Apple Hit With Class-Action Lawsuit Over Failing 27" iMac Displays

[Elijahg]

I feel like this is his fault, Apple does offer you a one year warranty which they don't have to do

Err... Yes they do. However, only one year on Apple kit is pretty poor nowadays, doesn't say much about what they think of their own hardware.

In the UK the statutory warranty is actually 6 years for items that should last a "reasonable length of time" even though Apple doesn't like to remind people of it. In the EU as a whole it's two years, but there's a really weird clause that the "consumer has to prove the defect existed when the product was first received". Apple got sued in the EU for refusing to honour the 2 year warranty, and pushing the 3 year AppleCare which was actually providing double coverage, since the EU already mandates a 2 year warranty.

 

[Dresling]

Thank you EU

I live in Denmark and I own a 21,5 iMac from late 2010.

Since I bought it I've had to return it three times..

1: Faulty display
2: HDD crashed
3: Faulty SuperDrive

All three cases were fixed on the warrenty because the EU mandates that all products must come with a 2 year warrenty.

What I find disturbing is that Apple boasts to care for custumors, but apparently they only do what they are required to by law. I can understand how this guy is mad at Apple for not fixing his display, when they would do it in Denmark no questions asked.

It's too bad that Apple only treat their costumors as good as the law dictates they have to.

Apple users are known for their loyalty to Apple, but a loyal person must also point out when something is clearly wrong. A display in a very costly iMac should not fail after only 18 months.

So before bashing this guy with your zealous attitude, think long and hard about how Apple could really improve a lot of things. They're perhaps the company with the happiest costumors, but it sure could be better.

 

[fixmymac]

I am a UK resident and don't fully understand the Class-Action system.

However, this is a very well documented, internally acknowledged problem with these displays. It is fixable and is caused by a bad solder joint at the point the backlight cables attached to the LED trays. It is not a failure of the panel itself, as with the 2006 17" iMac panels (vertical lines), or the discolouring of the early 27" iMac panels.

Under warranty or AppleCare, the process is quite specific. Display issues like this result in a new panel AND backlight board.

When Apple have internal documents that explicitly refer to a particular procedure, rather than just the general procedures with Service Manuals, it seems to me that they are well aware of it being a problem.

I won't bore you all with the long list of specific Macs and their known problems. However, Apple have again and again stated that they will not build crappy products or play to the bottom end of the market.

As this guys notes, Apple products are marketed as being significantly better conceived, designed and constructed than the competition. These statements need to be backed up by an experience that matches.

The UK Consumer Laws would definitely help this guy. Such an expensive repair to an expensive product, that is expected to last longer than 18 months, is not acceptable. There is ample evidence to back up his claims that the problem is widespread and that Apple are aware of it.

Springing for an OOW repair for a customer who has invested in one of their expensive products should be a matter of course. It certainly retains the customer and is the kind of thing that helps convince others to invest in a Mac.

Good luck to him, I hope he wins.

For those of you who feel he has no complaint, put yourself in his shoes. Apple should back up their claims with a fitting warranty period. Show faith in their technology with a worldwide 3-year warranty.

 

[MacRum2011]

For the cost of Apple products, they should have 2 years warranty minimum or even 3 years, then a user can buy apple care for 2 years so you get full 4-5 years out of your $2000-$3000 computer.

An iMac i bought in 2008 died 6 months after AppleCare expired, was really annoyed. The same thing has happened with a relative of mine with his, though his was a later model.

 

[fixmymac]

I live in Denmark and I own a 21,5 iMac from late 2010.

Since I bought it I've had to return it three times..

1: Faulty display
2: HDD crashed
3: Faulty SuperDrive

All three cases were fixed on the warrenty because the EU mandates that all products must come with a 2 year warrenty.

What I find disturbing is that Apple boasts to care for custumors, but apparently they only do what they are required to by law. I can understand how this guy is mad at Apple for not fixing his display, when they would do it in Denmark no questions asked.

It's too bad that Apple only treat their costumors as good as the law dictates they have to.

Apple users are known for their loyalty to Apple, but a loyal person must also point out when something is clearly wrong. A display in a very costly iMac should not fail after only 18 months.

So before bashing this guy with your zealous attitude, think long and hard about how Apple could really improve a lot of things. They're perhaps the company with the happiest costumors, but it sure could be better.

Excellent post. My own iMac 27" has had 3 LCD panels (due to yellowing problem), 1 Hard Drive and 1 Superdrive.

The list of Apple products with known, common defects is quite long.

 

[KPOM]

Perhaps someone who is a lawyer can explain to me how the "class" is everyone in the US who purchased an affected iMac, but the suit is being brought under California law? Furthermore, how can a guy in Idaho claim protection under a California law?

Does that mean that every goofy "consumer protection" law passed by any state (and California is a doozy in that regard) can effectively be applied nationally as long as we can find one person in that state supposedly harmed under the definition of that law?

