2020 MBP 13 inch arrived dirty and with screen flicker problem

[Ultra3]

Hi everyone,

I received my 2020 13 inch MBP this morning and as this is my first Mac I had some questions because the whole experience so far has been less than satisfactory. Upon opening the computer I noticed several blemishes on the case. Some appeared to be scratches and would not go away until a micro fiber cloth was used vigorously on them which seemed good because they weren't scratches until I realized this must be some sort of substance on the computer then instead. Some also were simply black pieces of dirt that scratched off. It definitely seemed as if this brand new computer had been used despite being wrapped up like new.

Another issue arised with the power button, it seems to be pretty unresponsive sometimes requiring two taps for the computer to turn on. Lastly every time I shut down the computer there is a glitchy flash that occurs before the computer turns off. The screen also turns from a darker yellowy shade to a brighter blue one just before this occurs.

What could possibly be wrong with this machine? It is literally brand new, does anyone have any experiences with these issues? Did I get a lemon? What is going on here?

 

[ctjack]

Where did you get it from?
Anyway just return it with no further questions.

 

[coffeeplease]

Also curious where you got it from. If it's from Apple, definitely contact them to send it back and get a new one sent to you.

 

[Ultra3]

It's from Apple, I ordered two days after they launched and it took two weeks to get here. Kind of a crappy way to get introduced to the brand. Going to contact them in the morning.

 

[ctjack]

It's from Apple, I ordered two days after they launched and it took two weeks to get here. Kind of a crappy way to get introduced to the brand. Going to contact them in the morning.

Might be QC issue. It happens. Only problem is that you have to return and wait for new one.

 

[Ultra3]

Might be QC issue. It happens. Only problem is that you have to return and wait for new one.

That's an easy comment to make, as you type on your working computer. Problem is though that that's not the only problem.

That's a problem along with that fact that this occured in the first place. With a computer that costs close to $2000 quality control should be bar none. It shouldnt leave the factory in this condition at all.

 

[Jarousin]

I didn't have any screen flickering issues but lots of smears which appeared to be scratches. After some elbow grease I got them off. Weird since I've purchased quite a few Apple products over the years but never seen this.

 

[Ultra3]

I didn't have any screen flickering issues but lots of smears which appeared to be scratches. After some elbow grease I got them off. Weird since I've purchased quite a few Apple products over the years but never seen this.

That's super odd, it could be localized to this release. No flickers upon shutdown? Are you up to date software wise? If so then that suggests my problem isnt a software issue.

 

[Queen6]

Always better to wait a few months with a new model and let the factories dial in the QC

Q-6

 

[sdp77]

That's super odd, it could be localized to this release. No flickers upon shutdown? Are you up to date software wise? If so then that suggests my problem isnt a software issue.

Hi everyone,

I received my 2020 13 inch MBP this morning and as this is my first Mac I had some questions because the whole experience so far has been less than satisfactory. Upon opening the computer I noticed several blemishes on the case. Some appeared to be scratches and would not go away until a micro fiber cloth was used vigorously on them which seemed good because they weren't scratches until I realized this must be some sort of substance on the computer then instead. Some also were simply black pieces of dirt that scratched off. It definitely seemed as if this brand new computer had been used despite being wrapped up like new.

Another issue arised with the power button, it seems to be pretty unresponsive sometimes requiring two taps for the computer to turn on. Lastly every time I shut down the computer there is a glitchy flash that occurs before the computer turns off. The screen also turns from a darker yellowy shade to a brighter blue one just before this occurs.

What could possibly be wrong with this machine? It is literally brand new, does anyone have any experiences with these issues? Did I get a lemon? What is going on here?

Has your MBP been shipped from China?

 

[leman]

That's an easy comment to make, as you type on your working computer. Problem is though that that's not the only problem.

That's a problem along with that fact that this occured in the first place. With a computer that costs close to $2000 quality control should be bar none. It shouldnt leave the factory in this condition at all.

You are not wrong. But as with any mass-produced product that is handles by humans, mistakes like these happen. You were unlucky to be on the receiving end.

The value of Apple as a brand is not that they dint make mistakes (they make a lot of them). It’s how they deal with them.

 

[BoneHead001]

Return it and vigorously complain to Apple. They’ll do something for you.

 

[sakagura]

Hi everyone,

I received my 2020 13 inch MBP this morning and as this is my first Mac I had some questions because the whole experience so far has been less than satisfactory. Upon opening the computer I noticed several blemishes on the case. Some appeared to be scratches and would not go away until a micro fiber cloth was used vigorously on them which seemed good because they weren't scratches until I realized this must be some sort of substance on the computer then instead. Some also were simply black pieces of dirt that scratched off. It definitely seemed as if this brand new computer had been used despite being wrapped up like new.

Another issue arised with the power button, it seems to be pretty unresponsive sometimes requiring two taps for the computer to turn on. Lastly every time I shut down the computer there is a glitchy flash that occurs before the computer turns off. The screen also turns from a darker yellowy shade to a brighter blue one just before this occurs.

What could possibly be wrong with this machine? It is literally brand new, does anyone have any experiences with these issues? Did I get a lemon? What is going on here?

This looks like it was rushed out the factory without QC.

The flicker and hue shift when you are shutting down is normal. It's true tone switching on and off. Can also happen when booting.

