Credit: CNET

Free Replacement Device?

If you’ve had your device replaced a number of times over the course of a few years, it may be worth asking Apple if they could replace it.

Take this example posted by Redditor earlier today. Redditor Y0mily said they bought a MacBook Pro back in 2015. “Almost immediately,” the device began experiencing the so-called Staingate issue. Essentially, that’s when the anti-reflective coating begins to wear off.

The Redditor had the screen replaced for free. But that’s not the end of the story. In fact, the MacBook Pro ran into the exact same issue three times.

It also had other problems. According to Y0mily, the flex cable experienced issues twice over the course of the MacBook Pro’s lifespan — causing the keyboard and trackpad to stop working.

“This was 5 repairs in four years,” Y0mily wrote. “When I called Apple Support they offered me a new MacBook Pro immediately, with slightly better specs.”

The Redditor added that their new MacBook Pro was actually worth $200 more than the original one.

“Moral of the story: if you’ve had something on your device repaired multiple times, you can probably swing for a replacement device,” Y0mily concluded.

Enter our MacBook Pro Giveaway here.

Some Things to Note

Apparently, there’s an unpublicized rule at Apple (and possibly other companies) that three major repairs will usually result in a device being replaced. That’s particularly true if the original device is no longer in the lineup.

Other Redditors chimed in and noted that Genius Bar staff aren’t authorized to do this. So if you’re running into repeated problems with your own Mac or Apple device, try talking to Apple Support online or over the phone.

Even if you aren’t eligible for a replacement, you may still get a better deal on certain repairs. Apple has taken to replacing older Apple Watch models with newer ones, and currently swaps out faulty butterfly keyboards for a more durable generation.

It’s at this point we have to say that you shouldn’t try to take advantage of this by bringing in a device without any problems in an attempt to get a newer model for free.

Apple will probably refuse your request. But even if they do give you a free replacement device, you’ll just be making things worse for users who have actual problems.