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Apple Initiates Repair Program for 2011-2013 MacBook Pros With Video Issues

mikefla said:
Apple doesn't refurbish anything. They use a low class third party like everybody else who no doubt does crappy work with so called refurbishing. Probably equivalent to the refurbishing Comcast does with their junk cable boxes that fail constantly.

-Mike
Click to expand...

Apple are calling the shots, and the refurbished boards are renowned for failing, however for Apple they will just want to look good and minimise on overhead...

Q-6

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mikefla said:
At the very least they should revise the board to address the real issue so it doesn't re-occur in a few months. Just send them to a real electronics company that has real experience which in the US unfortunately its pretty non-existant.

--Mike
Click to expand...

Completely agree, however this wont happen, Apple is only interested protecting it`s image and minimising the cost, this is clear from the 8600GT fiasco...

Apple is acting now as they will ultimately for forced to be it in the US or EU by a court of law. I have always been lucky with my Apple portables, equally one of the first things I do is take away control of the cooling from Apple and set the fans to spool up far sooner, like 60C not Apple`s 90C which is simply ridiculous...

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Apple has replaced my MBP with a nice rMBP after 4 logic boards. I'd only paid for the first one and Apple covered the others. But I did spend $310 on it. I called the Apple Care # about a refund yesterday morning at 9:30 and they took down my information. Got an email at 7pm that my refund was approved!

The only options for refunds was a wire transfer to my bank acct or credit back to the card. FWIW.
 
nudoru said:
Apple has replaced my MBP with a nice rMBP after 4 logic boards. I'd only paid for the first one and Apple covered the others. But I did spend $310 on it. I called the Apple Care # about a refund yesterday morning at 9:30 and they took down my information. Got an email at 7pm that my refund was approved!

The only options for refunds was a wire transfer to my bank acct or credit back to the card. FWIW.
Click to expand...

Good for you, and typical of what you can expect from these "refurbished" Logic Boards. Personally speaking Apple should forced replace all afflicted 2010/2011 15" MBP`s with new MBPr`s as no one realistically expects to drop $2K on a Notebook only for it to die in 2-3 years due to poor design, then and only then Apple may start thinking of function over design...

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mikefla said:
I wasted a bunch of time today taking my MacBook Pro Retina Early 2013 to the Apple store today because I had no doubt my machine has a bad video card that needs to be replaced through this program. My machine exhibits the following symptoms at random times:

-Distorted or scrambled video on the computer screen
-No video on the computer screen (or external display) even though the computer is on
-Computer restarts unexpectedly

So to qualify for the program Apple runs a video test on the laptop which I believe is totally useless and there is really no way for no test program to find a problem when that problem is intermittent.

My machine passed the test, so Apple will not repair the machine under the program. Absurd! I suggest that all others that are in the same position that we petition Apple at the very least. I'm not going to give up without a good fight.


-Mike

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Their BS test is their way to avoid repairing so many machines for free, that's what it comes down to. I'm not going to let that happen, at the very least they will be getting a lot of lip from me. Their test is totally useless. How many of you here have failed the video card test?

-Mike
Click to expand...

Absolutely no surprise same game as the Nvidia 8600GT fiasco, Apple will do it`s very best to limit it`s exposure, however I am sure Apple will be certain to capitalise on setting "things right" :rolleyes:

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ron1004 said:
Connected to their network via a lan cable their tests which took a long time to complete came back all clear, even though they could not get anything displayed on my MBP's screen - it was still packed and sent for repair and the repair card stated "logic board replaced".
Click to expand...

mikefla said:
I guess you got very lucky. The so called Genius was very clear to tell me as long as the computer passes the test they will not repair it under the program.

They ran the same test on my, looks like a very old useless outdated test. All the thing does is show a progress bar. It doesn't even do a pattern test that you can see on the screen. Now that I can easily reproduce the issue using GPU Test I'm going to make them repair my at no charge. Then after that I hope to soon get rid of the machine so it's someone else's problem. It's shameful that Apple does stuff like this replacing junk with junk that will fail again with the same issue.

