Apple - replacement parts - price revealed only if one visits an Apple store

A friend’s macbook requires a new logic board. This is what PC folk call “motherboard”.
Her macbook does not work. There is no dispute that a new logic board is needed.
I can’t recall how old it is, but it isn’t much.
The device is out of warranty and so she needs to open her wallet and pay for the replaced item.
Note, when she called Apple she was ready to offer details eg serial number, RAM HD capacity etc
in case logic boards differ in price depending on model and year. But she was not asked.

When she called Apple for a quote she was told she has to make an appointment to see staff in-store,
who will then tell her the cost.
She works long hours and does not have the time to waltz into an Apple store just for a quote. And even if she
had the time, it’s a good week before an appointment time is available for her at a time that does not
conflict with work.
I called Apple and got the same stock standard reply. I visited a store and again, the same stock
standard soundbite was given to me.

Question: Is this reasonable behaviour of Apple? Can they demand customers take time out of their work day and very much out of their way just to get a quote? What other company demands one physically attend a store just
for a quote? Apple does not require potential shoppers to enter a store in order to learn of the prices of their devices. They are posted online. But this replacement part’s cost is not posted online on Apple’s sites in AU or US.

My friend’s logic is that if it’s “too expensive”, then she’ll ditch the current macbook and buy a new one.
Separately, it’s interesting to note that in an Apple forum, the life of a logic board is claimed to be 10 years, whereas in an Apple store I was told “if not used for heavy work like videos etc, it should last 5 years”. It’s hard to know who to believe.

2 Likes

Might this help?

2 Likes

Thanks for the link.
I am familiar with it.
No matter how I access that part of the website, it only indicates the cost of a “service” (roughly $430)
but not the cost of the part.
To obtain the total cost ie service and part(s), it requires a genius bar appointment.

3 Likes

No worries @Jon01, sorry it wasn’t of any help.
From what I can learn on the web, the logic board is the most expensive part of the computer. And prices differ a lot: cost of replacement $300-1000 according to one site. It could be that there’s need to see the Mac before evaluating and quoting.

Just to say that it’s very important to get in touch with Apple or with an Apple Authorised Service Provider for peace of mind, whatever the inconvenience.
(There’s a few horror stories out there :upside_down_face:)

You are correct. The logic board is the most expensive part of the macbook.
If it was to be replaced, you are correct to have only have Apple or its authorised service provider (“AASP”) do the replacement.
She knows it is the logic board that needs replacement as that is what she was told by an AASP.

But (a) if she did have it replaced, she prefers Apple to do it and not an AASP;
(b) she knows that if Apple wanted to it is easy for Apple to quote on the board she is after given the boards are sold
at “different price points” with each macbook model (specifically its particular specifications). I actually found a list
of what the boards (according to their specs) cost in the US if customers want them shipped to them so the
customer can do the replacement herself, so it isn’t too much to ask for Apple to reveal this online I would have
thought. While this service is unavailable in AU and my friend would not dare replace it herself, it is interesting that
such prices while not advertised by Apple are made public by others. I have mislaid the listing, but if and when I
find it, I will happily post it in here.

This matter got me thinking. Say an AASP does the replacement. How does the customer know that a reconditioned item of the exact type required was not used rather than a brand spanking new one?

3 Likes

Even Apple stores (Genius bar) may use reconditioned parts when repairing items, the contract clearly states this. There is a good probability of less chance that a reconditioned item will fail than a new item. Often in many repair industries the use of reconditioned parts is a frequent occurrence.

2 Likes

Yes I heard sometime ago that apple at times use reconditioned parts.
But surely such a part has a shorter life span than a brand spanking new one?

