Here's an FYI for all of you - if you have a macbook - and you are under Apple Care warranty - get your battery checked at least twice a year. Why? Today I went to use my beautiful macbook, and there was a small problem - my battery would not stay charged off of the charger. Once off the charger - computer - DEAD. So I said to myself - Jess by golly thank GOD you have Apple Care - Apple's fabulous extended warranty on all equipment.
I gave the good old Apple Care people a call this morning and to my surprise, they had some ridiculous news for me. According to them, because my computer was 2.5 years old, they would NOT be covering my new battery. TIME OUT...REWIND...WHAT? Yes that's right - they said my battery was old - soooooo, there was no way they were going to let me get a new one for free because that is not covered in my Apple Care agreement. This perplexed me - so I asked them to show me where in my agreement it says that...guess what; this is what I was shown:
(ix) Consumable parts, such as batteries, except in respect of battery coverage under APP for iPod
or unless failure has occurred due to a defect in materials and workmanship;
Now - what does this mean to me and probably the rest of you normal people out there? To me this means I am not covered if I do something jacked to my battery. If my battery is ineffective or fails, they have to cover it. After speaking to the representative for over an hour, I was told that it wasn't my fault that the battery died - that it was just old and batteries just die sometimes. Oh, and Apple was refusing to replace my battery because after 3 years or 300 battery cycles, a battery is no longer good. Apparently I was not over the 3 year period, but was a hair over the 300 cycle limit. So my response back - where in my contract is this time limit?!
Answer - "Apple does not have to disclose this in your contract". Lovely.
So what am I going to do? I am going to make sure EVERYONE knows to get their battery tested at least twice a year if possible. Make sure to get your battery checked, and if you are under Apple Care and are close to your 2/3 year limit - lie and get a replacement battery - tell them it's broken - you will get a new one for free.
As for me - I will be writing to Apple and to the Better Business Bureau regarding this issue. It's pathetic that I should have to spend an extra $130 for a new battery when I spend $200+ on my Apple Care to keep my computer covered. Lesson learned - Apple is full of assholes.