-Mike

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Apple doesn't refurbish anything. They use a low class third party like everybody else who no doubt does crappy work with so called refurbishing. Probably equivalent to the refurbishing Comcast does with their junk cable boxes that fail constantly.

-Mike
Click to expand...
Remember mine was done in Sept last year at my cost, which I'll be claiming back.

I see that the Genius Bar staff have been trained very well on how to reject claims, ...... their test flags up all sorts of faults, but NEVER anything that suggests a GPU problem, and that means it's not covered by this repair program.
 
ron1004 said:
Remember mine was done in Sept last year at my cost, which I'll be claiming back.

I see that the Genius Bar staff have been trained very well on how to reject claims, ...... their test flags up all sorts of faults, but NEVER anything that suggests a GPU problem, and that means it's not covered by this repair program.
Click to expand...

Naturally the "dice" are "loaded" in this game, be assured of that...

Q-6
 
ron1004 said:
Remember mine was done in Sept last year at my cost, which I'll be claiming back.

I see that the Genius Bar staff have been trained very well on how to reject claims, ...... their test flags up all sorts of faults, but NEVER anything that suggests a GPU problem, and that means it's not covered by this repair program.
Click to expand...

And seeing how short your refurb board lasted lets us know we need to get the machines repaired and then sell an otherwise perfectly good laptop before February 2016.

It's sad, even after almost 3 years since the release of the rMBP, the pc laptop side has hardly any competitors (or none at all) that have a retina 16:10 screen, super fast SSD's as stock, and long battery life...
 
i'm glad to see that this is a company line not to repair machines that pass the VST test. I wondered if it were just a few genius' at certain stores being pricks or if the stores themselves had discretion to accept machines that don't fail. i guess mothership is in total control.

it's frustrating because i think the majority of machines with this problem will never fail the test, that was part of the reason apple was reticent to acknowledge their was a problem to begin with. so now you acknowledge there's a problem but you will only rely on same test that didn't pick pick up the problem previously?

remember the ~$300 repair thing wasn't to fix said problem, it was a catchall to fix any problem they might uncover, so even though they might mention to you this is what they suspect, technically and on paper they never really had to admit or state what actual problems were, they could simply state they replaced several things in hopes of alleviating problem... sigh.

i'm just waiting to see how they'll try to minimize the reimbursement claims (notations on your repair don't mention this, etc...).

:mad:
 
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promacin said:
i'm glad to see that this is a company line not to repair machines that pass the VST test. I wondered if it were just a few genius' at certain stores being pricks or if the stores themselves had discretion to accept machines that don't fail. i guess mothership is in total control.

it's frustrating because i think the majority of machines with this problem will never fail the test, that was part of the reason apple was reticent to acknowledge their was a problem to begin with. so now you acknowledge there's a problem but you will only rely on same test that didn't pick pick up the problem previously?

remember the ~$300 repair thing wasn't to fix said problem, it was a catchall to fix any problem they might uncover, so even though they might mention to you this is what they suspect, technically and on paper they never really had to admit or state what actual problems were, they could simply state they replaced several things in hopes of alleviating problem... sigh.

i'm just waiting to see how they'll try to minimize the reimbursement claims (notations on your repair don't mention this, etc...).

:mad:
Click to expand...

We definitely need to make some noise on this. So I just installed SMC Fan Control then ran the GPU Test using the command line syntax suggested here earlier. You can clearly see as the temperature raises above 100 degrees F the GPU starts acting up and the issue is very easily reproducible. I am going to contact Apple via chat and also perhaps post something on their Developer forum since I have a Dev account. This issue and their solution is real bull.

Also I think it is time all of us make some noise on their crappy warranty. There is no reason why a machine that costs almost $3,000 only comes with a poor 1 year warranty. These machines should have a 3 year warranty. Everybody else making laptops on that price range offers a 3 year warranty.