 

[gotluck]

If I were to buy a premium Mac I would expect it to last longer than this guys did.

 

[Plutonius]

Yup.

We have the Sale Of Goods Act in the UK, which ensures consumer products must be fit for purpose, and last a reasonable length of time, which is usually around 5 years for small and medium electricals, including computers.

Very surprised that the US does not have similar legislation.

We have less expensive products in the US. I'm not surprised the UK doesn't .

 

[WestonHarvey1]

This is why I stopped buying iMacs. I have 24" Apple LED display from Craigslist and have only bought Mini's in recent years. I hated the thought of the display going out on an otherwise perfectly functioning PC and I hated the anxiety of buying a new iMac with dead/stuck pixels.

While it's true that Mini's don't keep pace with the technology in the iMacs, that's a trade off I've been willing to make.

Time to switch to Mac Pros

 

[andy2141]

I had the same problem as this dude, with the same generation iMac, but Apple replaced my screen free of charge because (per the Apple employee explanation) the failure was a type of failure that was not supposed to happen in the product's lifetime (regardless of warranty status).

Same here. Was 2 months out of warranty and they replaced the screen FOC no questions asked.

 

[iPad Air]

just trying to make money and never work again. Pathetic

Exactly. The first thing that came to mind when I read this headline is the guy is attempting to use the system to get all the money he wants...then let his own life rot. Whatever happened to responsible people who eat the cost of owning technology that IS PRONE TO FAILURE, because technology is not perfect.

 

[Mr. Dee]

I hope he wins and gets more

In fact, the Judge should award him 500 million. You would see how quick Apple comes with a policy if it its broken after one year, give the customer a brand new iMac plus a MacBook Pro Retina display speced out.

You need to do these things to remind companies they are can't just easily get away with stuff like this.

You pay 2000 dollars, it better work for a good 9 years. I get that from a PC, why should expect any less from Apple?

 

[unlinked]

But that's also part of the reason products in the UK cost more. There are countless threads on MacRumors complaining that Apple products cost more in the UK, Europe, or Australia than the current exchange-adjusted US price.

I think the standard EU warranty is 2 years. That only adds to the cost if Apple are making stuff that doesn't last 2 years.

 

[Plutonius]

Good luck to him, I hope he wins.

5 Million dollars ?

 

[oneMadRssn]

Very surprised that the US does not have similar legislation.

How surprised can you be?

We also don't have required paid sick leave for employees, paid vacations, or paid leave for new mothers. When deciding what a "necessary" government worker is, we prioratize our spy agency and border patrol agency over our weather agency or food for the poor. We would also rather stuff our jails than fight crime.

Is our sad state of consumer protection really that surprising then?

(except in a few states which have decent consumer protection laws).

 

[jmsait19]

Yup.

We have the Sale Of Goods Act in the UK, which ensures consumer products must be fit for purpose, and last a reasonable length of time, which is usually around 5 years for small and medium electricals, including computers.

Very surprised that the US does not have similar legislation.

I've been thinking this for years. A $2500 computer should be guaranteed to last more than a year... UK has this right.

Further, the guy isn't suing for $5mil for himself. Unless I'm mistaken, it's $5mil for the class.

----------

How surprised can you be?

We also don't have required paid sick leave for employees, paid vacations, or paid leave for new mothers. When deciding what a "necessary" government worker is, we prioratize our spy agency and border patrol agency over our weather agency or food for the poor. We would also rather stuff our jails than fight crime.

Is our sad state of consumer protection really that surprising then?

(except in a few states which have decent consumer protection laws).

I agree. I'm not surprised at all. Consumer interests are way less important to the government than corporate wallets.

 

[UnfetteredMind]

I am a UK resident and don't fully understand the Class-Action system.

However, this is a very well documented, internally acknowledged problem with these displays. It is fixable and is caused by a bad solder joint at the point the backlight cables attached to the LED trays. It is not a failure of the panel itself, as with the 2006 17" iMac panels (vertical lines), or the discolouring of the early 27" iMac panels.

Under warranty or AppleCare, the process is quite specific. Display issues like this result in a new panel AND backlight board.

When Apple have internal documents that explicitly refer to a particular procedure, rather than just the general procedures with Service Manuals, it seems to me that they are well aware of it being a problem.

I won't bore you all with the long list of specific Macs and their known problems. However, Apple have again and again stated that they will not build crappy products or play to the bottom end of the market.

As this guys notes, Apple products are marketed as being significantly better conceived, designed and constructed than the competition. These statements need to be backed up by an experience that matches.

The UK Consumer Laws would definitely help this guy. Such an expensive repair to an expensive product, that is expected to last longer than 18 months, is not acceptable. There is ample evidence to back up his claims that the problem is widespread and that Apple are aware of it.

