I Got a New Apple Charger for Free

I walked into the Apple Store at the Maine Mall fearing the worst. My charger died a painful death and I thought my wallet was about to do the same. To my surprise, I wasn't charged a penny. I think I used a magic word.

"It nearly caught FIRE."

That's what I told the Genius at the front entrance of the Apple Store. I didn't say it harshly, or with an accusatory tone, but simply stated the facts and emphasized the word "FIRE". As in, smoldering, sparking, orange-glowing heat from around the power adaptor's strain relief component.

It happened at work on Monday. I plugged the laptop in at my desk after getting off the air. A few minutes later, the screen went dark. I use an large external screen at my desk to make video production easier, so the laptop has to be plugged into a power supply for that to work. I opened the laptop, wiggled the mouse to wake it up, and started the process over. The screen fell asleep again and again. After the fourth time, I got frustrated. I looked down at the power cord to see if it was loose in the outlet. That's when I saw the orange glowing edges and smelled the very faint aroma of melting plastic.

I immediately pulled the plug and showed the adaptor to Jeff.

"Yep, it's overheating." Jeff, my own personal Apple Genius, just one cubicle away.

At the Apple Store, I was quickly shuffled to the front of the Genius Bar line. I wasn't grumpy, I didn't throw a fit, and I had a smile on my face the whole time. I was fully prepared to purchase a new charger, so although $80 is steep, I knew the expense was coming. I had no reason to be cross with the associates.

"I'll take care of that for you!" said the Apple Genius, mirroring my sunny disposition.

He returned a short three minutes later with a brand new charger in hand.

"You're all set!"

Really? I walked out of the store without dropping a dime.

SCORE! So how did I luck out with a free charger? Was it was emphasis on the word FIRE? Or was it my positive attitude? Or do they do this for everyone with adaptor complaints? Did they recognize me from Q97.9 and want to treat me like a celebrity? (Just kidding, that's not legal, and no one knows who I am.)

And with that, Apple reminded me why I love them so much. They've made me a raving fan from day one. I drove next door to Verizon Wireless to preorder my new iPhone 6S.

That was not free.