on of those ridiculous stories

http://consumerist.com/5408885/smoking-near-apple-computers-creates-biohazard-voids-warranty

edit: one* typo

 

I'm not the first to defend Apple, but we've got to actually see these machines before people go nuts. Yes it may be cleanable by compressed air, but... well, I've seen some smokers' computers and... ugh. I mean, if you puked on a computer and took it in for service, people would have something to say about it, right? Some systems I've seen it's not hugely far gone from that.

 

I saw this story yesterday. Pretty lame huh?

 

I was wondering when this would end up posted on here.

So this is how Apple has been getting such high quarterly earnings, voiding peoples warranty so they do not have to fix their products.

Its kinda like Sony telling playstation owners to screw off with warranty claims if the people let dust get in the console (yet it voids the warranty to open it and clean it....).

 

I'd have to agree with this... Too bad I think Apple can get away with his. I hope they don't, and that someone brings down the hammer of justice upon them!

 

People, relax and get off your soapbox. You have no first hand information as to the circumstances of this situation, and it would surprise me if the media hasn't completely blown the real story out of proportion.

 

The Consumerists is a website that has been known to liberally exercise their poetic license.

But I wouldn't put it past Apple to make such excuses.

 

I'll bet you they were really disgusting. But of course, it's not just non-smoker Apple users who would be entitled...

 

I'd like to see pictures from these cases, I have seen pics from computers that have been around smokers and it get's nasty, the smoke is sticky and it just coats everything and dust sticks to it. Wouldn't surprise me if the optical drive died because of the smoking.

 

Really goes a long way towards the "reliability" of components used in Macs huh?

 

Yeah, You know, If I stuck my Mac in water it should till work. It's BS if it doesn't.

 

desktops are usually worse... they have alot more room to build up that crap.

I'll bet these machines were nearly dripping with tar... no reason to void a warrenty, but I'd definally give the costomer a can of compressed air and and a box of kleenex and tell them to go at it.

 

i have no idea... i'd like to see the pictures...

 

Don't smoke! lol

 

Psh Smoking is in again. Haven't you seen Mad Men?

 

Yeah Apple's done this before. They should just add it to the list of things that voids the warranty and be done with it, but i guess they are afraid they will lose sales if they do, so they do it this way instead. IMO Smoking does damage computers and if the computer failing can be attributed to heat build up because of the residue from smoking, I see no issue with this.

However, they should also mandate that you blow the vents out with compressed air once a month as part of the maintenance for the computers as well. Probably save them some more on warranty repairs. hehe

 

if damage comes form misuse... or bad treatment of your machine... it should NOT be covered under warranty. All computer companies will do this same thing if their warranty doesn't cover accidental damage.

 

Or cats.

I use to have a desktop that had no case. So there was this big heatsink blowing on the CPU. My old roommates cat would stand near it and one day its tail was sucked in by the fan.


MEOW!!!! It never got near that fan again.

 

I don't think Apple should have to list everything that can be counted as user damage...this is just common sense. I helped a friend with their Mac that was in a ceramics studio and had a bad optical drive. We didn't bother asking Apple to replace it, because it was clear that the dust in the room had eaten the lens. Tar and nicotine do the same thing. It is the user's responsibility to keep their equipment reasonably clean or they can expect damage.

 

Desktops get more dust because it has better airflow. But desktops last longer than laptops anyway because they are stationary and they have much more room for the components to stay cool.

I'm not sure who I would side on for this, but dust is already bad enough for computers, but can you imagine smoke?

 

I find it hard to think cigarette smoke can create substantial buildup. I can understand a ceramics shop. You'll need to blow your nose just walking through one of those places. But cigerette smoke??

 

hahaha poor cat

 

It was actually one of the coolest cats I've met. All the other cats in the world are afraid of me and will never let me pick em up.

 

It makes a cat cool if it lets you pick it up? boooooooooooo-ring! Did it meow funny? Play fetch? any tricks?

 

It just let me pick it up.

All the other cats I play with run from me. Except this one fat orange one. He's too slow. So i pick him up and toss him up and down. Silly animals.

 

Does that cat it lasagna?



Garfield!

 

If he was only as cool as Garfield. Sadly, this cat is a hack like Heathclif.

And he's got dingleberries all the time. Dumb cat.

