For Want of a Screw

One bad thing after another happened once the proverbial horseshoe nail was lost. In the end it cost someone an entire kingdom. However, this is not about losing a nail. It’s about a few loose screws, which, hopefully, will not cost me my kingdom. Have any kingdoms been lost from the “want of a screw?” 

A couple of days ago I noticed that the bottom case of my MacBook Pro laptop seemed to be was just a bit loose. I turned it over and discovered that four of the ten tiny screws holding the case together were missing, resulting in a slight gap along the bottom rear seam of the laptop. I didn’t panic but I was concerned about dust and other potentially harmful particles having easy access to the computer’s inner workings. At any rate, I needed to replace the missing screws.

These are “special” screws that are very not the kind you can run down to Lowe’s and purchase. However, I have an active Apple Care protection plan for which I paid around $300 when I purchased my MacBook Pro in late 2011. A few small screws should not be a problem. Correct? Wrong!

I saw no reason to take up any of Apple support’s time on the phone over such a small problem so I sent them an email and asked if they would please send me some replacement screws. I could replace them myself. A week later I was still waiting for a response so I sent a second email, which, contrary to the first, was answered in less than 24-hours.

The response to my second email informed me that a phone call to the Apple Care Support Center would be necessary after all. I made the phone call and explained the problem to an Apple advisor. After being placed on hold for about two minutes I was informed that Apple will not send me the screws. It would be considered an unapproved repair if I were to replace the screws.  

I was offered three options. The first was to ship the computer to Apple in Cupertino, CA. I would be without it for at least a week. That is not an option.

The second option was to take it to an Apple Store. The closest Apple Store is in Houston, a three-hour drive and about $60 to $70 in gas. 

The third option was to take it to an approved Apple repair center. The closest approved repair service is in Tyler, about an hour and a half drive, about $30 to $35 in gas.

Not being too crazy about any of the three options, I have come up with a fourth that will work just fine until I have a good reason to drive to Houston or Tyler.  Fortunately, the MacBook Pro is silver, the same color as the duct tape.