Consumer rights UK: Flickering screen with vertical lines now visible 2yo MBP

[mecca66]

Hi,

This is probably a question more for the Consumer rights but wanted to know if anyone else went through the same and how to best go about sorting it without having to remortgage my house to cover the cost of the repair.

I purchased a 13inch MBP 2020 (M1) model in June 2021 (now outside warranty with no Apple Care) and now the screen has started to flicker and vertical lines appear permanently down the left hand side. I went back to apple just over the 2 year period wr they say you can bring it back to be told that they wouldn't fix it for free which I'd expect if the fault had been caused by me.

The Apple store opened it up first time round to check if anything was loose and to reset a cable inside which didn't work, they then recommended that buying a new cable which connects the board to the screen to see if that helped fix the issue and that didn't work either so they then said the only other option would be to replace the whole display at a cost of over £500. The laptop cost £1900. I was advised (not by Apple) to get it independently checked and this was the response from that company...

Model: MacBook Pro (13-inch, M1, 2020) Serial Number: FVXXXXXXXXXXXX Display shows flickering and
vertical lines near the left side of the screen. Symptoms slightly change as the display is flexed. Issue persists after reseating
internal eDP cable. Issue doesn't replicate itself from a known good external monitor. There appears to be no sign of damage
externally and internally. Can't find any obvious cause to the hardware fault. Replacement display assembly would be
required to resolve issue.

Having sent this on to Apple to make a claim, they refused to do anything. For me there are two things here... 1) they need to standover their product and either replace the screen or at least offer the repair at a discounted fee if the fault was not caused by the person using it. 2) I'd expect that buying a laptop which cost almost £2000 to get more than 2 years out of it. In fact, every other Apple product I have had has lasted over 5 years.

Would appreciate any advice you could offer

 

[Zest28]

I had an issue with my iPad Pro display forming a "bright dot" on the screen. Apple admitted themselves that this particular model has this wide-spread issue and they have repaired many iPad Pro's for this exact same issue. But since I brought it in a few months after the warranty period, I was screwed and there was nothing I could do except pay $$$$$ to get it repaired.

But I'm not from the UK however.

 

[Lihp8270]

Hi,

This is probably a question more for the Consumer rights but wanted to know if anyone else went through the same and how to best go about sorting it without having to remortgage my house to cover the cost of the repair.

I purchased a 13inch MBP 2020 (M1) model in June 2021 (now outside warranty with no Apple Care) and now the screen has started to flicker and vertical lines appear permanently down the left hand side. I went back to apple just over the 2 year period wr they say you can bring it back to be told that they wouldn't fix it for free which I'd expect if the fault had been caused by me.

The Apple store opened it up first time round to check if anything was loose and to reset a cable inside which didn't work, they then recommended that buying a new cable which connects the board to the screen to see if that helped fix the issue and that didn't work either so they then said the only other option would be to replace the whole display at a cost of over £500. The laptop cost £1900. I was advised (not by Apple) to get it independently checked and this was the response from that company...



Having sent this on to Apple to make a claim, they refused to do anything. For me there are two things here... 1) they need to standover their product and either replace the screen or at least offer the repair at a discounted fee if the fault was not caused by the person using it. 2) I'd expect that buying a laptop which cost almost £2000 to get more than 2 years out of it. In fact, every other Apple product I have had has lasted over 5 years.

Would appreciate any advice you could offer

Did you purchase it from Apple?

If so, if you can prove it’s a manufacturing defect then they need to repair, replace or refund for faults in 6 years.

Legal - Apple Products and Consumer Laws in the United Kingdom - Apple

www.apple.com

However, this is not the same as the warranty and this consumer right is something you need to claim against the actual retailer.

So you need to go to the actual store it was purchased from and make this claim.

Apple replaced a 3 year old iPad after the backlights failed when I exercised this right.

 

[mecca66]

Did you purchase it from Apple?

