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RealSkyDiver

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jun 15, 2010
569
167
I had mine replaced because of light-leakage and now I'm extremely frustrated that they replaced it with one that has at least one very noticeable dead pixel and tons of dust-specs behind the screen. Is this suppose to be standard procedure?? Just by booting up it's already noticeable that this is not how you suppose to return an "fixed" product.
Now I have to haul it in again and warranty expires on Sunday.....
 

krawfo

macrumors regular
May 4, 2011
189
10
I had mine replaced a couple of weeks ago and everything looks great. The job is only as good as the tech doing it.
 

jehartley

macrumors member
Sep 30, 2012
92
0
I had my 2013 27 inch LCD replaced at an Apple store a few weeks ago because of a mura spot on display. When i picked it up, it didn't work, so they ordered another one. Once that was installed it was great...no issues at all.
 

RealSkyDiver

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jun 15, 2010
569
167
At least they have a 90 days warranty for replacement parts. Let's see how many times I have to bring it in before they get it right, but carrying something this big and heavy around is certainly not fun. I'm starting to understand why they made it thiner and lighter.
 

Dirtyharry50

macrumors 68000
May 17, 2012
1,769
183
At least they have a 90 days warranty for replacement parts. Let's see how many times I have to bring it in before they get it right, but carrying something this big and heavy around is certainly not fun. I'm starting to understand why they made it thiner and lighter.

I had an LCD replaced twice but I had AppleCare so the work was done here in my home. It needs yet another replacement so at this point they are just replacing the entire system for me. In my case, the issue was heat damaging the LCD and even the glass panel. On top of that the GPU failed, the DVD drive failed and were both replaced and they also installed 3 new fans for good measure. This was on a mid-2011 27" iMac.

Your repair was completely unacceptable. As far as I am concerned, anything less than a perfect display is unacceptable. We pay good money for a premium computer and that is what we can fairly expect to get. I have found Apple to be very good in agreeing with me here and working to solve the problems up to and including a brand new replacement iMac. Having AppleCare was the key though. I've owned this more than 2 years now and I would never have gotten on-site service without it.

Good luck with the next repair. I hope this time is the charm and you are all set.
 

NZPilgrim

macrumors newbie
Nov 3, 2011
21
1
New Zealand
I had an LCD replaced twice but I had AppleCare so the work was done here in my home. It needs yet another replacement so at this point they are just replacing the entire system for me. In my case, the issue was heat damaging the LCD and even the glass panel. On top of that the GPU failed, the DVD drive failed and were both replaced and they also installed 3 new fans for good measure. This was on a mid-2011 27" iMac.

The mid 2011 iMac's seem to feature quite a lot when people talk about repairs to their machines. Mine has so far had a complete LCD replacement in its first year (second one is still going strong so far), hard drive replacement and now a GPU replacement. It was the last one for me that was particularly annoying because even though it was failing constantly at home, it never failed the Apple hardware tests and never happened when it was in the shop. Consequently it took 4 trips to the authorised repairer before it finally failed the test and was replaced.

Thankfully it's all covered under Apple Care but I'm not looking forward to the point where that runs out.
 

Dirtyharry50

macrumors 68000
May 17, 2012
1,769
183
The mid 2011 iMac's seem to feature quite a lot when people talk about repairs to their machines. Mine has so far had a complete LCD replacement in its first year (second one is still going strong so far), hard drive replacement and now a GPU replacement. It was the last one for me that was particularly annoying because even though it was failing constantly at home, it never failed the Apple hardware tests and never happened when it was in the shop. Consequently it took 4 trips to the authorised repairer before it finally failed the test and was replaced.

Thankfully it's all covered under Apple Care but I'm not looking forward to the point where that runs out.

Which GPU was it? As of 2 months ago, they still had a program in place to replace 6970m GPUs due to a known issue with them. Mine kept shutting itself off, presumably due to heat. When I called in about this particular issue, they knew about it already and immediately setup an on-site appointment for me to get it replaced along with some other work. I didn't have to prove anything to anyone.

Also, if it is more convent for you and you live within 50 miles of an Apple authorized and trained service tech company (Not Apple but there are such repair techs they use all over North America at least), you are entitled to on-site service for your iMac with AppleCare. I had 3 on-site service calls and I live in a rather rural location but it was close enough to civilization for a tech to be available to come out to me.

