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Apple Faces Class Action Lawsuit Over 'Flexgate' Issue With MacBook Pro Displays

farewelwilliams said:
Warranty covers the defects. Product was never meant to last 10 years. Even if 50% of all customers experience an issue after 6 years, Apple has no legal obligation to cover it. Of course that might create a PR nightmare so Apple voluntarily launches programs to fix certain problems to prevent that.
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I never said that. I simply took your statement and turned it against you, yet you're accusing me of saying certain things but yet you don't apply the same logic toward yourself when you threw that statement at me. This is fascinating.
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Then my question to you becomes: Do you feel that a manufacturer's defect should not be addressed even if the issue only arises after a certain number of years? I mean, if at the beginning they made sure that the cable was of an appropriate length, then this wouldn't be an issue.

Nobody is arguing against the fact that batteries age and lose capacity or that SSDs slow down as reads and writes accumulate over time etc. but specific facts such as these are simply not as a result of regular wear and tear.
 
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farewelwilliams said:
A wild example: 100% of 2018 MacBook Pro users started experiencing trackpad issues. So they started trashing the Apple Stores and threw bricks at Tim Cook. That to me is...overblown.
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So no one here did any of those things so why post your snarky "overblown" comment? It contributed nothing other than to indicate to everyone discussing the issue that our conversation was "overblown" implying that the discussion was unnecessary.
 
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CerebralX said:
Then my question to you becomes: Do you feel that a manufacturer's defect should not be addressed even if the issue only arises after a certain number of years?
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That's up to the brand to voluntarily decide. I don't think a class action lawsuit should be filed as Apple has followed their warranty policy to the letter. However, if Apple wants to make good with the customers, they should expand the repair program.
 
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icanhazmac said:
So no one here did any of those things
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Didn't say anyone here did. Again, "wild example"

icanhazmac said:
so why post your snarky "overblown" comment? It contributed nothing other than to indicate to everyone discussing the issue that our conversation was "overblown" implying that the discussion was unnecessary.
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To give my perspective on the matter. A class action lawsuit is unnecessary. You're still having trouble accepting the fact that my statement doesn't align with your views.
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icanhazmac said:
Seems like this would have been a much more productive and reasonable first post.
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Disagreed. You only seem to think it's more productive because I said something that you probably liked (or at least it's something closer to how you feel about this issue).
 
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Bustycat said:
Aren’t these severe enough? There was the auto shutdown issue but it was fixed with a firmware update.
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I excuse none of it. Just wanted to know it I was missing anything besides the "plastic as a build material" problems.

Did the clamshell iBooks exhibit similar problems?
 
This sets the record for the dumbest mistake that even a five year old can spot. Makes you think if it was intentional design for obsolescence by making the cable too short.
 
farewelwilliams said:
You're still having trouble accepting the fact that my statement doesn't align with your views.
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SURPRISE! Now that you finally articulated your viewpoint past a 4th grade level, I agree, I don't usually find value in class action lawsuits. However, the press surrounding them does at times place the appropriate amount of pressure on corporations to fix their issues.

If you were a bit less snarky and a bit more articulate we could have avoided a page of posts. You could have also read my posts, I never claimed the issue was wide spread or outside the scope of the current repair program, I did however take issue with your statement attempting to minimize the situation without backing substance.
 
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MacRumors said:


A nationwide class action lawsuit filed against Apple in Northern California court this week accuses the company of knowingly concealing a defect with a display-related flex cable on recent 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pro models.

macbook-pro-flexgate.jpg

As discovered by repair website iFixit last year, some MacBook Pro models released in 2016 and 2017 have experienced issues with uneven backlighting caused by a delicate flex cable that can wear out and break after repeated opening and closing of the display. Impacted notebooks can exhibit uneven lighting at the bottom of the screen, which has been described as a "stage light" effect, and the backlighting system can eventually fail entirely.

Since the issue often takes time to manifest, the affected ?MacBook Pro? units can be outside of Apple's one-year warranty period when they start exhibiting symptoms, resulting in an out-of-warranty repair fee of up to $850.

"Imagine spending more than $2,500 on a laptop only for it to fail shortly after the manufacturer's warranty expires," said PARRIS Law Firm attorney R. Rex Parris. "What's even more appalling is Apple requiring customers to spend an additional $600 to $850 to replace the screen."

Apple seemingly fixed the issue by extending the length of the flex cable by 2mm in the 2018 MacBook Pro. It also launched a free repair program in May 2019, but the program only applies to 13-inch MacBook Pro models released in 2016.

ifixit-flexgate-cable.jpeg

iFixit found the 2018 MacBook Pro flex cable on the left to be 2mm longer​

The class action lawsuit seeks restitution for all costs attributable to replacing or replacing the affected MacBook Pro units, and calls for Apple to expand its repair program to cover the 15-inch MacBook Pro. The proposed class is defined as all persons within the United States who purchased a 2016 or newer MacBook Pro.

Related Guide: "Flexgate" Display Issues Affecting 2016 MacBook Pro and Later

Article Link: Apple Faces Class Action Lawsuit Over 'Flexgate' Issue With MacBook Pro Displays
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That should not be limited to 2016 models. I am also encountering this problem in my MBP2017 13” additional to excessive heat whenever I use OBS and QuickTime together.
 
farewelwilliams said:
Didn't say anyone here did. Again, "wild example"



To give my perspective on the matter. A class action lawsuit is unnecessary. You're still having trouble accepting the fact that my statement doesn't align with your views.
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Disagreed. You only seem to think it's more productive because I said something that you probably liked (or at least it's something closer to how you feel about this issue).
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I disagree. I personally experienced my screen being completely black, no input was showing whatsoever. Thankfully, Apple did have a program which allowed me to get my screen replaced for free and this also allows people who have replaced their displays without the knowledge of this program or before the program was announced to get a refund for the repair costs.

