morph3ous
Premium
join:2002-05-16
Miami, FL
 ·AT&T Southeast
 ·Comcast Formerly ..
|  Installing memory in a Mini will void warranty
I wanted to give everyone a heads-up on this issue. This may have been discussed before; however, I did not find it when I quickly searched.
I installed a gig of RAM in my Mini more than 4 months ago. The hard drive recently stopped working, and so I took it to the Apple store where I bought it. The back was apparently not snapped all the way closed, so the genius asked if I had opened it. I told him that I had and he immediately said that opening it could 'zap' the computer. I told him that I was very careful, and that the machine has functioned flawlessly for months. He told me he'd have someone look at it, but not at the genius bar.
I just got this email from him today:
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Dear (Removed),
(Removed), enclosed is your quote to complete your repair.
As I explained to you at the bar when you brought your unit into the store, the Mac Mini has no customer installable parts.
Since the unit was opened, this unit is now OOW.
After reassembling & testing the unit, I confirmed that the HD & optical drive need to be replaced. Since this is not a covered repair, I have not taken out the media currently stuck in the optical drive.
Current Quote:
661-3438 (Drive, Combo, 24X, Slot Loading) $165.52
661-3439 (Hard Drive, 40 GB, 2.5", 4200 rpm) $198.96
S1490LL/A (HARDWARE REPAIR-LEVEL 1) $90.95
Total Cost of Repair: $455.43
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call: 305-234-4565 (Option 5).
Sincerely,
Nestor A. Gonzalez
Mac Genius
Apple Store - The Falls
8888 SW 136 ST, Suite 450
Miami, FL 33176
305-234-4565
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I did not think that I was invalidating the warranty when I installed the RAM, as the Mini is just a computer. I was under the impression that any cosmetic damage, or damage as a result of me having opened the unit would not be covered. This is not the case. If the unit is opened, then the warranty is no longer valid. It is simply assumed that you broke your machine.
Please understand that if you open your Mini your warranty is void.
I emailed back and asked to have the computer returned to me unrepaired. I am perfectly capable of fixing the problem myself and for much less. I just thought that I was under warranty. I did not 'zap' the machine by opening it.
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My Blog |
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SweetDelight
lagomorph
Premium
join:2004-09-04
Earth
3 edits | Always make sure that your mac mini is like how you bought it, original ram, original drives, dont return something partially open or with other ram (the case)
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What kind of activities are excluded from my warranty coverage?
Apple’s One-Year Limited Warranty for Mac mini excludes coverage for damage resulting from a number of events, including accident, unauthorized service and unauthorized modifications"
I bet his talking about unauthorized modifications trying to be sneaky?
Thats a load of *** the repair costs almost as much as a Brand new mac mini.
Id suggest you visit a AASP an authorized service place non - apple and see if they will fix it .
"661-3439 (Hard Drive, 40 GB, 2.5", 4200 rpm) $198.96"
Buy yourself a nice 80gb 7200 Laptop drive for that price.
and it seems strange how the combo drive also died at the same time..
Also consider "DIY" do it yourself program from apple and order the parts to fix it yourself.--
In retro spect, my hard drive died for my mini by overheating and returned it fine with ( other ram installed ) and it was fixed without problems.
Also, If i where you, id use your 90 days phone and call and ask if opening it to install ram will void it.
- I also remember it saying apple couldnt sell apple care in florida somewhere, problably no relation. hmm |
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JoshNJ
Premium
join:2001-12-25
Freehold, NJ
| reply to morph3ous
This doesn't sound correct. nothing in the mac mini service faq on apple's site saying you cannot open your case. Closest thing he could use would be this, if he is saying that the cd got stuck because you opened up the case. Doesn't sound anything like "if you open your case no matter what nothing will be covered by the warranty." Was there a sticker sealing the case closed?
"Apple’s One-Year Limited Warranty for Mac mini excludes coverage for damage resulting from a number of events, including accident, unauthorized service and unauthorized modifications. Please review the warranty for further details. If damage is outside the scope of warranty coverage, service may still be provided through a local AASP or an Apple retail store, but all service charges will be your responsibility. In such an event, you will be asked to approve the estimated charges and accept the terms and conditions for service before authorizing the repair."
