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'Flexgate' Class Action Lawsuit Over Faulty MacBook Pro Displays Dismissed by Judge
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If a tree falls in the forest...
Seriously, though. Apple probably sold a dozen or so MacBooks in the time it took you to write this sentence.
Valid point but context is important. It's not a rare or one-off case. The issue is systemic but it depends on what thresholds one sets to define the issue as systemic. Currently the Flexgate thread has an anecdotal poll with just under 50% reporting this as an issue. I am one of them. I would argue, warranty or not, the widespread nature of the issue indicates a design flaw. I spent just over C$4k including AppleCare on my 2016 15" MBP (purchased in 2017). They have a repair program for this issue only for 2016 13" models when in fact they are fully aware that it affects 13" and 15" machines 2016 model year all the way upto current M1 machines, it seems. I don't want compensation from Apple I just want them to be consistent and extend the repair program to cover all machines that are affected. They did it with the keyboard replacement program, they should do it for this as well. Consistent.
Yes, but hardly anyone would try to spend the time and money to sue Apple for a computer repair, not to mention the vagueness of the language “ordinary buyer’s expectations” giving some leeway to Apple’s lawyers.
That's why these type of cases are typically handled by class action lawsuits. It only takes one person (or maybe a few?) to have an actionable cause and through their attorneys apply to a court for class action status. Although it would be funny to see Apple's attorneys pulled into small claims court.
Consistency...that I can't argue with! But the whole "design flaw" argument...that - to me at least - is a bit of a stretch. The warrant period is there for a reason and when you agree to buy a product you agree to those terms. If, post warranty period, a design flaw emerges, I don't see that any of us would have a right to complain that it should be covered. That is literally what the warranty is for...to cover any faults for a period of time.
Now, if it was a potentially dangerous issue (such as the infamous Samsung exploding battery) then I can see that there was potential endangerment during the whole period of use...which maaaaaaybe deserves compensation...but even then I don't think so. You can't put a claim in to an insurance company for the fact that, when you got on the plane to fly away on holiday, there was a risk you may have been hurt or killed...yes that risk was there (every time you get on a plane or in a car)...but nothing happened...so not sure how you would justify claiming for being put "at risk" when nothing actually happened.
Anyway...as I said...agree on the consistency...I just think it should have been consistently denied if it was outside of the warranty period and not, in any way, dangerous. Just my $0.02
So if your laptop was affected you would happily smile and skip into the apple store and toss them your money right?
Note I said European, not EU. Also there are 2 separate protections you're conflating. EU law requires 2 year warranties from the seller (note, seller, not manufacturer). However, beyond this 2 year warranties, there are further protections on products breaking where it is due to how it was manufactured, which vary from place to place, and tends to be in the 5 to 6 year mark.
As for why Apple products tend to be more expensive in Europe even after adjusting for tax (UK and EU prices include tax), it's to do with many factors, key amongst which is exchange rate risk. Apple needs to mitigate exchange rate fluctuations and set prices above a floor to accommodate risks of drops in the value of currencies. In the UK for instances, there have been instances in the past where an iPhone was cheaper in UK than in the US (before tax) but given the currency volatility, Apple's effectively set their internal exchange rate for the pound at around $1.2/£ in their pricing, given that the pound has fallen this low in recent times.
And yes, Apple includes expected costs of repairs in their operating costs and their prices will generally be higher than cost, but pricing is not driven purely by their costs. It's driven by price points they think consumers will pay. The amount Apple sets aside for repairs isn't huge enough to be a key driver in pricing.
Good point. I am not that familair with each EU countries rules.
Exchange rate risk certainly is one factor, and pricing as well as maintaining non-US accounts in Euros or Pound Sterling can help since that can be used to pay for things in teh EU and Uk.
Of course, I never claimed costs drive price, demand does. If Apple can get an extra $100 and meet their targets then they'll charge it; just like when I price my services it's base don what the market will bear at the time.
I don't think you can acknowledge an issue and have a repair program in place for only the 2016 13" machines and not acknowledge that it's a design flaw given how widespread the issue is beyond that particular model. Ifixit had a detailed look at this issue and identified the issue as being both a short and a thin flex cable prone to deteriorating just from opening and closing the lid (a critical function of a notebook I would say).
I took my device into the Apple store and they also acknowledged its a widespread issue but couldn't do anything until corporate expanded the program. I stated in my earlier post the Flexgate thread is reporting just under 50% of people reporting this as an issue even though it is anecdotal statistic. While a warranty might absolve a manufacturer under certain circumstances it does not if the manufacturer is aware of the systemic nature of the fault even if the fault manifests after said warranty period. I'm sure Apple knows this is a costly repair and have made their internal cost benefit calculations. There have been many instances of systemic issues with Apple hardware where Apple has done the right thing of their own volition and there have been many instances where they had to be compelled by a court.
Your analogy with regard to taking a flight is not apt since this is not a 'risk' issue. They keyboard repair program was not a risk issue and neither was the Nvidia GPU failure program. Both were systemic faults due to design and covered regardless of warranty status.
