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Lawyers Researching Possible Class Action Lawsuit Over 2011 MacBook Pro Graphics Issues

alvindarkness said:
Out of interest how long ago did you do that? I did mine recently (and decided to replace the keyboard while I had the thing open, amazing how many things have gone wrong on this "premium" laptop in 2 years), but I still think its a ticking time bomb. Tempted to send it out for a proper reballing of of the gpu and not buying any apple products for as long as possible.
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Probably about 3 weeks or so since the procedure. I've heard people getting over 7months and on if done correctly, but YMMV. Also the blacklight on my keyboard is extremely dim compared to before.

Apple heavily cripple their mobile devices more than their computers. I've had a 2008 MBP thats still running great with an SSD, but their iPhones have at most a 2year lifespan before it feels like an ancient device.
 
late 2011 17'

Hello guys,

Just about to visit the genius bar, however I've already prepared my letter to Apple which is the first step of suing them in small claims court.

There's a fella who won this early, in 2008 with the same issue but with older macs. His name is Seattle Fox, google him and you'll see all the details of what he went through.

I'll also text here what I'm willing to write apple, once I finish off with the genius bar. I expect them to replace it for free, which will do NO GOOD as it will fail again in a few years.

In my letter:

1 I mention I'm a Apple customer for more than 15 years.
2 Had problems earlier but I was keen to solve them.
3 DVD drive got dead after a year ago
4 Mention the GPU is dead now.
5 Details of the problems
6 Tell them I went to the genius bar a few months ago, because of excess heat issues which slowed down the whole system, and they refused to help at that time, even told 100 C for CPU is OK.
7 Tell what has happened on my genius visit next week
8 Tell them everyone is experiencing this.
9 Letting them know about the Sales of Goods act (applies only to UK)
10 Tell them I want a permanently working machine, not something which will die again in two years
11 Independent report from ifixit's teardown saying "problems down the road"
12 Proving I'm the owner and I have the invoice
13 Demand a replacement machine
14 Asking to write back in 14 days, if not I have to forward my problem to European Consumer Centre and/or to Her Majesty’s Stationery Office.

Hope this helps guys, attack them, don't let them offer you a crappy REFURB!! logic board which will die again eventually.

I won't send this letter if the genius can either refund me or give me an equally fast machine eg a newer model.

Best!
 
bolyki said:
Hello guys,

Just about to visit the genius bar, however I've already prepared my letter to Apple which is the first step of suing them in small claims court.

<snip>
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You are not entitled to a new machine straight off the bat. Play Apple at their own game.

Walking in and kicking off at the genius with a laundry list of complaints, stuff printed off the internet and threatening the small claims court will just get their back up. I got a no-cost repair by being polite but firm. Mention your expectations for the product given the original price paid. Any genius worth anything will read between the lines and get the sales of goods act reference. The refurb logic boards will likely fail quickly. At the 3rd attempt they'll then replace the machine.
 
I never said I'm entitled. This is the only solution what WILL work.

Neither I said I will bring this to the genius bar. This is just the list what I will write to apple to initiate a lawsuit.

Good for you, if you can take a replacement 3 times. I cannot, neither I have the money and time for this.

That's the only machine I've got and I really just need to study next month. 3 replacements is just NOT an option. Neither anyone should consider as a working solution.
 
bolyki said:
I never said I'm entitled. This is the only solution what WILL work.
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13 Demand a replacement machine
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:rolleyes:

bolyki said:
That's the only machine I've got and I really just need to study next month. 3 replacements is just NOT an option. Neither anyone should consider as a working solution.
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I know it's inconvenient. I was back on my 2009 Mac mini for a couple of months there, plus at least six 30 mile round trips. Given the MacBook wouldn't even boot up I had nothing to lose.

Anyway I'm only trying to help you out. I worked customer services for PC World for a couple years so I've seen this type of case from both points of view. Best of luck, whichever course of action you decide to take.
 
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Sorry bout sounding like an attack, it's just the harsh eastern european from inside! :)

Demanding isn't really being entitled I think, like I demanded my ice cream when I was 8 from mums but I didn't receive it as I was bad. :)

Yeah, good for you as you have a machine you can "use" somehow. I really dont, I only have an 5s but that's a whole different story for studying. I really have to write essays which needs a proper keyboard and that's just one little thing..:/

I'll see what the genius tells me, also I'm in contact with the head dept from ireland with an executive. I really wanna only sue them once I can see that nothing else can work...

I'm just pretty sad, coz I worked for a year to get this machine and there isn't a way of them to get out if they see me. I really a guy who goes until I die just to get my right!(which everyone else other than them can see:))
 
Just talked to an apple exec.

