Just bought Imac... Stuck pixel!!!

[tonyl]

I just bought an imac at the apple store and brought it home... It has a red pixel stuck in the middle of the screen!!! I went back to take it back and they gave me a policy about pixels and wouldn't take it back! I want to keep the imac, but a red pixel in the middle of the screen is unacceptable. What do I do now? Will my credit card company fight this? The apple store manager was a jerk!

I think you can ask your CC company about this situation, if they can do something for you. Or you can try another time to see if you can meet a nicer manager. Btw, can you complain this to Apple? 10% restock fee is unacceptable. Apple stores shouldn't do that.

 

[Whistleway]

Apple stores just give you a nice packaged box and without ever seeing the machine, you just buy them blindly hoping it works alright to your satisfaction. and why on hell should they charge 10% for a defect caused by no fault of the buyer?

This is ridiculous !!

 

[rxl125]

both store managers wouldn't budge... They kept offering me the 10% restocking fee

 

[localnet]

Whistleway

That is the attitude at Apple and their retail stores, and apparently many here. You bought it, live with it! Can you say "sucker"!

But if the shoe were on the other foot...

I guess I am getting old, pick your retailers carefully, and take it out of the box and fire it up before you leave the store. And in some cases, pay for it.

Thank you sir, may I have another!

Mike

 

[rxl125]

Credit card company will back me right? Apple doesn't post their policy in the store. The salesman didn't mention it. If there was such a problem with pixels I should have been informed of the chance.

That is the attitude at Apple and their retail stores, and apparently many here. You bought it, live with it! Can you say "sucker"!

But if the shoe were on the other foot...

I guess I am getting old, pick your retailers carefully, and take it out of the box and fire it up before you leave the store. And in some cases, pay for it.

Thank you sir, may I have another!

Mike

 

[localnet]

rxl125

Give your credit card company a call on monday, they might cover the 10% restocking fee. It was a platinum card you used, so you should be covered.

Mike

 

[localnet]

I hate stories like this!

rxl125, I hope this rotten expierience with Apple has not soured you on the Mac platform. I know many of the uppity legaleese types here are whoooping it up over your misfortune, at least that seems to be the case.

The Mac community tends to list a little to much to the port side for my taste, hence the negative reaction to your prediciment. But, the Mac is still the best computing platform out there in my book.

Mike

 

[EricNau]

Try this...

Tell the manager you will stand outside of the Apple Store telling every customer that walks through the doors your story. If he still refuses to exchange it still, keep your word and stand by the front door (on the outside) and talk to anyone who will listen.

As long as you don't exaggerate your story at all, and just tell the truth, I don't think you are breaking any laws.

Just tell them as they walk through the doors; "Apple gave me a display with a defect and refuses to exchange it, the same could happen to you."

...Just a thought.

 

[rxl125]

I am a PC switcher too!!!
I absolutely love the computer, but I'm going to be doing photo stuff, so I cannot under any circumstances keep this computer. If my cc covers the restocking fee, I will buy the imac at compusa.

rxl125, I hope this rotten expierience with Apple has not soured you on the Mac platform. I know many of the uppity legaleese types here are whoooping it up over your misfortune, at least that seems to be the case.

The Mac community tends to list a little to much to the port side for my taste, hence the negative reaction to your prediciment. But, the Mac is still the best computing platform out there in my book.

Mike

 

[T-Stex]

You didn't pay for a flawless computer. You paid for a $1500 computer, which is nearly flawless. Now, if you had negotiated to pay an extra $300 to get a computer that was absolutely perfect, when everyone else paid $1500 for their nearly-perfect iMacs, you would have a case. You don't have a right to do anything here, except return the computer if you're dissatisfied with it, and return it in accordance with their return policy.

I'm not sure I agree with this. When I pay for anything, let alone a computer, I expect it to work perfectly, and be satisfied with it. In this situation, the OP spent a decent amount of money on a product, and was not satisfied. In reference to the comment about buying a car, I doubt many people would simply accept it if their car came with a dent in the hood, a hole in the seat, stains on any fabric, a small crack in the windshield, etc... In those cases, none of the problems affect the performance and functionality of the car, but leave the buyer unsatisfied. I understand that the manufacturer may have policies set in place regarding issues like these, but the fact that the buyer is unsatisfied remains unchanged.

