Dead pixel on new 20" -- tips for getting replacement?

[cleo]

I just turned on my brand-new and long-awaited Mac Mini and 20" Cinema display to find a big black dead pixel square in the middle of the screen (like, opening a Finder window in the default position has it between the first two icons. I'm so bummed I just turned the whole thing off and am typing this on my old G3 iBook. (There's another dead pixel lower on the screen, but for some reason it doesn't stand out as much).

I did a quick google and found what appears to be an oft-cited Think Secret claim:

Unknown to many Apple retail store customers, especially those dialing AppleCare for help with the matter, at the manager's discretion any retail store is able to replace displays, laptops, or iMacs with even a single dead pixel, regardless of location. Even displays that exhibit dead pixels within the "normal" range can be replaced free of charge if the customer deems the so-called "pixel anomaly" unacceptable.

Is this true? Has anyone had success in a similar situation? I bought my setup from the online store because I had a BTO Mini; can I deal with a retail store on this issue or must it be taken up by phone? Any tips on how to get the best resolution to this problem? I really don't mind dead pixels in general -- I understand why they happen -- but this one is truly unacceptable (a word that came to mind even before I found the TS article!).

EDIT: see below for how this turned out.

Last night I took it to the retail Store (was going to the Plaza anyway), and it turns out that it was either A) A clump of 5 or 6 contiguous pixels, all bad, which the head genius said was the biggest defect he'd ever seen, or B) A piece of debris from the manufacturing process that got stuck between the two pieces of glass. Either way, they were nicer than nice about it and swapped it out for a new one for no charge and an apologized, too. The best part? I got home a hooked up the new one, and there are zero dead pixels. I am, quite possibly, in heaven.

 

[aminadab]

I was just in the apple store today talking about this very thinksecret issue. She says it's patently unture -- that a manager can excercise so much autonomy -- that it was a rumor propogated by thinksecret to get back at apple for the lawsuit by encouraging customers to pursist in getting what they want. Take it for what it's worth, this could be some sort of disinformation back and forth. At any rate, is in the middle of the screen "acceptable"? Go raise hell. That thing is expensive.

 

[Dr. Dastardly]

If it is in the middle of the screen and can hinder your ability to work using the monitor then they might swap it out. I have heard that Apple is alot more leaniant on the policy if the dead pixel is in the middle, naturally a small dot in the top corners is really not going to bother you and prevent you from working.

But lets say that you are a graphic designer or something, a dead pixel in the middle will really affect you after a while. Take it back to the Apple store and be adament about it and dont take no for an answear.

Worst case scnerio is you will have to eat the restock fee (which is also completly stupid...) but it might be worth it to you if its that distracting.

 

[jaw04005]

Next time, purchase from a dealer that will allow you take the display out of the box and examine the screen before hand or that has a good return policy. Several Apple Authorized Dealers will allow you to return Cinema Displays for various reasons without charging a restocking fee.

By the way, Apple places limits on these dealers that make it difficult for them to actually get credit for the display. However, most dealers are willing to sacrifice the extra trouble to get you to purchase from their store again.

After selling my 20" ACD, I purchased a Dell 20" LCD for almost 1/2 the cost. At least with Dell, you can return the display if it has defects. However, mine did not. It's random. I could have easily gotten a defected LCD from Dell also. Good luck!

 

[cleo]

If it is in the middle of the screen and can hinder your ability to work using the monitor then they might swap it out. I have heard that Apple is alot more leaniant on the policy if the dead pixel is in the middle, naturally a small dot in the top corners is really not going to bother you and prevent you from working.

But lets say that you are a graphic designer or something, a dead pixel in the middle will really affect you after a while. Take it back to the Apple store and be adament about it and dont take no for an answear.

Worst case scnerio is you will have to eat the restock fee (which is also completly stupid...) but it might be worth it to you if its that distracting.

Yeah, I was actually thinking the same thing. I'm actually a grad student, so it's nonstop writing; I can tell you right now that on a white background, the thing is going to drive me batty (and probably give me headaches as my eyes keep being drawn to it). It'd suck to have to pay the restock fee, but hell, it's better than this. But who knows... I can be pretty persuasive.

So I can take this to the retail store despite having bought it online?

(aminadab, thanks for the (sad) tip. and trust me, i *shall* raise hell!)

 

[finalcoolman]

*

 

[aminadab]

As a fellow grad student, I can understand not wanting to look at Word all day, wondering wether or not there's a speck of dirt on my dissertation... It's hard enough to get the energy to write the damn thing in the first place. Good luck.

 

[cleo]

Followup

So here's what happened:

Last night I took it to the retail Store (was going to the Plaza anyway). The first associate I talked to was really cool and said they'd probably be able to replace it but I needed to let a Genius check it out. So I did, and Kevin (one of my all-time favorite Geniuses) took it around the store plugging it into various machines and discussing it with colleagues, and then returned saying it was the biggest defect he'd seen in quite some time. His conclusion was that it was either A) a clump of 5 or 6 contiguous pixels, all bad, or B) a piece of debris from the manufacturing process that got stuck between the two pieces of glass. Either way, they were nicer than nice about it and swapped it out for a new one for no charge (and they even apologized, too).

The best part? I got home a hooked up the new ACD, and there are zero dead pixels. I am, quite possibly, in heaven.

Thanks for all your help and advice!