If so, if you can prove it’s a manufacturing defect then they need to repair, replace or refund for faults in 6 years.

Legal - Apple Products and Consumer Laws in the United Kingdom - Apple

www.apple.com

However, this is not the same as the warranty and this consumer right is something you need to claim against the actual retailer.

So you need to go to the actual store it was purchased from and make this claim.

Apple replaced a 3 year old iPad after the backlights failed when I exercised this right.

Hi @Lihp8270

Thanks for replying.

Yeah I purchased online via the Apple Store. They've just simply refused to repair it after they checked and couldn't see a manufacturing default or a fault caused by me and then went to an independent business to have them check over it and they said they couldn't see anything that could have caused it.

From the independent business who checked it: 'There appears to be no sign of damage
externally and internally. Can't find any obvious cause to the hardware fault. Replacement display assembly would be
required to resolve issue.' - at a cost of £520

They went ahead and tried to file a claim with Apple but Apple just flat out refused. It's frustrating because you'd expect a laptop that cost so much to last longer than 2 years.

Update: An hour after posting this here, Consumer rights phoned and told me to try and source another business to check the laptop because the one I used is an 'Authorised Service Provider' for fear that there could be some bias there. Will see if I can source another business to have a look and then take it from there sure

 

[Lihp8270]

Hi @Lihp8270

Thanks for replying.

Yeah I purchased online via the Apple Store. They've just simply refused to repair it after they checked and couldn't see a manufacturing default or a fault caused by me and then went to an independent business to have them check over it and they said they couldn't see anything that could have caused it.

From the independent business who checked it: 'There appears to be no sign of damage
externally and internally. Can't find any obvious cause to the hardware fault. Replacement display assembly would be
required to resolve issue.' - at a cost of £520

They went ahead and tried to file a claim with Apple but Apple just flat out refused. It's frustrating because you'd expect a laptop that cost so much to last longer than 2 years.

Update: An hour after posting this here, Consumer rights phoned and told me to try and source another business to check the laptop because the one I used is an 'Authorised Service Provider' for fear that there could be some bias there. Will see if I can source another business to have a look and then take it from there sure

Speak with Apple again, quote the information from the Apple page and that you want it dealt with as per your consumer rights.

 

[mecca66]

Speak with Apple again, quote the information from the Apple page and that you want it dealt with as per your consumer rights.

I've tried to use this already and they said no.

The Apple store genius basically said that Apple are being generous with 2 years and I replied with the Consumer rights Law in the UK again. I phoned support as well, the American team I got through t said that it looks like 'we (Apple)' have to repair it after he looked at Apples own UK consumer rights law doc. Second time I got through to an advisor in Cork who said that they more than likely won't fix it because I hadn't reported it within 2 years even with consumer rights. Frustrating!

Both the Apple store and independent company both agreed that there were no visible signs that I had caused the issue which in my head says that it is their problem. What I take from it is that they can't see that the issue was caused by me, they have no way of proving that the issue is caused by them (apparently) so it's up to the consumer to fork out more money to sort it.

Even more frustrating because I have another MBP which I got last year, an Iphone, Ipad, AirTags and other products from Apple that I'm now thinking about selling because of this experience...

Also, this was what Consumer advice said...

'I would firstly say you can only force Apple to cover this issue if you in fact bought the product from them directly. To assert your legal rights you need to go back to where you bought the goods from. Also due to the length of time you have had the goods now, legally speaking you would need to be in the position to prove there is either an inherent or a manufacturing fault and this means getting a report done by an independent trader to prove this fact in writing. To acquire such a report will cost you money so you will need to ask about who could do this for you and at what cost.



If you are in the position to source such a report which proves there is either an inherent/manufacturing fault then you can go back to the retailer with this evidence in writing and ask the retailer to stand over this at no cost to you, so that either means repairing it or replacing it.



