Backlight Bleeding and World's Dumbest Genius

[jlpoore89]

So I have had my unibody MBP for 14 days and a few days ago I noticed that on a dark screen with the brightness above halfway the backlights bleed through at the bottom of the display. I have the 9C85 display which is known for this. So I thought that I would take it in within the 14 days so that getting it replaced wouldn't be a hassle. Yesterday I called and scheduled an appointment at my local Apple Store which is 2.5 hrs away in Mississippi. I explained to the lady what my problem was and told her that I wanted to be assured that something would be done as I was about to drive 2.5 hrs to the store. She told me that it would at least be repaired but that since it was within the first 14 days she was 95% sure they would just replace it.

So I get to the store and speak with the "Genius." While waiting for my MBP to boot we started talking about the battery and I said it sucked that they downsized the battery from the previous generation to the new unibody. At which point he says in a shocked tone, "Is that so?" I about fell off of the stool. He actually asked ME how much they had decreased. He didn't even know how many watt hours the new batteries were. So at this point I knew that this was going to be a fun time at the apple store.

I explained my problem after our talk about the battery at which point he acted like he had never heard of the LED's bleeding through and making bright spots all along the bottom of the displays. I told him how to replicate it and he took it to the back so that he could turn the lights out to see it. He stayed back there for 10 minutes. I had a friend who noticed it in 10 seconds when we were watching a movie. When he finally came back out he said that he couldn't see any problem which is ridiculous because you can see the bright spots from across the room. He then told me that there were bright spots, which he said he didn't even see, on every one of the new LED backlit displays. And that there was nothing they could do because any replacement would have the same problem.

So I wasted 6 hrs of my evening yesterday for nothing. I thought that within the first 14 days they are supposed to replace the computer for any reason so long as there is no major user-created damage t the machine. So today is day 14 and I want to know if anyone knows what AppleCare will say? And what y'all think about the genius I dealt with? I mean exactly what kind of training do these guys go through if any at all. LOL

P.S.-Will try to post a pic of the bright spots. Please let me know if you can see them and can think of how the genius couldn't.

Thanks JP

Here are some pics taken with my iPhone. Pics from my digital camera(10.1MP) are too big to upload. These are in a completely dark room, only light is from the display, which is at full brightness, spot still show all the way down to half brightness.

 

[AR15MBP]

So I have had my unibody MBP for 14 days and a few days ago I noticed that on a dark screen with the brightness above halfway the backlights bleed through at the bottom of the display. I have the 9C85 display which is known for this. So I thought that I would take it in within the 14 days so that getting it replaced wouldn't be a hassle. Yesterday I called and scheduled an appointment at my local Apple Store which is 2.5 hrs away in Mississippi. I explained to the lady what my problem was and told her that I wanted to be assured that something would be done as I was about to drive 2.5 hrs to the store. She told me that it would at least be repaired but that since it was within the first 14 days she was 95% sure they would just replace it.

So I get to the store and speak with the "Genius." While waiting for my MBP to boot we started talking about the battery and I said it sucked that they downsized the battery from the previous generation to the new unibody. At which point he says in a shocked tone, "Is that so?" I about fell off of the stool. He actually asked ME how much they had decreased. He didn't even know how many watt hours the new batteries were. So at this point I knew that this was going to be a fun time at the apple store.

I explained my problem after our talk about the battery at which point he acted like he had never heard of the LED's bleeding through and making bright spots all along the bottom of the displays. I told him how to replicate it and he took it to the back so that he could turn the lights out to see it. He stayed back there for 10 minutes. I had a friend who noticed it in 10 seconds when we were watching a movie. When he finally came back out he said that he couldn't see any problem which is ridiculous because you can see the bright spots from across the room. He then told me that there were bright spots, which he said he didn't even see, on every one of the new LED backlit displays. And that there was nothing they could do because any replacement would have the same problem.

