News Smoking voids Apple warranties

i smoke and have never seen a build up of any reside in my machine. to me it just seems like whiny cry babies not wanting to work on something because it looked dirty. it would be like telling a fat person that they won't work on thier machine under suspicion that they were eating cake around it...

 

I just want to thank BiT; I have literally just returned from Sainsbury's and am on the way out to the off license - having been a bit stressed was contemplating a quiet few Marlboros (I smoke a *** on average about every four years, lol) but the linked photos have firmly sealed the deal on not doing that.

Ewwwww.

That said, I agree that Apple should be servicing these (although I've never smoked around my MacBook). It's unpleasant but that's what they are paid to do; it's only because they enjoy adopting causes that have financial upsides (Product RED, for example) that they're going to make a big show of being a retail version of your parents...

 

*Launches apps in windows that are far better than the ones in MacOS and were free.

 

To be honest Mac vs Windows PC is getting a bit dull, just buy what you want and stick to it... although anyone who says they aren't tempted by Windows 7 is lying

I don't see any reason why Apple should fix a PC that has malfunctioned because of smoke, when your PC gets a bit dusty you don't send it back to Dell to dust it? You take of the side panel and give it a clean. If you smoke, and your smoke led to the breaking/overheating of your PC then it's your responsibility to clean the fans/heatsink etc.

 

But if they refuse to look at it because it does have some smoke/nicotine/tar damage is what i think most people are complaining about. If the fault was indeed due to smoking then fair enough if they refuse to fix it (so long as it is included in t&c's) but to refuse to even touch the machine is another matter.

 

Yeah, thats probably fair enough in that case, but then it's how to tell whether a build up of smoke has led to the issue that they're having. As common problems with laptops like GPU overheating may have been caused by the blockage, or maybe because they just run very hot and would have happened anyway.

But then again if there's a completely unrelated problem with say the Hard Disk and they refuse to touch it's a different matter. What problems can smoking cause then? The main one has to be overheating, due to reduced airflow through clogged up fans, but other than that I see no other problems as most components are pretty air tight and generally pretty robust. And even overheating can normally be fixed with a clean up as modern components just shut down when the temperatures get dangerously high.

 

oh man you should have seen some of the systems that have come through our shop that what once was a white case is thie yellowish ewww, and then the inside is caked with brown tar,

typically its not cigarette smokers that cause this issue, it tends to be cigar smokers that can quickly form this tar layer so I bet this is more of a response to cigar smokers then cigarette smokers.

 

I think the crux of this is that Apple need to, instead of fully explaining the caveats, fully define fair use & wear & tear. Filters are not normally provided on these units which would go some way to protect the machines (though inhibiting airflow), so intake of foreign objects must be factored into the design. Also an ex smoker, but none of my machines have ever suffered, nor come out stinking like an ashtray.

@RichCreedy, I think you missed my point entirely. I believe if the issue is a H&S one, then nicotene (which, by the way, is not the most harmful substance in prepacked cigarettes except in it's pure form) absorption in those quantities do not represent the greatest risk to any person's health or safety. I'd be more worried if I knew a dog had pee'd over one, as some dogs urine carries bacteria that can cause blindness, or indeed that the user had just come from central africa and worked in a medical clinic treating ebola victims - it may look sterile but I'd rather smoke a pallette of cohibas than handle that computer! For sure, surgical gloves would not be guaranteed to stop this where sharp objects come into play, but if we're going to protect people from other people, perhaps that needs to come first - no sharp objects that can cause cuts or abrasions, or perhaps work on machines using the same kind of technology that is used in the handling of other really toxic substances.

"Second hand smoke" is a term used to refer to being near a lit cigarette while not actually smoking it. It ceases to be smoke when it's not airborne, therefore it would be tar (of which nicotene is only one element). I can't imagine it causing the level of damage one would associate with, for example, pet hair, unless the computer has been used as either an ashtray or (dare I suggest it) a rather elaborate & frankly inefficient bong.

 

I am a smoker and a heavy PC user. I know what the inside of a smoker's pc can look like. I stopped smoking inside where my computers are about 5 years ago. While the cases still build up some normal dust, its much cleaner than when I smoked indoors.

I think Apple should state specifically in their warranty that smoking around the Macs will void the warranty. I've never heard of any other company that manufactures computers or computer components rejecting the warranty due to smoking.

Until their warranty is modified, if they refuse to work on the machine, then they should be liable to replace it with a new one.