-Mike
 
promacin said:
i'm glad to see that this is a company line not to repair machines that pass the VST test. I wondered if it were just a few genius' at certain stores being pricks or if the stores themselves had discretion to accept machines that don't fail. i guess mothership is in total control.

it's frustrating because i think the majority of machines with this problem will never fail the test, that was part of the reason apple was reticent to acknowledge their was a problem to begin with. so now you acknowledge there's a problem but you will only rely on same test that didn't pick pick up the problem previously?

remember the ~$300 repair thing wasn't to fix said problem, it was a catchall to fix any problem they might uncover, so even though they might mention to you this is what they suspect, technically and on paper they never really had to admit or state what actual problems were, they could simply state they replaced several things in hopes of alleviating problem... sigh.

i'm just waiting to see how they'll try to minimize the reimbursement claims (notations on your repair don't mention this, etc...).

:mad:
Click to expand...

Issue: Customer states display will intermittently become distorted and off-set, and will become unresponsive.
Steps to Reproduce: Unable to reproduce at bar.
Click to expand...
LOL, mine could not even boot past a grey screen, and note the the "Genius" wrote that he was unable to reproduce at bar.

My problems started with the crazy graphics seen in the first post, and could be recovered with a reboot, until it got to the point where it couldn't get further than the grey screen on start-up.
 
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ron1004 said:
LOL, mine could not even boot past a grey screen, and note the the "Genius" wrote that he was unable to reproduce at bar.

My problems started with the crazy graphics seen in the first post, and could be recovered with a reboot, until it got to the point where it couldn't get further than the grey screen on start-up.
Click to expand...

Sounds similar to how mine was before the last reflow. Does it still chime? If so, can you hold down option on boot during the chime and keep it held down until it shows a boot menu? If so, one option you might have is to boot into single user, and temporarily move all the ATI* and AMD* kexts out of /System/Library/Extensions, which will make OSX boot without using the ATI dGPU. System will barely be usable, but at least bootable in order to demonstrate the dGPU is goners. I'm guessing your problem is much worse than that though.
 
denny25 said:
For those whose laptops were refused to be repaired for free due to passing the goddamn test in store, here is my advice and is also what I'm gonna do when I bring my 2011 mbp in for repair some day later:

1. Talk to the online customer support before bringing it in. According to my personal experiences, those online reps are more merciful as their careers are highly influenced by our feedbacks provided after the chat is over, so they'll probably stand by our sides and say something like," Oh I'm sorry about what you've been through and I'm pretty sure they'll take care of it once you bring it in" to satisfy us, and DO NOT FORGET to make an appointment for service via them cuz the genius will see and read the conversation history where the online rep already "promised" to get the problem solved. It's hard for the genius to refuse you as they are supposed to be consistent with the online rep.
Don't call them. It's almost useless as you won't be able to keep any proofs.

2. Don't always be polite and smile at them. Raise your tones while talking and freak 'em out with your true angers. You should never let them lead the game.

3. If possible, take pictures when the issue occurs and send them to the online rep through the chatting window(If my memory doesn't go wrong, the window supports file transfer, and if it doesn't, you can still show them to the genius).

Sorry for being wordy, but I hope it'll help you all though it may not 100% work. Gluck on battles, folks!
Click to expand...


Just got off the phone with online customers service after an hr of talking and still they will not replace my 2011 Macbook because it did not pass their test to qualifies for a replacement. Now i'm getting transferred to a another adviser and have to basically explain to them about the problems of the macbook again. In the near future, i'm not sure if i will ever buy a apple product again.

Update: Still will not replace my macbook.
 
Took my early 15" Mbp into the Apple Store today. Genius Bar ran the diagnostic on video and it failed. Off to the depot repair center, $310 fee waived. Been hobbling along with a defective logic board for a year now.
 
dumastudetto said:
Once again Apple demonstrates why they are the leader of the pack when it comes to taking care of their customers. This is why we love Apple. This is what the Sony's of the world just don't get selling high-end devices but providing lousy support and aftercare.
Click to expand...

Yeah, after the denied and swore there was no problem for years.... like they always do, and then only offer to fix when they know they can't clear a law suit. They had plenty pending, including class action, and were also about to be fined in 5 countries.

