Does smoking void your Mac's warranty?

By Jake Widman
Saturday, 21 November 2009 06:59

Home IT

A leading consumer blog has reported two instances in which Apple technicians refused to work on Macs that had been used in houses where people smoked. In both cases, Apple claimed that the smoking voided the Macs' warranties.

The Consumerist blog , published by the Consumer Reports people, was cc'ed on an e-mail from one Apple customer to Steve Jobs complaining that the Apple Store refused to work on his MacBook because it was contaminated with smoke.

The site later heard also from another Mac owner whose computer was sent back by an authorized Mac service center for the same reason: smoke contamination that voided the warranty.

That user also complained to Steve Jobs. She did hear back from someone at Apple, who told her the company would not require an employee to work with hazardous materials.

Apple offered to do minor repairs if that was all that was required, but upon investigation, the technician found that accumulated tar made the computer impossible to repair.

The Consumerist has not been able to get a comment from Apple about the incidents.

Before forming an opinion on Apple's position, it's instructive to read the comments on the Consumerist site from people who've actually had to work on computers owned by smokers.

If you've worked on a smoker's computer, please share your experience in the comments below.