So I wasted 6 hrs of my evening yesterday for nothing. I thought that within the first 14 days they are supposed to replace the computer for any reason so long as there is no major user-created damage t the machine. So today is day 14 and I want to know if anyone knows what AppleCare will say? And what y'all think about the genius I dealt with? I mean exactly what kind of training do these guys go through if any at all. LOL

P.S.-Will try to post a pic of the bright spots. Please let me know if you can see them and can think of how the genius couldn't.

Thanks JP

You either got an ignorant genius, OR a deceptive one. Either way, not good. BUT he was right on one thing: It looks like the "stagelight effect" as its called is pretty much present on every MBP. I have the 9C85, after giving up after 2 returns. The genius that helped me understood where I was coming from, but he said that I'd have to realize that its just the way the screens were, and that I'd either have to live with it or return it. I've never dealt with Applecare, so I can't give you any thoughts there. I'm a month in, and now there's a very slight faint shadow on the screen, so go figure.

I'm not sure if you're past your 14 days (it sounds like you are), but if you're not my advice would be to return it for a refund. If it's not an urgent need, I would wait it out and see if they resolve the issue. From my understanding of LCD screens, the stagelight effect could very well be caused by stress of the casing on the screen. I think I read that someone had backlight bleed on an iMac, and when the glass was removed it went away. DO NOT ATTEMPT.

Again, if you think its a big deal try to return it, otherwise learn to live with it. Good luck.

 

[Nikos]

Sorry to hear about the bad experience

If your backlight is only leaking along the bottom, consider yourself kind of lucky because a lot of these are leaking from every side of the screen. I know that's a foolish thing to say, but my backlight was leaking from all over the place before I decided to return it. Also, there are threads here with pics of some horrendous backlight leakage.

If you are really unhappy with it, call AppleCare and tell them about your experience and about the issue. Hopefully they can do something about it and, if they do, hopefully you don't get a replacement that is even worse.

 

[DoFoT9]

sad story OP. if i were you I would have asked to speak to his superior. it is people like them that just makes life so hard to get by.


you are entitled to a replacement if you wish! no matter what he says, if you arent happy with it you CAN get a replacement within 14days. no matter what he says or thinks, its not his decision its yours!

email steve

 

[lostless]

I see it on my 2nd gen MBP. I also see it on my psp and ipod classic (at varying degrees. I guess the smaller the screen the less noticeable) I guess Its just the way LED lit panels work. yet Unlike a fluorescent tube which is a tube of light, LED are separate points of light sitting right next to each other which makes it more difficult to even spread the light. I typically notice it unless im at full brightness.

 

[jlpoore89]

At AR15MBP,

Today Tuesday the 17th is my 14th day. Not sure about having to drive 2.5 hrs one way to return it, but will see what happens with applecare.

Thanks for all of y'alls input so far. I'm glad that I don't feel alone about that genius either being an idiot or trying to blow me off because he didn't wanna fill out paperwork and actually do his job.

I have a friend who is a lead genius back at a store where I live(I'm in college so I'm a good ways from home) but its 8 hrs away. If anyone is around Houston, the apple store at the Woodlands is amazing they are very helpful and don't blow you off.

 

[Chundles]

As if a genius should know the Watt hours capacity of the current batteries off the top of his head.

Some people put way too much pressure on these people to know absolutely everything about every product in minute detail and have those figures available for instant recall.

Screen looks funny though.

 

[ayeying]

take the bottom cover off and unplug/replug in the connector from the screen to the logic board. the connector could just be slightly loose. I had that on my Unibody MacBook and I was able to fix it by reconnecting. Try it and see what happens.

 

[Abstract]

As if a genius should know the Watt hours capacity of the current batteries off the top of his head.

Some people put way too much pressure on these people to know absolutely everything about every product in minute detail and have those figures available for instant recall.

I was thinking the same thing.

