This one started out ugly, but has a happy ending (so far).
My left command key began falling earlier this year, at 16 months old. I brought it to Apple and they wanted to charge me $450 to fix and wouldn’t even discuss it other than to say they “understood my frustration.” blah. blah. blah. I was cranky and left, with the intention of taking it to another Apple store to try again.
A few days later, Apple started their replacement program.
I took it in again (to a different store) and they were very nice. Replaced the key, as well as a few other keys that had started to fade. (Man, did those fading keys bug me).
However, the Command Key started failing again within a couple weeks, and this is where the experience finally became more Apple-like.
They immediately apologized for the recurring program and offered to replace the whole top case. “You’ll get a new battery, too, and diagnostics show your battery is at 88% or original capacity, so that will be a nice upgrade. Oh, and I see your screen is damaged from the rubbing up against your keys, we’ll get you a new screen as well”
Yes, please!
I use this machine for work and needed it the next day, so they started the ticket, put the parts on hold, and allowed me to come back in two days to drop it off. They also agreed to ship back overnight since the store is 90 miles away. When I dropped it off Thursday at 8:30p, they quoted 3-5 days for repair. Called me Saturday morning, less than 36 hours later, to tell me it was done. They shipped it same day and I received it this Tuesday morning at 10am (no mail Sunday or Monday). It looks BRAND NEW.
This keyboard has been a major pain. So many times a copy/paste (Cmd-C or Cmd-V) registered as a C or a V, causing LOTS of extra steps to do ordinary work. The fading keys and marks on the screen were a real bummer for a year old, $2,500 machine. However, I am so glad that Apple finally stepped up and did the right thing. If you’re having keyboard issues, take it to a Genius Bar near you.