Apple refuse to repair smoker's Macs!

I just stumbled upon an article from November 2009 in PC Pro that mentions this. Apparently the US Apple stores have been refusing to service or repair Macs if the user is a smoker. The reason they say is that cigarette smoke is considered a bio-hazard.

The full article can be found here.

I must say it has never been nice needing to open up and work on a computer when the owner has been a smoker. Apart from the cigarette smoke and nicotine smells lingering on the case, there is always that light nicotine/tar film on the case that feels horrible to touch, and inside the case it is always quite bad.

For an extreme idea of what a combination of smoking and pet hair can do to the insides of a PC, take a look at this:

Attachment 644

I've not encountered the inside of a computer quite that bad, but I have repaired some about 70% as bad. In one the graphics card was covered in so much dust and pet hair that the fan had stopped moving!

So does anyone here still smoke, and if so do you smoke whilst using your computer? And do you realise how badly it can affect the components?

What do you think about Apple's stance against smokers? Should they have the same rights as non-smokers in service and repair of their hardware, or much like a smoker's choice to smoke knowing the medical risks to themselves, should they also accept that in smoking around their computer they also put it at a health risk?

Originally Posted by Harrison:
So does anyone here still smoke, and if so do you smoke whilst using your computer?

No and no.

Originally Posted by Harrison:
And do you realise how badly it can affect the components?

Yes. My brother's a smoker and a few months ago during some hot days his computer fried. I've opened it and it was an apocalypse of tar and black dust...

Originally Posted by Harrison:
What do you think about Apple's stance against smokers?

They have a point, but...

Originally Posted by Harrison:
Should they have the same rights as non-smokers in service and repair of their hardware, or much like a smoker's choice to smoke knowing the medical risks to themselves, should they also accept that in smoking around their computer they also put it at a health risk?

... what they're gonna do? Hire smokers to repair smoker's computers?
My solution: fix the computer, require some cash "penalty" for the messy parts and working with them.