To the OP, I'm sorry to hear about your situation, and I hope everything gets sorted out in your favor.

 

[localnet]

Photography...

Yep, you need to get rid of that machine. Try CompUsa, but ask the manager about the display and dead pixels. And try before you buy! I have spent a few dollars at my local CompUsa store, the Apple guy knew me by name. Macs make great gifts!

Mike

 

[NEENAHBOY]

Try this...

Tell the manager you will stand outside of the Apple Store telling every customer that walks through the doors your story. If he still refuses to exchange it still, keep your word and stand by the front door (on the outside) and talk to anyone who will listen.

As long as you don't exaggerate your story at all, and just tell the truth, I don't think you are breaking any laws.

Just tell them as they walk through the doors; "Apple gave me a display with a defect and refuses to exchange it, the same could happen to you."

...Just a thought.

It's very likely that mall security (if the store is in a mall) would have him escorted off the property, and I'm sure that, if it's a B&M, the police would do the same.

 

[matticus008]

I'm not sure I agree with this. When I pay for anything, let alone a computer, I expect it to work perfectly, and be satisfied with it. In this situation, the OP spent a decent amount of money on a product, and was not satisfied.

By all applicable company and industry standards, that computer is considered normal, fully functional, and without material defect. Legally, the computer is as close to perfect as anything is ever going to get. Your satisfaction above and beyond that is your own prerogative, and you're welcome to exchange the computer for a different one with the 10% restocking fee. A fee, by the way, that is charged to reduce the losses Apple has to face when it has to sell computers as "refurbished" after they've been returned, despite being free of problems.

In reference to the comment about buying a car, I doubt many people would simply accept it if their car came with a dent in the hood, a hole in the seat, stains on any fabric, a small crack in the windshield, etc... In those cases, none of the problems affect the performance and functionality of the car, but leave the buyer unsatisfied.

Careful--all of those are examples of DAMAGE, not the result of production processes. No one should have to accept damaged goods, Apple products included. The example I gave about panel fit is a pretty close analogy. Other examples would be specific purity of high-grade materials like Sterling silver or "ripple" runs in expensive glassware that result from the manufacturing processes.

I understand that the manufacturer may have policies set in place regarding issues like these, but the fact that the buyer is unsatisfied remains unchanged.

So the remedy is to return or exchange the unit. Hiding behind the credit card isn't going to work, because in the end, the investigation performed by the credit card will side with Apple. You can't use chargebacks to protect yourself from buyer's remorse. The fact that LCDs are imperfect is well known and not unique to any one manufacturer. Almost every company has a policy with specific tolerances for dead and stuck pixels--there are one or two that have "zero bad pixel" policies, but these are the exception, not the norm.

 

[shrhaider]

You didn't pay for a flawless computer. You paid for a $1500 computer, which is nearly flawless. Now, if you had negotiated to pay an extra $300 to get a computer that was absolutely perfect, when everyone else paid $1500 for their nearly-perfect iMacs, you would have a case. You don't have a right to do anything here, except return the computer if you're dissatisfied with it, and return it in accordance with their return policy.

I'd like to see you saying this if it were you who'd purchased a new iMac with this problem. I have to agree with Mike here. This kind of treatment of customers doesn't win repeat business.

rxl125, I hope you get your problem resolved w/out paying 10%. If you used an American Express card, I could expect this to be taken care of by the credit card company. A standard Visa company may not be able to help you.

 

[matticus008]

I'd like to see you saying this if it were you who'd purchased a new iMac with this problem. I have to agree with Mike here. This kind of treatment of customers doesn't win repeat business.

Oh yes it does, or companies wouldn't still be in business. It would cost them too much to replace every computer with one or two stuck subpixels--they'd have to throw out a huge percentage of their inventory to make the displays you people seem to expect.

Over the years, I've purchased literally dozens of LCDs, obviously not all for personal use, and about 1/5 of them have a small subpixel defect or a few of them. I've had about six replaced because they exceeded manufacturer tolerances. That works out to about 3.4% of the total I've purchased/installed, and ~20% that have some sort of "pixel anomaly" in the panel. Manufacturing can't catch all the defects beforehand, and throwing out whole panels because of minor levels of imperfections is not economically feasible. Would you be willing to pay 25% more for your displays to offset the chance of a defect? I didn't think so.

