Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

iPad 2 dead (pixel) on arrival...dissapointed in Apple's response

F1Fan

F1Fan

macrumors member
Original poster
Apr 11, 2011
72
55
Northern Virginia
What's happening to Apple's customer service?

So after waiting nearly a month after ordering (online Apple store), I FINALLY got my iPad 2 today, and was so excited to get started with it. Immediately after syncing, I notice a very noticeable dead pixel right smack in the center of the screen!
Ok, no big deal i thought. I'll just call Apple Care, let them know about it ASAP so when I go to swap it out, they can't say I did it later.
The tech support guy is like "how many dead pixels".
"1" I tell him
"Ok, well, yeah, you did the right thing by calling us. Now just watch it to see if it gets worse, then feel free to call us back". (Paraphrasing)

I asked him what about the red dead pixel my in the center of my screen that is so obvious anytime a white screen is on the iPad. He proceeds to tell me that Apple's policy is not to do anything unless it's at least 3 dead pixels! ARE YOU KIDDING ME? I just spent $600 on this brand new iPad, and I'm just supposed to accept a dead pixel?

I then asked what about doing an outright exchange, which I'm entitled to do dead pixels or no dead pixels. Sure, he says, and connects me w/ sales.

Now, up to now, even though I'm disappointed w/ what the tech guy had to say, at least he was very warm and nice about it. The type of courtesy I've come to expect from Apple care. Not the case with the lady from sales.

She proceeds to tell me in a very annoyed and brief tone that I can NOT RETURN TO THE APPLE STORE BECAUSE I BOUGHT ONLINE. She says "because they'll have no record of your sale". Seriously? How is that possible? How about I just pull up my receipt on my iPhone for you and SHOW you my record of sale. No go. So basically, according to her, I have 14 days to initiate a return. I have to send it to them, ON MY DIME. Then I have to place a new order and wait all over again!!! NOT COOL!:mad: I could understand if I just had buyers remorse, or wanted a different model, but it's an exchange for a manufacturer's defect. It's not my fault I got a unit w/ a dead pixel!

I just find it hard to believe that if I walked into an Apple store (unfortunately I live 3 hours away from the nearest one and driving there this weekend is not an option for me due to work obligations) that I wouldn't be able to get a genius to swap this out for me.

Anyone have any experience doing this? Is it really that strict with separating Apple online orders and in store purchases? Will they really not swap it out because I don't have enough dead pixels or because I bought it online? Or did I just get an Apple Care rep in a bad mood? Thanks for any feedback, and just wanted to vent and share that I'm worried that apple increasing success may start to affect their great customer support I've always loved them for.

PS - for anyone interested to know, it's a White Wi-Fi 32GB
 
that sucks.

as i wrote in another thread, they swapped mine out without even looking in the box. I could of left a brick in there :)

just try again, you'll have better luck next time.
 
Thanks for the replys. I may try the manager route. I was such so thrown off guard when that rep told me her answer that I was like "uh...lemme call you back."

As for the Apple store route, I'm tempted to think that would work but since I live 3hrs from the nearest one, I was hoping someone may have experience to share about trying to return an online order at an Apple store OR getting a genius to swap out an iPad for "only" one dead pixel.

Just seems hard to swallow when you hear all these stories of people with shattered screens getting a courtesy replacement (my own brother did it with his iPhone 4) that a legitimate manufacturer defect like this would get the shaft!
 
3 seems to be the industry standard (or unstandard). we do .Net development and one of the laptops that I was setting up for one of our new guys had 2 very apparent dead pixels.

our lenovo account manager said they won't do anything unless it's three.

i agree it sucks though that you pay all this $$ for a working product, and this obviously a defect and they don't do anything.
 
Long story short.

I had a bright white pixel on my iPad 1 that was showing through apps. I Took it to a genius, he saw it, took it to the back, came back and told me he couldn't do nothing. I tried to reason, but he was set not to hook me up. I gave his *** the cold stare of death and walked off.

I called apple care after I left and soon as the rep picked up, I said "So is this how apple does buisniss"? And told him my problem.

He was real nice and took care of me, answered all my questions, and emailed me additional info I had requested and sent me a replacement right away.

Some of these apple employees be on their period. Just move on to the next one. I wanted to knock dude out so bad.
 
You should definitely be able to swap it out at an Apple Store. I have done this in the past and while it did have to involve the Apple Store manager typing in some type of code/override it can be done. All I needed was the product and my online sales receipt which they scanned in the store.

If they wont swap it out simply return it and buy another one as you have suggested. They pulled a similar thing with me and a MBP, in that it arrived with dead pixels but did not meet the minimum for replacement (5 pixels I believe) and I simply returned it and bought another. They asked me in the store why I was returning...I told them honestly and bought another right after I returned it. :p
 
Just an FYI, you can take it to an apple store and return it. I have done just that with apple products i have bought online in the past and decided I did not want or whatever. I have no idea why the sales lady told you you would not be able to do that. Very strange. :confused:
 
Here was my experience, copied from my post in another thread:

Got my black 32GB wifi iPad 2 on Thursday [March 17th]. On Friday [the 18th], I went to watch a movie on it and noticed light bleeding from the bottom of the screen and a stuck pixel. On light colors (yellow, light purple, etc) it was showing up as an aqua or turquoise color. On reds, it was black. On darker colors it was red.