I know he's upset about the backlight, but talk about an over-reaction. Oh no, he doesn't know the exact battery capacity. There's no way he could possibly do his job properly now.


I guess it doesn't help that even if you know this piece of information, there's really only one type of battery for the new MacBook Pro, and therefore, only one that you can buy from them. I guess if there were a number of battery options, it would help the staff to know the battery capacities and how they compare, relatively speaking. However, that's not the case, so as long as the guy knows the expected battery life, he's doing fine.

 

[dogg]

take the bottom cover off and unplug/replug in the connector from the screen to the logic board. the connector could just be slightly loose. I had that on my Unibody MacBook and I was able to fix it by reconnecting. Try it and see what happens.

That sounds really promising. Did you follow any instructions for this? Can you post any required links.

Thanks.

 

[InLikeALion]

Ah, the Apple Store in Madison. I wasted a bunch of time there when I was trying to purchase my MBP. It was the first day they were available, and they said to come, when I called to inquire, but when I arrived they told me they were still in loading pallets and not checked in. They said I should wait for them to check one in. I had to wait about an hour for them to finally tell me I should come back a different day.

This whole meeting was prefaced by me telling them I was delaying a cross country road trip by a few hours for this purchase, and they knew I was in a hurry. So, several hours late on the road, and no computer made for a miserable experience. I ended up purchasing from Amazon.

That store just opened at the end of the summer, so everyone there is green at this. Sorry about your wasted trip.

Let us know if you tried ayeying's suggestion. I have the same '85 backlight bleed problem, and if this is a fix, I would love to know.

 

[Mikebuzzsaw]

As if a genius should know the Watt hours capacity of the current batteries off the top of his head.

Some people put way too much pressure on these people to know absolutely everything about every product in minute detail and have those figures available for instant recall.

Screen looks funny though.

+12345



jlpoore89 sounds more like a tool than the genius.

 

[Sir Cecil]

take the bottom cover off and unplug/replug in the connector from the screen to the logic board. the connector could just be slightly loose. I had that on my Unibody MacBook and I was able to fix it by reconnecting. Try it and see what happens.

Has anyone else tried this? If it works, could someone post a pic of what the connector looks like? Thanks.

I tend to agree that all the MBPs probably show this effect. I've had two, but the second one shows more bleed from the sides. I wish I'd kept the first one.

 

[jlpoore89]

Hey everyone,

Called AppleCare today and was told by the representative that he could send me a box to send it in for a repair, but couldn't guarantee a repair because if the repair technician couldn't see the problem they probably wouldn't repair it. So he transfered me to a Product Specialist about just getting the whole machine replaced. The PS told me that my problem was normal and that they couldn't even repair it let alone replace the whole machine. He supposedly found some documentation that said this problem was normal and was caused by the design of the display. I asked him if he could email me this documentation, and he said that he couldn't. At this point I am tired of getting blown off.

Also the PS said that he had never even heard of Apple's 14 day return policy. And these forums are littered with people who have pics with a problem just like mine and they are on their 6th MBP because AppleCare keeps sending them a new one because of the same problem every time.

So I called my trusty apple store back home at The Woodlands, and spoke with the manager who said that if I would bring it in with the pictures of the problem they would replace it. Problem is that I am 8 hrs from that particular store. So he told me that I could even bring it in this weekend and he would replace it. The lady I spoke with before the manager said that she knew very well of the 14 day policy and that people walk in all the time with a MB pay the difference in price and walk out with a MBP no questions asked.

Thanks for y'alls help so far. I haven't tried unplugging the display cable and plugging it back in yet.

And I don't expect the genius to know everything, but they should at least be current with the newest products. And this guy seemed like he didn't know much of anything about Apple computers. They go through a lot of training to know nothing. I don't feel comfortable handing my $2500 laptop over to a guy who doesn't know anything about the device he is repairing.

 

[jlpoore89]

At Sir Cecil

It is the white connector at the top right of the logic board, just to the right of the fan.