CGA claim - is this reasonable?

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Lizard1977

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#225547 23-Nov-2017 17:15

I have a MacBook Air purchased in 2014 that suddenly died. I took it back to the retailer for assessment and repair, and they passed it on to their authorised repairer for assessment. I just got an email advising that as it's nearly 3.5 years since purchase that they can't escalate to Apple for warranty cover. They say they can do an assessment for $90 for a quote on the cost to repair.

In my opinion, a MacBook should reasonably last longer than 3.5 years before spontaneously failing. The laptop is otherwise in pristine condition - no signs of an external damage, drops etc. I think it would be covered by CGA. Am I being reasonable, do you think? Would it be reasonable to reply and cite the CGA and claim that it should be repaired?

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#1906572 23-Nov-2017 17:19

You should check to see if the problem you are having is a fault other people have had. In some cases it maybe a known defect ?

Lizard1977

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#1906578 23-Nov-2017 17:21

My first port of call was a repairer (in case it was a minor fault that could be easily fixed). The repairer said it was a main board failure, near the graphics chip. His estimate of the cost was between $300-1000.

Because it wasn't a minor fault, I decided to go back to the retailer for a CGA claim, and that's where I'm at. So it's not a simple or common problem.

throbb

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#1906692 23-Nov-2017 18:57

3 years is a reasonable length of time for a laptop to last.

Brumfondl

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#1906694 23-Nov-2017 19:03

Apple seems to base the "reasonable time" off the length of their extended warranty, hence 3 years for a computer and two years for a phone are what the seem to stop at.

dafman

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#1906700 23-Nov-2017 19:19

I feel your pain, but I reckon you might be struggling now you have passed the three year mark. Good luck, though.

Sam91

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#1906702 23-Nov-2017 19:22

Call Apple directly and ask to be given a case manager. I had discussions with a case manager a while back, and despite not guaranteeing anything, he indicated that there was a possibility of Apple coming to the party for a MacBook Pro that was around 4 years old. I didn't proceed in the end because there was external damage (dents etc) to the laptop which I figured would void any CGA claim.

throbb:

3 years is a reasonable length of time for a laptop to last.

For a cheap laptop I tend to agree, but I think a $1500+ MacBook Air should last longer.

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throbb

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#1906729 23-Nov-2017 20:07

Sam91:

Call Apple directly and ask to be given a case manager. I had discussions with a case manager a while back, and despite not guaranteeing anything, he indicated that there was a possibility of Apple coming to the party for a MacBook Pro that was around 4 years old. I didn't proceed in the end because there was external damage (dents etc) to the laptop which I figured would void any CGA claim.

throbb:

3 years is a reasonable length of time for a laptop to last.

For a cheap laptop I tend to agree, but I think a $1500+ MacBook Air should last longer.

Id argue in most cases with technology price is based on specs, features and brand name, not life expectancy of the product.

timmmay

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#1906730 23-Nov-2017 20:09

3.5 years is pushing it for a laptop.

Consumer says economic life 3-7 years, life expectancy 5 years. They don't say laptop, which is moved around and so 3.5 years isn't so bad.

surfisup1000

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#1906731 23-Nov-2017 20:17

Don’t listen to the ppl above. Macs are premium products and you shouldn’t get a main board failure even after 5 years.

My Mac Pro is 5 yrs old and has taken a beating from the kids but it works like new.

My opinion is that you’d win in the disputes tribunal and you should go that way, at worse you’ll lose $45 filing cost.

Lizard1977

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#1906765 23-Nov-2017 21:05

Thanks for these responses. I take the point that price doesn't necessarily equal lifespan, but I tend to think that price does relate to quality, especially build quality. Apple is a premium product reflected in part by the price it commands, so for me three years is on the light side of what I'd expect. I think it is true that many people upgrade about every 2-3 years but it seems strange to not be able to expect a device like this to last more than three years.

I've emailed Consumer to get their advice before I proceed any further, but thank you all for your perspectives.

bmt

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#1906775 23-Nov-2017 21:34

3.5 years is absolutely not pushing it for a laptop. After that amount of time I'd expect performance to have dropped off significantly but not complete failure of a component or even the whole motherboard. Considering the resale value of Apple products and their price premium, I would definitely be expecting them at the very least to repair it at no cost.

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tdgeek

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#1906780 23-Nov-2017 21:45

bmt:

3.5 years is absolutely not pushing it for a laptop. After that amount of time I'd expect performance to have dropped off significantly but not complete failure of a component or even the whole motherboard. Considering the resale value of Apple products and their price premium, I would definitely be expecting them at the very least to repair it at no cost.

IMHO performance doesnt drop off for an OSX device. There isn't the same gazillion services and whatnot that you find running in Task Manager. My 2013 MBP is identical performance anecdotally.

But I would agree that 3.5 years for an Apple laptop, subject to no evidence of case marks (handling damage) is not unreasonable. If I had that, and got a 50% repair cost resolution I would take that as fair. IANAL

BlinkyBill

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#1906810 23-Nov-2017 22:21

A failure as described is rare and bad luck, but can happen (obviously). Most failures happen in short order or they don’t happen. In my opinion a manufacturer can’t warrant against bad luck, and it is unreasonable to claim under the CGA for this.

Also, you can’t win, as you will be unable to show that such a claim is reasonable. I’m not a lawyer.

CYaBro

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#1906861 24-Nov-2017 00:40

As already stated, call Apple and talk to them about it.
I think you’ll find they’ll be very helpful.
Being an aasp we see stuff covered by Apple that should never ever be covered.
Broken screens, bent and damaged enclosures, but also components in devices that are 5-6 years old.

Opinions are my own and not the views of my employer.

surfisup1000

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#1906893 24-Nov-2017 08:34

BlinkyBill:

Also, you can’t win, as you will be unable to show that such a claim is reasonable. I’m not a lawyer.

This is probably not ideal advice as you really cannot say definitively that the OP will lose.

I've made a number of claims to the DT over the years and never lost, usually settled before the hearing because the retailer knows they will lose.

In my view, the OP has a strong case (assuming they've treated their device well and there is no physical damage).

Unlike you, I cannot predict the outcome though.

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