Now that fat cat has long enough fur to cause all sorts of bugs if it gets in a laptop.

 

You've obviously never seen a computer belonging to a heavy smoker. Yes cigarette smoke will eventually cause a nasty black, sticky, tar-like buildup all over internal components. This sticky mess then traps dust and slowly builds up layers to the point that you can actually scrape it off like molasses!

It's absolutely disgusting!!

http://www.thecomputerwizard.biz/photos/smoke2a.jpg
http://www.thecomputerwizard.biz/photos/psfan3.jpg
http://www.thecomputerwizard.biz/photos/smkcpufan.jpg

 

You are right. I haven't seen a computer belonging to a heavy smoker. But no that you show me the pics, I have seen that kind of build up before. I had no idea at the time that was from cigarette tar though.

 

Having had a part-time job in cleaning buildings that have had smokers in them I can promise you that smoking builds up residual tar, gummy substance, and all kinds of junk on walls, desks and floors. If the computers in question were in a closed environment for any length of time there is no question in my mind that the internals would have been the same.
This isn't a statement on the pros and cons of smoking, just a factual look at what happens when delicate electronics are subjected to external contamination. The same basic thing would happen in a super-dusty environment.
Don't blame Apple a bit on this one.

 

I won't go as far as labeling it a biohazard though. Garbage men, who are under the same OSHA protections, face far hazardous residue, yet still pick up your trash.

I think it was a lazy cop out on the tech's part. I'd like to see this guy say the same BS to a lawyer. They are just taking advantage of naive customers.

 

In all honesty, no one knows what effects being in contact with smoking residue may cause. Smoking causes cancer, so it's only logical to think that there could be a risk involved when dealing with a building of smoking residue which is most likely very concentrated.

I don't blame the Apple tech one bit for refusing to work on such a laptop (going on the assumption that there was a large buildup). Everyone interprets a danger to themselves differently and no one can challenge that. Some people may consider bungee jumping a danger while others go at it for a thrill. It's very insulting IMO to call it a "lazy cop out".

 

You mean, years of tar and nicotine buildup in the lungs will cause cancer.

Motor oil and anti freeze cause cancer, heck even sudden death. Yet I don't see the mechanics shying away from changing the oil in my car.

 

Right, but that's part of the car so it's part of the job. Nicotine is not part of a computer.

 

But repairing a computer is part of the job.

To call it a biohazard and quoting OSHA restrictions is showing to hold very little merit.

 

i dont want to be mean, or make this a personal statement towards you but honestly what have you brought to this conversation other than trying to kick up dirt? there has been no significant contribution to this thread by any of these statements.

I work on cars, and yes oil / anti freeze has the risk of causing multiple side effects, if ingested etc. the same can be seen with tar and the residue from smoke build up, and therefore this perceived threat to the worker makes it completely reasonable for a refusal of work... no one should ever EVER do a job they feel uncomfortable doing, and no employer will force an employee to do a job they feel unsafe doing. instead of just looking at the hazards of the tar build up and the hazards to the computer tech, maybe its time to look at what this build up can represent...

How, is this build up of tar from smoking around the computer which causes problems with the components any different than lets say placing a 50 pound weight on the laptop with the lid closed? yes its different in physical terms, but the knowingly damaging effects of the actions themselves would be grounds for refusal to repauir

 

Being uncomfortable with a job is completely different from calling it a biohazard and saying it is against the law to repair your computer.

You looking at it from a motivation standpoint. The issue however is a legal one. When you quote biohazard and OSHA as the reason to refuse warranty service, you've waded into legal territory.

I can understand if you want to wear gloves and a gas mask. But for the techs to prey on unsuspecting customers and portray themselves as legal experts is another game.

 

Looks like the article was updated with some one else experience and Apple wouldn't repair their Mac for the same reasons. Also to note, the new person said that the "burner" stopped working. Funny, two out of the 3 cases here the CD drives stopped working, I wonder if smoking had anything to do with it

Also to note, Apple does not cover user damage. I'd say this is user damage.

 

You're making far too many assumptions on a situation you only have limited information about, solely to try backup your own point of view.

 

Says the guy making accusations without citation.

 

smoking does damage disk drives... I remember just a year ago or so, Nintendo replaces a pile of Wii's because the disk drives were breaking from the smoke.