Just bought Imac... Stuck pixel!!!
- Thread starter rxl125
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MIDI_EVIL
macrumors 65816
matticus008 said:
I think you are being way too supportive of what is essentially a corporate policy, and a very strict one at that.
For what it costs Apple to just accept the iMac back, and replace the screen and resell, is extremely minimal to what they are losing in terms of a the original poster's customer satisfaction.
I think Apple should provide us with flawless hardware, it's not like they can't afford the highter quality control it would require, and with such a small percentage of computer users on Apple hardware, they should be make it their business to produce flawless machines.
Apple don't produce generic machines, so we shouldn't be happy with generic flaws.
Rich.
matticus008
macrumors 68040
I never said I *supported* the policy. It is what it is, and I don't set policy in this particular industry.fatsoforgotso said:
The screen doesn't need to be replaced. Apple will gladly take the iMac back with a restocking fee, which they are rightfully collecting, again in accordance with published policy. It helps offset the $200+ loss that they incur by selling the perfectly normal, working computer as refurbished. Is this person's satisfaction worth $200 to Apple? No, of course not. And it's not something that's endemic of bad service--this is nothing more than buyer's remorse, and contrary to your beliefs, Apple can't afford to take returns left and right for no particular reason. Of course Apple should try to deal with the OP's concerns, but they aren't obligated to, and they should not be condemned for failing to go above and beyond for every customer. If they did, they'd long be out of business.
Any computer company can afford to offer flawless hardware; it's the suppliers who can't provide it and the customers that cause the problems. Manufacturers simply can't provide 100% flawless hardware 100% of the time effectively, at any price--it slows them down too much and produces tons of waste. For example, most Intel processors have a manufacturing error somewhere in them--an error that usually means nothing for a user, but it's there--and they already discard about 1/3 of their processors. On top of that, people already bitch about Apple computers being "expensive" and so the number of people that would tolerate an additional price hike of at least 15% or so is fairly small, all to do away with an already low error rate. It's the law of diminishing returns. Cutting the error rate further would cost more than it's worth.
Apple makes computers from parts supplied by the same manufacturers as other computers. Apple hardware IS fairly generic, so by your logic, in fact, customers should be satisfied with "generic flaws."
Honestly, the price argument is such a non sequitur. It's absolutely ridiculous to put that much emphasis on the sales price of an item--expensive products are some combination of expensive to make, rare, or possessing some non-material quality ("brand power"). They're not less prone to problems, and the relative expectations should not increase with sales price. Cars and houses have all kinds of problems, just as computers do. You can't complain that computers are expensive and then make demands that would result in even higher prices if you're not prepared to pay more. There is no such thing as a free lunch.
You know...this bugs me every time. There are only about <5% of customers who actually LOOK for dead or stuck pixels, and they are usually the most anal and have a very elitist attitude. I almost guarantee you Best Buy customers have no idea what a stuck pixel is, same goes for a vast majority of PC cusomters. I've had 6 Powerbooks in the last 4 years, 4 of them had 1-3 dead or stuck pixels. Did I notice them? Yes, eventually. Did it affect the purpose the machine was being used for? NO! I paid for a fast and powerful, thin and sleek Apple notebook. That's what I got, each and every time.
Constantly returning a computer because of one stuck pixel because you "EXPECT A PERFECT MACHINE" is idiotic. Apple has specification guidelines for their displays. Unless you want to pay 2x as much for your precious iMac, I suggest you settle for what you've got. And it DOES cost Apple every time you return a machine. They have to sell the computer at a discount because it is basically "used". It is illegal for a company to knowingly sell used product as new. Hence why you pay the restocking fee if the product falls within in acceptable specifications.
Go to ANY Best Buy, Circuit City, look at Dell screens, HP screens, Gateway screens, etc. THEY ALL HAVE THE SAME ISSUE. It is inherent in the LCD industry. Apple DOESN'T MAKE THEIR OWN LCD PANELS!!! They have to accept what other companies make for them, so stop making it seem like everyone is out to get you.
Constantly returning a computer because of one stuck pixel because you "EXPECT A PERFECT MACHINE" is idiotic. Apple has specification guidelines for their displays. Unless you want to pay 2x as much for your precious iMac, I suggest you settle for what you've got. And it DOES cost Apple every time you return a machine. They have to sell the computer at a discount because it is basically "used". It is illegal for a company to knowingly sell used product as new. Hence why you pay the restocking fee if the product falls within in acceptable specifications.
Go to ANY Best Buy, Circuit City, look at Dell screens, HP screens, Gateway screens, etc. THEY ALL HAVE THE SAME ISSUE. It is inherent in the LCD industry. Apple DOESN'T MAKE THEIR OWN LCD PANELS!!! They have to accept what other companies make for them, so stop making it seem like everyone is out to get you.
Cooknn
macrumors 68020
Unfortunately I'm not sure what you can do since you bought it at the Apple store. I will only buy my Apple laptops and monitors at CompUSA so that if anything is wrong (ie. dead or stuck pixels) I can take it back within 21 days no questions asked...
BlizzardBomb
macrumors 68030
fatsoforgotso said:
Go into "About this Mac". Your Hard Drive isn't made by Apple, Bluetooth isn't, RAM isn't, Optical Drive isn't, Modem isn't, Graphics Card isn't and more importantly YOUR SCREEN ISN'T!