Springing for an OOW repair for a customer who has invested in one of their expensive products should be a matter of course. It certainly retains the customer and is the kind of thing that helps convince others to invest in a Mac.

Good luck to him, I hope he wins.

For those of you who feel he has no complaint, put yourself in his shoes. Apple should back up their claims with a fitting warranty period. Show faith in their technology with a worldwide 3-year warranty.

Typically for known faults, they offer a repair extension to cover the repairs on a specific batch of units known to have the issue. The Seagate 1TB drive on my late 2009 27" iMac was replaced under such a repair extension (even though it was still under Applecare at that point). I'm surprised Apple hasn't offered a repair extension for this problem if it falls into this well-known category. Unless this person's iMac didn't fit the exact problem?

 

[KPOM]

What I find disturbing is that Apple boasts to care for custumors, but apparently they only do what they are required to by law. I can understand how this guy is mad at Apple for not fixing his display, when they would do it in Denmark no questions asked.

It's too bad that Apple only treat their costumors as good as the law dictates they have to.

We don't know all the facts. All we know is what is in the complaint. I have had Apple repair products out of warranty (even one time with obvious accidental damage) at no cost. I've never expected or demanded it, though.

That's the thing with a warranty. The product is warranted against defects for 12 months. If you want to extend it, you can do so. Most of the time, it's a waste of money to do so (there's a reason companies like to sell extended warranties). Most of the time, it's more economical to take a chance that the product isn't defective.

Merchantability laws in the US generally focus on product safety. If the iMac was prone to catching fire, for instance, Apple would be required to issue a recall, out-of-warranty or not. Of course, each state can add whatever laws it wants, and it looks like the plaintiff here thinks he found something in a California law that gives him a case. It will be for a court to decide, I guess (unless Apple decides to settle to make the case go away).

 

[brianvictor7]

He just wants the money to buy a new iMac.

Or a new decked-out Mac Pro with Thunderbolt display. Hmm. $5 million might not be enough

In all seriousness, I can understand his frustration. I have a 21.5" iMac from late 09. 4 years in and now the screen is flickering when the power supply gets hot. Hazards of the all-in-one design I suppose. I'd like the computer to last another 4 years, but we'll see. At least I have an Apple store nearby and the manager there says they'll diagnose it for free and let me know how much it will cost to fix.

No company or computer is perfect and give props to Apple for at least doing for free what the repairman down the street wanted to charge $130 to find out.

 

[Kagami190]

Having a debate on consumer laws is all fine and dandy - and I think the laws definitely have room for improvement. But this Idaho guy DOESN'T live in the UK. It's his responsibility to know how warranty laws work. That's the point of extended warranties. You want to chance it? Your call. You have a year to get it.

If it was effecting THAT many Macs I'm sure there would be some kind of recall program which they've done before and covered things for me - but being in contact with every single person on the internet you're bound to find someone who has had the same issue. The entire freaking world is on the internet.

I guess we'll see... But as constricting as laws here in the US admittedly are, they're still laws.

 

[KPOM]

I think the standard EU warranty is 2 years. That only adds to the cost if Apple are making stuff that doesn't last 2 years.

So yes, it adds to the cost. Every manufactured product has a defect rate greater than 0%. Covering something for 2 years necessarily costs more than covering it for 1 year if the intended useful life is 2 years or greater.

 

[GoodWatch]

Sucks for him, but I don't see how he has a case given that it's outside of the warranty period.

I do, actually. Given the type of product this person has purchased it stands to reason that it is not expected to be prone to failure that soon. Especially if one includes the outlay of money involved. Going to court over this is an entirely different matter.

You buy a car and within two years, without any influence that can be related to your own actions, it completely fails. Do you say: "well, bad luck, I accept that and, gee, manufacturer, you have no responsiblity in this"? I don't think so.

 

[tomsop]

This is a product defect issue, not a warranty issue

Many people are seeing this as a warranty issue when the allegation sounds more like a product defect issue. The man is referencing widespread complaints by many others with the same model of imac. If a product is defective then it is not a warranty issue. Products that are designed properly fail over time, too but defectively designed products, as alleges in this case, are difficult to predict but normally happen to many users, similar to the iphone antennagate issue. If you see it in this context, many of the other comments are irrelevant, inflammatory and show mac fanboy bias.

 

[madsci954]

Watch the settlement end up netting each claimant $485 for repairs.

That will be awarded 2 years from now.

 

[NStocks]

Like others have said, Apple need to step up complimentary warranty on it's devices.


Extended warranties are pretty common these days - most new cars have 7 years, other consumer electronics (toothbrush, hard drives) come with 2 years.

I mean come on, Dyson offer a complimentary 5 year guarantee for a vacuum that get's beaten up every day! (or whenever you clean ) In contrast, surely Apple know how protective it's customers are with such expensive products that are mostly wrapped in cotton wool when they leave the desk! It's pretty pathetic that Apple don't believe their products would last more than a year.