# Smoking Near Apple Computers Creates Biohazard, Voids Warranty



## Mumbodog

http://consumerist.com/5408885/smoking-near-apple-computers-creates-biohazard-voids-warranty

.


> I took my mid 2007 apple macbook (black) into the Jordan Creek Apple Store in West Des Moines, Iowa, on Saturday, April 25th, because I had been experiencing some issues with it overheating, and figured the fan was bad. After some initial testing, they took the computer in for work under my Applecare plan, which has over a year remaining on it.
> 
> Today, April, 28, 2008, the Apple store called and informed me that due to the computer having been used in a house where there was smoking, that has voided the warranty and they refuse to work on the machine, due to "health risks of second hand smoke".


.


----------



## Frank4d

Another good reason to not buy a Mac.


----------



## Mumbodog

Next it will be,"we found Oreo cookie crumbs in the keyboard, sorry warranty voided"


Stupid imho


.


----------



## bp936

REALLY ??? 
Maybe the computer smoked because the fan didn't work. 
People seem to confuse smell with smoke.


----------



## Mumbodog

I think the PC smoked because it could not deal with the pressure and prestige of being a MAC.


.


----------



## namenotfound

Frank4d said:


> Another good reason to not buy a Mac.


Or another good reason not to smoke 

Smoking is a bad habit, that can lead to lung cancer. Nasty!


----------



## bp936

namenotfound said:


> Or another good reason not to smoke
> 
> Smoking is a bad habit, that can lead to lung cancer. Nasty!


regardless, I hope this was written in the smallprint of the sales contract, that smoking in the house of a Mac owner is not allowed or else warranty is void.


----------



## namenotfound

bp936 said:


> regardless, I hope this was written in the smallprint of the sales contract, that smoking in the house of a Mac owner is not allowed or else warranty is void.


True, if it's not written than you can take Apple to court over this. If Apple doesn't put it in print, then they are responsible to honor the warranty.


----------



## JohnWill

Time for a class action lawsuit.


----------



## ozziebeanie

http://network.nationalpost.com/np/...-to-fix-your-computer-if-you-re-a-smoker.aspx

It's well known that Apple CEO Steve Jobs is a bit of a health nut, but this may be taking things too far.
If you're a smoker and a Mac user, Apple may refuse to fix your computer.

Consumerist is reporting that two Apple customers from different parts of the United States have seen their Applecare warranty packages voided because the computers were used by smokers and contained tar and second hand smoke. 
Apparently, Apple won't let its technicians work on computers that come from smoking households due to risks associated with second hand smoke.

(Second hand smoke? man those people must be tiny if they are inside the computers still smoking)

Not that I have ever had a warranty other than the 12 months that comes with any hardware you buy, I would never buy warranty packages. 

Another excuse to not fulfill a promise I guess.:down:

Its one thing to complain that someone is smoking while you are trying to eat a meal at a restaurant or someone is drink driving and running over people and you are demanding justice. 

Personally I think that voiding a warranty is going a bit far, or is that how the big companies make money?


----------



## Mumbodog

Beat you to it Beanie.....

http://forums.techguy.org/tech-related-news/879218-smoking-near-apple-computers-creates.html


----------



## ozziebeanie

(laughing) That will teach me not to scroll down and not just assume, just because I received that in a tech alert that is has not been seen.

Thanks Mumbodog


----------



## guy2

That's the stupidest thing iv almost ever read ,O well just another reason not to buy their junk ,what am i talking about they blow.


----------



## spud_upb

I can't say that I totally agree with this, but as tech support personnel for a university I have seen some personal computers that come in with tar just caked on the innards of the computer; warranty voiding if I have ever seen it. A flat no working on smoker's computers is definitely too harsh, but when you find cigarette buttes inside the computer, tar caked to the innards, or burn marks on the outside don't expect it to be covered under warranty; no matter what is wrong with it.


----------



## Mumbodog

I agree, but that is not the case for this article, they stated there was only one smoker in the house, and it was not their PC.

Nice example of what you are talking about though.










.


----------



## guy2

Because of just smoking ,i don't think so but im sure smoking can contribute to such a catastrophic mess because it leave's a thin sticky film that attracts more junk.

Probably a bad air filter or no air filter in the home ventilation system made it like that


----------



## spud_upb

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/03/health/research/03smoke.html Maybe it is because of the risk of "Third Hand Smoke"


----------



## aka Brett

We wonder why people go postal?
A person pays through the teeth to own a mac to begin with..


----------



## Mumbodog

> Time for a class action lawsuit.


I doubt it will make it past a jury, smokers are being targeted again.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/03/health/research/03smoke.html?_r=2

.


----------



## Cookiegal

I've combined these two threads together since they are discussing the same topic.


----------



## guy2

I wounder what products or companies are next to incorporate this policy.

