This Man Chose A $500 Unauthorized Repair Over Apple’s $1,500 Repair For His MacBook

Instead of the Apple Store, this man chose an unauthorized repair shop to get his wife’s MacBook Pro fixed.

In the story posted on Business Insider, the wife spilled water on her 2016 15-inch MacBook Pro by accident. At first, like most Apple users, the man took the Mac to the Apple Store, where he learned the store would charge $1,475 ($1,500 tax included) to fix the problem. The man was shocked by this since he previously thought it would cost almost the same initial price. However, because of not having AppleCare+, he hesitated.

The liquid damage

From the cost informed, it’s likely that Apple may replace the “logic board” including the most expensive components in a computer like the RAM, graphics processor, processor, and storage. A computer without a logic board is an empty shell with a screen.

Notably, there was another option, an unauthorized repair shop for Apple products known as Rossmann Repair Group. In this case, unauthorized shops mean they do not repair devices by following Apple’s procedures. Shockingly, Rossman charged him $425 ($465 tax included).

Rossmann Repair Group is run by Louis Rossmann

Considering the cost, the man went with Rossman. And not only are all data safe, his wife’s Mac still works well till today.

Why do unauthorized repair shops can fix it at a much lower cost?

Rather than replacing the whole logic board, Rossman replaced only a chip on the board. Apple could surely have done the same as Rossman; however, the company doesn’t take risks when repairing devices, especially in liquid-related cases.

The logic board

In reality, even changing a single chip can make the computer work normally again, it doesn’t mean the liquid damage cannot cause problems later. So replacing the entire logic board can help both Apple and its customers guarantee that their laptops will operate as nicely as when it was first bought.

However, Apple’s secured measure comes with a considerable cost, especially when we don’t have AppleCare+.

Should we all get unauthorized repair shops to take care of our Macs?

Not all the time.

Rossman is the one single repair shop that did a good job repairing an Apple’s Mac, proven with practical experience. That doesn’t say every other unauthorized Apple store will do equally well at equally low costs.

Rossman opened and checked the laptop

If you need to repair your Mac, it depends on what the problem is, how much you can pay, and how much guarantee you want.

Plus, it depends on your Mac’s warranty status and if you got the AppleCare+ extended warranty or not. If you have, Apple will cover two accidental damages, including one related to liquids. In case of this man, if he had AppleCare+, he would have to pay $680 to fix his wife’s Mac, which was still $200 more costly than Rossman’s service but he gets well-sleep night being sure the laptop is all good. It's kind of an opportunity cost here.

Finally, if you have thought it through and decide to go with unauthorized Apple shops, make sure it’s a trusted one.