Called Apple that evening (Friday) at about 7:15pm and was able to set up a Genius Bar appt for 8:40pm. Brought it in and showed him the stuck pixel, didn't even mention the light bleed. He went in back and came out about 5 minutes later with a new sealed black 32GB wifi iPad 2. He went to hand it to me and I told him that my power adapter wasn't in my box, so he could pull the one out of that box and put it in the old box. He told me it didn't matter and not to worry about it. Basically I got a brand new sealed replacement iPad and a second power adapter with no hassle.
 
To the original OP,

I would fib a bit if I received such a response from AppleCare. I'd call back and say either there are 3 dead pixels, or say that from time to time there is a range of one pixel to three pixels and they seem to be in the centre of the screen but occur at random.

At least this way I'd get the product back to Apple and there's a chance of getting a new item.
 
thibaulthalpern said:
to the original op,

i would fib a bit if i received such a response from applecare. I'd call back and say either there are 3 dead pixels, or say that from time to time there is a range of one pixel to three pixels and they seem to be in the centre of the screen but occur at random.

At least this way i'd get the product back to apple and there's a chance of getting a new item.
Click to expand...

+1
 
Thanks everyone for your replies. They've been very helpful. Knowing that others have returned an online order to the apple store gives enough reason to try and take it to one and try my luck. As I've stated, being 3hrs away I wanted to know I'd have a chance before investing a full tank of gas and the better part of a day to try it.

I'm not even sure i'll get the chance to make the trip before the 14 days is up so I just went ahead and placed an order for the same iPad, so that order can "bake in the oven" in the meantime. If I happen to get the chance to go to the apple store before it ships, AND I get a genius in a good mood, I'll just cancel the order.

Its funny about the number of pixels. I guess if "3" pixels is industry standard, then I guess fair enough, but I guess I've always exected better than just "industry standard" from Apple. Especially when you consider their profit margins and status as number 2 in market cap in the world.

Having said that, I just remembered soon after buying my iPhone 4 (from AT&T online store) I had a dead pixel (pretty sure it was just one). I was able to swap it out at the genius bar w/ no hassle at all. So maybe I did just get unlucky w/ a strict rep. I hope it's that and not a new shift in apple customer support.
 
thibaulthalpern said:
To the original OP,

I would fib a bit if I received such a response from AppleCare. I'd call back and say either there are 3 dead pixels, or say that from time to time there is a range of one pixel to three pixels and they seem to be in the centre of the screen but occur at random.

At least this way I'd get the product back to Apple and there's a chance of getting a new item.
Click to expand...

Hmmm....thought about that but I didn't know dead pixels can be transient? Can they? I figured if I tried it and they get it and see only one dead pixel, then I'm screwed.
 
I know this is the harsh reality, but the fact is that they are doing this thing by the book. You would think this is a defect and they are not allowed to sell defective goods, but the fact is that your screen is per definition not defect.

For it to be defect it would have to not comply with the ISO standard of the LCD screen. There are a few different ISO standards for LCD screens, but almost all of them allow for a few dead pixels, or stuck pixels. And the iPad's screen probably allows for up to three dead pixels and or up to three stuck pixels, and or up to three hot pixels.

That, means your iPad can have like two of each of these and the screen stil complies with the ISO standard. And they have to be close to each other even, but i think that the iPad screen is small enough (its counted by resolution) to have them any where (but maybe not if they are in the far corners).

I know this is really sucks (and i have bough an really expensive thing and realized i had to live with one hot (which went away) and two stuck pixels), but LCD screens would be much more expensive if they had to toss out all with one dead pixels.


Im sorry, my condolences... try to live with it. or resell it and buy a new one, you might even make a profit. and if the customer complains, say it complies with the ISO standard :)
 
Stuck pixels aren't permanent as i'm aware. If you apply pressure it may become fully fuctional again.
 
Kebabselector said:
What he said ^^^^^
Click to expand...

I'm afraid that will happen when time is limited and QC is poor. They obviously don't turn on the displays before packaging them to make sure it's perfect. Because a dead/stuck pixel on a black display is easily prominent. it would be more worrying if they DO turn on the screens before packaging, and then couldn't care less of the dead/stuck pixels.
 
I had the same problem with the OP, one dead pixel on the screen. I went to the Apple store near my house and the manager told me even though their policy is 3 pixels or more, he ll replace it for me since he knows it's frustrating to spend a few hundred dollars and get a defective item.

Even though they didnt have it in stock, they handed me a genius bar aurthorization form and told me they ll call me when the item arrives (roughly 5 business days). My advice is to take your iPad to an Apple store, I'm positive they ll replace the iPad for you.
 
Yeah, Apple's customer service has been going down the drain lately. I had a similar experience with you with an iMac that I bought online and as they provided no feasible resolution, I just returned it for refund.

The problem with ipad is that the demand is so great that Apple has the upper hand over the customers for now. That's very unfortunate. Hope you win this battle against them!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back