I personally had to tell the AASP employee about the 2 programs that applied to my MBP, the keyboard and display one, to which he responded that it only applies to model 'XYZ' instead, at which point i had to correct him.

Anyways, I think that if Apple did not have the program for flex-gate, I feel the class action lawsuit is justified. I would agree with you that it doesn't really make sense to do it now though since remedies are in place.
 
Naaaaak said:
My car has had recalls that were fixed whenever I took it in for maintenance. Covered by the manufacturer. No lawsuit prodding needed.

Meanwhile, Apple has sold me:
  • Screens with severe image retention (Retain Gate)
  • Screens with image coating problems (Stain Gate)
  • Screens with a warped image at the bottom (Flex Gate)
  • Defective keyboards on all laptops over a 5 year period (Butterfly Gate)
Severe usability issues that required me to pay them more to fix the issue or wait until they acknowledged that they did wrong.

What happened to do the right thing?
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Why does EVERYTHING have to be a "gate" with Apple. That term is so overused is sickening.
 
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icanhazmac said:
SURPRISE! Now that you finally articulated your viewpoint past a 4th grade level, I agree, I don't usually find value in class action lawsuits. However, the press surrounding them does at times place the appropriate amount of pressure on corporations to fix their issues.

If you were a bit less snarky and a bit more articulate we could have avoided a page of posts. You could have also read my posts, I never claimed the issue was wide spread or outside the scope of the current repair program, I did however take issue with your statement attempting to minimize the situation without backing substance.
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Nope.

Saying something is overblown is a valid comment on this forums. If you wanted me to expand further, a simple "why?" would have sufficed. Instead you immediately accused me of "looking to discredit people experiencing a legitimate issue". That to me is snarky.
 
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mthomas184 said:
Why does EVERYTHING have to be a "gate" with Apple. That term is so overused is sickening.
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Agreed and thank the media!

Why does every celebrity or public figure have their name or title reduced to abbreviations or cutesie short versions:

J-lo
Scar-Jo
RBG
POTUS
SCOTUS
RG3
Brexit
etc.

Eye catching clickbait and sheer laziness.
 
I have the same freaking problem on my macbook pro 2017 since the past 1 month, its so annoying. Once the stores open I will show them the laptop, but the article says only 2016 models would get repaired for free. I am really broke at the moment and they should do it for free for 2017 and later models too.
 
farewelwilliams said:
Saying something is overblown is a valid comment on this forums. If you wanted me to expand further, a simple "why?" would have sufficed. Instead you immediately accused me of "looking to discredit people experiencing a legitimate issue". That to me is snarky.
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Nice try, I believe you knew exactly what you were doing with your original post but again I'll play along:

Your exact post: "another overblown issue." Any reasonable person could conclude that you were referring to the number of failures as being overblown, with no reference to the class action suit one is left to wonder.

Now "another useless class action", while still lazy, would have been far better at getting your point across.

Try harder. It really isn't my job to get you to express your views in a clear fashion.
 
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farewelwilliams said:
Warranty covers the defects. Product was never meant to last 10 years. Even if 50% of all customers experience an issue after 6 years, Apple has no legal obligation to cover it. Of course that might create a PR nightmare so Apple voluntarily launches programs to fix certain problems to prevent that.
[automerge]1588964429[/automerge]

I never said that. I simply took your statement and turned it against you, yet you're accusing me of saying certain things but yet you don't apply the same logic toward yourself when you threw that statement at me. This is fascinating.
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You have some very interesting ways of looking at things :eek: which should be of concern to your employer (should you have one) and anybody with whom you interact.
 
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russell_314 said:
Why is Apple the only computer manufacturer expected to repair out of warranty?
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They’re not repairing out of warranty, they should be fixing a latent defect; a defect that was always there, from new that typically manifested after the warranty period. In Europe, if a latent defect can be proved, then the repair (or other remedy) can be demanded for up to 6 years, and 12 years depending how a contract was signed.
 
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ani4ani said:
They’re not repairing out of warranty, they should be fixing a latent defect; a defect that was always there, from new that typically manifested after the warranty period. In Europe, if a latent defect can be proved, then the repair (or other remedy) can be demanded for up to 6 years, and 12 years depending how a contract was signed.
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What defines a defect? I've had so many Android phones in the micro USB days have failing charging ports. Is this a defect? How about Windows Vista that would constantly crash. Maybe we should sue Microsoft?
 
russell_314 said:
Why is Apple the only computer manufacturer expected to repair out of warranty?
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Lots of reasons ... For one thing? The standard Apple warranty is only 1 year, on a product they claim is "premium" and priced accordingly! The only way to get them to cover anything for 3 years is paying hundreds of dollars for "Applecare" - which has been ridiculous for a LONG time. For what any Mac desktop or laptop costs, that should be included.

But these are also issues due to factory defects, that are causing laptops to fail multiple times - both in and out of warranty as they're used. So yeah, I'd demand the same from Dell, HP or anyone else if I had the same kinds of failures. Only difference is, you tend to not even want to keep a 3-4 year old Dell or HP laptop by the time it's broken down once or twice. They have no resale value to speak of anyway.
 
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Northern Man said:
You have some very interesting ways of looking at things :eek: which should be of concern to your employer (should you have one) and anybody with whom you interact.
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Maybe you should ask your employer (should you have one) if it's okay to use the phrase (in your exact words) "willing to bend over and take one for the team". Talk about concerning.

Due to your trolling attitude, I won't be reading anymore replies from you.
 
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