Here's a long story short.
About two and a half weeks ago, I bought an iMac 27". The guy assured me that he would keep opening new machines for me until I got one that was perfect. First one we opened was good. No yellow-tinting, no flickering, no black spots, and no dead pixels. We ran PiXel Check 2 times just to make sure. He checked, I checked, we both double checked. Satisfied, I took my iMac home. He said that should any problems arise, I should bring the iMac back and he'll exchange a brand new one for me right on the spot. Within 14 days, of course.
After I got home, I ran PiXel Check a third time just to make sure. There were absolutely no pixel defects.
Now fast forward 16 days later. Yesterday, while editing a photo, I noticed what appeared to be a pixel defect. After making sure it wasn't anything outside of the screen, I ran PiXel Check again, and whoa and behold, there was a stuck red pixel in the upper right grid on the screen. Stuck pixels are worse than dead pixels, in my opinion, and though it was in the upper right grid of the screen, it was located on the bottom left corner of the grid, which means it's pretty damn close to the center of the screen, enough so that it's fairly noticeable (especially now that I know it's there) during routine computer use.
So I called the Apple Store, but unfortunately I was past the 14-day return policy, so they couldn't (or wouldn't) give me a new iMac. Instead, they said it would have to be sent back and repaired. No problem, I can wait. However, Apple's policy on pixel defects is that there has to be at least 3 (or 5, depending on who you talk to) pixel defects before they're willing to replace the screen, so unless more defective pixels start popping up, I'm going to have to live with this stuck red pixel that's practically in the center of the screen.
Now I understand that LCD monitors are not perfect and that there's the off-chance you'll get a pixel defect. It's just part of the manufacturing process. What I'm bitching about here is that Apple's warranty is too narrow in scope. Macs cost a premium price, and in return I expect premium service. To be fair, I've always had great customer service from Apple, and the people at the Apple Store are always very helpful and friendly. But Apple really needs to step up its policy regarding defective pixels. Some PC brands go as far as offering free repair for even one defective pixel in a span of 3 years. Because come on, the screen is like one of most important components of a computer. You're looking at the damn thing 100% of the time! To expect customers to make their peace with even one defective pixel is unreasonable considering how much a Mac costs.
And don't let anyone give you that crap about how 14 days is enough time because if there aren't any defective pixels at the time of purchase, there will never be any defective pixels, ever. Mine was perfect at the store before spawning a defective pixel 16 days later.
I still love Apple, and I still love Macs. But why can't Apple fix display issues as liberally as they do other hardware problems? This policy flat out sucks.
About two and a half weeks ago, I bought an iMac 27". The guy assured me that he would keep opening new machines for me until I got one that was perfect. First one we opened was good. No yellow-tinting, no flickering, no black spots, and no dead pixels. We ran PiXel Check 2 times just to make sure. He checked, I checked, we both double checked. Satisfied, I took my iMac home. He said that should any problems arise, I should bring the iMac back and he'll exchange a brand new one for me right on the spot. Within 14 days, of course.
After I got home, I ran PiXel Check a third time just to make sure. There were absolutely no pixel defects.
Now fast forward 16 days later. Yesterday, while editing a photo, I noticed what appeared to be a pixel defect. After making sure it wasn't anything outside of the screen, I ran PiXel Check again, and whoa and behold, there was a stuck red pixel in the upper right grid on the screen. Stuck pixels are worse than dead pixels, in my opinion, and though it was in the upper right grid of the screen, it was located on the bottom left corner of the grid, which means it's pretty damn close to the center of the screen, enough so that it's fairly noticeable (especially now that I know it's there) during routine computer use.
So I called the Apple Store, but unfortunately I was past the 14-day return policy, so they couldn't (or wouldn't) give me a new iMac. Instead, they said it would have to be sent back and repaired. No problem, I can wait. However, Apple's policy on pixel defects is that there has to be at least 3 (or 5, depending on who you talk to) pixel defects before they're willing to replace the screen, so unless more defective pixels start popping up, I'm going to have to live with this stuck red pixel that's practically in the center of the screen.
Now I understand that LCD monitors are not perfect and that there's the off-chance you'll get a pixel defect. It's just part of the manufacturing process. What I'm bitching about here is that Apple's warranty is too narrow in scope. Macs cost a premium price, and in return I expect premium service. To be fair, I've always had great customer service from Apple, and the people at the Apple Store are always very helpful and friendly. But Apple really needs to step up its policy regarding defective pixels. Some PC brands go as far as offering free repair for even one defective pixel in a span of 3 years. Because come on, the screen is like one of most important components of a computer. You're looking at the damn thing 100% of the time! To expect customers to make their peace with even one defective pixel is unreasonable considering how much a Mac costs.
And don't let anyone give you that crap about how 14 days is enough time because if there aren't any defective pixels at the time of purchase, there will never be any defective pixels, ever. Mine was perfect at the store before spawning a defective pixel 16 days later.
I still love Apple, and I still love Macs. But why can't Apple fix display issues as liberally as they do other hardware problems? This policy flat out sucks.