You can go back for a period of up to 6 years to assert your legal rights with where you have bought goods from, if you can show evidence in writing that there is a manufacturing or inherent flaw.

I hope this information is helpful. If you have other questions can you please ring into the advice line and quote your reference noted above.'

 

[Kevrani]

I had a similar thing with my Macbook Air M2. Vertical lines appearing down the middle of the screen. Luckily was still under warranty, so although it took nearly 3 weeks, they were able to fix it

 

[weckart]

You can go back for a period of up to 6 years to assert your legal rights with where you have bought goods from, if you can show evidence in writing that there is a manufacturing or inherent flaw.

I hope this information is helpful. If you have other questions can you please ring into the advice line and quote your reference noted above.'

This is the law as it stands. The initial report was inconclusive. You will need to get something a bit more damning in writing. Companies know this and use it to wriggle out of repairs. Unfortunately, that means stumping up for another report and then filing a claim in the Small Claims Court. You will have to swallow the cost of that report unless you want to take it to a higher court.

 

[TechnoMonk]

I've tried to use this already and they said no.

The Apple store genius basically said that Apple are being generous with 2 years and I replied with the Consumer rights Law in the UK again. I phoned support as well, the American team I got through t said that it looks like 'we (Apple)' have to repair it after he looked at Apples own UK consumer rights law doc. Second time I got through to an advisor in Cork who said that they more than likely won't fix it because I hadn't reported it within 2 years even with consumer rights. Frustrating!

Both the Apple store and independent company both agreed that there were no visible signs that I had caused the issue which in my head says that it is their problem. What I take from it is that they can't see that the issue was caused by me, they have no way of proving that the issue is caused by them (apparently) so it's up to the consumer to fork out more money to sort it.

Even more frustrating because I have another MBP which I got last year, an Iphone, Ipad, AirTags and other products from Apple that I'm now thinking about selling because of this experience...

Also, this was what Consumer advice said...

'I would firstly say you can only force Apple to cover this issue if you in fact bought the product from them directly. To assert your legal rights you need to go back to where you bought the goods from. Also due to the length of time you have had the goods now, legally speaking you would need to be in the position to prove there is either an inherent or a manufacturing fault and this means getting a report done by an independent trader to prove this fact in writing. To acquire such a report will cost you money so you will need to ask about who could do this for you and at what cost.



If you are in the position to source such a report which proves there is either an inherent/manufacturing fault then you can go back to the retailer with this evidence in writing and ask the retailer to stand over this at no cost to you, so that either means repairing it or replacing it.



You can go back for a period of up to 6 years to assert your legal rights with where you have bought goods from, if you can show evidence in writing that there is a manufacturing or inherent flaw.

I hope this information is helpful. If you have other questions can you please ring into the advice line and quote your reference noted above.'

Search for similar complaints, and any information to support your argument of manufacturers defect. If its a manufacturer defect, it should be wide spread( remember the keyboards on MBP post 2016) or at least some complaints.

 

[mecca66]

Really appreciate all the replies folks. Thank you

 

[kevinof]

In the UK, consumer law says that goods should be of “merchantable quality” and fit for purpose. If you as the consumer have an expectation that an Apple device should last more than two years then you can claim it’s not of “merchantable quality” and therefore faulty manufacturing.

Put your clan in writing and quote the Sale of goods act and the points above - it makes a big difference when a business receives a claim in writing and they have to respond - that response usually comes from someone higher up the food chain who understand the nuances.

Failing this go to the small claims court. Minimal expense they they will need to defend and produce a lawyer which is big $$ for them.

 

[Lihp8270]

In the UK, consumer law says that goods should be of “merchantable quality” and fit for purpose. If you as the consumer have an expectation that an Apple device should last more than two years then you can claim it’s not of “merchantable quality” and therefore faulty manufacturing.

Put your clan in writing and quote the Sale of goods act and the points above - it makes a big difference when a business receives a claim in writing and they have to respond - that response usually comes from someone higher up the food chain who understand the nuances.