Artful Dodger
macrumors 68020
Cooknn said:
That is the smart thing to do since most of their stores they don't even want to know why for the first 21 days. But since he didn't do that he still has the 10-14 (not sure how many) days to return it to Apple, take the hit on the restocking fee and buy at CompUSA or even try Amazon (no tax and a rebate that gets filled out online and mailed to you within 6-10 wks. My rebate got back in 6.5 wks. from Amazon so that was $300 total savings. That may help off-set the restocking fee.
shrhaider
macrumors member
matticus008 said:
That's ridiculous. It doesn't take a "scouring" to find a broken pixel. My dad's recent Toshiba laptop purchase had a stuck red pixel near the center of the screen, and it was the first thing I noticed when I sat down. I'm not arguing that Apple should change their policy. It IS standard across the industry. But neither would I settle for that kind of product. All in all, it's just an unfortunate situation. I feel badly for the OP, and I hope it doesn't happen to me. And I hope the OP gets his computer replaced, because photo-editing or not, this isn't like a car or a crystal glass.
matticus008, you didn't need to see your bumper every time you sat in your car. You don't have to stare at the scratches on your trunk or door every time you drive. OP has to stare at a stuck pixel every time he turns on his iMac, every time he sends an email, watches a DVD, looks at his digital photos. It's not the same thing at all. If it were me, it would bother me to no end. And if I bought that computer and had OP's customer service experience, I'd be tempted to never buy an Apple again, and I'd tell all my friends not to shop there either.
Counterfit
macrumors G3
And then you wouldn't be able to afford it.fatsoforgotso said:
Waterford Crystal smashes any piece that isn't perfect, and the prices reflect that.
matticus008
macrumors 68040
You don't see one dead pixel all the time, even in the center of the screen. You certainly don't notice it when watching DVDs (if you're close enough to see individual pixels, you're close enough to see all the transfer defects of the DVD image which is far more detrimental to the experience) or flipping through photos. Push come to shove, one subpixel looks like a speck of dust. I agree that it's right in front of you, but it's immaterial. People see these things with their minds more than their eyes. If you were in that situation and shunned Apple, I'd invite you to find a company that provides you with a better experience and wish you luck. But you'd be back in no time, having discovered that no one else was any better.shrhaider said:
Whistleway
macrumors 6502
matticus008 said:
OP sees it and it bothers him. Deal with it and stop telling others what to see and what not to see. Buzz off !!
shrhaider said:
I think it's time to find a hobby...go outside, get some fresh air. If the first thing you notice when you sit in front of notebook is a stuck pixel...your mind is too fixated on the idea of stuck pixels.
shrhaider said:
Well aren't we special.
shrhaider said:
I don't. He paid for a very nice computer, and got a very nice computer.
shrhaider said:
It IS like a car. You buy a car to get things done, and maybe give you an experience at the same time. You buy a computer to get things done, and maybe give you an experience at the same time. If I get a scratch on my car, I don't consider it useless and try to return it. Same goes for my computer.
matticus008
macrumors 68040
Of course it bothers him! It would bother anyone when they notice small problems. That's not the point. The point is that being bothered by something isn't a guarantee that anyone else has any obligation to do anything about it or that you have a right to a new machine or a legally defensible cause for credit card chargeback. Your advice is sound, though, deal with it and get over it.Whistleway said:
shrhaider
macrumors member
Nevertheless, you're going to see the dead pixel a lot. Granted you may not notice it during a movie much, but in day to day use, it's obvious. How much time does a person spend sitting in the driveway, staring at their warped bumper? Not a lot, or they've got other problems. Regardless of the policy, you couldn't stand a .15" difference between one side of the bumper of your car and the other. Arguably a far less significant problem than this stuck pixel, which will be in OP's face every day of the life of his iMac.
matticus008
macrumors 68040
I'm not too sure about thattonyl said:President is not a commercial product.
. He's eligible for return or exchange in a few years, but maybe an Act of God would give us an early replacement. We'll have to check the warranty.matticus008 said:
Apple company is great, but that Apple store is bad. My friend has a dead pixel LCD, every time I go to his place, look his LCD, that pixel is so obviouse. But he can bear it. So it does depends on different minds, but if he is not satisfied with his purchasing, he has right to return it without paying other fees.
StealthRider
macrumors 65816
I was under the impression that Apple had a 30-day no questions asked return policy in-store...?
FFTT
macrumors 68030
The worst solution anyone mentioned here was returning the iMac to the Apple Store then going to CompUSA.
CompUSA rarley has up to date stock on Apple products, so even if they do
have a few Intel iMacs in stock, they probably will not have the latest component upgrades.
There are numerous threads in these forums blasting CompUSA for some rather serious unethical business practices, so be very careful.
I would go to your Apple store again and just insist that they either allow you to exchange your purchase and have the replacement bench tested before you leave the store, or you want a full refund within the 14 day no questions return policy.
I would do this even if they do make you pay the re-stocking fee.
If they refund your money, buy your replacement online or by calling 1800MyApple .
With a factory direct purchase, you will usually get the latest minor component upgrades as well.
CompUSA rarley has up to date stock on Apple products, so even if they do
have a few Intel iMacs in stock, they probably will not have the latest component upgrades.
There are numerous threads in these forums blasting CompUSA for some rather serious unethical business practices, so be very careful.
I would go to your Apple store again and just insist that they either allow you to exchange your purchase and have the replacement bench tested before you leave the store, or you want a full refund within the 14 day no questions return policy.
I would do this even if they do make you pay the re-stocking fee.
If they refund your money, buy your replacement online or by calling 1800MyApple .
With a factory direct purchase, you will usually get the latest minor component upgrades as well.
matticus008
macrumors 68040
14 days on computers, no questions asked, with open box restocking fee and BTO systems are non-refundable.StealthRider said: