Apple Offering Refunds to Customers Who Paid for iMac Hinge Repairs

[Firelock]

I actually am amazed that Apple will pay for a repair on a four-year-old computer even if it is a manufacturing default or design flaw. In my experience most companies will not pay for an out-of-warranty repair no matter that it was their fault.

 

[longofest]

Good to hear. I was thinking I was SOL with my downward facing late-2012 iMac.

 

[Larry The L]

Though some on this forum and others seem to believe they are

On the other hand, most feel apple is a disaster.

 

[neuropsychguy]

I guess I can get one of my work Macs fixed. The hinge broke a more than a year ago but the machine is out of warranty and so I haven't done anything with it (plus, I don't need to adjust the screen so it's not a huge deal if it's pointing down more than I'd like).

 

[samcraig]

Apple has many of those customers affected in their database. There's no reason consumers should have to seek out the information or expect to hear it from a 3rd party. They should be contacting customers and letting them know if they experience this flaw, they are entitled to a repair. My .02.

 

[KylePowers]

Good to hear. I was thinking I was SOL with my downward facing late-2012 iMac.[/QUOTE

Yeah same with my 2013. Looking forward to getting it fixed one of these days

 

[spyker3292]

Oh cool. My iMac has always slowly tipped forward, but I never thought it was something that could be repaired.

Now I just need to bring the huge thing in.... too bad I threw out the box.

 

[TechZeke]

Delete. People keep miss-interpreting my post.

 

[Juicy Box]

I actually am amazed that Apple will pay for a repair on a four-year-old computer even if it is a manufacturing default or design flaw. In my experience most companies will not pay for an out-of-warranty repair no matter that it was their fault.

I'm not for two reasons.
Class-action lawsuits for one.
Second being that it hurts their brand. These iMacs are supposed to be premium products. At the amount Appleis charging, the buyers expect high quality parts, materials, and design.

If Apple didn't fix this issue, I am sure they would lose some customers, if they didn't already.

 

[zaaach48]

Things you shouldn't have to pay to fix in the first place

not if you're in warranty you shouldn't

 

[RoboCop001]

It's amazing that some in-store Apple employees won't even bother to double check things. When I went in for my repair, I mentioned the massive Apple Discussion thread and that it was clearly covered by Apple. The guy just said "Sorry you're out of warranty and some of those repairs were probably unique circumstances."

So I left my iMac there and then called Apple on the day I had to pick it up. The woman on the phone took a few minutes to check (she didn't know off by heart but said the situation didn't sound right) and when she came back she said it was indeed covered. She then called the store to have them remove the charges before I went to grab it.

Also, I really hope that the replacement part is a better part and not the same thing. If it breaks again I hope they'll continue to cover it. But I'd rather them have replaced the part with a better part.

 

[zaaach48]

Apple has internally announced it will issue a refund to customers who previously paid for an iMac display hinge replacement or repair, according to a recently updated service document obtained by MacRumors. These repairs could often cost upwards of $100, according to reports from affected users.

Apple's service document acknowledges some 27-inch iMacs shipped between December 2012 and July 2014 may be affected by an issue with the display hinge, resulting in the screen no longer adjusting and continuously tilting forward. The issue appears to be limited to late 2012 and late 2013 models in particular.

The issue has been frequently reported by dozens of users on the Apple Support Communities, MacRumors discussion forums, and elsewhere on the web, with a number of iMac owners describing a similar experience in which the hinge makes an audible popping or cracking sound and then stops working.

Apple Support Communities user Mr Mo-Fo:MacRumors user Plazm:Apple has since extended its related iMac hinge repair program to cover late 2012 and late 2013 iMacs for up to five years from the date of their original purchase, compared to an original three-year period. Apple will replace the hinge mechanism on affected iMacs at no charge, regardless of warranty coverage.

Unlike some of Apple's other Exchange and Repair Extension Programs listed on its website, the details of this program have not been made publicly available. Apple has instead sent internal communication to Apple Authorized Service Providers with information about repairs and refunds.

Apple recommends affected customers contact the company by phone or web to initiate the refund process. Customers who still have a broken hinge can book an appointment with the Genius Bar at an Apple Store or visit an Apple Authorized Service Provider to determine if their iMac is eligible for the repair program.

Article Link: Apple Offering Refunds to Customers Who Paid for iMac Hinge Repairs

they have been covering 27 inch iMac hinges for a couple of years now...i wonder why they are just "announcing" now. The issue is a little piece of plastic inside the hinge that snaps and the whole hinge stops working

 

[Thunderbird]

Who's to blame? Designed in CA or made in China?

You're tilting it wrong!

 

[v0lume4]

So there is where the $150 touch disease repair funds are going to!

 

[prycop]

they have been covering 27 inch iMac hinges for a couple of years now...i wonder why they are just "announcing" now. The issue is a little piece of plastic inside the hinge that snaps and the whole hinge stops working

Hinge on my late 2013 iMac broke about a month ago. I live about 70 miles from my nearest Apple Store so they sent a courier to pick it up.
Repair company rang up to say there was a 'cast' on the screen and that the HD was failing tests - they replaced hinge, screen and HD without charge and returned it within 4 days.

