Warning: Macbooks require usage with gloves and masks.

I've been an Apple iPhone fan for many years now (on iPhone 11 Pro now) and decided to move from a trusted Dell laptop and try out the entry-level 2019 Apple Macbook Air as a trial because our company is growing and I wanted to show the other directors how good Apple MacBooks are, and that we should consider giving all employees a MacBook of their choice.

What was I thinking? New New 2020 Dell XPS 15" is the future.

Background: 2019 Macbook Air (purchased in October 2019 with 3-year iCare) gives me problems since Feb 2020 with sticky keys and misfiring keystrokes, I noticed Apple keyboards with butterfly mechanisms is a known problem on the web and decide to send it in for repairs via iStore in Centurion under the Apple keyboard program https://support.apple.com/keyboard-service-program-for-mac-notebooks . After all, it is a premium brand and the service will be awesome. Yea right.

I'm now of the opinion that Apple rips off its users with a false illusion of a premium brand. - Thanks to Apple iStore South Africa and Core Group for giving me clarity and seeing the ****.

Spoiler: is a bit of rant but funny in the end, still think Apple rips off their users.

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From ******

Subject: Quote - R425933 - CE53105 [ ref:_00D0Y2H1mW._5001v1M3dHD:ref ]

May 12, 2020, 9:00 AM

Dear B***xx

Thank you for the opportunity for our certified service technicians to assess your unit at the Core Service Centre.

Please note that your unit has liquid damage , which has voided the warranty.

Please find attached a quotation. Please note that the quotation is only valid for 7 days.

Should you require an assessment letter for insurance purposes, we will happily provide one for you.

Should you wish to proceed with the repair outlined in the quote, please respond to this email with quote acceptance in writing.

Please ensure to refer to the terms and conditions at the bottom of the quote.

Kindly note that a repair cannot be reversed once the quote has been accepted and created on on Apple's Global Exchange System.

[Quote attached for R6582 excl VAT]

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[Me reply to them]

May 12, 2020, 11:29 PM

Hi

I'm disputing the diagnosis.

Since I'm the only user of this laptop I can tell you it does not have liquid damage as I do not recall any incidents of this nature. How come if it had liquid damage in only affect certain keys quite far apart. And how come the space bar only became an issue in the last 2 weeks? The other keys have been giving issues since January. These specific Apple laptops have known issues with the butterfly mechanisms which is well documented. The symptoms of the keyboard issues experienced are totally inline with https://support.apple.com/keyboard-service-program-for-mac-notebooks . Please send me proof of the droplets you discovered and how you derived liquid damage under the keys that give problems (I know which ones are problematic). If it was liquid damage I would expect more keys to be faulty since liquid has a tendency to flow. Also, note that dirt is at all possible due to normal operations (one uses one's hands to type) and any Dell or HP keyboard is able to withstand this. One would expect a premium brand like Apple to have keyboards that can handle it too. This unit is never used outside. Looking forward to hearing from you. Kind Regards

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[Me adding some more stuff in my reply to them based on some google searches I discovered Liquid Contact Indicators is standard on Macs these days]

May 12, 2020, 11:38 PM (3 days ago)

Further to this, I would appreciate visual confirmation of the LCIs along with the serial number of the device in a single video clip.

Thank you.

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May 13, 2020, 9:49 AM

[From ****** to me in reply of above]

Thank you for the mail,

Kindly be advised that the technician did send together with the quotation images of the affected keys with the droplets visible, keys do not have LCI , I have requested an image showing the device serial number , I will forward once received.

Kind Regards

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[Me reply to them]

May 13, 2020, 12:04 PM

Dear Support

I checked the email again, only the 1 page PDF quote was attached, not other images. Check your sent items please. Below a picture of the email in my inbox, not other attachments and the PDF, only page 1. According to this note from Apple the LCI is present to detect if liquid is to blame. https://support.apple.com/en-za/HT201880

If no LCI triggered then I can't see how it is decided that liquid is the culprit. Awaiting your pictures on the affected keys.

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[Me following up]

May 14, 2020, 11:38 AM (1 day ago)

Hello

Please see the email below. Would appreciate a response.

