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Apple's no-smoking warranty nonsense

November 23, 2009

AppleI'm not a smoker. I don't enjoy being in the presence of cigarette smoke. But I still had mixed feelings about the UK workplace smoking ban.

You can't argue with the health benefits, but I am not a fan of Whitehall telling people what they can and cannot do in the comfort of their own pub. And now Apple wants in on the health fascism.

According to The Consumerist, Apple repair centres in the US have recently refused to mend at least two laptops because their owners were smokers. (The full story is here: Apple 'won't repair machines belonging to smokers'.)

Typically, Apple hasn't commented on the story. (I believe the Pope remains dedicated to Roman Catholicism.)

As such, it's difficult to ascertain the true reason behind the anti-puff stance but, according to The Consumerist, Apple justified the decision to the customers by saying that the amount of residual cigarette smoke inside the computers makes it dangerous for staff to work on them. Which is up there with 'the dog ate my homework' in the excuses stake.

(For the record, The Consumerist is part of a group of respected US consumer organisations known as the Consumers Union/Consumer Reports. Think Which? in the UK. So while it's not PC Advisor's story, it's from a credible source.)

Although the story broke only late last week, The Consumerist says it has been on Apple's case about it for months, and the complaint has been raised as far as the big boss: Steve Jobs. All to no avail.

Is Apple justified in this stance? Well, no. And not least because there's nothing about smoking in the Apple warranties that these products are, in principle, covered by.

Apple repair workers absolutely have the right to work in a smoke-free environment. Of course they do. But Apple customers who purchase a product and warranty in good faith have an equal right to see that agreement adhered to without the goalposts being shifted.

Are we really to believe that Apple, in all of its technological splendour, is unable to provide a safe way of repairing machines with a bit of cigarette smoke hanging about? And how much smoke are we talking about here, really? (Have they never heard of fume cupboards or, get this: gas masks? My decrepit old school boasted both more than 20 years ago. And we had no computers.)

If a company such as Apple feels justified in denying customers repairs under warranty because of health issues, it opens up a significant can of worms. Apple has sufficient clout that if this becomes its standard process there's nothing to stop other companies following its lead. Smokers could become the second class citizens of the tech world.

And if the presence of cigarette smoke is enough to void a warranty, we should all be worried. What's next: warranties being rendered useless because a PC has been been kept in too warm or damp a room? Or used by someone deemed incompetent?

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Posted by: Matt Egan

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Comments

Posted by clif on November 23, 2009 :

if this is the case i will never buy anything from this company and also tell other not to, as i do not support fascism and discrimination.

Posted by FDR on November 23, 2009 :

I thought Apple computers were for fags only

Posted by popy on November 23, 2009 :

this is what you get buying products from a f** firm and u worth it!

Posted by james55 on November 25, 2009 :

I would like to know how they would be able to tell if I smoked or not and assuming they can tell how can they prove it was me the owner of said computer or someone visiting me. There is no way they can make this stick. I don't smoke but even if I did it is up to me no one else when I am not in a public area and until the law changes it has nothing to do with the said Company.

Posted by CoB on November 26, 2009 :

I can understand the thinking here, as anything owned by a smoker gets contaminated and stinks.

I've used a PC owned by a smoker and after using the mouse my hand smelt of stale tobacco.
The same when I borrowed some CD's, every part absolutely stunk & fely dirty to touch - it's disgusting.

Posted by Brian on November 26, 2009 :

God the worlds going mad with all these stupid rules the idiots are coming up with , Apple can stick their overpriced rubbish up their ass for all i care

Posted by moggy5 on November 26, 2009 :

Well I will never buy an Apple product....that loses them 20% of the market straight off...Arseholes!
And as for CoB....you cheapskate shit! go buy a new £3 mouse! and stop whinging you arsehole...where have all the real men gone?

Posted by moggy5 on November 26, 2009 :

Well I will never buy an Apple product....that loses them 20% of the market straight off...Arseholes!
And as for CoB....you cheapskate shit! go buy a new £3 mouse! and stop whinging you arsehole...where have all the real men gone?

Posted by CoB on November 26, 2009 :

moggy5 - don't call me a cheapskate shit!
I had merely carried out some maintenance on the PC.

Posted by Al on November 26, 2009 :

I think it's quite fair to be honest. I expect they would refuse to repair it if you had been pumping chlorine gas into it, so why should they endanger their employees just because smoking is more socially acceptable than pumping chlorine gas into your computer. Oh by the way moggy5, being comfortable with the many different toxins in cigarettes dosen't make you a real man, it makes you an idiot and eventually a dead man.

Posted by Alex Taylor on November 26, 2009 :

In don't understand what the danger might be. The computers aren't full of actual airborne smoke - they'll be covered in a thin, solid film of tar and nicotine. I can't see how touching this with fingers can be dangerous, as the most hazardous part of smoking is the effect of inhaling the tar and chemicals into the lungs.

It's like trying to argue that looking at an ashtray containing long-extinguished cigarettes can be harmful to the eyes,

Posted by dontbesuchatwat on November 28, 2009 :

It's health fascism for the government to regulate smoking in public places? Grow up, you foolish little clown. I agree that Apple is being completely over the top in the absence of any scientific evidence that toxins can accumulate on hardware and be released by working on it, but to equate that with banning smoking in public is so stupid, so mindless, so juvenile, that it really does boggle the mind. I'm amazed, frankly, that someone some clearly mentally challenged can operate a computer. Kudos. Your caregivers must be very proud.

Posted by Matt Egan on November 30, 2009 :

Wow, er thanks dontbesuchatwat, for your well thought out comments. I can't help but think that one of us looks 'juvenile', and it isn't me. As I say, you cannot argue with the health benefits of the smoking ban, and as a non smoker who plays a lot of sport I also benefit from not having to pay for other people's health care. But it is an intrusive Act, and it adversely affects small business, typically in deprived areas. On balance I am for, but it makes me feel uncomfortable (unlike Apple's stance, which is a pretty poor show). Your comments, on the other hand, make me feel slightly embarrassed on your behalf. Kudos to you for not having the bottle to give your name.

Posted by moggy5 on December 15, 2009 :

This health crap relly gets me pissed off! I as a smoker have to pay £50 per week to my dealers (The government) over and above the usual taxes and national insurance! yes I probably will die younger but I have paid the costs of my traetment many times over,Now you health freaks out there..who is paying for your treatment when you carry on into old age and need carers for your alzheimers (Yes smoking stops alzheimers) or the years of looking after feeding and asswiping you will need in your care home? So dont be so down on smokers...who wants to live forever?

PC Advisor staff
Blogger Daily news, views and thoughts from the PC Advisor staff as they put together the magazine. Collectively the PC Advisor team has over 100 years of computing experience, so as you'll imagine they're never short of an opinion or two.
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