Apple Store Policy Could Change

– A number of leaked documents from with Apple Inc suggest your local Apple store may be contemplating an amendment on its liquid damage repair policy. Apple’s laptop ranges such as the MacBook Unibody, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro plus it’s portable devices including the iPad, are manufactured with tiny Liquid Spillage Indicators (otherwise know an LSI or LCI – Liquid Contact Indicator). These are special stickers that change colour from white to red  when contact with water is made. This color change allows Apple technicians to determine if a device has been splashed with or submerged in water, tea, coffee, wine, beer or other drinks. Of course if your Mac has been drenched in liquid Apple will NOT honour their Applecare warranty and all claims will be rendered void. Until now this policy has become the subject of controversy in certain cases and with some customers claiming the indicators are changing color in conditions of high humidity or have changed appearance and/or color without having been in contact with liquid of any type.

The leaked documents suggest that previously Apple technicians would simply check the LSI indicators for signs of liquid damage with no need to investigate any further of look for other signs of a spill or submersion. Now the new policy prompts beliefs that Genius Bar and Apple Store techies might in the future consider extra investigative work and look for further signs of liquid spillage and damage before determining that contact with liquid is the cause for the device malfunction. This change would relax some of the return and replacement rules for smaller Apple portable devices like the iPad, iPhone and iPad and this may end in making it easier for Apple employees to perform a straight swap-out for customers. There is also a suggestion in the document stating that the final decision on accidental damage is still up to the Apple Store employees.