He said when I walk in tomorrow to the genius bar, they'll replace my logic board for free. Im out of warranty since 2013.

I'm more than happy with this, hope my 90 days show up the problem again though. I believe this is a machine's fault, which cannot be addressed by replacements or a new thermal paste.
 
MacBook Pro 2009 too

My 17'' MacBook Pro 2009 (NVidia 9600 graphics card) is suffering from the same problem but only with Mac OS X. It works perfectly with Windows XP and 7 and Linux (with the NVidia proprietary driver).

Never got a solution. Reinstalled multiple times but it seems to be a hardware problem that only shows when on OS X.
 
pgquiles said:
My 17'' MacBook Pro 2009 (NVidia 9600 graphics card) is suffering from the same problem but only with Mac OS X. It works perfectly with Windows XP and 7 and Linux (with the NVidia proprietary driver).

Never got a solution. Reinstalled multiple times but it seems to be a hardware problem that only shows when on OS X.
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If it was a hardware problem it would show in windows. In any event, the 2009's do not, as a rule, suffer from the same defect, though of course their could be a few units that do - eventually all hardware dies.
 
cmaier said:
If it was a hardware problem it would show in windows. In any event, the 2009's do not, as a rule, suffer from the same defect, though of course their could be a few units that do - eventually all hardware dies.
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It is certainly a hardware problem.

I have replaced the HDD unit twice (greater capacity first, faster later). After both reinstallations, problem persisted. Even after upgrading from Mac OS X 10.6 to 10.8, to 10.9.

The fact that it does not show on Windows and Linux makes me think what's broken is some special feature not supported by the Windows and Linux drivers. Maybe the switch from GeForce 9400 to 9600.
 
pgquiles said:
It is certainly a hardware problem.

I have replaced the HDD unit twice (greater capacity first, faster later). After both reinstallations, problem persisted. Even after upgrading from Mac OS X 10.6 to 10.8, to 10.9.

The fact that it does not show on Windows and Linux makes me think what's broken is some special feature not supported by the Windows and Linux drivers. Maybe the switch from GeForce 9400 to 9600.
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Everything you've said is proof that it's a software problem. There are no "special features" of the graphics chip that Mac uses while Windows doesn't. The fact that you now seem to say it also works fine with Linux is even further proof.
 
jreuschl said:
Do these models have switchable graphics? (meaning you could force the OS to always use Intel graphics) Guessing not.

I realize that cripples the machine, but using slower graphics is better than not using the computer at all.
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I'm currently typing on my 2011 17 inch MBP with this exact problem. When and IF I can get it to boot, gfxcardstatus seems to be able to keep it running if I force integrated graphics only. This is my SECOND failure. The first was covered under warranty and was replaced in October of last year at no cost, and this one lasted less than 9 months before failing again. For a $2500 machine I expected it to last longer than this and I'm staring down a $300+ fix and have no confidence that it'll last that long again. Apple really should do something about this because this is my main machine and I've paid way too much to have this fail for the third time in its operating life. Unfortunately I am forced to pay to get it fixed because I have no choice, and I hope Apple ponies up and fixes/reimbruses anyone that pays out of pocket to fix this. For a company that has such a huge profit margin as Apple does, fixing this is well within the realm of feasibility and would go a very long way to instill customer confidence. This is my second MBP (first one had numerous hardware failures as well) and I'm not very inclined to drop a couple thousand dollars with them again if their machines are so terribly failure prone right outside the warranty window. After I get this one fixed I'm seriously considering building a Mackintosh and saying to hell with Apple laptops. This is getting ridiculous and I expect a premium experience as a customer paying premium prices.

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bolyki said:
Just talked to an apple exec.

He said when I walk in tomorrow to the genius bar, they'll replace my logic board for free. Im out of warranty since 2013.

I'm more than happy with this, hope my 90 days show up the problem again though. I believe this is a machine's fault, which cannot be addressed by replacements or a new thermal paste.
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Was there any particular person you talked to? I'm about to walk into an Apple store on Friday and see how quickly I can get mine fixed, and this is the second failure I've had with this particular machine. The answer I got the first time I went in to get it diagnosed was to either fix this one at around $500 or just buy another machine. That's as unsatisfactory an answer as I can think of considering it had this exact failure about 9 months ago and it's a well known and rampant hardware issue. They even went so far as to blame me for the failure when I told them I do a bit of editing and gaming on this machine. I thought this was a "Professional" laptop and they've marketed it as a great video editing and gaming machine in their advertising for years. How exactly is is correct for them to blame me for a widespread issue when I use it for a use that they boast about it being capable of in their advertising. I'm VERY upset about this. I've had two failures and for what this machine costs I don't think it's morally right to expect people to pay for an ongoing and widespread issue that they are purposefully ignoring.
 
bolyki said:
Just talked to an apple exec.