As for threatening to stand outside the store a dissuade customers, that's a fast way to be escorted off the premises and a fair shot at a suit for extortion.

 

[EricNau]

...Careful--all of those are examples of DAMAGE, not the result of production processes. No one should have to accept damaged goods, Apple products included. The example I gave about panel fit is a pretty close analogy. Other examples would be specific purity of high-grade materials like Sterling silver or "ripple" runs in expensive glassware that result from the manufacturing processes. ...

If we are using the car analogy, try this one:
You buy a nice shiny black car, and you only get to see a picture, as they have to ship the car from another lot out of town. They show you a picture, and in that picture the paint job is perfect. You buy this car...
...2 days later when you get the car, right in the center of the hood, there is a 1"x1" white square of paint that cannot be fixed. It will be there forever.
You try and get a refund or an exchange but they tell you "it isn't in their policy."

OR

If we are using the ripple in the glass analogy:
They show you a stunningly beautiful crystal glass in the store, and you buy it, and they have to be shipped to your house (they only have one in stock). When you get them several days later, one of them has a very noticeable flaw in it... but the store won't take it back.

 

[EricNau]

As for threatening to stand outside the store a dissuade customers, that's a fast way to be escorted off the premises and a fair shot at a suit for extortion.

...OK, didn't think about extortion.

Second thought. Sneak around the store and tell people while employees aren't looking.

 

[matticus008]

If we are using the car analogy, try this one:
You buy a nice shiny black car, and you only get to see a picture, as they have to ship the car from another lot out of town. They show you a picture, and in that picture the paint job is perfect. You buy this car...
...2 days later when you get the car, right in the center of the hood, there is a 1"x1" white square of paint that cannot be fixed. It will be there forever.
You try and get a refund or an exchange but they tell you "it isn't in their policy."

Okay. Well percentage-wise, the square of paint would be smaller than 1x1, but let's go with it. If other car companies had a similar problem getting perfect paint jobs, then I would be a man and live with it. This happens in real life all the time with cars--you special order one at the dealer and it arrives with a few scratches. That car is yours and you're stuck with the scratches (of course in reality they can be fixed without replacing the whole car, but if the whole car needed to be replaced, you can bet no dealer would be willing). Also, Apple will let you return or exchange. Yeah, there's the restocking fee, but you're returning a fully functional product because you personally feel it could be better, not because it was delivered in a state less than promised.

If we are using the ripple in the glass analogy:
They show you a stunningly beautiful crystal glass in the store, and you buy it, and they have to be shipped to your house. When you get them, one of them has a very noticeable flaw, noticeable enough to where you can't use it for company. ...but the store won't take it back.

If it were that bad that you couldn't use it, they would take it back. That's like saying a whole line in the screen or a massive patch of bad pixels. It's a whole different ball game and eligible for replacement. You're attempting to equate a defect of at most 0.00000057% with a ripple serious enough in crystal to be unusable, say 10%. If you had 170,000 dead pixels, you'd get a new monitor, and I'd get a new glass.

 

[localnet]

Oh yes it does, or companies wouldn't still be in business. It would cost them too much to replace every computer with one or two stuck subpixels--they'd have to throw out a huge percentage of their inventory to make the displays you people seem to expect.

Over the years, I've purchased literally dozens of LCDs, obviously not all for personal use, and about 1/5 of them have a small subpixel defect or a few of them. I've had about six replaced because they exceeded manufacturer tolerances. That works out to about 3.4% of the total I've purchased/installed, and ~20% that have some sort of "pixel anomaly" in the panel. Manufacturing can't catch all the defects beforehand, and throwing out whole panels because of minor levels of imperfections is not economically feasible. Would you be willing to pay 25% more for your displays to offset the chance of a defect? I didn't think so.

As for threatening to stand outside the store a dissuade customers, that's a fast way to be escorted off the premises and a fair shot at a suit for extortion.

C'mon, the guy is using the iMac for photography. I would not tolerate a stuck pixel as he is describing it. Now, if this was my mother, who would probably not even notice such a defect, it would probably not be a big deal. But it sounds like a big deal to you, as you have been there. I know about the pixel problems and industry standards, that is why I buy from dealers who will take a return such as this without question. And Apple does not post anything in regards to "stuck pixels" policy that I have ever seen in their stores. And having been in my local Apple store, I would rather take my chances on eBay.