When the **** hits apple totally takes care of people. Like my gen 1 Nano.... after it burned down homes from explosions and bursting into flame.
 
I was affected by bad video on my 2011 MacBook Pro, necessitating the replacement of the entire logic board.
Since my AppleCare had expired about 5 months prior, I was on the hook for the replacement cost ($318, if I remember correctly).

With this recent news of reimbursements, I looked in my Gmail for an email from Apple but saw none. So I went to the aforementioned "Check Your Coverage" page. That didn't tell me much either, except that my phone support and AppleCare were expired—ya, I knew that.

From this link ( http://www.apple.com/support/macbookpro-videoissues/ ) there is a link that says
"If you have not been contacted, but paid for a repair that you think was due to this issue, please contact Apple."
(which links to https://getsupport.apple.com/ServiceOptionAction.action )...

I clicked on that and chose to have someone call me back.

The person called and we were ready to go about the reimbursement process, but they are unable to simply mail me a check.

They said that my card that I paid with is different or expired or something, so they can't just put the credit back on there.

(I have since checked with my bank, and my card in my wallet is the exact same one that I paid for the repair with 6 months ago.)

They said that the only other option was a wire transfer, for which they would require the account number and routing number for my bank account.

I let them know that I wasn't exactly comfortable with giving that out over the phone, and that I couldn't believe that they couldn't just send out a check. What kind of company (especially one Apple's size) can't send out a simple check?
It just made the process feel very sketchy.

Not to mention that most banks charge a fee to receive a wire transfer—for instance, if Apple reimburses me by wire transfer, I have to pay my bank $25 which is like losing over 7.5% of the reimbursement right off the bat.

It seems to me like the people who are calling people back about this problem are probably some fulfillment company (not Apple themselves)—for instance, when I had to call my rep back, the phone tree mentioned other companies, but made no mention of Apple).

I have a call back in to them and I'm going to ask them to just credit the card I paid with (since again, it hasn't changed) and they should have my CC details on file.

So far, this mess has taken a letter to Apple, a couple of hours collectively on the phone, and now a feeling of unease at the reimbursement process not being made easy [a check], but instead, more of a pain and financially-punative [wire transfer] for Apple’s customers.

Anyway, be careful out there.
 
dohspc said:
Took my early 15" Mbp into the Apple Store today. Genius Bar ran the diagnostic on video and it failed. Off to the depot repair center, $310 fee waived. Been hobbling along with a defective logic board for a year now.
Click to expand...

Same thing happened to me. How were you able to get the $310 waived? Everyone Ive talked to keeps trying to tell me that I need to pay to replace the logic board, but judging from everyone that had their logic replaced that doesn't really solve the problem.
 
golgo1313 said:
i have a second hdd in the slot where the superdrive used to be. do you think i need to put the superdrive back before i send in for repair?
Click to expand...

I would revert it back to stock. Don't give them any chance to not honour it because you "tampered" with it. I replaced my SuperDrive and even reverted to the stock Bluetooth card.

Got mine back this afternoon. Less than a day to repair. Pretty happy. Doing a time machine restore now, so it's hard to say, but it's working as expected so far.

I was told that I have 90 days coverage for ANY issues with the logic board. Beyond that, I am still covered by the GPU program until next February.

Sorry to hear people having problems getting the repair. I was very happy when mine failed the VST.
 
duffman9000 said:
This problem isn't uncommon on other laptops. It's a manufacturing with lead-free problem. I don't know why it's so difficult to get it right. I had an IBM thinkpad before and the same thing happened. Also an AMD (or ATI) GPU.
Click to expand...

ya, just thinking the whole idea, Apple seems a reputation of replacement problems...

While all can have the same, Apple keeps having them,,, therefore, something is a miss... The excuses usually are "This stuff is hard". And it is, but when you keeping seeing the same pattern time and time again, its more than "just hard'
 
So excited to read the news, since my macbook is half dead since October 2014...

I just have some clarification that I cannot find from the Apple page...

I have installed 16BG of ram on my macbook pro 17" early 2011, I also reapplied a thermal paste...

Will my machine still eligible for the repair program?
 
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