Apple Refuses to Fix Smokers' Computers

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But hey, they fixed my wife's macbook pro last month. They didnt know but while I was using it she gave me a blow job. Just so happens while I was cleaning the "stuff" off the keyboard, I dropped it and it stopped booting.. I guess they don't have a semen detector..

Yet another business practice from Apple that makes me a PC guy. If only I could convert my wife..
 
If you noticed Apple's PR isnt replying because they are hoping that this will simply go away. Personally I would try talking to a lawyer to make them pay up. Although after this Im guessing they will put a smoking clause into applecare plans.
 
I used to own a computer store, and I dreaded seeing a smoker bringing a computer in for repair. If I could have afforded to turn smokers away, I would have. Their machines always smelled horrible, giving me a headache, and making them very unpleasant to work on.

The insides of their machines were full of filth, and coated with nicotine, which stopped up air vents, destroyed fans, and damaged contacts and sockets. I had to be careful while doing the repair not to stand directly over the computer, and I had to avoid touching my face with my hands until the repair was completed. I then had to wash my hands thoroughly to get the greasy stench off of them. Yes, the insides of a smoker's computer is as nasty as a smoker's lungs, and is certainly carcinogenic.

The average smoker dies 14 years younger than the average non-smoker. The average smoker's computer dies much more quickly.

Go Apple...
 
[citation][nom]techguy911[/nom]Hard drives are NOT air tight there is a breather filter if this breather filter becomes clogged with smoke residue it can cause the heads to crash into the platter.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_disk_driveRead under Integrity.I have pulled hard drives apart to find that smoke film clogged the breather filter causing the heads to crash into the platter.[/citation]
What "linkage" are you talking about? We're talking about hard drives, not cars, correct? Are you talking about the interface connector, the power connector or the connection between the PCB mounted on the bottom of the drive and the drive itself. In the case of the first two, I always hit them with canned air before attaching the data cable or power. In the case of the later, the only time I have ever needed to do anything with the hard drive's PCB is for data recovery when the original PCB received an ECD and didn't survive.

As for the drive enclosure, you are correct that they are not hermetically sealed (i.e. an air-tight seal). But neither do they ventilate as you suggest. There is a small hole with a filter that prevents particles from entering the enclosure. The purpose of this hole is for the interior of the hard drive to be at pressure equilibrium with the surrounding environment. This is why hard drives don't work above a certain altitude (the heads actually fly on the torrent of air generated by the spinning platters). No amount of smoking or dust accumulation will clog this hole to the point where the pressure cannot equilize, so this is a complete non-issue.
 
And for all of you saying cigarette contamination is just dust and that you can just blow it out, you are wrong. I've seen lots of computers totaled by cigarette smoke damage. Nicotine coats the bearings in fans, causing the fans to fail. It does the same thing to the heads in DVD drives. It damages the contacts in the PCI, memory, and CPU slots, causing them to fail...

The filth that builds up in a smoker's computer is much thicker and very sticky. You can blow some of it out, but the coating of nicotine and tar can't be cleaned up.
 
To everyone that thinks this is ok because cigarrette smoke can damage computers.....read the freggin article. They didn't deny the claim because the smoke damaged the computer....they denied the claim because they thought it could damage their techs. The idea is silly.

It is just about as stupid as saying we won't fix your car that is under warranty because gasoline is dangerous.

Complete crap and they should be sued on it.
 
JTWrenn, you've obviously never worked on a smoker's computer. The stuff inside their computers is nasty. No technician should ever have to work with it. It is carcinogenic. That's been proven over and over.
 
Actually I run a tech company, and I have seen all sorts of nasty stuff in computers. I am just smart enough to wear gloves, and a mask when I am working on them.

Gasoline is pretty nasty stuff as well, and will burn your skin if you leave it on you....but I am pretty sure if your fuel pump is covered by a warranty the shop won't try to tell you no they can't work on it because that gas stuff is dangerous.

It's silly
 
[citation][nom]mgilbert[/nom]And for all of you saying cigarette contamination is just dust and that you can just blow it out, you are wrong. I've seen lots of computers totaled by cigarette smoke damage. Nicotine coats the bearings in fans, causing the fans to fail. It does the same thing to the heads in DVD drives. It damages the contacts in the PCI, memory, and CPU slots, causing them to fail...The filth that builds up in a smoker's computer is much thicker and very sticky. You can blow some of it out, but the coating of nicotine and tar can't be cleaned up.[/citation]
You're not a very good tech, apparently. Probably explains why you USED to own a computer store.

Yes, it's unpleasant, but no more so than people who live in extremely dusty homes. You're being paid to do a job, so you do it. Fans fail, period. You buy them in bulk and replace them as needed, billing the customer for the part(s). You take the open computer outside and blow everything out with canned air. What doesn't come off, with canned air, you use a vacuum cleaner with a brush attachment (soft bristles only). Gunk on the contacts? You can clean this off with isopropyl alcohol and Q-tips, the same way you clean off old heat-sink compound from a CPU (talk about sticky goop!). You should know all of this.

