Should I File an ACL Claim for My MacBook Pro Which Is Completely Dead?

gyrex on 18/12/2024 - 13:52
Last edited 18/12/2024 - 14:42 by 1 other user

My 2018 15" Macbook Pro completely died last week. It spontaneously shut down and would not power on at all.

I took the laptop into the Apple Store in Chermside, QLD on Saturday the 15th of December, 2024 and they said that it's likely that the logic board would need replacing at a cost of ~$1100 (I can't remember the exact figure but it was pretty exorbitant). I bought the Macbook Pro on the 26th of August, 2019 for a cost of $4114 so it's just a touch over 5 years old with a cost/year of $822. I pushed for them to repair the laptop under their ACL obligations, but they've formally refused.

I'm of the opinion that a laptop of this price should last for longer than 5 years. Sure, if I'd bought a $1500-$2000 laptop, I'd understand that I'd be barking up the wrong tree but considering how much I paid for this laptop, I'd expect a longer duration of use and I'm thinking of filing a claim with QCAT for remediation of this issue via a no cost repair.

What are everyone's thoughts on whether I should proceed? Am I being unreasonable here?

Computing Apple Computer Laptop

Comments

  • trustnoone on 18/12/2024 - 15:57
    +1

    For me its a hard one, I'd say it can go either way to be honest, FWIW I don't like your chances too much, but I certainly can see why you'd want to see others opinion as at least for me its not super clear cut considering cost and type of device. If it was like 4 years I think it would've been an easier argument.

  • rambutann on 18/12/2024 - 16:19
    +4

    Yeah you're gonna have a bad time on that one.

    I have succeeded in this exact scenario twice… same computer, same problem. Gotta love Apple.
    Mine was in the 2-3 year mark, they claimed its out of warranty, pulled the ACL argument on them, after a bit of back and forth I got it done.

    Highly doubt you'd win at the 5-6 year mark.

  • Geoff-bargain on 18/12/2024 - 16:21
    +1

    Please post back what your result is with QCAT - I've been to NCAT (the NSW one) and found them fair.

    • gyrex on 18/12/2024 - 20:15

      Will do.

  • brokie on 18/12/2024 - 17:54
    +1

    The cheapest MacBook pro listed on the Apple website right now is $2,499 and the most expensive one I could spec out came to $11,529. If the cheaper MBP lasts 5-6 years, how long do you expect the 11k one to last?
    More ram, more storage and a different processor doesn't really change things much here I think.

    • gyrex on 18/12/2024 - 20:17

      The cost of a base 15" Macbook pro has come down quite a lot from when I bought it. As I mentioned earlier, I bought a base model but upgraded the RAM for a couple of hundred bucks at the time.

  • trapper on 18/12/2024 - 19:18
    +1

    Price is a consideration on how long things should last under the ACL.

    So ignore all these people saying it doesn't matter.

    • Ynk on 18/12/2024 - 19:33

      It is a consideration however it's nuanced the legislation section 54(3)(b) references the price if relevant. What they mean by that is comparing two items with the same functionality/capabilities in terms of price. What it doesn't allow for is what some have pointed out above is to spec up a 2k laptop to 11k and then claim the price means it should be lasting 10 years. Or put another way my Rolls Royce shouldn't last much longer than my Camry.

      • gyrex on 18/12/2024 - 20:20

        I agree with your explanation but I didn't spec up this macbook pro to the extreme. I just checked and a base model 15" MBP was $3.5k at the time - https://imgur.com/a/7vXi5e9

        • Ynk on 18/12/2024 - 20:35

          Sure, appreciate that, my comments were more general than specifically related to your case and just highlighting how the cost doesn't always directly relate to the time period. I'm not saying it's not worth a shot, I would always say go for it (unless the costs are high to go down that path) just highlighting that it's not a slam dunk win so don't be too disappointed if it doesn't end up going how you hope but I do wish you a win!

          • gyrex on 18/12/2024 - 20:40
            +1

            @Ynk: I understand and thanks for the best wishes! It was only $150 to lodge a case and in my opinion, it's a small price to pay to have a crack at getting it fixed. I'm not paying $1200 or whatever the estimated cost was to fix it when you can buy a brand new laptop for not much more.

