My Macbook Pro’s keyboard has been acting up for almost a year now. The first thing I noticed is that some keys were harder to press than others and just felt “sticky”. To fix this issue, I bought this keyboard jelly cleaner which did help for a week or two. After that, I noticed that along with the original sticky keys, I was facing another problem which gradually got worst. Basically, my laptop was registering multiple keystrokes for random keys which made typing anything a very unpleasant experience. Now look, I write a lot. That’s not something to particularly boast about, considering how everyone in 2020 quarantine writes a lot on their laptops, but my frequency was higher than usual the last few weeks as I scrambled to finish writing my thesis. To give you an estimate, my thesis had 85,000 keystrokes. Somehow, I got through writing all of that with this god awful keyboard.
Once I submitted the final version of my thesis, I was ready to look for solutions and mentally prepare myself for spending a few days without my Macbook. To my delight, I found out that there was a free (and easy) solution: Apple’s Keyboard Repair Program. Turns out, so many people sued Apple over the faulty design that Apple launched a worldwide repair program for all Macbooks with the butterfly design. This was excellent because it provided validation that I wasn’t the only one experiencing this despite my aggressive typing style and that it wasn’t my fault. If your Macbook falls under one of the 16 models listed here, you are eligible for a free keyboard repair! While I was super excited to see my Macbook’s model on the list, I still had my fears. The closest Apple retail or repair center is 200 miles from where I live. I wasn’t exactly sure how shipping my laptop to Apple would work or whether it’s safe. This laptop is by far the single most valuable thing I own with the highest return on investment. I just couldn’t’ fathom losing it due to a shipping accident, especially when I have past traumas of losing expensive electronics in shipping, this very laptop being one of them. More on that another day.
Luckily, all of my concerns were answered and eliminated by Apple’s customer representative via live chat who told me that Apple will send me a box to my address and help me ship my laptop using FedEx’s fastest shipping method. The rep then asked me some more basic questions like which keys are acting up (I said I don’t know, all of them?), if there is anything else that’s wrong with the laptop, and the address at which they should deliver the box. The estimated repair time they give me was 7-10 business days. That’s how easy it was to set everything up. On a side note, am I the only one who feels a surge of relief every time a company has the live chat option available instead of call? Anyways, the next morning, I found a box outside my front door with clear instructions on how to prepare my laptop for delivery. That made me feel a little better about my shipping anxiety. They even provided small pieces of tape to secure the box. I felt similar to a pet owner leaving their furry friend with the vet, petting and consoling my Macbook as I put in the box, securely taped it, and dropped it off at the nearby FedEx dropoff facility at 5 pm on May 18th. It was tough, but it had to be done.
Early morning the next day, I received a notification that Apple has successfully received my laptop. A sigh of relief. My beloved had survived the journey. As with most things in life, my joy was only temporary. A few hours later, I received a notification that my repair is on hold and an email from Apple asking me to pay $530 dollars. My heart dropped. It was a scam after all. There’s no such thing as a “free repair program”. Hell, nothing is free when it comes to Apple! Thankfully though, I received an email shortly afterward explaining the whole situation. It turns out that there is a small crack at the bottom of my screen. After identifying this, Apple asked me if I want to get this crack removed (by replacing the whole screen) in addition to the free keyboard repair and for this they were asking for $530 dollars. I politely declined their very generous offer and the same day I got a reply from Apple saying they will proceed with the original repair request.
On May 21st, I received an email that my repair request is complete and that the laptop is on its way home. That was less than 24 hours after my exchange with Apple, remarkably fast if you ask me. And sure enough, the next morning at exactly 10 am I heard a knock on the door and welcomed the sight of a FedEx delivery man holding a laptop-sized package in his hands. As soon as I took the laptop out of the box, I could feel that it was heavier than before. Reading the document that came with, I noticed something peculiar. Under the description of the parts replaced, it said that they changed the keyboard and the battery. This was quite a shock for me. After doing a little digging online, I found out that Macbook Pro keyboards are glued to other peripherals and that it is not possible to replace just one. Hence, all Macbook Pros eligible for this program also gets a free replacement battery, trackpad, speakers, and top case. Considering how my laptop is three years old and that its battery life was definitely subpar at this point, this was a delightful surprise. I think the reason why the laptop felt heavier is that they replaced it with a higher capacity battery. I am not 100% sure about that but that’s what one Youtube video mentioned. Hopefully, I won’t need a new laptop for another few years. Thanks, Apple!
As for the keyboard, it is completely as good as it was when I first bought the laptop. Apple did get lazy and replaced it with the same butterfly design so I might have to go back on the not needing a new laptop comment. However, it feels amazing to have a working keyboard again. Overall, I was thoroughly impressed by the fast repair time. From contacting Apple for the first time to getting the laptop back, it took only 6 days. I am guessing if my Macbook didn’t have that small crack, it could’ve been as low as 4 days. That’s super fast for any kind of remote repair service. The repair was completely free for me but according to one website, out of warranty keyboard repair for Macbooks can cost somewhere between $600 – $1300, which is absolutely insane. If your Macbook is a few years old, I’d recommend hopping on the online chat right now and getting your keyboard and battery replaced. It’s totally worth it.
EDIT: After getting the Macbook back, I noticed that it abruptly shut down without a warning every time the battery went below 9%. To fix this issue, I had to reset the System Management Controller (SMC) by pressing certain keys while turning the computer on. More information can be found here. This fixed the issue.