 

[v0lume4]

Except nobody is buying Surfaces, Microsoft even stopped releasing the sales numbers.

The Surface line is so crap that Microsoft even had to apologize publicly and they have to lie to people about it in their presentations.

Lots of people reuturning their Sb and Sp because of bugs like sleep and bad pen input.

Nobody? The Surface may not be selling in iPad-record numbers, but it's selling quite well. It wasn't doing well at launch, mind you. But that was years ago.

 

[parapup]

Anyone know how they're repairing it - putting new plastic washers or something more durable?

 

[tennisproha]

Does this issue affect Thunderbolt Displays as well?

 

[BoxerGT2.5]

There sure is a lot of **** breaking at Apple lately.

 

[zaaach48]

It's amazing that some in-store Apple employees won't even bother to double check things. When I went in for my repair, I mentioned the massive Apple Discussion thread and that it was clearly covered by Apple. The guy just said "Sorry you're out of warranty and some of those repairs were probably unique circumstances."

So I left my iMac there and then called Apple on the day I had to pick it up. The woman on the phone took a few minutes to check (she didn't know off by heart but said the situation didn't sound right) and when she came back she said it was indeed covered. She then called the store to have them remove the charges before I went to grab it.

Also, I really hope that the replacement part is a better part and not the same thing. If it breaks again I hope they'll continue to cover it. But I'd rather them have replaced the part with a better part.

it's true...sounds like you got a tech who didn't really know his stuff when you went to the store. To be fair, they don't do the best job with training and dispersing information at Apple Stores
[doublepost=1480446095][/doublepost]

Anyone know how they're repairing it - putting new plastic washers or something more durable?

they are replacing the entire hinge (shown in the article) not just the plastic parts. however, they are just replacing it with the same type of hinge, plastic components and all.

 

[Firelock]

I'm not for two reasons.
Class-action lawsuits for one.
Second being that it hurts their brand. These iMacs are supposed to be premium products. At the amount Appleis charging, the buyers expect high quality parts, materials, and design.

If Apple didn't fix this issue, I am sure they would lose some customers, if they didn't already.

I agree that Apple wants to maintain its reputation as a premium brand and thus offering a refund for repairs is good business for them, but I disagree that they face a serious threat of a class action suit for this. Mainly what I am pointing out is that it is unusual for a company to pay for repairs for a product that is more than a few years old and out of warranty.

By way of example, I owned a 2003 Jeep where the window regulators failed after about 3 years (just long enough to be out of warranty). Jeep charged over $400 per window to fix them. Siimilar to this problem, Jeep substituted a plastic part for a metal one in order to save less than a dollar per car. Jeep never issued a recall nor did they ever offer to pay for the cost of repairs despite it clearly being a design flaw that affected thousands of their customers. (I only paid full price for the first repair, afterward I bought replacement parts online and repaired the remaining three windows myself for about $100 each.)

 

[zaaach48]

no

Does this issue affect Thunderbolt Displays as well?

[doublepost=1480446503][/doublepost]

Hinge on my late 2013 iMac broke about a month ago. I live about 70 miles from my nearest Apple Store so they sent a courier to pick it up.
Repair company rang up to say there was a 'cast' on the screen and that the HD was failing tests - they replaced hinge, screen and HD without charge and returned it within 4 days.

and you got a tech who knew their stuff, and know how to cover everything properly instead of just saying "yea, sorry man..." there's almost ALWAYS a way to make it happen

 

[conamor]

... I just repaired it myself around 2 months ago... Phone support said I had to go in store... I did not want to lose the mac for a week. I decided that it would be faster doing it...

 

[zaaach48]

It's amazing that some in-store Apple employees won't even bother to double check things. When I went in for my repair, I mentioned the massive Apple Discussion thread and that it was clearly covered by Apple. The guy just said "Sorry you're out of warranty and some of those repairs were probably unique circumstances."

So I left my iMac there and then called Apple on the day I had to pick it up. The woman on the phone took a few minutes to check (she didn't know off by heart but said the situation didn't sound right) and when she came back she said it was indeed covered. She then called the store to have them remove the charges before I went to grab it.

Also, I really hope that the replacement part is a better part and not the same thing. If it breaks again I hope they'll continue to cover it. But I'd rather them have replaced the part with a better part.

alas, no it is the same part haha

 

[69Mustang]

Except nobody is buying Surfaces, Microsoft even stopped releasing the sales numbers.

The Surface line is so crap that Microsoft even had to apologize publicly and they have to lie to people about it in their presentations.

Lots of people reuturning their Sb and Sp because of bugs like sleep and bad pen input.

Dude! Is Microsoft that much of a dog whistle for you?😳 Seems a bit... wait for it... unhinged.
You're ranting about a clever play on words:
"You did it wrong: Some people's purchasing decisions hinge on things like this. A quality defect might tilt them towards Microsoft, who is falling over to get more sales of the Surface Studio. Hopefully Apple will lean back and look at their direction from a different angle, realizing that their profits today is only being propped up by the iPhone." @konquerror nicely done sir, nicely done.