  • holdenmg on 18/12/2024 - 20:28
    +3

    Have a look at:
    https://www.zoorepairs.com.au/macbook-pro-logic-boards/ for a cost effective repair

    • bbinc on 19/12/2024 - 09:53
      +1

      Great link. Their site also lists all the things other than manufacturer faults that can happen to older laptops. Wear and tear, heat and more. And they are in Brisbane which could suit OP.

  • DingoBilly on 18/12/2024 - 20:32
    +1

    I'd be ok with 5 years for a laptop. Price seems irrelevant - you're paying a premium for Apple brand and then paying more for higher specs, so in effect I think you'd only have a $3k laptop in reality at the time.

    Trouble with Apple is they make shitty unfixable products so all it takes is one piece to fail though.

    • bbinc on 19/12/2024 - 09:48

      That’s my experience with Apple.
      I’ve forgotten how old the PC I kept was when I bought a Mac in 2019. The PC is still going strong and must be 15yrs old. Only the case and screen are original. Need more Ram? Upgrade. Want better motherboard, upgrade etc etc. My 2019 iMac screen is dying with no simple cheap fix, AND it is also serious underperformer and can’t be easily upgraded. Same with the M2 pro Mac mini - it’s stuck with its original specs - was great at the time, not now. That’s the deal when you go Apple, and I think I’m over it.
      OP should probably rejoice in escaping from liability that comes with the brand. They are great whilst under warranty.

  • Dougaldog on 19/12/2024 - 08:18
    +1

    I did exactly that with my 2020 Intel MacBook Pro. Logic board dead. Took it into Mac in the Brisbane City, they said it would cost $1100 “sorry, nothing we can do”, I left dejected, and a friend at work said to take it back and mention ACL. I took it back, mentioned ACL, and the girl said she had to talk to her manager, came back and said they would replace it for free.

    I then traded it in at MAC for about $600 and got an M3. Better than a dead computer worth nothing.

  • Breddo on 19/12/2024 - 08:25
    +1

    I’ve been a Mac user for years and have been using their laptops as my daily driver for over a decade. My experience is that they last well over 4-5 years and my last one I held on to for 8 before its performance meant it needed an upgrade. I would expect it to last longer than this as well.
    Ive had mixed experiences with the folks at the Chermside store and it very much depends on the day and who you get. You could try another store or I’ve also had good results with their online support team who can authorise no cost repairs outside of warranty

  • johnfuller on 19/12/2024 - 08:33

    warranty on a laptop is 1 year, australian consumer standards can bring it to 2 years, you can expect a laptop to easily last 3 years, to make a claim for a device that is 6 years old is going to be a far fetch, i think your just trying to take advantage of apple

    • xuqi on 19/12/2024 - 11:51

      "australian consumer standards can bring it to 2 years"

      100% incorrect, ACL doesn't specify a period….

  • ripesashimi on 19/12/2024 - 08:34
    +2

    5 years for a laptop is fine in my book. You keep mentioning the price but a laptop is a laptop. How you justify the price for your purchase is completely up to you.

  • b0rnwithabeard on 19/12/2024 - 08:42
    +3

    honestly, I think you'd struggle to get an outcome in your favour. You mention the cost a number of times, but when you take it to QCAT, that part of it will become largely irrelevant. Your complaint isn't on money, it's "it's reasonable to assume that this product would last longer than it did". Even after all this, how much is your time worth? At best, you'll get a free repair saving you a little over a grand, but think of all the time and stress for it. I say take it on the chin. Have you tried taking it elsewhere for a second and third opinion?

    • holdenmg on 19/12/2024 - 09:41

      That is why I posted the link (above) for a Logic Board repair by ZooRepairs or other similar.

      Q. Would I go out today and buy a 2018 Used, No Remaining Warranty i7, MBP 15in, probably in need of a new Battery?

      A. No.

      It isn't a pretty situation, but your best get back on feet solution is a modest repair outlay. So, go get a quote…

      Personally, I'd get it fixed, sell it, and go buy a new Mac.

  • belongsinforums on 19/12/2024 - 08:52

    Haha

  • mountaineer on 19/12/2024 - 09:04

    If I were to spend $5K (based on inflation from 2019 )on a laptop today, is it reasonable to expect it to last at least until 2031 given normal wear and tear, I guess so…so OP go ahead to challenge Apple, it is not unreasonable.