If all components were of equal quality when new then yes I would think so. Nothing is of equal quality, reconditioned means that a component failed that wasn’t of equal quality and the part was reconditioned to new quality. Often I have found reconditioned units survive longer or at least as long than a non reconditioned unit as the weak components have been replaced. IT moves at such a pace that in a few years and probably long before another failure occurs the unit will be unsupported anyway. In a way using reconditioned brings better outcomes for us all, less material needs to be used to produce “new” parts. It also means less recycling or disposal of largely good components for the sake a part that can be replaced to make the “whole” work again. We have become a society that disposes of things rather than repairing things, in my estimation.

6 Likes

It may be relevant to consider your rights under Australian Consumer Law, (ACL). These are in addition to the Apple Warranty. Apple recognises these rights.

A MacBook would be reasonably expected to have a reliable logic board with a life of more than 12 months. In fact Apple promote their products as ideal for professional and regular daily use - including academic and students.

@Jon01 has not mentioned the age of the failed device for further informed comment to be considered. The ACL content is included in this response to assist others who may have experienced a major device failure. Apple cannot limit remedy to 12 months. Remedy (no cost) is available for 24 months and longer.

It’s may be worth pointing out that the AppleCare+ product is promoted as providing free technical support and fixed fee accidental damage repair or the life of the cover.

There is no mention AppleCare is intended to include device life failures due to a defect. Note the $424 fixed fee is for accidental damage repair. Further wording from the Apple Consumer Law Statement

Per the ACL (Apple agrees) a free remedy must be provided for a ‘reasonable period’. It’s up to the consumer to approach Apple. How to best approach a retailer/seller is explained in numerous other community topics.

In respect of Apple and getting a result, some inspiration.

We’ve also had one instance in which we obtained a replacement following a hardware failure of an Apple product (iPad). The product can be posted to Apple and will return by post. This needs to be arranged through the Apple phone support staff. It’s not self evident on the web site which is AppleCare+ centric. Apple will only quote once they have the device to properly assess to their standard. We only learnt this after going out of our way to visit an Apple Store and their tech staff. Critically Apple require these to be pre-booked.

3 Likes

As was mentioned in another topic, Apple Stores appear to have local discretion to repair products under warranty for a pre-determined time beyond warranty. That ‘extra’ time might vary from product to product but two years ago was an extra year for an iPad. If a product is in pristine physical condition they may respond more favourably than if it has obviously been abused.

Once that discretionary time is over one has to use the ACL and write a Letter of Complaint to Apple management to seek a no-cost repair.

Given that discretionary nature a visit to an Apple Store could prove rewarding if the unit is only a year or so beyond warranty, or if it can be established by research the failure is premature as compared to Apple norms. As part of any repair process they want to establish what is wrong themselves, not take the customer’s word for it.

4 Likes

@mark_m
To clarify: my friend (the macbook owner) and I
(a) Know about ACL in this regards. In fact we concluded that while Apple offers a 1 yr warranty, under ACL, the warranty is 3 yrs;
(b) I suspect her device is >3 yrs;
(c) The item wa not damaged by anyone. The AASP indicated it was a faulty board;
(d) She did not purchase Apple Care, which I think is not relevant as that coverage would have expired by now;
(e) No matter how one accesses the “support” page of Apple when trying to establish the cost of the replacement, all one finds is a recommendation to visit a genius. No prices for parts and labour for those devices which are out of warranty is mentioned;
(f) An earlier comment by @grahroll about reconditioned parts is spot on. Apple indeed allow themselves to insert reconditioned parts when servicing/repairing a device. I got into an argument 4 yrs ago with them when my iPad broke down 5 times in 4 mths (it was said to be a “hardware” problem, but never explained to me exactly what it was) and told them that I know my rights and I have no energy to write to the ACCC. I asked them how many recond parts were used in the 4 repairs? Or were new parts used? I informed staff that I will instead return to the store next week with a journalist who will be happy to listen to Apple’s reasoning that possibly a fifth reconditioned replacement in 4 mths is in Apple’s words “reasonable”.
A phone call later by Apple staff in my presence (in store) magically saw me offered a brand spanking new iPad and the Sydney Telegraph’s journalist’s forthcoming attendance was not needed.