Kind Regards

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[Me following up]

May 14, 2020, 11:47 AM

Hi Support

Please FaceTime me so you can show me the "liquid damage". I'm reachable on [deleted] This is the second Apple Mac laptop (and we only have 2) in our company that we have problems with when it comes to repairs with Core. The other one has dead USB ports and "green stuff" was blamed - starting to see a pattern here. Kind Regards

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May 14, 2020, 2:45 PM (1 day ago)

[From ****** to me in reply of above]

Dear B......

Thank you for the mail,

Please find attached images of your unit , technicians work in a workshop environment where engagement with customers is impossible.

Please note that there are many inspections done on device and LCIs are not the only and ultimate determining factor , we have furnished you with proof that device is yours and that there are liquid droplets as per the assessment report.

Kindly note that the quote remains valid and is only valid for 7 days.

[following pictures attached]

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May 14, 2020, 5:35 PM

[I reply to them as I could not dispute this infamous liquid, that is so corrosive that it breaks premium brand equipment]

Dear Core Group (apple technical support)

Ok, thanks for the proof after many requests. You missed the "o", space bar and "m". Given the clarity of the liquid and that it has not evaporated yet, I guess that it is vape liquid. Yes, I vape, I admit that the liquid you found on the sides of the keys is most likely Vape liquid and not coffee (it is brown), nor water (would have evaporated) or Coke, Redbull or fruit juice (it is sticky). It is most likely as a result of some e-liquid residue on my fingers after refilling my tank and not the spillage of a litre of what is essentially a non-conductive lubricant that evaporates (eventually). I'm still not agreeing that it is the cause of the sticky and missing keystrokes issue on the 2019 Macbook Air you are inspecting. I might assume incorrectly after 30 years of typing, keyboards should be able to take a fair amount of use. After all, it is a mechanical interface designed to be in force touch with non-sterile human fingers (who knows what weird things people do with their fingers). And let's not forget no tripped LCIs. None, nada, zero! An exciting experiment you guys can do is to check if Vape liquid trip an LCI - please let me know. I'm sure the audience on Reddit would love to know. We are onto something here; We discovered something new, only nine (non-relevant) results on google of this: https://www.google.com/search?q=vape+juice+or+e-liquid+apple+keyboard

So what all this is telling me is that one should wear gloves (and probably a mask) when using any Macbook. CR will love this. I'll be sure to advise all my customers of this Achilles heel of apple mac laptops and refrain from purchasing fragile apple mac laptops in the future for any current or future employee in my company. My colleagues did warn me that I should not try and prove a point with a [perceived] "premium" brand, and I did not listen. Come to think of it, this loan Dell laptop type like a charm, it has been through about five different people, is four years old, and I know a lot of the previous users of this laptop (the Dell' I'm typing this monologue on). They vape like ... what is that saying ... vape like ... fog machines, code through the night like demons, consume unhealthy amounts of fast food behind their laptops, drink red bull like water, curse at their code and take out anger on keyboards? Now that I think about it, I should perhaps get some hand sanitiser and clean this bad boy. There we go, typing even better now and it is sterile. I even feel more creative, who would have guessed a Dell with Windows can make you feel creative. With Linux on it ill be Picasso. Where is that website ... o yea ... Evetech. Instead, I'll drop R50k on a nice gaming laptop that can take normal usage. And for a minute there I considered upgrading the Macbook Air to a nice Macbook Pro. #sillyofme. Please send back the equipment in the original condition. Thank you for your efforts and kudos on your ability to deflect the well known and well-documented defects in your "premium" product. https://support.apple.com/keyboard-service-program-for-mac-notebooks . I'll give the Macbook Air to a limbless lab rat in a sterile environment that has the patience to figure out Siri. Have a nice day.

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May 15 2020 8:21 AM

[Them replying to me]

Dear Customer

Thank you for providing our Certified Service Technicians the opportunity to assess your unit at our Core Service Centre.

Part No : MREC2ZE/A Unit Description : 13" MBA 1.6GHz DC i5 256GB-Sil Serial No : [deleted]

As per your request, we have marked your quotation as rejected. Even though you have rejected your repair quotation, you might still be able to trade in your device via our iStore Trade-In program, should you wish to find out more regarding iStore Trade-in on your product, then please visit https://click.pstmrk.it/2ts/www.myistore.co.za%2Ftrade-in/AeGACwg/_w0x/taOA51tr1V for more information.

We will return your unit back to your drop off point and you will be notified once the unit is ready for collection.

Best Regards Authorized Apple Service Provider