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Yeah, and even more evidence to Apple charging the maximum they think they can charge. Whilst Apple will be quick to adjust prices upwards on currency devaluation, they're not so quick to drop prices when the exchange rate rebounds. When the Pound Sterling dropped to around $1.2/£, Apple was quick to set prices at that level, but even though the Pound has stayed in the $1.35 - $1.45 range for eons now, Apple have mostly kept their prices priced at around $1.2/£ here. They already knew people were happy to pay that price, and the price difference is not high enough to warrant people crossing the Atlantic to buy their Apple products especially with COVID restrictions.
Oh no...a for profit company setting its price point at the maximum it thinks the market will tolerate!! What evil bas*ards who clearly studied Econ 101!
Apple realizes most of tehir products are relatively price inelastic so they can raise prices wnad not worry about the impact on sales; and are less likely to reduce them in response to changes in things such as exchange rates. They probably have hedges against wild swings anyway.
I have a 2016 MacBook Pro that has functioned wonderfully up until the screen started turning off at about 80 degrees from closed, about a month or so ago, Apple said $670.
I own 3 2015 MacBook pros (best year INHO) a 2014 MacBook Pro, and a 2009 iMac. I have not had any issues like Flexgate on any of these machines, nor have they had any hardware or software issues under my ownership. (I keep things maintenance'd).
It is odd that Apple would make exception on their own accord for the 13" MacBook pros and not the 15" when they are encountering the same issue and leaves the question: Why?
I own 3 2015 MacBook pros (best year INHO) a 2014 MacBook Pro, and a 2009 iMac. I have not had any issues like Flexgate on any of these machines, nor have they had any hardware or software issues under my ownership. (I keep things maintenance'd).
It is odd that Apple would make exception on their own accord for the 13" MacBook pros and not the 15" when they are encountering the same issue and leaves the question: Why?
Apple's repair programs are notorious for their restrictions and limitations to ensure that only a small percentage of the affected units will be repaired/replaced.
How many frivolous lawsuits have there been in the past 5 years?
And who gets to define "reasonable"? I'm guessing whichever judge is trying the case 🤷♂️
There's a difference between "It's raining today" and "It's raining today 😎" That emoji clearly implies they think it's a good thing. I'm not taking sides on this, btw - just pointing out the obvious.
this is not a safety issue... This a fault by design!
I paid more than 4000 euro for a laptop, that breaks (just after 3 years) when you open and close it too much! this is ridiculous! I still have other laptops from 2011 that cost less than half that price that i paid and they still work fine..
REALLY REALLY DISAPPOINTED
Time to get back to Windows...
I paid more than 4000 euro for a laptop, that breaks (just after 3 years) when you open and close it too much! this is ridiculous! I still have other laptops from 2011 that cost less than half that price that i paid and they still work fine..
REALLY REALLY DISAPPOINTED
Time to get back to Windows...
Tried to convince a local authorized Apple store. Honestly, they wanted to repair it "for free" considering that the 2017 version (the one I have) are just as bad as the 2016 version (entitled to free repair). It´s a joke honestly having to pay 800 EUR to fix the damn screen (which I would never do).
Bad call by the Judge. Apple should be including MBP 2017 models in their warranty programme. My screen had stage light but now it’s gone completely black. Flexgate is real. Latent design defect.
A class action lawsuit that Apple was facing over "Flexgate" issues affecting MacBook Pro displays has been dismissed by a California federal judge, reports Law360.
Filed in May 2020, the lawsuit accused Apple of knowingly concealing an alleged flex cable display defect impacting some 13 and 15-inch MacBook Pro models. The judge overseeing the case said that because the defect appeared after the warranty period, Apple was not required to disclose it because it was not a safety issue.
While the lawsuit has been dismissed, the judge is allowing it to be amended. Plaintiffs will need to include an argument that the Flexgate issue was a safety hazard, as well as providing evidence that Apple "knew with certainty that the alleged defect would occur."
The Flexgate problem affected MacBook Pro models released in 2016 and 2017, some of which began exhibiting uneven lighting at the bottom of the screen after a few years. This "stage light" effect could lead the backlighting system to fail entirely.
Repair site iFixit found that the problem was caused by a delicate flex cable that was prone to wearing out and breaking after repeated opening and closing of the display.
Apple updated the design of the display flex cable with the 2018 MacBook Pro, and launched a free repair program in May 2019 that covered the 13-inch MacBook Pro models from 2016.
The now-dismissed class action lawsuit was seeking restitution for all costs attributable to repairing or replacing affected MacBook Pro models, and it called on Apple to expand the free repair program to cover 15-inch MacBook Pro models.
Article Link: 'Flexgate' Class Action Lawsuit Over Faulty MacBook Pro Displays Dismissed by Judge
I have a 2016 MacBook Pro 15 with this issue. Apple care expired last year. Anyone had any luck getting Apple to pick up the repair cost on a 15’? Apple quoted me $1,100 aud for the new screen and refused to acknowledge that it was the flex cable causing the problem.