Nov 24 2009Apple: Smoking May Void Your Warranty
So apparently smoking cigarettes or other tobacco products (no word on the ganj) may void your Mac warranty. Plus kill you slow. Hey, that's booze's job!
Consumer advocate blog The Consumerist reports two examples of Apple stores refusing to honour the warranty on a Mac because of contamination from cigarette smoke. It seems the faults could be attributed to exposure to smoke and accumulated tar, although there is no specific mention of cigarette smoke in the AppleCare warranty contract.
When pushed for clarification, Apple insisted that nicotine is on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's list of hazardous substances and Apple would not require an employee to repair anything deemed hazardous to their health.
Because I have a degree in investigative journalism am a ninja I called Apple this morning to clarify. Yeah, and I had them patch me in to Steve Jobs' iPhone, where I asked the really hard hitting questions, "But what about pole? Hello? HELLO? STEVE?"
Should smoking void your warranty? [digihub]
Thanks to b00geyman, who only smokes cheeba, it helps him with his brain, he might be a little dusted but he's not insane.
Reader Comments
1. naas - November 24, 2009 11:11 AM
Who in the hell got into my studio with a camera!? ...just askin
2. 24-bit whore - November 24, 2009 11:15 AM
I see a few roaches (not bugs) in that pile of cigarette butts.... just sayin.
3. Hayley - November 24, 2009 11:18 AM
If by roaches you mean cockroaches then probably. Just sayin.
4. Hayley - November 24, 2009 11:21 AM
Oh (not bugs). I'm smart/ observant. Obv.
5. LSDiesel - November 24, 2009 11:26 AM
I've smoked out of an apple before! Just sayin'
6. Ollie Williams - November 24, 2009 11:37 AM
I kind of want a Wendy's frosty now, sans cig butts.
7. naas - November 24, 2009 11:40 AM
I can't believe 'how geekologie is made' isn't captioned up there... just sayin
8. Hayley - November 24, 2009 11:41 AM
Haven't we all Diesel, haven't we all...
9. Closet Nerd - November 24, 2009 11:42 AM
@5 "All right. Then get me an avacado, an ice pick and my snorkle"... just sayin
10. Blastphemer - November 24, 2009 11:43 AM
Oh sweet jebus!!! This is COMPLETELY disgusting! I think I may actually have to go puke! I mean...WHO THE HELL DRINKS THAT MINUTE MAID CRAP???!!!! Get it together man! I can only hope that the large Wendy's Frosty was consumed at the same time to offset that horrible aftertaste.
PS. Domino's sucks...get frozen over that craptastic toxic waste any day, and...oh yeah, don't forget your lighter (they're a bitch to find after completely covered in ashes...and it looks like it may come in handy).
One more thing...learn to use commas, igmo!!! Using hyphen/underscore and the '7' key on your numberpad (wtf is THAT about anyway?...no, seriously) more than your comma key is just flat out CRAZY TALK.
K...so anyone got a smoke I can bum? Thx.
11. red - November 24, 2009 11:48 AM
When i worked at bestbuy we had a customer returning a laptop cause it broke down. It reeked of cigs and weed. I turned it on but didn't hear the fan. We popped open the case and the fan was covered in residue from the smoke. It would not budge at all. So we figured the problem to be over heating cause the fan stopped. He received a replacement against my advisement. Later that day when the district manager came in he wrote up the manager for giving away a $1500 laptop to someone who clearly didn't deserve a replacement.
12. naas - November 24, 2009 11:55 AM
@10 hehe
@11 that's frustrating. I take care of all the machines that surround me when it comes to fogging up the air, can't stand the latter.... just sayin
13. reno - November 24, 2009 12:00 PM
i miss the Daisy meme...
14. lee harless - November 24, 2009 12:19 PM
So now Apple is jumping on the "Health Nazi" bandwagon. When am I gonna be free to live like an American again? Fuck! ..just sayin'.
15. naas - November 24, 2009 12:24 PM
@13 me too. Anyone want to try filling Daisys shoes? Is it too early to assume Daisy has left us? Being Daisy is quite a commitment though, I know. You'd have to have as much free time as GW to keep up 7 days a week AND you better know a shitload of movie scenes to compare to NBD. On the upside, you'd get more attention than a few burning busloads of firstards crashing into the firstard mall of america
There can only be one Daisy also... too many Daisys have happened before & it get's all crazy in here... just sayin
16. Leonidas - November 24, 2009 12:41 PM
"On the upside, you'd get more attention than a few burning busloads of firstards crashing into the firstard mall of america"
I'm getting this tattooed onto my forehead (or wang, if it won't fit). What do I get for impersonating Stompy, may his soul rest in peace.