  • Powershopz on 19/12/2024 - 09:08
    +2

    5 years is an extremely long time for a laptop.

    You are being unreasonable expecting the manufacturer to cover it's demise after such a long period of time.

    High price has nothing to do with the longevity of a product when it comes to the life span of a product.

    You bought an apple, and for $4.1K a pretty high spec'd one at that. You paid for the brand, product performance, nothing to do with the longevity of the item.

    From the ACCC -

    "However, a higher price is not the only criteria for determining the reasonable durability of a good. There are many factors that affect the price of a good. A good will generally be more expensive if it is scarce or highly valued. For example, a gold bracelet may cost a lot because gold is a relatively scarce and desirable material, but because gold is a soft metal it may not be as durable as a cheaper steel bracelet.Therefore, you cannot always expect a high priced good to be more durable than a cheaper good only because of the price you paid for it. Similarly, just because you bought a good cheaply does not necessarily mean that you should expect it to last less time than higher-priced but otherwise equivalent goods."

  • SteveB00 on 19/12/2024 - 09:27
    +2

    Take it to a computer repairer, not Apple. Apple Stores and Apple Authorised Repairers are not allowed to work at a component level on a logic board so, if something on there fails, all they can offer is to replace it. The logic board is their smallest "component". A canny repairer might well locate a failed component and be able to replace it at reasonable cost. It's worth a shot.

    • ReaperX22 on 19/12/2024 - 10:58
      +1

      Agree with this. Apple will only ever flat out replace parts/logic boards, etc. They won't ever repair.

      @OP Logic board replacement for 1100 is standard. Remember the logic board for these macs hold the RAM, storage, everything. (Hope you've got everything backed up too because you WILL lose all data).

      ACL/Fair trading etc will look at fair use/wear and tear over time. A fridge with a 5year warranty that cost several thousand that died a year out, you might have a hope. But you don't lug your fridge around with you everyday. A portable computer device lasting 5-6+ years? Sounds good to me! No one told OP to spend 4k on a laptop.

      Pay the repair, or honestly just buy a refurb lappy with an M1/2 chip for that money.

  • Save 50 Cent on 19/12/2024 - 09:34
    +1

    I have had a few issues with Apple Chermside. Started going to Apple Brisbane (CBD) whenever I have an issue and the service is heaps better and more generous overall. It could be the sore manager at Chermside as I once asked to speak to him and he was kind of rude (for an apple store).
    Apple Brisbane even repaired my broken macbook screen because I fell asleep while using it and rolled on it and that was exactly what I told them.
    Chermside refused to repair a 2.5 years old iPad that stopped charging and blamed me for the damaged pins.

    It is worth giving Apple a call first as that might save you some time and trouble going the ACL route. That was my advice to my sister once and they sent her back to the same store to fix something for free when the store refused the first time she went there.

  • Rochie on 19/12/2024 - 09:43
    +1

    3 or 4 years you might have a case but even 4 years I think you would struggle. 5+ is certainly a reasonable time for a laptop to last. You might hope for longer but I certainly don't think they would be obligated in any way to cover it. Some laptops you would be lucky to get 2 years.

    I wouldn't bother with the QCAT claim. I recently looked into doing the same on a phone. I think the fee was around $200.

  • Cave Fire on 19/12/2024 - 10:33

    Seen 13" 2020 mbp for $400 odd in Brisbane. Think comparative models on marketplace could be $250 - $400. Good news is people don't like 15" models and see fair few for sale.

    • garage sale on 19/12/2024 - 11:12

      the 2019/2020 is the change to M series chip from Intel, and why they might be cheap, not sure who would even want to but a used Intel Macbook now, you might want a used M1 at least at a good price as it runs their current software streams and updates.

  • spiderbite88 on 19/12/2024 - 10:57
    +2

    It was a dark time for MacBooks between 2016-2020. That slim design had so many issues. I was a repair tech for Apple during that time. I held on to my 2015 until the M1 series arrived. I hope you win the case. The M1 - M4 series are worth another chance, they've solved all the issues now.

    • watwatwat on 19/12/2024 - 11:10
      +1

      Agreed.

      Removal of butterfly keyboards and touchbars was highly needed and since then, >M1 are great. Also better with overheating, which also relates to your 'slim' comments.