 

[RusHayer]

Hello! I have the same issue - flickers upon shutdown. MacBook Pro 2020. Did you contact Apple? What did they tell you?
If my MacBook is flawed can I return it in 2 weeks just as I could return it normal? Or they will tell me I should do some extra procedures? Maybe I shouldn’t tell them about my problem and just return it? Please tell your experience, this is my first MacBook, so I confused what to do.

 

[Ultra3]

Always better to wait a few months with a new model and let the factories dial in the QC

Q-6

Yes this would have been ideal, just need a replacement for the 9 year old VAIO pretty bad right now.

Has your MBP been shipped from China?

Yes, Shanghai.

Return it and vigorously complain to Apple. They’ll do something for you.

Tried this, they were nice but they didn't really care about me. They issued a refund but the funds aren't back in the account yet.

Hello! I have the same issue - flickers upon shutdown. MacBook Pro 2020. Did you contact Apple? What did they tell you?
If my MacBook is flawed can I return it in 2 weeks just as I could return it normal? Or they will tell me I should do some extra procedures? Maybe I shouldn’t tell them about my problem and just return it? Please tell your experience, this is my first MacBook, so I confused what to do.

So i'll attach my update below your post since its very relevant for you.

Update

I spoke to Apple this morning, the guy apologized for the hassle then told me that my local Apple store was going to be opening today, he also said there was a chance they would have my config in stock (base with 16gb of ram). So I ran down there, they didn't have it but they took mine back and issued a refund. The girl in the store that did the refund told me a debit refund should appear on the statement immediately but its been a couple hours now and it still hasn't. Hopefully it shows up soon.

RusHayer I would check and see if your local Apple store is open and if so you can return it there and save yourself however long it would take to get to Apple through the mail. This is my first Macbook too so its a crappy experience for the both of us. If the next one is bad i'll buy another VAIO. Also last thing is I tried turning true tone off before I returned it and then shutting it down and it got rid of the glitch, but the glitch on mine looked so bad that I feel like it wouldn't be long before that display goes kaput (and we all know how much that would cost). So I returned it anyway. I will report back with the condition of the next machine.

 

[RusHayer]

Thanks for your answer! We don’t have Apple Stores in my country. I ordered my MacBook through Apple official site, it was delivered by courier. They say I can return it without questions in 14 days (they will send courier). But I was afraid that in my case they would tell me before we make the decision to make refund we need to do extra check, analysis etc. I’m glad that in your case they agreed to refund instantly. I will ask for the same and try one more time Please tell if your next MacBook will be fine

 

[Ultra3]

*Update*

After a long struggle with trying to get in touch with a supervisor through customer service (I was told I'd be called in a week but I wasnt called for 2 1/2 weeks), I managed to get a significant discount to try another macbook pro. It arrived today, it is clean this time but the screen flicker issue continues to persist. Such an extreme let down to have to deal with this again.

Any 2020 Macbook owners not experiencing this issue?

 

[Ultra3]

*Update*

I spoke with an apple tech and completed an "SMC reset". This seems to have remedied that problem. However, unfortunately a new odd problem has presented itself. Every time I close the laptop and open it I am greeted by the same apple loading bar that appears upon startup. It appears for 1 full second and then goes away to show my desktop. Has anyone dealt with this issue and is there a known fix for it?

 

[pshufd]

That's an easy comment to make, as you type on your working computer. Problem is though that that's not the only problem.

That's a problem along with that fact that this occured in the first place. With a computer that costs close to $2000 quality control should be bar none. It shouldnt leave the factory in this condition at all.

It shouldn't but things happen in the modern supply-chain.

I think that it's a good idea to always have at least one backup computer. At the moment, I have a main, a backup and a backup to the backup. It's all old equipment but I can use all of them for work.

 

[Ultra3]

*Update*

SMC Reset fixed the problem for a day, the glitch issue has returned along with the loading bar after sleep issue. I called support again today and went through a bunch of trouble shooting with support staff (including reseting the vram) to no avail. Do I try a third Macbook? Is that even reasonable? I asked the woman helping me and she told me that something was definitely wrong because her own mbp did not behave like this.

I do have a back up, my trusty PC workhorse. Im not stuck without a computer, just stuck with the qualities I ascribed to Apple shattering before my eyes. Suppose i'll try another SMC reset.

 

[RusHayer]

*Update*

SMC Reset fixed the problem for a day, the glitch issue has returned along with the loading bar after sleep issue. I called support again today and went through a bunch of trouble shooting with support staff (including reseting the vram) to no avail. Do I try a third Macbook? Is that even reasonable? I asked the woman helping me and she told me that something was definitely wrong because her own mbp did not behave like this.

I do have a back up, my trusty PC workhorse. Im not stuck without a computer, just stuck with the qualities I ascribed to Apple shattering before my eyes. Suppose i'll try another SMC reset.

Hello! How does your story evolved? You returned notebook to Apple? I had flicker problem with two MBP 2020 in a row and after that Apple returned me money. After two months I ordered one more time and really hope there will be no flickers at last.

 

[pshufd]

Hello! How does your story evolved? You returned notebook to Apple? I had flicker problem with two MBP 2020 in a row and after that Apple returned me money. After two months I ordered one more time and really hope there will be no flickers at last.

It could be just bad batches. It does happen.