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Macbook LCD screen broken =(

I was on a trip to NYC, and the internet addict in myself decided I better take my macbook with me while doing some of the touristy stuff. I must have not been careful enough, because when I opened up the laptop later on I ended up with this:

Broken LCD

My LCD screen is completely gone, except a small area in the top of the screen. I got the 3 year extended warranty, but browsing around on some of the forums out there it seems like Applecare doesn't cover broken LCD's :(.

Oh well, I'll be going to the apple store at 7 tonight, lets see what they say..

Update: Unsurprisingly, they didn't want to fix it. The bill was going to be 563 CAD for the parts, + an estimated 200 CAD for the actual repair, ending up at around 900 dollars including tax. I got a first generation cheap macbook at the time, and was not really happy with the HD space, so I decided to buy a new 250GB model, and I'll be using the old one at work, as a desktop. This way I'll also reduce risk of breaking the new one by carrying it around. Still an expensive joke though..

Later on I also figured it might have been the heat. I've been walking around with the mac in downtown manhattan for hours on a really hot day in a black backpack, and the screen part was pretty warped as well.. So another lesson is to not do that :)

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Comments

  • Noel Berg

    Noel Berg

    Oh no! Did you get a new one, or what? I hope the extended warranty DOES cover it!
  • chris

    chris

    Brings a tear to my eye, it does..
  • Frank

    Frank

    What happend with the extended warranty ?
    Does it cover the LCD,s ?
    I hope you got you LCD,s Fixed!
  • Evert

    Evert

    My appointment is 7PM EST, so thats in about 3 hours.. I'm scared for what they will say :)
  • David

    David

    I feel for you, having been through the same. I can still feel the knot in my stomach...
  • Shan

    Shan

    The extended warranty is exactly that, and doesn't cover accidental damage/theft, etc. Sometimes Apple has pity on people, but that is solely at the manager's digression.

    I had a post not long ago on how to actually protect your gear: http://www.iotashan.com/index.php/2008/04/06/protecting-your-gadgets-home-office/
  • Andrew Johnstone

    Andrew Johnstone

    I can't count the amount of times I've smashed my laptop bag going through the train ticket barriers. I'm surprised I've not seriously damaged my MBP, anyway hope you get it fixed soon and that it is all under warranty :).
  • Campbell Anderson

    Campbell Anderson

    You can buy just the LCD screen and replace it if your warentee doesnt cover it
  • s0enke

    s0enke

    Shame on high-price apple if the don't wanna replace it. Just another reason for Dell. :)
  • barry.b

    barry.b

    will be interested in hearing how you get on. I'm just about to ugrade from an iBook to a MacBook... my iBook has been rock solid, I'd hate to upgrade to something fragile, esp when it's at premium price (compared to, say, a Dell)
  • Perberos

    Perberos

    ouch :(
  • Johny

    Johny

    Perhabs you should buy a more robust notebook iunstead a good looking macbook. Something made for survivors :-)
  • Evert

    Evert

    A big reason I switched to mac, is not the pretty looking exterior, but more so because of OS/X. I really want something with a unix-like core, and gnome just doesn't cut it for me..

    I realize there's stuff out there like hackintosh, but I feel the trouble to use that and maintain it for upgrades costs probably more time eventually than a macbook costs more..
  • Katrina Rank

    Katrina Rank

    I'm in Italy and the same thing happened to my LCD screen.
    The cost will be 700 euro's..if I fix through Apple.
    There are boutique Computer shops in the US that will fix your computer. For example
    Unitech in Portland Oregon. $225 for LCD and $65 for labour.
    Now I just have to find a place that will ship me the screen and Apple store in Rome will charge me 200 euro for labour. ouch
  • Michigan90

    Michigan90

    the same thing happened to my mac book except i got in a car crash i was wondering if there are places you can sell damaged computers for parts? let me know
  • dylan oliver

    dylan oliver

    ooouch! i broke my LCD, too - dropped my laptop while i was hanging out a window sniffing for wifi signal. only dropped a couple feet, but it were enough. my DIY fix was only ~$200 (and a drink for dealing with the !#$!%ing antenna cables threaded under the keyboard and behind the LCD) ... i'm sticking with PCs!
  • Jose da Silva

    Jose da Silva

    So it's just like a dish washing machine or television, when it is broken, just buy a new one!

    Sad!
  • David Zülke

    David Zülke

    Just remember to leave the lid open if you use it at work. IIRC, standard Macbooks aren't designed to be able to dissipate the heat with the lid closed.
  • Pebbles

    Pebbles

    So, has the saga ended? What was the final result? I don't see a happy ending here!?
  • Evert

    Evert

    No happy ending indeed.. Bill was so high, ended up getting a new one..