I've never dealt with an Apple Store tech although I've read enough stories to wonder if you aren't better off dealing with AppleCare over the phone and asking for on-site. I had very good experience that way even if the machine kept having problems. The actual repairs were done properly by pros.

Also, if they need to fix your machine too many times while it is still under warranty, I think it becomes reasonable to ask for a replacement. I did and they granted the request with a brand new iMac I should be getting by the end of next week. At some point, they get tired of throwing money at it probably as much as you become tired of being inconvenienced with issues and repairs. I think their general rule of thumb is if the same problem needs fixing 3 times it becomes time to consider the option of replacement. In my case, we were at the point of me needing LCD number 3 and they aren't cheap. However, if I had enough miscellaneous troubles, I'd still ask for that because I expect a certain level of quality from Apple which I am willing to pay for but also expect to get.
 
Last edited:

NZPilgrim

macrumors newbie
Nov 3, 2011
21
1
New Zealand
Which GPU was it? As of 2 months ago, they still had a program in place to replace 6970m GPUs due to a known issue with them. Mine kept shutting itself off, presumably due to heat. When I called in about this particular issue, they knew about it already and immediately setup an on-site appointment for me to get it replaced along with some other work. I didn't have to prove anything to anyone.

Also, if it is more convent for you and you live within 50 miles of an Apple authorized and trained service tech company (Not Apple but there are such repair techs they use all over North America at least), you are entitled to on-site service for your iMac with AppleCare. I had 3 on-site service calls and I live in a rather rural location but it was close enough to civilization for a tech to be available to come out to me.

I've never dealt with an Apple Store tech although I've read enough stories to wonder if you aren't better off dealing with AppleCare over the phone and asking for on-site. I had very good experience that way even if the machine kept having problems. The actual repairs were done properly by pros.

Also, if they need to fix your machine too many times while it is still under warranty, I think it becomes reasonable to ask for a replacement. I did and they granted the request with a brand new iMac I should be getting by the end of next week. At some point, they get tired of throwing money at it probably as much as you become tired of being inconvenienced with issues and repairs. I think their general rule of thumb is if the same problem needs fixing 3 times it becomes time to consider the option of replacement. In my case, we were at the point of me needing LCD number 3 and they aren't cheap. However, if I had enough miscellaneous troubles, I'd still ask for that because I expect a certain level of quality from Apple which I am willing to pay for but also expect to get.

I'm not actually sure that applies for me because I live in New Zealand. Every time I've dealt with the Apple Care people about the issues they raise a ticket and then say to take it to an authorised repair centre (we don't have any actual Apple stores here).

The GPU was the 6970 and the symptoms I was getting were exactly what the Apple advisory stated. When I raised that with the repair centre though they said it had to fail the Apple supplied test before Apple would authorise a replacement. The repair centre I used was the one most conveniently located near my house and to be honest I'm not sure how good they are. I used a different repair centre for the LCD replacement and their level of professionalism and service was light years ahead. It's just unfortunate that they are a pain to get to, especially when you're lugging a 27" iMac.
 

Dirtyharry50

macrumors 68000
May 17, 2012
1,769
183
I'm not actually sure that applies for me because I live in New Zealand. Every time I've dealt with the Apple Care people about the issues they raise a ticket and then say to take it to an authorised repair centre (we don't have any actual Apple stores here).

The GPU was the 6970 and the symptoms I was getting were exactly what the Apple advisory stated. When I raised that with the repair centre though they said it had to fail the Apple supplied test before Apple would authorise a replacement. The repair centre I used was the one most conveniently located near my house and to be honest I'm not sure how good they are. I used a different repair centre for the LCD replacement and their level of professionalism and service was light years ahead. It's just unfortunate that they are a pain to get to, especially when you're lugging a 27" iMac.

Sorry to hear that. They should have known enough to repair that GPU with no questions asked immediately, never mind requiring some test to prove it. That's unfortunate.

You might want to give AppleCare a call and see if on-site is available in New Zealand just in case it is where you aren't happy with the nearby store. I would most certainly want to deal with AppleCare on the phone and not the store if you continue to have problems with that machine.

I hope this is it for you and all is well after that.
 
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