HACKER Q&A
📣 microflash

Anyway to appeal for replacement of MacBook Pro display?


The screen of my barely a year old MacBook Pro 16 M2 suddenly malfunctioned and died while I was browsing YouTube. The problem started with a black band flickering on the right side of the display. A reboot greeted me with colored bands across the screen. Another reboot from Safe Mode greeted me with black screen with a lone white line running across the display.

I submitted the machine at the nearest Apple Authorized Service Center as suggested by Apple Support. They are now quoting me a price to get the display replacement under Accidental Damage Protection (due to stress as per their diagnostics).

This machine was not subjected to stress, fire or liquids. It used to stay on the very top of everything in the drawer. Sometimes, I used to put the MagSafe charger on it but surely, that can't be the cause of accidental damage.

I'm wondering if there's any way to appeal to Apple to cover this under manufacturing defect rather than Accidental Damage. Has someone been under similar circumstances? Would appreciate any advice.

  👤 microflash Accepted Answer ✓
Update: Things turned out pretty well at the end. Apple Support accepted the display replacement under AppleCare+ so the machine was repaired without any cost. I did have to explain a bit about the usage pattern and why this was not supposed to be an accidental damage.
👤 coisasdavida
Whenever I had to explain a case like this to a customer, there would be photos attached to the case that I could email the customer. Photos would show findings during attempted repair and why it was decided it was damage. If the Mac was sent to an Apple owned Repair Center or Apple Store, why not call Apple Support, right away ask to speak to a supervisor, that will get you to someone who can lookup photos and send them to you. If the repair center is third party, maybe speak to them directly.
👤 warrenm
I had a crack develop less than a month after getting my first M1 MBP

While the tech was looking at it at my local Apple Store, getting ready to replace the screen under AppleCare, two more cracks appeared

They had it fixed and back to me in a couple days