If you don't like smokers or smoking (and I don't blame you, neither do I), then just say so. But the stuff you and techguy911 are talking about is stuff that hasn't been an issue since the early days of the PC revolution.
 
Honestly this is one thing I agree with Apple on.

Work places by law are smoke free (at least here in Canada). Have you ever serviced a computer that comes from a heavy smoking environment? Its brutal, you turn the system on and within 2 minutes the entire room smells like you've chain-smoked a pack of cigarettes with the windows closed.

Its sickening, no one should have to work in that environment, in Canada they don't legally have to, so either don't smoke next to your PC, or fix your own problems. Don't expect a non-smoker to have to smell that garbage for the next week while his work area airs out the smoke smell.
 
Apple will never get another dollar from me again. The smoking thing is crazy unless it was used as a bong and was clogged with resin. Number 2 I called apple to see if they would donate a few cheap mp3 players for kids waiting to be adopted. I do a stocking for them every year.Well apple gave me a number to a recording saying they can't help me and good luck. i was sooo pissed i thought about burning my ipod but that would not change what a greedy company Apple is.. I always tell my roommate when he pulls his new 17 inch pro book out how many Asian children were probably beat to make that piece of junk... I will try Micro Next year for the kids Stockings.. Burn in Hell Crash-n-toss
 
[citation][nom]invlem[/nom]Honestly this is one thing I agree with Apple on.Work places by law are smoke free (at least here in Canada). Have you ever serviced a computer that comes from a heavy smoking environment? Its brutal, you turn the system on and within 2 minutes the entire room smells like you've chain-smoked a pack of cigarettes with the windows closed.Its sickening, no one should have to work in that environment, in Canada they don't legally have to, so either don't smoke next to your PC, or fix your own problems. Don't expect a non-smoker to have to smell that garbage for the next week while his work area airs out the smoke smell.[/citation]
I'll tell you what... if I ever learn of a local tech or shop that has the attitude that you or mgilbert or techguy911 have, I will contact all fo their customers and let them know exactly how they feel about their clients who smoke. I will also include my own card along with a note letting them know that their money is always good here, and their business will ALWAYS be appreciated.
 
[citation][nom]invlem[/nom]Honestly this is one thing I agree with Apple on.Work places by law are smoke free (at least here in Canada). Have you ever serviced a computer that comes from a heavy smoking environment? Its brutal, you turn the system on and within 2 minutes the entire room smells like you've chain-smoked a pack of cigarettes with the windows closed.Its sickening, no one should have to work in that environment, in Canada they don't legally have to, so either don't smoke next to your PC, or fix your own problems. Don't expect a non-smoker to have to smell that garbage for the next week while his work area airs out the smoke smell.[/citation]

You are comparing smoke, to the smell of smoke...not the same thing
 
I have heard stories about bands spilling things in mixing consoles and the engineer just shuts the console off and pours in alcohol to clean up the mess. Not isoprop but full on 100% alcohol. Can't this be done for computers?
 
And I thought that Apple was going to exercise a good point. If you smoke around your computer, the smoke particles, which are small enough to migrate into you components, can fry a hard drive. I thought they were going to go this route.

Instead they pull the wild hair out of their errr stem.

What a retarded thing to even disclose to a customer. I agree, class action lawsuit. Of course, i will have to start smoking in the house, and oh yeah, buy an Apple computing product. I can't stand itunes.....
 
[citation][nom]audioee[/nom]I have heard stories about bands spilling things in mixing consoles and the engineer just shuts the console off and pours in alcohol to clean up the mess. Not isoprop but full on 100% alcohol. Can't this be done for computers?[/citation]
Isopropyl doesn't having anything to do with the concentration, it's just a simple alcohol that's easy and inexpensive to make. You can readily buy 70% and 90% concentrations, with 100% a bit harder to find. It's a good solvent, it's non-conductive, and it evaporates quickly at relatively low temperatures. Yes, you can immerse computer parts (power removed of course) in isopropyl alcohol and let dry. However, I would consider this overkill for general cleaning (even a smoker's computer). I would do this, like you said, if something got spilled in the machine. If they're lucky, nothing shorted out and it will work fine once cleaned.
 
I'm a Republican mac user, I've had clients who smoke get their macs fixed no problem. Since this is the first time I'm hearing about this, I wonder how much can you smoke before you damage your equipment. In our studio, we don't allow smokers, because the smoke residue can damage and void warranties on the expensive equipment. Have you ever been in a home where smokers have smoked for decades, I knew a family that couldn't sell their house. We don't know the whole story here, have the computers been noticeably discolored?
Can you smell the smoke from a distance? If you can it should be covered.
 
To everyone who has said, "I understand Apple's because ..."

Fine. Let everyone know up front what Apple's policy is - not after people have bought a computer or extended service plan.

Until then, I also smell a class action suit coming.
 
I understand apples stance in a way, when I have had some smokers computers for repair they are covered inside with a thick layer of foul smelling sticky tar that contaminates both myself and my workshop and if it wasn’t for the fact that I am so greedy (needy) for the money I would also refuse to repair them as well. I get my own back on the smoker though by charging them extra.
 
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