My neighbor's 3 year old iMac G5 (iSight) recently developed the all-too-common lines problem. She took it to the genius bar and they told her it would be $760 to fix. This was rubbish, so I set her up with an external monitor until I could figure something else out.
Today, I decided to call Apple and try my luck at getting them to repair it for her. The first person I talked to told me to take it to the genius bar, so I asked politely to speak to his supervisor. At first, he tried to tell me about the repair extension program for the power issue, which this computer was not eligible for, though the serial number was close. He thought the problem was related to that. I told him several times that it was not related in any way.
I then explained to him that I felt Apple should fix the screen free of charge because it was a defective product. He then said "I'm going to have to say no. You've used the computer for almost three years, I don't see how that is defective" I countered back by saying that it was not an isolated issue and that hundreds of people are having the same problem with their computers in the same serial number range. I pointed him to this thread:
Vertical Line Issue - How Can We Get Apple to Address this?
He read it for a couple minutes, saying "interesting" every now and then. Then he said the magic words: "What the heck, I'll cover it."
It's at the Apple store now being fixed free of charge
I know a lot of people have this problem, and Apple seems reluctant to fix it. Here's some pointers...I can't guarantee success, but it worked for me so it could work for you. Worth a shot at least!
Be polite! Being rude will get you absolutely nowhere. It's not the fault of the guy/gal on the other end of the line that your iMac has a problem. It is, however, their decision whether or not to fix it.
Be persistent. I was on the phone for 45 minutes and had to talk to a couple of people. The first person you talk to probably won't be able to do anything for you. Go through and explain your whole issue to this person, and when they tell you that it's not covered, say something to the effect of "Ok, thanks so much for your time. Would you put me through to your supervisor please?"
Carefully explain the problem to the supervisor. He or she will probably try to point you to the repair extension program for video and power issues. Kindly tell the person that you are pretty sure that's not the issue because you've seen many other computers with a similar serial number having the exact same problem, some of them even after the repair extension program was performed. Use phrases like "not an isolated issue" "exception" "extenuating circumstances" "same serial number range as others with the same problem" "I'd like Apple to stand by their product" and "defective"
Give them Apple support thread ID 1146388. This is what finally convinced the supervisor to fix the computer. He saw that my telling him that it wasn't an isolated issue was in fact true and that many other people in the same serial number range do have the same problem. I also pointed out that someone in that thread had gotten theirs repaired by apple for free.
Throughout the whole thing, remain totally calm and polite. Be reasonable. The person will help you, but you need to show them why they should.
Good luck!
Today, I decided to call Apple and try my luck at getting them to repair it for her. The first person I talked to told me to take it to the genius bar, so I asked politely to speak to his supervisor. At first, he tried to tell me about the repair extension program for the power issue, which this computer was not eligible for, though the serial number was close. He thought the problem was related to that. I told him several times that it was not related in any way.
I then explained to him that I felt Apple should fix the screen free of charge because it was a defective product. He then said "I'm going to have to say no. You've used the computer for almost three years, I don't see how that is defective" I countered back by saying that it was not an isolated issue and that hundreds of people are having the same problem with their computers in the same serial number range. I pointed him to this thread:
Vertical Line Issue - How Can We Get Apple to Address this?
He read it for a couple minutes, saying "interesting" every now and then. Then he said the magic words: "What the heck, I'll cover it."
It's at the Apple store now being fixed free of charge
I know a lot of people have this problem, and Apple seems reluctant to fix it. Here's some pointers...I can't guarantee success, but it worked for me so it could work for you. Worth a shot at least!
Be polite! Being rude will get you absolutely nowhere. It's not the fault of the guy/gal on the other end of the line that your iMac has a problem. It is, however, their decision whether or not to fix it.
Be persistent. I was on the phone for 45 minutes and had to talk to a couple of people. The first person you talk to probably won't be able to do anything for you. Go through and explain your whole issue to this person, and when they tell you that it's not covered, say something to the effect of "Ok, thanks so much for your time. Would you put me through to your supervisor please?"
Carefully explain the problem to the supervisor. He or she will probably try to point you to the repair extension program for video and power issues. Kindly tell the person that you are pretty sure that's not the issue because you've seen many other computers with a similar serial number having the exact same problem, some of them even after the repair extension program was performed. Use phrases like "not an isolated issue" "exception" "extenuating circumstances" "same serial number range as others with the same problem" "I'd like Apple to stand by their product" and "defective"
Give them Apple support thread ID 1146388. This is what finally convinced the supervisor to fix the computer. He saw that my telling him that it wasn't an isolated issue was in fact true and that many other people in the same serial number range do have the same problem. I also pointed out that someone in that thread had gotten theirs repaired by apple for free.
Throughout the whole thing, remain totally calm and polite. Be reasonable. The person will help you, but you need to show them why they should.
Good luck!