    The other one is demoted to a desktop machine, I am actually keeping the lid closed.. If a macbook has a special mode to run with the lid closed, I feel like it was the intended design and they should at least cover that under the expensive remaining warranty :)
  • lauren  Keith

    lauren Keith

    I opened my macbook and found a crack in the screen- no one in my family can recall anything happening to it....I wonder how I can find one of these "boutique computer shops" that can fix the screen?
  • james holding

    james holding

    So i am thinking of ordering a macbook screen and getting it shipped over. So that i can do a DIY fix on it.
    Has anyone tried doing this? How difficult is it? Is it worth it?
  • Evert Pot

    Evert Pot

    I haven't tried it myself, but I have heard recently there's some smaller boutique shops that might to the fix for a lot less..

    They might have some broken macbooks lying around (with working screens) which would make things a lot cheaper.
  • Jerry Loggins

    Jerry Loggins

    I was sorry to read about your mishap with your computer, and the unhappy ending of it not being covered. So, you are now basically using it as just a CPU? Plugged in a new monitor via USB drive?

    Jerry
  • Evert

    Evert

    Thats right! Still working on it actually .. I'm gonna try to set it up at the office, so that means I'll also not have to carry around the new one =)

  • Betsy Buchanan

    Betsy Buchanan

    I was going to comment on your mishap with your Mac, I really feel for you, what a waste of a perfectly good laptop. But now I feel obligated to comment on your spam protection that had me solve a simple math problem in order to make a comment.
    I've never seen anything like this and would love to know more about it, if you could provide this info on your blog or feel free to sent me an email at the provided email address listed.
    Thanks in advance,
    Betsy Buchanan
  • Elaine

    Elaine

    Well I'm glad all was not lost and you can at least use it as a CPU, however I still want to say I feel badly that it broke in the first place. I thought that when you buy laptops you could buy extra insurance against breakage if you drop it. I'm such a klutz I would buy that insurance in a heartbeat!
  • Dee

    Dee

    So sorry to see that. The same thing happened to me. I ws involved in a crash and the warranty(or my car insurance for that matter) wouldn't cover it.
    My advise to you is, get on eBay, buy the screen and go to a tech to have it installed. It will probably set you back $200-$300. Hey it's better than paying 900 bucks!!
    That's what I did. I got my screen for $50(I was lucky. Others go for $100), and then took it to a tech who charged me $120. My iBook is now as good as new!

    Good luck!

  • Andy

    Andy

    This happened to my son's macbook, heat stroke only 3 weeks old. Got the same run around from dealer. Found a replacement screen on eBay for AUD 300 and fitted myself. After 18 years of buying laptops with no issues except obsolence we wont be buying apple again
  • Joe

    Joe

    We bought a new MacBook for my daughter in May 08 when her G4 died 2 weeks after the extended waranty ended.

    This computer has been used very little and last week, she was in the hospital and handed the laptop to me when someone came in the room. I closed the laptop and put in on the table beside the bed. A few minutes later when my daughter retrieved the laptop and opened the laptop, the screen was cracked. There are a lot of "its gotta be your fault' comments in the string, but I have found numerous incidents of this occurring. Some folks seem to think it is related to the lid warping causing the screen to twist when closing.Does anyone have any experience with this where Apple fessed up and actually repaired rather than calling their customers liars? It seems like Apple should repair the screens so they can hide the evidence that might be used in a class action suit.

    Any suggestions?
  • courtney

    courtney

    i just had this happen and of course apple is insisting it is my fault and want to charge me 1300$ to fix the screen. it is really frustrating considering i switched to macs for reliability last year and the hard drive has already been replaced, the computer crashes when it goes to sleep and the lcd screen cracked upon transport in a laptop bag. anyone reading this, stick with pcs.
  • Betsy Buchanan

    Betsy Buchanan

    It is most unfortunate that these extended warranties, that are being sold, generally do not cover what is needed, when we turn to them for their assistance. This is happening way too often and most people are now learning to say NO to the now expected offer after each sale, that these sales associates are so well known for needing to push to meet a quota for the day, week or month.
    I can honestly say that I have never heard of anyone who has submitted a claim and has had a happy ending to share.


  • Evert

    Evert

    I had some good experiences myself.. I had a 1200 dollar repair before (which was covered under warrenty) so the extra 300 bucks was way worth it. I do can imagine this would not be considered 'normal use', and is actually my own fault..

