MacBook Pro (Late 2013) affected with Staingate had screen replaced

My Late 2013 13″ MacBook Pro was affected with a deteriorating screen coating problem that has been dubbed Staingate. It was tolerable at first because it was around the bezel, but it recently became noticeable in the middle of the screen. Annoying as it was, buying a new screen for an old laptop was not on the top of my priority list. I saw a post on MacRumors that noted Apple extended a quality assurance program to take care of models as far back as 2012. I got in touch with support, but the rep had not heard of this program and was sorry to say my laptop was out of warranty. She did make an appointment at a local Apple Store though, something that never seems to work out well for me.

I only had to say about three words to the Genius before getting the screen replaced. I was a little worried that it wouldn’t be “bad enough” or some other excuse, but the only question asked was if I had a backup. I left it there and got an email a few hours later saying my repair was done. The bill showed a $475.59 repair turn into $0.00 thanks to “Quality Program (E1)”.

I have been less than happy with Apple’s support on numerous occasions, but they knocked it out of the park this time.

tl;dr If your screen is stained, make an appointment at an Apple Store and you will probably get a new screen for free.