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I support the RIAA |
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JoshNJ
Premium
join:2001-12-25
Freehold, NJ
| reply to SweetDelight
said by SweetDelight  :id use your 90 days phone and call and ask if opening it to install ram will void it. that time is up, he said he installed the ram more than 4 months ago
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I support the RIAA |
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MadDog3057
Ex Astris, Scientia
Premium
join:2002-02-26
Miami, FL
| reply to morph3ous
said by Apple Mac Mini Support Site:
The Mac mini has a 256 MB base memory configuration, which can be expanded up to a maximum of 1 GB. The Mac mini can be configured to order (CTO) with 512 MB or 1 GB of SDRAM. Additional memory should be installed by an Apple Authorized Service Provider.
This is what I found.
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"The only thing that’s worse than being blind is having sight but no vision." |
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SweetDelight
lagomorph
Premium
join:2004-09-04
Earth
1 edit | reply to morph3ous
yea maddog, it said SHOULD, not has to be. And nothing about Voiding in the info.
»docs.info.apple.com/article.html···um=25097
oh oh but wait?
»docs.info.apple.com/article.html···m=300572
they say you can upgrade it and nothing about "VOIDING " your warrenty if you do.
"You can upgrade the ram yourself, but if you damage inside while upgrading, or the upgrade damages the mini itself , the Warranty will be voided" - Friend who works in Apple Store |
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ahendy
Premium
join:2003-07-24
Emeryville, CA
·Comcast
1 edit | reply to morph3ous
said by morph3ous :Total Cost of Repair: $455.43 Ha! Almost costs more to the repair a Mini than to buy a whole new one!
I was under the impression that installing RAM wouldn't void the warranty, but if you broke something along the way, warranty wouldn't cover it. |
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morph3ous
Premium
join:2002-05-16
Miami, FL
·AT&T Southeast
·Comcast Formerly ..
| reply to SweetDelight
said by SweetDelight :"You can upgrade the ram yourself, but if you damage inside while upgrading, or the upgrade damages the mini itself , the Warranty will be voided" - Friend who works in Apple Store That is what I thought. That is why I did the install myself. Something about this all does sound a little fishy. Nestor was awfully rude to me. After I left the store I called and spoke to the manager. He appologized to me and said that he would speak to Nestor.
I would like to hope that this is not related to that phone call.
Is there anything that I should do to rectify this issue, or should I just bite the bullet and fix the machine myself?
I am also relatively sure that the optical drive is not broken. The CD will not eject; however, it spins up correctly. My theory is that the bad hard drive is somehow locking up the ide channel preventing the eject command from reaching the optical drive.
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My Blog |
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JoshNJ
Premium
join:2001-12-25
Freehold, NJ | go back to the store with the unit and ask for the manager in person
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I support the RIAA |
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morph3ous
Premium
join:2002-05-16
Miami, FL
·AT&T Southeast
·Comcast Formerly ..
| said by JoshNJ :go back to the store with the unit and ask for the manager in person That's a good idea. They still have the unit somewhere, so when I go to pick it up I will talk to the manager.
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My Blog |
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JTC
Always Mount A Scratch Monkey
join:2002-01-09
USA
·Comcast Workplace
·Integra Telecom
1 edit | reply to morph3ous
said by morph3ous :
I am also relatively sure that the optical drive is not broken. The CD will not eject; however, it spins up correctly. My theory is that the bad hard drive is somehow locking up the ide channel preventing the eject command from reaching the optical drive. It could happen, I've seen strange things like that happen with a freaked out IDE drive. You could remove the drive from the chain to find out... |
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sporkme
drop the crantini and move it, sister
Premium,MVM
join:2000-07-01
Morristown, NJ
·Optimum Online
| reply to morph3ous
said by morph3ous :said by JoshNJ :go back to the store with the unit and ask for the manager in person That's a good idea. They still have the unit somewhere, so when I go to pick it up I will talk to the manager. Also print out this page mentioned above:
»docs.info.apple.com/article.html···m=300572
To me it sounds like you got a "genius" that's on a bit of a power trip.
For the record, I left the third-party RAM in my iBook when it went in for warranty repairs, I even mentioned that when dropping it off at the store. They just said that they'd pull it during testing if it appeared to be an issue with the memory.
It seems like the genius bar guys have a little bit of leeway in what gets fixed and what doesn't, and you ended up with an a**hole.  |
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The Dv8or
I post because you're unable to Google
Premium
join:2001-08-09
Danbury, CT
clubs:
| reply to morph3ous
Technically, they can get you on this clause:
This warranty does not apply: (a) to damage caused by use with non-Apple products; (b) to damage caused by accident, abuse, misuse, flood, fire, earthquake or other external causes; (c) to damage caused by operating the product outside the permitted or intended uses described by Apple; (d) to damage caused by service (including upgrades and expansions) performed by anyone who is not a representative of Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider; (e) to a product or part that has been modified to significantly alter functionality or capability without the written permission of Apple; (f) to consumable parts, such as batteries, unless damage has occurred due to a defect in materials or workmanship; or (g) if any Apple serial number has been removed or defaced.
