Apple to void applecare warranties for smokers...

http://blogs.computerworld.com/15136/apple_voids_applecare_warranty_for_smokers

Let me be the first to say this is a great idea.. As an IT consultant there is nothing worse than working on an EU laptop of a smoker...

If you are a smoker.. no offense but it's just gross...

Sure, they could void the warranty because of smoke damage. But to void it because it's gross? that would be plain stupid. It would be like refusing a morbidly obese person in a store because they grossed you out. Or a doctor refusing to lance cysts because they are yukky.

I still remember opening a 5 1/4" floppy that had a groove in it. There, stuck to the cover, was a fleck of cigarette ash. I tried not to smile when I pointed this out to the user. I then showed her manager, just to be certain she didn't try blaming me.

+1 ->MStudinski.

If there isn't language in the warranty to indicate that they've void it for smokers, it's 100% lame that they're trying to void coverage now. You could easily put in language to say "damage resulting from tobacco use is not covered" and that would be fine, but don't try and weasel out of this stuff retroactively. Your techs aren't going to die because they have to clean up some ciggie tar, give me a ****ing break.

I find this amusing in this day and age of "anti smoke" given how many hardcore computer geeks are portrayed as chimney smoking soda freaks.

As someone who has worked on more than his share of computers, I can attest that the machines from a smoking home may be more likely to fail than those that do not. The reason being that the cig smoke is somewhat sticky, and holds the dust particles against the cooling fins much more than plain dust. Quite often you have to use a toothbrush to brush it out, and you KNOW you're not getting it all.

Standard canned air won't cut it. Yes it's gross, but no more gross than many other things I happily encounter on a nearly daily basis. I think it has more to do with the potential damage to hardware due to heat stress.

I used to work on a lot of computers and there were a couple computers that when I was cleaning the dust out of I almost threw up. I agree with homercidal that the dust can be near impossible to get out and can definitely have an adverse affect on the performance and life of a computer

Right on, Homercidal. I, too have been inside many a Mac; several of which had a significant build up of tar or sticky smoke "stuff" & dust. I remember it most notably in particular with G3 iMacs. The accumulation seemed to insulate the components & mobo resulting in overheating issues.

I don't see how the position is tenable from a warranty standpoint. How are they going to tell if a user is a smoker or not? You cannot simply open up the machine and look for evidence of smoking, because that will invalidate non-smokers' machines as well if they happen to sit around coffee shops, bars, or other places where people may be smoking. Or if a friend comes over and lights up a cigarette in the vicinity, etc.

Also I agree that if the warranty at time of purchase plainly stated that smoke damage was not covered, then fine. Otherwise they are legally bound to honor the warranty regardless of whether the users smoke or not.

If they are worried about health issues for the people servicing the laptops, the workers can voluntarily wear masks to avoid inhalation. They should be doing that anyway because the insides of machines tend to accumulate a lot of crap that I would consider worse than, or as bad as, tobacco smoke.

I used to work at place that replaced watch batteries and I remember having to handle watches that had been worn by smokers. I mean, watches can get nasty (dead skin, lotion residue), but combine that with smoke and it is just horrible. The smell would be on my hands for the rest of the day.

the_bird said:

If there isn't language in the warranty to indicate that they've void it for smokers, it's 100% lame that they're trying to void coverage now. You could easily put in language to say "damage resulting from tobacco use is not covered" and that would be fine, but don't try and weasel out of this stuff retroactively. Your techs aren't going to die because they have to clean up some ciggie tar, give me a ****ing break.

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I agree. If they want add that to the warranty, fine, but you can't start doing that all the sudden. Give the techs some gloves, they will be OK.

Good for Apple. its their warranty to interpret as they see fit.

smoking is bad on electronics. Apple won't hold your warranty valid if you leave the device in a hot car for 6 weeks because its BAD for the electronics. Same deal with smoke.

malkore said:

Good for Apple. its their warranty to interpret as they see fit.

smoking is bad on electronics. Apple won't hold your warranty valid if you leave the device in a hot car for 6 weeks because its BAD for the electronics. Same deal with smoke.

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Absolutely, positively, completely, unequivocally not. Apple sells their products with a warranty; that's a contract. Live up to the terms of that warranty or be prepared for a metric ****ton of lawsuits and bad publicity.

is the apple architecture different than the standard pc, or is it just software? in other words, can i build an apple like i can a pc?

malkore said:

Good for Apple. its their warranty to interpret as they see fit.

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Like hell! If manufacturers are left to interpret their warranty as they see fit, you might as well do away with warranties altogether and caveat emptor. If I get a guarantee, I don't expect it to be re-interpreted at the issuer's convenience.

malkore said:

Good for Apple. its their warranty to interpret as they see fit.

smoking is bad on electronics. Apple won't hold your warranty valid if you leave the device in a hot car for 6 weeks because its BAD for the electronics. Same deal with smoke.

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So would you feel the same way if your car dealership decided to void you warranty if you happened to be a smoker? Its their warranty to interpret as they see fit, isn't it?

