Just curious if apple stores have an official test for image retention on macbook pro retina 15 inch
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Do Apple Stores have an official test for image retention?
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lol. Are you kidding? They don't even acknowledge it.
I saw a guy sitting next to me at the genius bar, and I knew precisely what he was talking about as soon as I heard him demonstrate it.
The genius of course was completely baffled and gave the usual "oh this is the first I've heard of this."
They aren't going to help you prove the problem. That's up to the internet and other consumers.
I saw a guy sitting next to me at the genius bar, and I knew precisely what he was talking about as soon as I heard him demonstrate it.
The genius of course was completely baffled and gave the usual "oh this is the first I've heard of this."
They aren't going to help you prove the problem. That's up to the internet and other consumers.
SF Apple store does
I had a Genius Bar appointment last week, and the person on my right came in for image retention. The Genius Bar said they had to leave checkerboards on for 3 minutes and the screen was defective if remnants were present after a minute.
I had a Genius Bar appointment last week, and the person on my right came in for image retention. The Genius Bar said they had to leave checkerboards on for 3 minutes and the screen was defective if remnants were present after a minute.
They do have a test and they do acknowledge it exists though they insist it was restricted to a 'batch' of LG screens though they wouldn't tell me how large this batch was and when they were produced.
I know this because my LG screen has started to develop IR after 6 months and is getting steadily worse. It has also developed a dead pixel. They tested my RMBP and confirmed both issues.
What was really disappointing was that they told me they had replacement screens in stock but would need to keep my machine for 10 days as they had a 'post Christmas backlog' and furthermore would not confirm that they screen they were replacing mine with would be a 'samsung' as the guy said 'we would not knowingly replace your screen with a defective one and the new LG ones are just as good'.
I left the store because I cannot be without my laptop for 10 days (I use it for work) and I'm not happy with the situation at all. So, I'm rethinking my position and may either try writing a complaint e-mail, trying a different Apple store or doing what he suggested which was to use an authorised repairer.
This incident has effectively undone the positive perception that I had of Apple stores. I have had some amazing experiences in the past, including them replacing my 2 day old ipad when the screen had cracked entirely through my own fault.
The Genius fella was arrogant, belligerent and kept shrugging his shoulders when I told him how important a laptop was to my worklife and how 10 days was an unreasonably long time to wait for them to replace a screen which he admitted they had in stock.
I know this because my LG screen has started to develop IR after 6 months and is getting steadily worse. It has also developed a dead pixel. They tested my RMBP and confirmed both issues.
What was really disappointing was that they told me they had replacement screens in stock but would need to keep my machine for 10 days as they had a 'post Christmas backlog' and furthermore would not confirm that they screen they were replacing mine with would be a 'samsung' as the guy said 'we would not knowingly replace your screen with a defective one and the new LG ones are just as good'.
I left the store because I cannot be without my laptop for 10 days (I use it for work) and I'm not happy with the situation at all. So, I'm rethinking my position and may either try writing a complaint e-mail, trying a different Apple store or doing what he suggested which was to use an authorised repairer.
This incident has effectively undone the positive perception that I had of Apple stores. I have had some amazing experiences in the past, including them replacing my 2 day old ipad when the screen had cracked entirely through my own fault.
The Genius fella was arrogant, belligerent and kept shrugging his shoulders when I told him how important a laptop was to my worklife and how 10 days was an unreasonably long time to wait for them to replace a screen which he admitted they had in stock.
They have no way of ordering a Samsung - it's the same part # - whether it's an LG or Samsung in the box is pot luck.
And if they have a backlog of repairs what would you like them to do? I'm pretty sure you'd be pee'd off if you'd had a repair in for 10 days, and found out that someone else's was pushed to the top of the queue before you because they were in a rush.
Simple. What I want them to do is call me when they are nearly ready to do the repair (I live 20 mins away) and I will take it in and they can take the 1-2 days needed rather than the 10 days which in my opinion is unrealistic. I don't recall mentioning I should be prioritised above anyone else, so you can climb down off that particular moral horse of indignation.
10 days is too long, 2-3 days (which they tell me is the normal cycle) is acceptable.
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I went in with horrible ( I mean worst I have seen in all the examples ) image retention. The genius did his "have never heard of this" crap, then told me they would have to look into it. I got upset and asked to talk to the manager, got a store leader in stead. This putz told me that I was out of return period, and maybe if I HADN"T PURCHASED IT AT BEST BUY THAT HE MIGHT BE ABLE TO HELP!!!!!!!
