So my MBP's keyboard and trackpad don't work anymore...

Here's the un-fun story.

My MBP's AC adaptor had some wiring exposed at the point where the cord enters the brick part of the adaptor. The rubber had become pulled out or something, but in any case there was enough metal wiring for me to easily touch it accidently. I called in for a replacement and though I was 2-3 days out of my 1 year warranty, the rep was nice enough to get me the replacement.

Yesterday, as soon as I plugged the replacement in, my keyboard and trackpad stop working. Restarts didn't help. In fact, they just locked me out of my normal account because I couldn't type in the password. I called Apple support and the persom to whom I spoke suggested that I reset the SMC, or something along those lines. I basically turned off my MBP, removed the AC adaptor and the battery, held the power button for 10 seconds, replaced the battery and AC adaptor, and turned on my MBP. It worked, so I was happy.

Today, the keyboard and trackpad stop working again, with no apparent reason while I was browsing in Safari. I called Apple Support again, and they won't help unless I pay a $59 phone support fee. Obviously I have tried yesterday's instructions again and again, so I'm basically stuck with a functional MBP without a functional keyboard or trackpad.

If I plug in a USB mouse, it works. I assume that if I plug in a USB keyboard that that would work as well. Unfortunately, I don't have one with me.

The Apple Store is far away and I don't even know if they're open this weekend due to it being Thanksgiving (Canada for you foreigners ). I've got some pretty important school stuff to do so I'm not really sure what to do right now. I'm probably going to buy a cheap USB keyboard and an external hard drive to store my files in case. I can use my MBP, but it has basically become a desktop at this point.

The fact that Apple Support was good to me for my first two experiences with them to then tell me "Too bad, pay us $59 (with no guarentees that it'll solve your problem) or deal with it yourself" is pretty lame.

Anyway, I'm sure it's a hardware problem. The ribbon that connects the top cover of the keyboard and trackpad to the motherboard might be loose or even completely broken. I don't have any tools with me to open this thing up.

So yeah. Apple can be good to you. Apple can also leave you stranded in the desert unless you pay them $59 for the chance to win water.

Edit: Some links of other people with similar issues who never solved them.

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=7919168
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=181846
http://www.macfixitforums.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/451245/Macbook_Pro_keyboard_and_track