Agreed that its a contract. It must be honored on both ends. If not honored, then it is void. And also agreed that it would be difficult to prove that the owner is a smoker. I can see problems for non smokers bringing a piece of equipment to a smoke filled bar or whatever and losing their warranty. That would p*ss me off if it were me. I think this will be a touchy subject if they try to pull it off the wrong way.

I don't think they invalidated it because the user was a smoker. They invalidated it because they opened it up and it was nasty inside and their employee said 'this is so nasty as to constitute a biohazard so I won't work on it'. That's different than saying 'smokers don't get warranty work' because they are looking at how the machine itself was treated, not who the user was. Odds are there is a point at which an employee can say 'this is too nasty to touch' and set it aside as a biohazard and apple supports this. Apple doesn't hate smokers. They just don't force their employees to deal with machines that are filled with nasty smoke, spunk, crap or other over the top nasty. This is further supported by the many smokers who have reported getting warranty service from Apple without complaint.

Odds are the 'one smoker' who this lady claimed used this machine, used the laptop on his desk with the ashtray right next to the air intake. So that thing had the burning cigs sitting next to it for hours at a time as the guy worked/played/wanked off. It was probably completely coated with tar and dust.

It's not smokers who cause problems with machines. It's the smoke. I have worked on dozens of machines used by smokers that looked no different than those used by nonsmokers. Since the mahcine wasn't subjected to the smoke there was no problem. (the chronic snackers were the problem--- disgusting keyboards).

kornkob said:

It's not smokers who cause problems with machines. It's the smoke. I have worked on dozens of machines used by smokers that looked no different than those used by nonsmokers.

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That's been my experience too. I smoked for years and hadn't noticed any difference between the insides of my computer over someone else's. I suspect you're correct in your interpretation of the warranty issue as well. It doesn't matter the source of the contamination, it's simply the fact that the system was contaminated by direct action of the user. Damage created by misuse or abuse would exclude warranty repair.

korncob, makes valid points. Many consumers already know that hard drives and such must be sealed to prevent micro sized contamination and therefore assume that all electronic components are sealed. Its time to move the ashtray.

Oh--- and the source of these stories? The Consumerist.

While Consumerist does give voice to things that might otherwise be lost, they do write their stories with an aim toward sensationalism. They are a Gawker site, after all. They are not about consumer protection or education--- they are about news as entertainment. If they help someone it's a side effect, not the achievement of their goal.

I guess what I am saying is that the source isn't going to give the most well rounded, balanced perspective on this. Nor do they really question their sources if the story is good enough.

A little tar stuck to a computer fan creeping out the kiddies? I guess the IT department forgot about cloud of smog they drove through to get work, the delicious tar smell from the road construction they walked past, the polyaromatic compounds (known to cause cancer, btw) crusted on to the cheeseburger they ate for launch.

I can respect apple's decision to void warranty due to damage created by the user, but any claim that it's related to the safety of their technicians is just flat out BS.

I will no longer be treating the sewerage produced by any of you. It's a bio-hazard. A real one. Prepare to die of cholera and dysentery.

You all will also no longer have computers. At all. Tons of bio and other hazardous material produced and contained in those things.

Actually, I'm going to need all of you IT guys and really all of you computer users to report to the hazardous materials neutralization center for the safety of our community. You all have been soaking up terrible pollutants for years and must be cleansed. Don't worry. It won't hurt. For long.

If they are not going to honer the warrantee do to smoking related damage then they should take the cost of the warrantee off of the price of a new computer for smokers. I mean a no one should have to pay for a service that they will never be able to use.

Since smoking gets a bad rap from health officials it is an easy way for Apple to blame their corporate greed on something that is looked down upon anyway. These private jet flying money hoarders try to find any reason they can to void warranties, and the majority of the population doesn't have sympathy for smokers anyway. What about computers at auto garages? Talk about your toxic fumes!! "This warranty will void if your computer is used within 100 feet of an automobile" The problem is that health nuts don't care about smokers because they don't smoke, but they forget how harmful their car is. Not only to people in their area but to the entire planet! And what about those laptop batteries, now that's what I want in my brewing water!!!

hard disc platters and heads just love residues from tar! there hovering microns above the surface and in no time there ruined.

Smoke and nicotine stained imac?
Big deal.

How about opening one up and finding puddled cat piss and a dead roach.
Iphones and iPods that were dropped in Urinals -- with owners demanding replacements.

There are days I don't miss that job.

if they void the warranties of smokers then why are they not voiding the warranties of people who have heavy shedding dogs and cats??

Skins_Brew said:

if they void the warranties of smokers then why are they not voiding the warranties of people who have heavy shedding dogs and cats??

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Animal hair comes right off with proper maintenance. Cig tar sticks and makes dust stick to it and it doesn't blow off with canned air. I can't even remove it with 100 PSI from my compressor. You have to get in there with a cleaning solution and a brush, and sometimes it's just hard or impossible to clean a heat sink without removing it and soaking it.

Most dog and cat hair will be caught in the screens that cover the front and sides of the computer anyway, so they rarely get to the important stuff.