I freaked out, and they decided in stead of the 100 or so customers hearing me tell them off, they would replace the screen. I left with a work order while they ordered the part, and never heard back. I put in a pretty harsh email on my "Genius Bar Survey" and got a call the next day from the Store Manager. They did my screen replacement the next week while I waited. Its a Samsung screen, and they said they documented that if I ever have the same problem again in the life of the unit they will replace it.
It takes a little digging and kicking, but Apple eventually should do whats right. Just a shame I had to spend 10K dollars in Apple products to get to my first ever genius bar appointment and be treated this way.
I freaked out, and they decided in stead of the 100 or so customers hearing me tell them off, they would replace the screen. I left with a work order while they ordered the part, and never heard back. I put in a pretty harsh email on my "Genius Bar Survey" and got a call the next day from the Store Manager. They did my screen replacement the next week while I waited. Its a Samsung screen, and they said they documented that if I ever have the same problem again in the life of the unit they will replace it.
It takes a little digging and kicking, but Apple eventually should do whats right. Just a shame I had to spend 10K dollars in Apple products to get to my first ever genius bar appointment and be treated this way.
Point is, they know most customers won't do this 'digging and kicking'. Imagine what an Apple customer has to go through in this case if there were no Apple stores close by, or no Apple store at all in their country...
In the end, I think there's nothing special with Apple's customer service. In the end, it's all about protecting the company image and it's shareholders at all costs, if a hardware defect is discovered.
You could try an Apple Authorized repair shop
I had a trackpad issue the Genius bar fixed in 10 minutes. However, I also called a couple authorized repair shops and they said they could schedule a time where they could fix my computer in case the Genius bar couldn't fix it immediately. One shop quoted me 2 day turnaround.
I had a trackpad issue the Genius bar fixed in 10 minutes. However, I also called a couple authorized repair shops and they said they could schedule a time where they could fix my computer in case the Genius bar couldn't fix it immediately. One shop quoted me 2 day turnaround.
I have lost all credibility with the Apple geniuses. The arrogance I have seen with them is just bad. To be honest the more I visit and an apple store the more they remind me of shady car salesman. Trying to get my rMBP fixed has been nothing short of a nightmare.
I will seriously consider my options when I purchase a new laptop. And to be honest, apple still refuses to publicly acknowledge the SMC issue that plagues the rMBP, and they have been playing down the image retention. I'm very disappoint in the current state of Apple Customer Care. I fear they are in jeopardy of becoming just another Dell or HP.
I will seriously consider my options when I purchase a new laptop. And to be honest, apple still refuses to publicly acknowledge the SMC issue that plagues the rMBP, and they have been playing down the image retention. I'm very disappoint in the current state of Apple Customer Care. I fear they are in jeopardy of becoming just another Dell or HP.
Um why didn't you return it within the first 14 days ? Image retention is common knowledge in the forums. Or you could cut your losses and just sell it and get a pc or build one
I purchased my system at Launch. The image retention is a know issue after several months of usage. I didn't surfer from it in the beginning.
The SMC issue happened after the first EFI update, well after the 2 week return policy.
Don't get me wrong I really enjoy the RMBP, it's portability and power can't be replaced very easily. If I were to try and sell this system I would lose more then I would like.
I just want apple to stand by the product and fix it already. Good news is the SMC issue might be fixed in the 10.8.3 according to many people running the beta right now.
This is by no means an indictment to any above posters, as I have no idea whether or not Apple geniuses were arses to you, which they very well may have been.
In my experience, however, if you are polite and reasonable, but of course, firm and persistent when necessary, you will get what you want. Again, I am not accusing any of the above posters of anything, but from the perspective of an Apple employee, wouldn't you feel less inclined or motivated to help an irate or belligerent customer? Too often, I do see in person many customers make demands that are simply out of the control of the genius. Sometimes, they simply aren't authorized to do things or there is waiting list or protocols that they have to follow; it's not their choice nor their fault.
Of course, there are also awful jerk geniuses, but this is true of the support personnel at all companies. That said, too often, we see customers who come in with a sense of entitlement to treatment that they neither deserve nor is Apple legally obligated to provide. Apple may go above and beyond sometimes, but they don't have to.