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You're so vain... I bet you think this post is about you. |
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The Dv8or
I post because you're unable to Google
Premium
join:2001-08-09
Danbury, CT
clubs:
| reply to sporkme
said by sporkme :said by morph3ous :said by JoshNJ :go back to the store with the unit and ask for the manager in person That's a good idea. They still have the unit somewhere, so when I go to pick it up I will talk to the manager. Also print out this page mentioned above: » docs.info.apple.com/article.html···m=300572To me it sounds like you got a "genius" that's on a bit of a power trip. For the record, I left the third-party RAM in my iBook when it went in for warranty repairs, I even mentioned that when dropping it off at the store. They just said that they'd pull it during testing if it appeared to be an issue with the memory. It seems like the genius bar guys have a little bit of leeway in what gets fixed and what doesn't, and you ended up with an a**hole. Extra iBook memory is a customer-installable part. Mac mini memory is not.
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You're so vain... I bet you think this post is about you. |
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wmcbrine
Touched by His Noodly Appendage
join:2002-12-30
Laurel, MD
| reply to morph3ous
»www.macworld.com/weblogs/editors···ndex.php :
The Mac mini includes a video card with dedicated memory, and you can upgrade the Mac mini’s RAM to 1GB—contrary to rumors around the Internet, Apple has told Macworld that you can even do it yourself without voiding your warranty “unless you break something when you open it.” »en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mac_mini :
Opening the case does not actually void the Mac Mini warranty, however, anything broken while the case is open is not covered. Much discussion on Slashdot to similar effect, in particular citing the "Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act", which (according to those who cited it) supposedly prohibits this kind of warranty exclusion. IANAL, YMMV. |
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russotto
join:2000-10-05
Collegeville, PA | reply to morph3ous
If your failure to close the case properly caused the HD and optical drive failures (very odd that both would happen at once), they're within their rights to void the warrantee. Otherwise, not. |
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morph3ous
Premium
join:2002-05-16
Miami, FL
·AT&T Southeast
·Comcast Formerly ..
| reply to morph3ous
The problem I have is that they are just saying that since I opened it, the warranty is void. They have not given me any explanation as to why it happened, or how I could have caused it. It seems strange that it would suddenly break months after I opened it. I hadn't opened it since.
The machine saw a lot of disk activity as I constantly had it shuffling files around between machines on the network. My theory is that the hard drive overheated, and that was the cause of the problem.
If the reason Apple is telling me I am out of warranty is because they have found something that I did wrong, I would be on their side. The fact that they are just telling me I am out of warranty because I opened the computer is upsetting. I was under the impression that the Mac Mini was just a compact computer, and not a product like an iPod built of non-standard parts.
I will likely just have to fix the machine myself. What troubles me is how the employee at the Apple store at the Falls is dealing with this matter. I am also pretty sure that the optical drive is not broken. This unfortunately has me very upset with Apple. The Mini is not my first Apple. I have an iBook G4 that I absolutely love. That machine went through two bad hard drives that Apple sent me. They also once sent me the machine back with a slower processor. Despite those experiences with Apple, I still stuck by the company and bought a new machine. I also recently purchased Tiger (which I absolutely love). I really do not want to be upset at Apple.
Whenever I work on any computer I am very carefull. There was no exception when I worked on the Mini.
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My Blog |
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HiVolt
Premium
join:2000-12-28
Toronto, ON
clubs:
·TekSavvy Solutions..
·Bell Sympatico
| maybe an email to sjobs@apple.com is in order. This is unnacceptable.
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boxster986
join:2001-07-20
San Antonio, TX
| reply to morph3ous
you have plenty of ammo here in this thread, you need to talk to the manager and argue your case. you should not be responsible cause you opened the case to change memory.
if need be pull out the big guns, and threaten to contact the Attorney General and the Better Business Bureau (or whatever your state has for consumer complaints)
but don't start threatening til the last resort or you'll piss them off, and they will definitely not want to help.
be calm, reasonable, and explain your case, and use the info here to back you up.
If Apple Computer Inc told Macworld you can do it, then i don't think they can deny you since you changing the memory didn't break your HD!! |
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Homunculus
Raye man kojast?
Premium
join:2000-12-14
Dar al-Harb
clubs: | reply to morph3ous
Next time, make sure it's closed all the way... |
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