    Nevertheless I do know they're making some nice dough on their hardware, and I did hope it translated into above average customer service.. Not really =(

    I was mostly just sad.. my wallet took a fair hit.. should have been more careful.
  • Anonymous

    I am interested in purchasing a macbook with a broken screen, to use as a headless mac and then connect an external monitor. Anyone interested?
  • john

    john

    I am interested in purchasing a macbook with a broken screen, to use as a headless mac and then connect an external monitor. Anyone interested?
  • DOPEDUDE12

    DOPEDUDE12

    You guys know that if you have Home Owners Insurance they will replace computers for "accidental breakage" as long as you let them know you either use it for Work or School. Some companies might be a little more hesitant but, i bet somewhere in your contract it covers Work/School related electronics. I personally have the best Insurance available (USAA) of course, and to this day, they have replaced an iPhone, and in the process of currently replacing my Mac Book which accidently fell off my kitchen table and smashed onto the tile flooring thus cracking the screen the way you did yours. in your situation since you were gone from your home, you might have had to waited till you returned home and unethically made up a story or something, but in legit cases, they are pretty helpful. hope that helps some of you who are actually going through this currently!!! ;p
  • Frank

    Frank

    Great suggestion DOPEDUDE12. If you dont have homeowners insurance please at least dont pay apple $800+ to fix a screen when places like http://www.missionrepair.com
    will do it for as little as $229.
  • DNA

    DNA

    still have it?
    willing to sell it? and what were the specs on it?
  • Michelle

    So after I dropped my MacBook and the screen cracked, I found out that Apple's warranty did not cover accidental damage, and the repair would cost almost $900 dollars. I freaked out for a few days, but then did some research and found Mission Repairs (http://www.missionrepair.com/).

    This repair center specializes in damaged Apple products. You simply mail them your computer and they'll send it back within a day or two of when they received it. My repair cost $200 (plus $60 dollar insured shipping from VA), compared to $900. My computer came back perfectly with a brand new screen! I highly recommend Mission Repairs: they were prompt, had great customer service and easy instructions, and saved me a lot of money!
  • Anonymous

    MY macbook just had the same issue, I am going to send it to iresq.com and the price estimate is only 189 plus shipping. Has anyone had any experience with them? They seem legit and I would love to have my mac back, and running again :)
  • Macbook Screen Repair

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  • John

    John

    There are some some great shops that will fix it for significantly less than Apple- iResQ is an Apple Authorized Service Provider with Apple Certified techs, and they'll fix it for $189 plus shipping.

    www.iresq.com/portables/macbooklcd_NEW.php
  • jay

    jay

    just cracked the lcd on my 1 year plus macbook... it didnt fall or hit anything at all n the guys at the apple store were almost laughing at me when i told them that..doesnt help that im all the way in malaysia and there are no mssion repairs here.... wallets gonna take some serious beating :( Apple sure needs to look into their after sales service ASAP...
  • Eric

    Eric

    My LCD screen is broken after taking a fall from my desk after one of my friends tripped over my internet cord. I have no money to replace it and just enough to get by through the holidays. Will me using the laptop without fixing it until I get money cause any problems? And if so how long do it have to live?
  • Evert

    Evert

    Sucks to hear that eric =S
  • dennis

    dennis

    I know the pain :), as you might be aware of the fact that there are much more people out there with this same problem you might try this website

    http://www.macbook-pro-cracked.com


    take care!

    Dennis
  • MajorFadec

    MajorFadec

    Dopedude12, I have USAA and told them it was knocked off a coffee table. They claims adjustor left me a voice mail stating the don't cover that. Did they try that with you at first as well?
  • galaxycomp

    galaxycomp

    Which model is it , we have Mac lcd screens in stock , maybe we can be of help. www.nylaptopparts.com
  • Satish

    I faced the same problem few days back, but I replaced my Macbook LCD screen with new Samsung 13" inches LCD screen . After this my Mac worked great, no one could identify that I replaced LCD screen with Samsung one. Cost of samsung LCD screen is Rs 8500/- Indian rupee.
  • Amy

    Amy

    My less than a year old macbook just fell off the bed this morning onto carpet & when I opened it,the screen was shot. Different color lines going everywhere. I cried. I have no clue what to do to fix it. These are great suggestions, I live nowhere near an apple store & I honestly don't even know if I have the extended warranty (if it would even do any good.) I also just lost my ipod touch yesterday I got with the computer which I was supposed to get a rebate for $300 & I never got that. They told me I had to apply for it when I called & the guy on the phone told me it would automatically be mailed to me. My luck isn't going to well lately!!
  • Louis Rossmann

    Louis Rossmann

    If you're local to me I fix these cheaper than anyone else with new LCDs for $170.

    If you want to do it yourself, I am happy to help walk someone through the process over the phone, and suggest quality cheap parts vendors(I have been through the good and the bad), so you don't have to make the mistakes I already did. My # is on my site.
  • Ann

    Ann

    My friend got his MacBook repaired by this tech that drives around the city. I also used his mail in service for my iPhone.
    http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,251950,00.html
  • willar27k

    willar27k

    ouch :(