Now this IR issue is clearly something Apple should address without question, but in my opinion, the best way to go about things is to calmly and firmly state your needs and your views on the matter, and ask for a resolution or some kind of compensation if they cannot accomodate your requests due to error/circumstances on their part. It's really how you should deal with all people -- being fair and reasonable tends to get people to react the same way with you.
As for my own anecdotes, I don't have a rMBP so I cannot comment on having a screen serviced for IR, but I've had numerous Apple products replaced without question. My 2008 MBP was replaced outside of warranty without any questions asked for the nVidia issue (it was previously repaired for free after I dropped a bookshelf on it and dented the speaker grill); my 2010 Air was replaced because the screen was broken out of the box, but they gave me a free upgrade to the 2011 version and a higher-spec model as well that I'm using now, which they didn't have to do; and I had two iPhones replaced for various reasons outside of warranty free of charge. I'm sure my experiences are not completely typical, but neither is a single bad experience. Just because you got an awful rep, it doesn't mean that is representative of Apple support, nor that you should give up on their products.
In my experience, however, if you are polite and reasonable, but of course, firm and persistent when necessary, you will get what you want. Again, I am not accusing any of the above posters of anything, but from the perspective of an Apple employee, wouldn't you feel less inclined or motivated to help an irate or belligerent customer? Too often, I do see in person many customers make demands that are simply out of the control of the genius. Sometimes, they simply aren't authorized to do things or there is waiting list or protocols that they have to follow; it's not their choice nor their fault.
Of course, there are also awful jerk geniuses, but this is true of the support personnel at all companies. That said, too often, we see customers who come in with a sense of entitlement to treatment that they neither deserve nor is Apple legally obligated to provide. Apple may go above and beyond sometimes, but they don't have to.
Now this IR issue is clearly something Apple should address without question, but in my opinion, the best way to go about things is to calmly and firmly state your needs and your views on the matter, and ask for a resolution or some kind of compensation if they cannot accomodate your requests due to error/circumstances on their part. It's really how you should deal with all people -- being fair and reasonable tends to get people to react the same way with you.
As for my own anecdotes, I don't have a rMBP so I cannot comment on having a screen serviced for IR, but I've had numerous Apple products replaced without question. My 2008 MBP was replaced outside of warranty without any questions asked for the nVidia issue (it was previously repaired for free after I dropped a bookshelf on it and dented the speaker grill); my 2010 Air was replaced because the screen was broken out of the box, but they gave me a free upgrade to the 2011 version and a higher-spec model as well that I'm using now, which they didn't have to do; and I had two iPhones replaced for various reasons outside of warranty free of charge. I'm sure my experiences are not completely typical, but neither is a single bad experience. Just because you got an awful rep, it doesn't mean that is representative of Apple support, nor that you should give up on their products.
Source? Apple has said this image retention is normal on these type of displays so I would not think they would release information that the issue is due to a bad batch of LG screens.
My source was merely the Genius at the Trafford Centre store in Manchester. He told me they had tests for IR (took away my RMBP for a few minutes maybe 10) then returned. I told him that I would be unhappy if it were replaced with another LG screen. He replied that they have no control over which screen and in any case the new batches of screens were problem free.
He said the problem was related to a specific batch of screens. I pushed him on this but he was unable to provide further detail on how many we're affected nor could he narrow it down to a date range.
Not a source that you can rely on, I was merely replaying what he said as it relates directly to my situation.
As A follow up to my earlier response. A local repair agent was able to guarantee a 24 replacement warranty swap on the screen. This came at a cost of £60 uplift as they normally offer a 3-5 day turnaround. This is the option I have gone with.
Yes, they do. Unfortunately, it appears to be designed in such a way as to declare even image retention that is clearly visible during normal use as "in spec."
I went in with a rMBP where image retention was clearly visible without any sort of checkerboard test. The Apple employee who helped me saw and commented on how bad it was (on the desktop), then fired up the official test. The three minutes passed, and it went to the incredibly dark screen where you are supposed to look for the pattern and... nothing. Neither of us could make anything out, though we both could easily see it during normal usage.
I was calm and polite, and the employee was happy to click "Failed" on the results screen, regardless of the poorly designed test. I got a Samsung screen as a replacement, and thus far have had no problems with it (dead pixels, IR, problematic light bleed, etc.).