Failing this go to the small claims court. Minimal expense they they will need to defend and produce a lawyer which is big $$ for them.

Sale of goods act is longer relevant.

It has been replaced by the Consumer Rights Act

 

[MajorFubar]

On the one hand you really need to stand your grounds with this. You are within your rights, and Apple know you are within your rights. But they also know it's potentially costly to prove them wrong, especially if you have to push it through small claims court, and they're calling your bluff in the hope you'll go away.

Years ago when the Sale of Goods act was still a thing, I had a USB DAC (HRT Streamer II). It went faulty 366 days after purchase: literally the same day its 12 month warranty officially expired. The online retailer I purchased it from did the absolute best they could to wangle out of replacing it / repairing it. At first they tried to get me with the stance of "sorry mate you're one day late that's just too bad but life sucks doesn't it". So I upped my game and sent them links to the Sale of Goods Act. Then they claimed that because it was an import from America, UK laws didn't apply to it. (Bear in mind they were, and are, a UK-based hifi retailer, and a quite well-known one at that.) I pointed out that under UK law, my grievance as a customer was with them as the retailer, not with the manufacturer, and it was no concern of mine even if they had imported it from a colony of little green men on Mars.

I did eventually win that one without having to threaten them with small claims, but I would never ever shop there again. EDIT: I am 100% convinced I didn't teach them literally anything about retail law they didn't already know, they just hoped I was ignorant and would go away easily.

 

[laptech]

You need to understand UK consumer law. Which? is a consumer champion in the UK and this is a section from their website on the issue of faulty goods.

Faulty product? How to get a refund, repair or replacement - Which?

If an item you've bought develops a fault, your refund rights depend on when you bought it and who is responsible.

www.which.co.uk

Six months or more​

If a defect develops after the first six months, the burden is on you to prove that the product was faulty at the time the goods were delivered to you.

In practice, this may require some form of expert report, opinion or evidence of similar problems or defects across the product range.

The retailer can also make a deduction from any refund for fair use after the first six months of ownership if an attempt at a repair or replacement is unsuccessful.

You have up to six years to take a claim to the small claims court for faulty goods in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and five years in Scotland.

This doesn't mean that a product has to last six years - just that you have this length of time in which to make a claim if a retailer refuses to repair or replace a faulty product.

Was a fault present at purchase?​

The truth is, the law doesn't explain how you can prove the fault was present at the point of purchase, which can make it problematic when you’re asked to do so.

Guidance has tended to focus on getting an independent report from a repair shop or expert, but this advice dates back to a time when these were a common presence on high streets.

You could be hard pressed to find one now. But it's worth looking in your local area for a repair shop if you need to get an objective opinion.

Here are a few suggestions on what you can do:

• If you can find a repair shop or expert to undertake an independent inspection and provide a report on a defective product, it’s worth doing so as long as the cost isn’t disproportionate to the value of the product. You should always check whether the retailer is happy with your choice of independent expert. Aim to work out how costs will be divided in the first instance and agree that any costs incurred by you will be reimbursed in the event the report lands in your favour.
• Are people on social media complaining of the same fault? What about any reviewers or journalists? The more evidence you can collect about the faulty product and how widespread the defect is, the more persuasive your case could be.
• If the retailer fobs you off and tells you there's nothing it can do, you could report it to Trading Standards.
• Do you have a guarantee or warranty? If so, check the terms of use. If you’re getting nowhere with the retailer, or if the retailer has gone bust, you may want to go straight to your warranty provider and make a claim.

The fact the fault has developed after two years of use means under UK law the onus is on the OP to prove that the screen was defective at purchase and overtime developed the fault.

Under the law, after 6 months of purchase Apple have no legal obligation to repair the machine for free and it will now be up to the OP to prove that the machine had a defective part that broke down over time.

It appears Apple UK know their rights and are sticking to them.