, they helped me way more than I would have thought to try to pressure them into.

As per nicwolff's experience, make sure to talk to an actual Genius Bar person, don't take the other employees' word for anything. It's not that they're not perfectly nice, but one guy asked me what my problem was before I went to the bar, and he didn't really seem to get what I was saying, kind of implied that I would just have to buy a new part. But then when I talked to the Genius guy he totally got it and helped me out.
posted by lampoil at 12:50 PM on June 23, 2009

OK, inspired by this question, I idly checked the apple.com Genius Bar scheduler, and it offered me an appointment at 6:40 today — which I think is weird, because the next available appointment after mine is still late on Friday; a cancellation maybe? I took my Air in, played medium-dumb, and the Genius checked with his manager and accepted my Air for AppleCare repair!

All I said was "About the month ago, the hinge got loose, then one day it clicked and made a snapping sound and look! It's broken. I swear, I never dropped it or overworked the lid." I expected, based on Googling "macbook air hinge", to meet some serious resistance, but I really didn't. Now I have a Genius Bar Work Authorization for "Display clamshell, glossy, MacBook Air, $0.00" and, since it wouldn't reboot, "Hard drive, 80 GB, $0.00".

And my Air's hinge is fully busted already, not just clicking; the plastic cover between the hinges is partially broken away and the left hinge's spring and axle are completely missing. So I think there's definitely hope for you at 14th Street; if it helps any the Genius I talked to was named Edgar.

MeFiMail me if I can help in any way. I'll follow up for posterity if Apple contacts me later to try to retroactively refuse the repair, or charge me for it.
posted by nicwolff at 6:10 PM on June 23, 2009

Update: So I went to 14th street Apple and everything went swimmingly! (Aside from waiting for an hour after my appointment time...) Marcus helped me out, and luckily the hinge and flicker were performing on demand. So my Air is spending sometime in the Apple hospital. I'll let you guys know what the outcome is of that, but I'm optimistic the repair will go well. Thanks for all the moral support MeFi!
posted by amileighs at 2:10 PM on June 27, 2009