As you didn’t find out what was replaced with new or reconditioned parts it is hard to assume that the failures related to reconditioned parts and may just have a series of cascading failures in components. A motherboard is typically not a part that is fixable by a service person, so typically not refurbished unless it is a port or a removable chipset that can be redone and even then the part would normally go back to the factory to be reconditioned and retested.

Apple probably didn’t want a public news stoush and so offered a new unit. It probably was a series of issues in the original Mac (a cascade), possibly a lemon unit. I too would argue that a new unit was my expected result if it failed that many times in a short period. Often people confuse reconditioned and see it as a defective unit because it has been reconditioned, it was defective before being reconditioned but after should be as good as a new component if not better than a new component. I use reconditioned power supplies, I use reconditioned PCs (often this means new drives, new power supplies which are common failure points even in new machines), I use reconditioned motherboards and all of these have provided excellent service when they are used.

If a person on a single failure has a reconditioned part used in repair, I would expect the whole would work well for the life expected of a new unit.

3 Likes

It’s common in my experience for many businesses to decline to provide a fixed quote or parts prices without inspecting and assessing the faulty item. Be it a hard drive, a laptop or an expensive car EG BMW. Apple is no different. As convinced as your friend may be that the diagnosis of the fault is correct it may prove in Apple’s hands to be incorrect. If the board is not repairable, Apple may only have the ability to repair using reconditioned boards, assuming the model and revision/version is no longer current. Alternately they may still have a stock of new boards, but not in country.

Considering there is some inconvenience to provide the MacBook to Apple to quote, is it the only option?

Did the expert AASP quote to supply a replacement board and fit? Would it be less stressful and more direct to reconsider arranging the repair through the AASP. It’s of note there are sources of replacement boards in the USA,
EG Replacement Logic Board for Macbook and Macbook Pro
and Australia
EG MacBook Pro Logic Board | Logic Board Replacements | IT-Tech Online

I did mention previously that if your friend phones Apple support and insists they cannot attend an Apple Store - Genius bar Apple Support will assist with the details required to post the Macbook to Apple for assessment.

We’ve been connected as a growing family to the home PC revolution since 1989. In prior dealings with Samsung, Acer and Asus with laptop issues I’ve never been able to look up the cost of replacing major hardware components or the parts costs from their support pages. At best some parts are listed on third party sites. Some parts may be OEM new, some reconditioned and some a third party substitute. The situation with Apple appears to be little different.

2 Likes

Thanks I will pass your views on to her.
I for one would choose any alternative other than posting a $3,000 device. The possible damage, loss, unauthorised use etc would give me sleepless nights.
As to the link to IT-Tech, yes I saw that earlier today but I wondered why the most recent macbook pro they indicate they can repair is 2015. I think my friend’s is 2018 or later. Anyway, I have passed your comments to her.
Thanks agian.

1 Like

Sometimes it is cheaper to check 2nd hand markets than to get the broken one repaired. I did this and saved a bundle. I paid $500 for a Macbook Air and then another $150. to get the HDD upgrade to 1 TB at a computer shop now I have a fully working Mac that fills the needs without breaking the Bank.

I suppose the only worries I would have with buying a 2nd hand macbooks are:

  • What if any warranty is offered and
  • How can you be sure there is no malware or other virus on the macbook?

By upgrading to 1TB, do you mean with an external SSD? I ask because I believe the (internal) HD per se on most (if not all) macbooks cannot be upgraded.

It depends on the model of MacBook Air. It is best to check for the model including year and exact version.

Reviews of all models/versions using the M1 processor or newer indicate they have the SSD integrated with the logic board. Any prior I can’t comment on reliably. Most appear to allow for replacement with basic tools and a little care.

There are suggestions from the repair community that suitably skilled techs can remove and replace the soldered on SSD’s in the latest models. Hence replace with the same or greater capacity for repair or upgrade.

1 Like

Good points, thanks.

1 Like