 

I'm not a fan of apple but I think they are doing the right thing here. It's gross looking into a case that's been smoked around

 

I gotta agree with Apple (note: I am a huge Apple hater). They should not be held liable for cleaning your mac if your smoking habit leads to it's problems by gumming up the works. By smoking, the smoker CAUSED the issue (if we are talking about overheating due to gummed up fans and such), Apple can't be expected to pay for this. However, they can't refuse to replace components due to factory defect. Although, personally, I would refuse to due the job myself, and any apple employee would have the right to refuse to work on it, so you may have to work your way through the ranks to a smoking Apple repair person to find someone willing to work on it

 

I'm glad that I'm a system admin now and no longer do tech support. Nobody looks at me like I can fix their home computer now.

Nothing is worse than turning on a PC that a smoker used and have that PC burst out a jet cloud of cigarette residue.

Actually, come to think of it there is worse. The last company I worked for had an executive that was a chain smoker and had serious lung issues. He'd hack all over his laptop...spraying tar like fluid over his keyboard and LCD screen. When he was terminated I just lied through my teeth to Dell and got nearly everything (external) replaced. Thankfully there was Complete Care coverage on the laptop.

 

this is ********, we cant all control who smokes in our houses, or where our computer may be. Dust has a similar effect and stinks just as much... If its in the warranty I bet apple sales would be less, lets leave smokers alone... how about we target alcohol now it does way more harm to others than the user.

 

okay step back, take a deep breath, now look at your post and tell me does any of that make any real sense??

 

I smoke, and I agree with Apple on the fact that they aren't working on the machines, but it shouldnt be voiding the warranty. Personally, they should question all the techs and find out who does and doesnt smoke, and have the non-smokers work on the non-smoker's machines, and the smokers work on the smoker's machines. That way its fair. Apple cannot discriminate against a group of people by denying it service like that. That is set in stone in Title 9 US Code, iirc.

 

Ok, a lot of these comments look like Smokers who are offended so they're flipping out on Apple. Remember, you chose to start smoking, your choosing to keep smoking. If a company decides to go against it, change or deal with it. -.-

Apple.. Hmm.. Either looks like their going on an anti-smoking campaign, they just want to save on the workload/expenses and this is one way, or they've gotten complaints from workers and they decided to start this.

Either way, their wording is general/generic enough that it's technically covered, and legal disputes aren't going to get anywhere. The most you'll get is a lame settlement. And you'd be extremely lucky to even get that.

 

... or they shouldn't, as any other company shouldn't, have to clean/repair a computer that has been fkd by the users own incompetence and dirty habits. Is it really so hard to comprehend?

I sell you a computer, you clog it up to the point it overheats, that will cost you.

As for those smokers who are replying by saying stuff like 'I smoke and don't understand how smoking can clog up fans and sinks' - you don't smoke like these people do. I had to do lots of work in peoples houses a few years back. I was disgusted at the way some people lived and smoked. Living literally in their own stink and faeces, cat ****, piss, dirt, everywhere. Walls thick in smoke residue. There are people out there who just don't redecorate at all. EVER. In some houses we had no choice but to wear surgical gloves in fear of getting a skin diseases (it had happened to a colleague). At some houses the front door would open and the stench would make us choke. And yes, these sick people had PCs.

It used to make me cringe when I'd get asked "Would you like a cup of tea my love?"

Yeah, and a dose of something nasty if you've got it.

 

Quite a lot actually, let's not assume the poster of that comment is the head of the household (or even a responsible adult). If it ain't your place to control who smokes, or indeed where your electronic goods are sited, it's not your fault. Domestic dust is, as much as anything else, also a lot of dead skin shed by everyone along with hair & moisture from our sweat.

Spend a night in A&E at any hospital in the UK (and that's just the tip of the iceberg) and you'll get an inkling of how much harm alcohol, along with a lot of other non-smoked substances, are causing. I'm not saying we should or should not all smoke, or indeed consume alcohol (each to their own) but that seems to be the kind of stance Apple are making. Apple are not refusing to honour warranties, as I read the article, they are refusing to handle the unit altogether.

 

I think smokers should be shown what they have done to their computers, maybe they would quit?

 

Well MikeUK, every smoker these days knows the health impact on them and people around them. If they don't care about their own health, then I doubt they care about pieces of equipment. I think its a disgusting habit and its even more disgusting when you see parents smoking around children.