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Anyone have a stuck/dead pixel they can live with?

B

Branskins

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Dec 8, 2008
1,235
180
Hey everyone, I noticed shortly after I bought my Mac last week that I had a stuck pixel. I don't know if it was there when I first turned it on or not, but I have been trying to ignore it, and really the reason is that if people see it, they will think what I have is defective, when it is really only one pixel that I can probably work back awake.

My question is, I know I have OCD-tendencies, so I was wondering if there are people out there that have a stuck/dead pixel that they are okay with having on the screen!

Sorry for the weird post, but I was hoping to find some posters who have gotten over the fact that a pixel of theirs is dead/stuck.
 
Branskins said:
Hey everyone, I noticed shortly after I bought my Mac last week that I had a stuck pixel. I don't know if it was there when I first turned it on or not, but I have been trying to ignore it, and really the reason is that if people see it, they will think what I have is defective, when it is really only one pixel that I can probably work back awake.

My question is, I know I have OCD-tendencies, so I was wondering if there are people out there that have a stuck/dead pixel that they are okay with having on the screen!

Sorry for the weird post, but I was hoping to find some posters who have gotten over the fact that a pixel of theirs is dead/stuck.
Click to expand...

I know people who have dead pixels and never even see them until I point them out. Then they kind of shrug and immediately proceed to forget about its existence.

I on the other hand have never been able to get over even a corner-residing single dead pixel. It just kills me. I used to tell myself that I would get over it eventually, but I never do, so these days if I receive a unit with a dead pixel I just return it immediately. It's not worth the stress :D

In essence it all depends on what kind of user you are. Some people can live with minor screen defects, others can't.
 
Hannify said:
these days if I receive a unit with a dead pixel I just return it immediately. It's not worth the stress :D

In essence it all depends on what kind of user you are. Some people can live with minor screen defects, others can't.
Click to expand...

Doesn't Apple have the 7 pixel return policy though?
 
I thought about possibly asking Apple to replace it because I read there are some Geniuses that would do it, but I do not know if I want to go through the hassle.

What if I get a new unit with more dead/stuck pixels? What if it was one stuck/dead pixel again that was even in a worse spot (this one is slightly above the dock).

I am debating whether or not to take it in and find out what they can do, but then again it isn't the end of the world for me.
 
rgarjr said:
Doesn't Apple have the 7 pixel return policy though?
Click to expand...

I don't think for products that arrived like that. I had a little piece of dust in my screen, and they replaced the screen no problems. :)
Also, is it just me, or is Apple's Support page screwed up? I typed in 'Dead Pixel Policy' and it returned results with 'Articles' and 'Resolutions'. lol
 
guydude193 said:
I don't think for products that arrived like that. I had a little piece of dust in my screen, and they replaced the screen no problems. :)
Also, is it just me, or is Apple's Support page screwed up? I typed in 'Dead Pixel Policy' and it returned results with 'Articles' and 'Resolutions'. lol
Click to expand...

How would I prove it arrived like this? I bought this last Thursday :)
 
rgarjr said:
Doesn't Apple have the 7 pixel return policy though?
Click to expand...

They do, on the books. But in my experience I have never had them refuse me a return for any reason whatsoever as long as I get to it promptly following the arrival of the machine. The key is to call applecare directly and state in very simple terms that you are unhappy with the screen and would like a replacement. This bypasses the genius system in which you are subject to the whims of an on-the-desk, physical inspection.
 
Branskins said:
I thought about possibly asking Apple to replace it because I read there are some Geniuses that would do it, but I do not know if I want to go through the hassle.

What if I get a new unit with more dead/stuck pixels? What if it was one stuck/dead pixel again that was even in a worse spot (this one is slightly above the dock).

I am debating whether or not to take it in and find out what they can do, but then again it isn't the end of the world for me.
Click to expand...

It's all so tricky isn't it? There is always the possibility that you will get a screen worse off than the one you have now; and in fact this has happened to me several times.

If you take it into the bar and have a genius look at it, and he agrees to do something for you (which isn't certain), he will mostly likely send the unit out for "repair." What they'll actually do is simply swap out your entire top case, including the LCD. Apple has never admitted this to me, but I'm fairly certain they occasionally use refurbished, gimp parts when they do replacements. I once got back a unit sent out for an LCD swap that came back with an absolutely horrific screen (6 dead pixels, dust, lint, uneven and generally dim backlight) that had clearly already been rejected by some other user.

So my recommendation would be to get a full replacement if you can. To do this I would really recommend not going into the store, but calling applecare directly. Of course if you can live with the dead pixel, there's no reason to enter the apple QC lottery again, but one of the problems is that the longer you wait to see if you can make your peace, the more difficult it will become to convince Apple to replace your machine.
 
man my Macbook AIR got 2 stuck pixels and a slight line connecting them, i took it to the genius bar and he wanted to replace it but didn't have the part. I wasn't from that city so I had him send it to Depot for repair, They halted the repair and said I pushed on the screen and caused the dead pixels.
 
Branskins said:
Hey everyone, I noticed shortly after I bought my Mac last week that I had a stuck pixel. I don't know if it was there when I first turned it on or not, but I have been trying to ignore it, and really the reason is that if people see it, they will think what I have is defective, when it is really only one pixel that I can probably work back awake.

My question is, I know I have OCD-tendencies, so I was wondering if there are people out there that have a stuck/dead pixel that they are okay with having on the screen!

Sorry for the weird post, but I was hoping to find some posters who have gotten over the fact that a pixel of theirs is dead/stuck.
Click to expand...

If it's a brand new machine and it's less than 14days old, why not just return it and get it swapped out. Don't even mention you have dead pixels, just say you're not satisfied with the product... or something.
 
Apple is the only place i know where you can go in and complain about your product and the company will do whatever they can to make you happy. Take advantage of it and return your dead pixel so you can surf and watch movies in peace.
 
Branskins said:
Oh! But not if you want a replacement?
Click to expand...

Why would they charge you restocking fee for something that's imperfect? According to Apple, your allowed 14days to change your mind, test, trial your new toy for complete satisfaction.. if your not happy, ask for it to be exchanged. If they won't exchange it for you.. then your have the right to demand a refund - only then you might be charged a restocking fee - some countries don't charge.

Technically Apple isn't allowed to resell your old machine as new and since it's imperfect, I don't see any reason for them not to help you out - your a new customer, a potential client who'll buy more products in the near future.
 
This is awesome to hear! What I thought would be a really complicated experience, it now sounds relatively simple and easy. I love my laptop, but I always have the idea that "well it does have one problem..." in the back of my head!

I will try to go Thursday to say what I can do!
 
It really depends on where the pixel is and what type it is. Bright red, green or blue pixels are far more annoying than actually dead ones. My 30" display has a dead pixel right where the top bar is but you don't tend to look at it all that much so it doesn't bother me.

If the dead pixel were anywhere in the middle of the screen it'd drive me crazy.
 
I just wanted to ask someone, if I go to them within my 14-day period to ask for a replacement, will they give me a refurbished one or a brand new one?

Thanks
 
I have one black dead pixel about 25% from the bottom, almost in the middle. I only notice it occasionally, then forget about it.
 
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