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Comment by rideontime | Hacker News Reader

The $395 is only for people who've gotten multiple repairs done, $125 for a single keyboard replacement, and $50 for only having keycaps replaced (was that even a thing?). What about those of us who just put up with it because we couldn't give up our work computer for however long a repair would take?

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3rd time I needed mine fixed apple made me pay like $500 because the keyboard included part of the case or some non-sense

digusting company, my wife now refuses to use apple-anything because of how badly they treated her when trying to get her keyboard fixed because it wasn't apple's fault and bufferfly keyboards were great

even with how crap their laptops were if they made them easily replaceable and fixable it wouldn't have been a big deal but instead they blame their customers

I was part of that group. Just went with an external keyboard because realistically going without a workstation for up to two weeks wouldn’t happen unless I planned my vacation around Apple’s repair appointments, which also wasn’t going to happen.

I’m just happy everyone’s on the same page now that those keyboards were an abysmal downgrade from prior generations.

I was one of those that had multiple repairs. Each time I sent them in on a Friday afternoon. I got them back the following Monday. This was shipping things from the Midwest to Texas.

I realize that doesn't help you now, but the three times I've sent devices in to Apple for repair I've gotten them back the next business day. Maybe I'm an outlier on this, but that's my experience at the very least.

That's great for you, but what's that got to do with the actual question posed by the GP? Why is Apple not being properly held liable for this shitty design? They should be replacing every single unit sold. Only paying pittance of the costs to a subset of failed devices is total bullshit.

I'm also in the category of having never replaced the keyboard and dealt with it by using external keyboard/mice. The amount of hassle and expense of getting the repair done was not conducive to my schedule. That's great that you could spare your laptop for 3+ days. Not everyone can do that.

3 replacements in Malaysia and Dubai. Each took about a week each. Unfortunately I won't get anything, being outside the US.

Even that sounds much better than the service I received in the UK.

Each time I had to take it to the physical Apple store (they didn't even offer me the option of a mail-in repair, and when I asked said it wasn't an option) and each time I'd spend a good hour or two talking to the "genius" before they would have it repaired, usually about a week later.

I was always very impressed how fast Apple would send my laptop back after service.

Not so much impressed how the FedEx driver would just toss the box in my front yard late in the evening. I'd find my laptop in the grass as I was going to work in the morning.

Apple MacBook Free Range/Cage Free Grass-Fed.

FedEx is awesome. I once noticed something sticking out of a pile of leaves in front of my house. Dug it out and it was a job offer that had been sitting there for a week or two.

Don't forget their logistics as well - I have a package that was supposed to be delivered yesterday. So far their site updated itself to say it would be delivered on the 2nd (when it wasn't even in my home city yet), which it wasn't, then the 3rd (the original promised date), which it wasn't, and now it's stuck at the distribution center. No idea when or how it'll be here. It's amazing they'd update to promise earlier than expected when there was no way it was gonna happen.

> It's amazing they'd update to promise earlier than expected when there was no way it was gonna happen.

This is something I've experienced as well, at least 3 separate times with FedEx. Every single time the estimate changes to an earlier date, the package ends up arriving later than the original date.

I don't know any other delivery service that so consistently feeds wrong information by over promising when no one asked it to and then under-delivering even the initial estimate.

DHL, which has normally been spectacular, got me the other week. I was getting a package delivered on Monday that I needed by Thursday at noon. It required a signature, so I filled out the release for them to leave it without one. It also had a spot for delivery instructions. I have a simple gate with a latch and no lock, so I said the gate is unlocked, they could open the gate to deliver, leave it inside or outside the gate, or even toss it over the gate.

The Friday before the Monday which they were scheduled to deliver, I got a delivery exception saying that it was unable to be delivered according to my instructions and that nobody was home. I WAS home, though I was not notified they were coming, and I can't think of a scenario which "inside or outside the gate" does not cover.

On Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday they updated to say it was 'out for delivery', each time updating in the evening to say the following day after they failed to return to my house. It was finally delivered 1 hour after I left for the airport.

Bowling skills are a requirement... I once saw a FedEx driver slide a package over 40 feet down a driveway. So efficient!

Not sure why Apple uses them. Is UPS worse?

My last few orders from Apple have actually been delivered by UPS, not Fedex.

Most people work Friday afternoons and Mondays

I took mine to a local shop that specializes in Mac repairs and they quoted me a week to have it done but it was completed next day for free. I did, however, eventually have another key start breaking and bought a newer model when I otherwise wouldn’t have.

Same here.

I just put up with my R key not working right, it was my main work machine and the disruption would've been way more expensive. But Apple was lucky cuz I mostly use an external keyboard. All this until I got a new laptop (the m1 max which is phenomenal) so I've mostly forgotten it but I feel Apple got off too easily on this.

They should be punished harder for this shitty design that they didn't immediately backtrack on.

Zero dollars! Woo!!!

I think I should have gotten it replaced. I just felt like I would get the same terrible keyboard, but I now realize it would have been better for a while, and that would have been good for productivity. Ah well. (I used an external keyboard but got it out less than half the time.)

This adds insult to injury.

Definitely take advantage of these programs when they're available in the future, I don't think this is the first time they've paid out to people who used the replacement program.

I don't think I'll need them. I'm switching to Linux.

Good luck with your Linux keyboard?

I'd imagine they're switching off Apple devices too. Perhaps to a manufacturer that doesn't rivet the keyboard to the top case making it stupidly hard for mere mortals to replace without replacing the whole top case. Like ThinkPads. I did that. Even stuck a Japanese keyboard in my W520 for like $30 for funsies and extra thumb keys.

I replaced a bunch of Dell laptop keyboards in 2006. Easy peasy.

> because we couldn't give up our work computer for however long a repair would take

And because a $400 replacement isnt worth it.

Sometime in early 2018, we received one of those clear biscotti containers from an Apple Repair Center filled with replacement butterfly keys. That's when we knew it was bad.

Also, as I learned from the OG Pixel microphone class action, the squeaky wheel gets the payout. I felt like I'd bugged them enough after getting two RMAs for other problems that I just bought some Bluetooth headphones and didn't complain about the mic. Missed out on a few hundred dollars even though I could prove I was affected.

Interestingly I got the full amount because I got the keyboard replaced and the battery replaced at a separate time (which required the top case to be replaced as well). I'll take it though since the keyboard was also having issues at that time.

I literally did the expensive route of churning through laptops about once a year. (Selling the old one of course) A week of downtime was far more expensive than a new machine.

I had mine actually replaced once, and then had a repair ticket for a second, but didn't end up sending it in for the reason you state here.

I wonder which group I'll fall into.

Group 2

Group 2 is the one that gets $395 or $125?

Found the answer here, #8:

https://www.keyboardsettlement.com/faq

Group 1: Multiple Topcase Replacements: $300 initially, up to $395

Group 2: Single Topcase Replacement: up to $125

Group 3: Keycap Replacements: up to $50

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