17. Leonidas - November 24, 2009 12:43 PM
@14: the price of freedom is the eternal vigilance required to accept the consequences for your actions. Now shush.
18. Leonidas - November 24, 2009 12:44 PM
*of
19. Trench-Bib - November 24, 2009 12:46 PM
@16, crabs.
20. me - November 24, 2009 12:56 PM
i smoked out of an apple before, then found it a week later all moldy and stuff, something must have caused me to forget all about it....
21. Ben - November 24, 2009 12:57 PM
I don't understand how people get surprised by this... Why in the world would a warranty cover failures caused by external factors?! Ciggarette smoke clogging up the unit IS user abuse! It has absolutely nothing to do with how the unit was manufactured. Besides, what does it matter that AppleCare doesn't mention smoke specifically? It does say "Damage due to [...] improper environment", and that phrase should cover pretty much anything.
22. Trench-Bib - November 24, 2009 12:59 PM
@21, does a nudist colony of Abraham Lincoln impersonators count as an improper environment?
23. JADE - November 24, 2009 1:03 PM
@ 1,2,3,5,7,9,12,14 and last but not least 15 , you are a bunch are freakin retards. You guys are worse than the stupid firstards ....*just sayin*!!!!!!
24. LSDiesel - November 24, 2009 1:12 PM
@23, If I was retarded, we would have a lot more in common.
25. Hayley - November 24, 2009 1:12 PM
HA! You forgot to include 4.
Fail.
JUST SAYIN
26. JADE - November 24, 2009 1:27 PM
@25 Didn't know you were a retard but yea ok, So here you go Hayley *ur a retard too* I know you felt left out and all, poor thing.
27. naas - November 24, 2009 1:27 PM
freakin retards!
28. Hayley - November 24, 2009 1:31 PM
Actually I was referring to your inclusion of post 3 and exclusion of post 4. Both of which were made by me, genius.
Also, is it really that hard to type you're? Really?
29. Ben - November 24, 2009 1:50 PM
@22: If it has a negative impact on the products performance; YES.
30. JADE - November 24, 2009 1:53 PM
@28 Just sayin.......
31. Mal Gusto - November 24, 2009 2:22 PM
Thanks for the b-boys reference in the original post. Those guys are the best!
32. Closet Nerd - November 24, 2009 3:07 PM
@23 What is your beef with tokers?
33. joe tomise - November 24, 2009 3:59 PM
hey mother fuckers
34. Bsat - November 24, 2009 6:53 PM
visit this link to see the rest of these epic disgusting photos from this house. It was one my company had to participate in the eviction proccess of.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/venomeratt/
35. Kash - November 24, 2009 7:16 PM
How the hell could someone live like that???!
36. Gfanrt - November 24, 2009 9:00 PM
Not surprised, my mate smokes like a chimney in his room and the whole freaking place has like a thin layer of tar that's accumulated over the years. He's already burned through 3 Xboxs because there's no air in there, just smoke and tar.
Don't get me wrong, if you're going to smoke - go ahead, but if the room your electronics are in is SO fucking covered in gunk and shit because you never clean or even open the window, then it's your own dumb ass luck when your stuff stops working. Not someone elses.
37. smokefail - November 25, 2009 1:04 AM
Apple doesn't have issues with smokers, they have issues with bio hazards on logic boards caused by smoking.
38. Rander - November 25, 2009 12:14 PM
@34 Something about those other pictures of that house make me crave whataburger.
39. Tracy - November 25, 2009 7:04 PM
Holy smokes!
40. paul smith - November 26, 2009 5:23 AM
http://www.newpaulsmith.com/paul-smith-bags-c-520.html
41. Sarah McMenomy - November 26, 2009 6:13 AM
I've repaired a number of CancerMacs in my time, and honestly, there is nothing more disgusting. I've also repaired VomitMacs, PeeMacs... CancerMacs are some of the worst. Why? Imagine being up to your elbows in blackish tar and gagging on the disgusting smoke-smell while you're trying to negotiate small (but sticky!) wires and finnicky (but gunky!) fans.
It IS a health violation. Apple is completely within their rights -- and actually, it's their responsibility as an American employer to comply to OSHA rules -- to refuse repair on these unbelievably disgusting machines.
It is also true that that accumulation of dusty crap WILL clog up your fan and form a thick layer of poisonous tar around your processor. It's a great insulator.
It's not discrimination against smokers. Smokers can go outside and smoke. Most Apple employees do. Just be smart about it and don't do it around your computer. Duhh....
42. Milom - November 26, 2009 10:23 PM
The thing that makes this even funnier is that was smokin a bowl as I was reading this very post (oh and there is definitely some in between the keys). Does that void my Mac warranty?