He said when I walk in tomorrow to the genius bar, they'll replace my logic board for free. Im out of warranty since 2013.

I'm more than happy with this, hope my 90 days show up the problem again though. I believe this is a machine's fault, which cannot be addressed by replacements or a new thermal paste.
Click to expand...

How did you get to talk to an Apple Exec? Is an Apple Store Manager the same? I have the Mid-2010 MBP w/ the problematic Nvidia card. It's not dead, which makes my dilemma a little trickier. Even if I could get in on the 2011 MBP action by getting my Logic Board replaced for free, I will still feel (in the back of my mind) that the problem can re-occur. I feel this way because we are not really given any information other than "Latent Manufacturing Defect" from Apple about the exact cause of the Mid-2010 MBP's w/ the Nvidia GT330m's Kernel Panics. So, if my logic board is replace with a new logic board with the same GPU, etc...--I am not fully convince how the problem is fixed. Even, if the KP's do vanish, the new logic board could have a new problem, especially since these logic boards are no longer manufactured by Apple. I just wish that there was a way for Apple to return my old logic board to me when they have replaced it with a new one, so I may use the old logic board, if I ever need to when the new LB fails down the road.

It reminds me of that practice about the first one being free and the second one costing something. You guys know what I'm saying?

With a dead dGPU like some (or a lot) of the 2011 MBP's--the choice is simpler. Replace logic board or not.

For me, with my finicky wacky cancerous Mid-2010 MBP, it's not dead yet, so I feel stuck.

You guys know what I'm trying to say?
 
I have the unlucky Macbook "model". It's all right now, but I would feel a lot safer if Apple manned up and admitted there is a flaw.
And I think they will eventually:)
When I took my girlfriend's 5 year old white Macbook to Apple with a broken hinge they replaced under the recall program for free.
I know that this recall would be more costly for Apple, but then again they seem to sell very pricy hardware... :)
 
Hi guys,

i left my faulty macbook at a service point after calling apple.
He told me by phone that there's internal talks about a quality program.
My case was taken to a apple exec and i'm waitting for an answer.

Hope they fix it...
 
EwanMcTeagle said:
I have the unlucky Macbook "model". It's all right now, but I would feel a lot safer if Apple manned up and admitted there is a flaw.
And I think they will eventually:)
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I remember reading that the free repair for the GeForce 8600M failing in 2008 MacBook Pros was paid for entirely by Nvidia. Therefore and since this issue is not caused by a faulty GPU but by its assembly which is Apple's role, I'll have my doubts about Apple giving in.

The obvious solutions are two. Either give everyone a new computer or redesign the logic board, mass produce it and fit it in all of the affected computers and give back the money anyone had paid for a previous repair. Both solutions are going to cost money and headaches to the company and I'd assume they'll continue dealing with this on an individual basis.
 
So this only affects the larger models with the switchable GFx cards, right?

My 2011 13" MBP seems to be ok but the screen has blacked out a few times (its got 8Gb Ram and a crucial 512Gb SSD installed also).
 
Repairing the laptops won't do anything because the problem, If I understand correctly, has to do with incorrect or weak soldering of the GPU to the logic board. The same thing will happen again once the solder gets really hot, it will soften and the same issue will pop up.
 
Dealing with this problem right now

I'm in the process of dealing with this.....errrr, ummm.....problem.

Late 2011 MBP - 2.2 GHz i7

I've already had one logic board replaced and fail on the first day back from the Apple Store. I'm currently running on that failing LB - with associated graphics and OS glitches: total OS freeze; Gray Screen of Infinite Nothingness; Blue Vertical-Striped Screen of Prankster Psychedelia; Multiple Spaces Split-Screen of the Ghost of Steve Jobs; etc. etc.

I was out of AppleCare and when I first took this machine to the Apple Store, I was offered a $300 all inclusive repair. They initially replaced my logic board and cable. That new/referb logic board exhibited the same symptoms (and some new, cooler graphics glitches!! :-/). After the new logic board was installed I backed up and did a clean install of Mavericks from a thumb drive. More, new and improved graphics glitches during the install. That was fun.

Apple Store just got a new (likely referb) LB and a new screen and screen cable which they're installing this week in store as a part of my $300 all inclusive repair.

If/when these repairs prove to not fix this problem, I'll be pushing Apple for a new/next model year newer machine to replace this machine, a computer that very likely has a manufacturing defect.

I'll come back here to post if I get more info from my Apple Store visit this week.
 
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