They must be taking advice from insurance companies.


----------



## aka Brett

In theory people shouldnt be allowed to go in a cafe,a bar,a taxi anywhere someone has smoked,half of the people will need to sell their houses and move to a new one that no one has smoked in.
It amazes me just how whiny the world is getting and people back up the whiners..finding a reason however ludicrous it is to support such petty acts...The mac belonged to a smoker dont service it you might die.This is like someone not dumping an ashtray..might kill you.I can see a trend starting....A worker at Hardees not dumping an ashtray....Since its dangerous to touch it,it cant be moved,,the place is now a hazard zone...Used cars..the same..what are we going to do with them...A smoker has been in the car its dangerous.

Better yet the entire atmosphere has been contaminated with cigarette smoke..Maybe we should live in the ocean,,but wait many a butts have been tossed overboard can do that either.

Its crazy that there are people actually backing the apple policy on this.
Personally I would quit and find another job if it has such policies to screw its customers...seriously


----------



## guy2

Lets put a ban on apple because they sell junkie computers 

and do i hate those stupid commercials


----------



## bp936




----------



## namenotfound

guy2 said:


> Lets put a ban on apple because they sell junkie computers


Actually not really, I would say HP is the one with the junkie computers. Man do I hate HP computers, and Gateway, and Toshiba. I like Sony, Apple, & Dell.


----------



## aka Brett

namenotfound said:


> Actually not really, I would say HP is the one with the junkie computers. Man do I hate HP computers, and Gateway, and Toshiba. I like Sony, Apple, & Dell.


I see alot of old HPs happily chugging along happily myself so I dont know if thats a fair statement.
One thing though..whether a pc is above average quality or the best,it drops down the scale with poor service after the sale..I tend to weigh this more than many others perhaps...Some shop to mainly get the most bang for the buck,others place alot of weight on service.
IMO Apple is making a bad customers relations picture for those that get turned down for warranty service...IMO they sound like spolied brats...Not all jobs are easy we take the good with the bad....stuck lugnuts on a car..should the tire guy turn it away?......how about to steep a roof for the roofer?...How about a refrigerator delivery?....Sorry but you live on the 3rd floor...not going to do we only take the easy jobs.

In order to have smoking make a differance for a pc in 2 years you would have to smoke alot..i mean alot,but yet you can still clean off most of the lint,giving the user back most of his cooling back...a nice explanation to the user that a steady diet of smoke isnt good for the unit and the machine has been brought back to a usable state,but a continued smoke diet will kill it.

As said just because you smoke doesnt mean you will gaum your machine.
What we have our people that dont want to have to earn their money..and or deny a claim..which apple is jumping right on and backing there reps.....this will cost sales..the user wont buy apple again neither will people that know first hand of the screwing..friends and family.

Almost sounds like union brats lol..Apple


----------



## namenotfound

aka Brett said:


> I see alot of old HPs happily chugging along happily myself so I dont know if thats a fair statement.


The reason I hate HP is because their computers are loaded with annoying software made by HP. Almost every HP product has these annoying apps that ALWAYS jump out of the corner of the screen and yell "hey read this" or "hey do this" Their "HP Solution Notices" make me want to throw the computer against the wall. Even if your computer isn't HP, but lets say you have an HP printer and load their printer software, you'll still get those annoying pop-up notices. Also, I think the towers are too small, trying to switch out a drive in the computer tower can be a real hassle. I tried fixing my grandfather's HP computer yesterday, and it was a pain to do.

As for the smokers, whoever smokes around a computer is an idiot, in my opinion. I know lots of people that smoke, and out of all of them, none of them do it around their computer. The only electronic device I ever see anyone smoke around, is their cellphone. And that's only because you're out and about with it.


----------



## guy2

namenotfound said:


> Actually not really, I would say HP is the one with the junkie computers. Man do I hate HP computers, and Gateway, and Toshiba. I like Sony, Apple, & Dell.


Sony and Apple are for ''Cool celebrities'' like in the commercials ,you know...

I really don't care what my computer looks like iv got stickers and scratches all over it and they aren't cool one's but you know what is cool ,my cheap 300$ Toshiba laptop ,brothers free acer and my 50$ asus tower has never had any problems and are always faster than many or these computers i clean up for friends.

I don't buy computers from store or listen to commercials


----------



## ozziebeanie

Never brought a brand name already made up computer for personal use, (outside a work situation that is), my very first computer my dad built, when I upgraded from that, it was one I built, and built the ones I have had since, I just brought parts.

As to laptops only worked on those in the work situation and I still don't like them despite working on heaps of them.

When in the work situation its easier to just erase what is on the hard drives desktop or laptop, than spending forever getting rid of the amount of crap these companies put on there.

While looking for work in between short contract jobs, I have been cleaning out peoples computers they have just brought as every time they booted up, window after window kept popping up, because of all the crap these companies put on there. 

In one way its a good thing, part of what I am earning is from cleaning up that same crap.


----------



## namenotfound

guy2 said:


> Sony and Apple are for ''Cool celebrities'' like in the commercials ,you know...
> 
> I really don't care what my computer looks like iv got stickers and scratches all over it and they aren't cool one's but you know what is cool ,my cheap 300$ Toshiba laptop ,brothers free acer and my 50$ asus tower has never had any problems and are always faster than many or these computers i clean up for friends.
> 
> I don't buy computers from store or listen to commercials


I don't buy based on "cool celebrities." I buy based on if the computer actually works. I find the three I listed as "dislike" to be complete crap based on experience of both myself and others. I find the three I listed as "like" to be good solid machines that has the ability to handle what I threw at it.


----------



## ozziebeanie

I think it's based mostly on experience as to what people like, and what they use it for, I had a friend that brought a laptop turned out it was faulty they finally replaced it and he sold it after having no end of problems with it before it was replaced, and swears he will never use that brand again, and yet I hear others say they love it. 

But even the best brands can have the odd faulty one come out, (if you buy already made up computers that is) and that to the poor person that gets that odd one, colours there opinion about it, and will say its rubbish, and on the other hand most that got a good one will swear that its the best thing since sliced bread.

The same goes if you just buy parts, the law of nature, is that sooner or later you are going to get a dud part

I know myself I don't care what someone says about a computer good or bad I stick to what I have been happy with and sometimes buy depending on what I want a machine to do, and get to use new stuff.

We all have our favorites, it's the same with programs, because people related to programs in different ways, some seem easier to someone else, but I find it hard, and yet some programs I think are easy, others can not work out how I think its so easy, which is why there are programs about that do the same things as other programs, we all gravitate to what we like.

Would it not be boring if we all liked the same thing?

Love the pic BP936, funny.


----------



## ozziebeanie

Mumbodog said:


> I agree, but that is not the case for this article, they stated there was only one smoker in the house, and it was not their PC.
> 
> Nice example of what you are talking about though.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> .


Looks more like its been through a flood, and then dried out, very obvious this person does not clean dust out of there computer, I thought I had come across a few doozies (close) but this one takes the cake, that dust in there, sure is thick in there.

Hope that person does not own a pet. if this is how he/she takes care of their computer


----------



## theriddles

What a bunch of douches bags!!


----------



## guy2

This looks like what happens when you leave dead batteries leaking in a device for very long time.

I still cant see this happening from just flooding or cigs ,it could be a combination of a few environmental conditions. Iv seen something like this in air conditioning units so it could very well be thick air and corrosion of the aluminum. It's not hard to tell dirty air has been going threw it but you can also see the aluminum is trashed in some areas like the large capacitors look like they expanded.


----------



## ozziebeanie

I tell you something, if any of my previous employers even thought I would let a computer of mine or one in the work place get like this, they would not have paid for any schooling I did to gain certificates.


----------



## KNOW_FEAR_666

the thing is i hate apple anyway and would refuse to buy anything that make in the first place but this is just stupid ... surely the "smoke" would have gon by then i mean tar is disgisting but is it a health risk ?!


----------



## namenotfound

KNOW_FEAR_666 said:


> tar is disgisting but is it a health risk ?!


Is that a serious question? YES, yes it is. Any medical specialist will tell you tar is a health risk.


----------



## KNOW_FEAR_666

namenotfound said:


> Is that a serious question? YES, yes it is. Any medical specialist will tell you tar is a health risk.


yes it was a serious question but i'm gessing it is only a risk if you eat it or something stupid like that ... but anyhow sutch things are trivial ... if it is a health risk shurely the tecnitans should have the corect PPE !!!


----------



## guy2

Have you ever considered it's not in smoke form?

This makes a big difference unless the technician's are eating the stuff.


----------



## bp936

namenotfound said:


> Is that a serious question? YES, yes it is. Any medical specialist will tell you tar is a health risk.


then nobody should drive on the roads, many are tar, not cement.:down:

and what about if the computer itself smokes?


----------



## bp936

and no Apple employee should ever barbecue


----------



## Mumbodog

> Any medical specialist will tell you tar is a health risk.


Especially when combined with feathers!

: -)

.


----------



## bp936




----------



## bp936

it is dangerous to sit on a chair


----------



## bp936




----------



## aka Brett

bp936 said:


> then nobody should drive on the roads, many are tar, not cement.:down:
> 
> And what about if the computer itself smokes?


:d:d


----------



## aka Brett

bp936 said:


> and no Apple employee should ever barbecue


I like your way of thinking on this


----------



## ozziebeanie

They recon mobile phones are dangerous also, wonder how many technicians have those?

Wonder how many work in buildings that have not very well maintained air cons, or in poorly ventilated areas?

Or work in places that have crap lighting, straining eyes?

I have a dust allergy, all computers unless brand new that I open, have dust, some of them quite bad, but I still open them and still clean them.

Then there are the things outside the work place, I have had work outside buildings and its still computer related.

Up on roofs using equipment to get up there that is a bit sus, in 40 something deg heat - (That is over 100 in usa temps,) I have been up on a roofs putting a dish up there at 46 degs which is around 110 usa temps

Travel out to even more remote places by car, along roads that have kangaroos or wild pig, amongst other critters, (that can do quite a bit of damage) that is over and above other things you have to watch for when driving.

When you travel to work environments that you are not used to, making sure you are aware of other things you have to watch out for.

e.g. at one place cattle (am not kidding)

The original news item I saw specifically stated - second hand smoke, so unless they actually receive computer that is on fire or when switched on some part starts to smoke, I fail to see how second hand smoke can affect technicians.

I am all for the work place looking after their workers, but the same as some unions, religions and other extremists etc, some go to far.


----------



## namenotfound

bp936 said:


> then nobody should drive on the roads, many are tar, not cement.:down:


The roads aren't tar, they're asphalt!


----------



## guy2

namenotfound said:


> The roads aren't tar, they're asphalt!


What do you think makes those little pebbles stick together?


----------



## bp936

> tar, often called "coal tar" is a byproduct of the destructive distillation of coal





> Asphalt is a petroleum residue left over from the distillation of crude oil.


both are not healthy, especially when first poured. Both are used to pave roads, alone or mixed.

The point is, Apple just wants to wiggle itself out of warranty.Smokers are the easiest target. 
Why don't they make other destructive behaviour, or hazardous living illegal and then no one is responsible for anything.


----------



## guy2

My grandmothers dealer ship does this same thing ,they tried to charge her 600$!!! for balancing and a new rim and threaten her is what i like to call it ,they said they would drop her from her warranty because of not bending over for a petty rim ,she kind of mess up going to them in the first place for something that simple but she don't know ,she's 75! 

I finally got her to trust me and let me handle it on the low

Corporations are all gangsters and weasels at some point but we have no choice but to buy their scam or else we would not function properly in society and they know it all too well.


----------



## robinofloxley

Ex service engineer....

Smoking is no problem. But I am a smoker (so biased). Can't do it these days at work.

Worst probs in our unit were occasional winter driving off the road.

Units would come in, saturated with water and covered in mud.
We cleaned them up fine, although it took a few days of disassembly and drying out.

(Computer based, mobile, roadside cabling machines)

All the customers smoked. Nicotine residue was the last of our worries.
And you don't get cancer that way anyway.

We used to answer the phone too on our Helpline.
(When was the last time you phoned and got straight through to the horse's mouth?)

Anyway, funniest call I ever got....

One of our customers was giving a training course and rang up asking for me.
I knew him, bit of an idiot.,Lucky I was at my desk.

Because he said "My machine is on fire. What do I do?"

The scenarios ran through my brain in a second, including Phone the Fire Brigade, before I managed to gabble "Err Turn it off NOW"

He rang back 10 mins later to say it was just the fan had jammed and was smoking. Probably just the bearing. Thanks China.

Phew...by that time I was already wondering about product recalls and all sorts.
But deep down, I knew our machines were very safe.


----------



## Mumbodog

> All the customers smoked. Nicotine residue was the last of our worries.
> And you don't get cancer that way anyway.


http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/03/health/research/03smoke.html



> The central message here is that simply closing the kitchen door to take a smoke is not protecting the kids from the effects of that smoke," he said. "There are carcinogens in this third-hand smoke, and they are a cancer risk for anybody of any age who comes into contact with them."





> The roads aren't tar, they're asphalt!


.

http://www.asphaltkingdom.com/what-is-asphalt.html



> So, what is asphalt? Asphalt is defined as a cement-like material that contains bitumen's that occur in nature or are obtained in petroleum processing. Bitumen is the term for black or dark semisolid or viscous material that is composed of high molecular weight hydrocarbons. Types of bitumen include tar and pitches that are made from coal. Most asphalt is currently made from the material that remains after gasoline or other fractions have been removed from crude oil.


.


----------



## robinofloxley

Yeah OK Mumbo, but you are US (NY Times link) and I am UK.

And as I said we dont smoke at work any more or in bars.

And "all our customers" were roadside contractors. 
And their utility vehicles are classified as the workplace, so they cannot smoke anymore. At least not when the boss is looking.

Or it's £75 (more than a hundred bucks) if the local authority or traffic police catch you throwing the butt away.

I agree with that. Littering is antisocial.
Butts get taken home. Not in the Biblical sense.


----------