    • kiitos on 19/12/2024 - 11:37

      In your experience, did you get to find out what the root cause of failures was in the components that were swapped out in repairs?

  • garage sale on 19/12/2024 - 11:06

    You have an "Intel" MacBook, 5 years old, expect Apple to fix it for free. If people want extended support and no risk, you buy Applecare, if you are happy to take the risk don't buy Applecare. Eventually Apple don't even offer Applecare as they deem device is End of Support. If apple fixed laptops outside of the warranty period for random failures, nobody would buy Applecare. They fixed keyboards outside of warranty when they had the design issue, 5 years old Intel is heading to En d of Support, even for software support. $1200 to fix $4000 appliance after 5 years isn't bad, but because it's Intel not M chip it has limited resale value and software updates. Fridge warranties are worse after the 2 year labour, you need to pay for labour although they provide the free compressor and the cost of labour to replace compressor makes a new fridge cheaper option, they probably don't replace many compressors outside the 2 year labour warranty once people need to pay for the labour themselves.

  • ShanghaiRocks on 19/12/2024 - 11:09

    Step 1. buy a cheap ticket to China (say Shenzhen or Shanghai).
    Step 2: repair it with 1/10th of the quoted cost.
    Step 3: say FMAL (fork my aussie life).

    • garage sale on 19/12/2024 - 11:15

      probably someone has boxes of dead Intel Macbooks in a Chinese tech plaza, and they swap parts to make a working one, OK at Asian labour rates, not Australian labour rates unless someone is doing from their garage for cash.

  • zyj494949 on 19/12/2024 - 11:27

    I stopped buying Macbook after they stick everything to the motherboard, which makes repair impossible after warranty.
    BTW my 2010 model macbook pro is still working with replaced ssd, ram and battery…

  • Aleigh123 on 19/12/2024 - 11:59
    +1

    Five years isn't too bad and I doubt you'd be able to get a favourable outcome under ACL.

    I reckon you'd be better off going to a third-party repair technician and see if they can fix it for you without replacing the motherboard. Plenty of things can go wrong that don't require the entire thing to be replaced.

  • kalithreaver on 19/12/2024 - 12:08
    +1

    At 5 years its probably gonna be hard to push for ACL imo. thats a decent timeline for a laptop.

  • Nost-dc on 19/12/2024 - 12:43
    +1

    I always go by the 'effective life' as per depreciation for tax
    in the case of a laptop, it falls under Mobile/portable computers (including laptops, tablets) which has 2 years of effective life

  • trapper on 19/12/2024 - 13:19

    I have an iBook G4 purchased in 2005, been sitting in a drawer for over a decade, still works.

  • Camelface on 19/12/2024 - 13:27

    It's a 5 year old laptop, isn't it? That's pretty much at the replacement cycle. If you look at the depreciation, I would say the current value would be less than $100. Nonetheless, good luck with the ACL enquiry.

  • bwad on 19/12/2024 - 13:31

    I think 5 years is reasonable to reject the claim, also you might find if they do try to accept it that one of their water indicators has gone red, this happened to me once when it was under warranty and they flat out refused, no water whatsoever came near my laptop it must have been humidity. They wouldn't even sell me the part that was dead, had to buy off eBay and the laptop is still working till this day (was a 2013 model I don't use anymore)

  • Nebargains on 19/12/2024 - 13:48

    Seems reasonable IMO. Daily use, over 5 years old.

  • Freitag on 19/12/2024 - 13:54

    I don't think a higher spec laptop will have less chance of breaking than a standard laptop. So I think all laptops should last a similar period of time. The question is how long is reasonable under consumer law. I think 5 years is enough for a laptop, sure we all hope for more, but it's our own risk.

  • movieman on 19/12/2024 - 14:13
    +1

    I say go for it.

    Worst case is that it gets knocked back, and you tried your best.

    Best case is a repaired laptop.

    For the low lodgement fee, do proceed.

    Just please let us know the outcome!

  • ihbh on 19/12/2024 - 14:17

    Apple products are known for their ease of use and design - you paid a premium for this.

    So now you want your cake and eat it too with a 6 year warranty period, one year after your laptop died?

  • FlyingMiffy on 19/12/2024 - 14:32

    Its an apple… you paid 2K for the hardware and 2K for the brand… the brand isnt covered under ACL…

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join