Mike

 

[EricNau]

If it were that bad that you couldn't use it, they would take it back. That's like saying a whole line in the screen or a massive patch of bad pixels. It's a whole different ball game and eligible for replacement. You're attempting to equate a defect of at most 0.00000057% with a ripple serious enough in crystal to be unusable, say 10%. If you had 170,000 dead pixels, you'd get a new monitor, and I'd get a new glass.

Ya, I edited the "noticeable enough to where you can't use it for company" out, but you were to fast for me.

I meant, you couldn't use it because it was embarrassing, just like showing your iMac with a stuck pixel in the middle to your friends would be embarrassing.

Owner: "Hey guys, look what I just spend my hard-earned money on. It's an Apple Computer!
Friends: What's that? *points to pixel*
Owner: ah, nothing, just a stuck pixel
Friend: A what? I thought Apple was top-notch quality? Why don't you exchange it?
Owner: I can't, Apple won't let me
Friend: What? I thought Apple was a great company with top notch service and support?
Owner: well... but...
Friend: I think I'm going to stick with my dell, it doesn't have any stuck pixels.

... See? That's no fun.

 

[matticus008]

Ya, I edited the "noticeable enough to where you can't use it for company" out, but you were to fast for me.

I meant, you couldn't use it because it was embarrassing, just like showing your iMac with a stuck pixel in the middle to your friends would be embarrassing.

Owner: "Hey guys, look what I just spend my hard-earned money on. It's an Apple Computer!
Friends: What's that? *points to pixel*
Owner: ah, nothing, just a stuck pixel
Friend: A what? I thought Apple was top-notch quality? Why don't you exchange it?
Owner: I can't, Apple won't let me
Friend: What? I thought Apple was a great company with top notch service and support?
Owner: well... but...
Friend: I think I'm going to stick with my dell, it doesn't have any stuck pixels.

... See? That's no fun.

Hahah, okay. Fair enough. But if your friends scour your monitor for one broken pixel, and then question the entire build quality, they're being a little hypocritical...and I'd call them for being jealous of the Mac for looking so closely for something bad to say about it .

 

[EricNau]

Hahah, okay. Fair enough. But if your friends scour your monitor for one broken pixel, and then question the entire build quality, they're being a little hypocritical...and I'd call them for being jealous of the Mac for looking so closely for something bad to say about it .

My friends would, and for that exact reason.

 

[localnet]

My friends would, and for that exact reason.

My friends would say the same thing, just like when I bought that 2005 Freightliner. A freightliner is the PC of the BIG TRUCK world, but cheaper then my Volvo, the BIG TRUCK Mac equivilant with no stuck pixels.

Mike

 

[BlizzardBomb]

I have a green stuck pixel on my iMac. Do I care? No. You can't expect everything to be perfect. The iMac will still do what you want it to do. If Apple replaced every single screen with just one stuck pixel, the cost to Apple will go up, and more importantly Apple will pass this cost on to us when it comes to buying new Macs.

 

[mac000]

I bought an intel imac 17". It came with a dead pixel, I just wasn't going to keep a computer like that so I called the store I bought it from and told them about the problem. After getting their whole story about their policy I told them that it's bologna and I wanted to talk to a manager. After I asked that, the employee told me the manager will be glad to exchange it for another one.
So I returned it and got another one, the second one - same problem a stuck pixel though. So I was pretty peeved, this one wasn't as bad but I still wasn't going to stand by it. I took the computer to another apple store and returned it there. They tried giving me some trouble - telling me to run itunes visualizer and I told them I'm not going to waste my time and they can do that themselves. So they gave me another one. Had them open it up and check it for any problems, and it was A-OK.

All in All, very nice computer- very satisfied with my purchase. But a very bad shopping experience. Do not know if I had a case of bad luck or Apple Computer is just doing a poor job on the assembly line. Over the past years I've never paid so much money for a desktop computer as this one, and I have never had any problems with LCD screens.

If at all possible - try taking it to another Apple store. Call them first ask to speak with a manager off the bat, tell them youre having a very bad experience with this computer and everyone is giving you a hard time, they should just exchange it for you. Tell them its in the middle of the screen and it sucks. Good Luck.