Well, I went to the Apple Store (Costa Mesa), and unfortunately things didn't go well. I'm deeply frustrated and disappointed. Here's a run down of what happened:
My statements/questions during the course of the conversation:
-- The new MBP (the one I received in last week's exchange) also has a 9CC2 panel and the same problem with brightness/backlighting and the blue tint.
-- I spent some time comparing the floor models, and they all had Snow Leopard but their brightness levels were okay.
-- I explained, clearly, once again that the problem doesn't exist in 10.5 but does exist in 10.6.
-- In addition to the brightness issues, it looks as if the "Color LCD" profile in Display Preferences is missing.
-- I explained that my own comparisons with other MBPs and comparisons by people on these forums and on Apple's site corroborate that the issue exists.
-- I stated (when asked what I wanted to do) that I've considered returning it for a refund, exchanging it for another 13" MBP -- and risking getting 9CC2 again -- or exchanging it for a 15" model.
-- I even asked if there's anyway they could know ahead of time if any new MBPs had just Leopard on them, as I was willing to go back to 10.5.7 for the time being.
The technician's statements during the conversation:
-- In a complete turnaround from last week, he stated there is no issue/problem.
-- In a complete turnaround, he stated that he couldn't accept an exchange for another 13" MBP (despite the fact that, last week, when I asked what would happen if I got the 9CC2 panel again, he said "we'll swap it out").
-- Stated that no one else has reported a problem like this (as a way to imply there's no issue -- I said in response, "just because you haven't heard of other reports of this issue, doesn't mean there isn't an issue")
-- Refused to inspect the MBP and compare it with other ones, saying he didn't need to do this (he never even turned it on).
-- Said that because Apple has not notified the techs about this problem, that it's within spec and is therefore not a problem.
-- In response to the "Color LCD" profile missing, stated that Apple changed all sorts of things with Snow Leopard, including the fact that there's no "clean install" option when upgrading (as if that has *anything* to do with a missing display profile).
After going around in circles, the manager got into the discussion. Here are her statements:
-- There is no issue with the display. I just need to calibrate it.
-- Did not turn on the computer, did not look at it, refused to compare it with the floor models, and so on.
-- Said that, if I exchanged it for another 13" MBP, I would have the same problem because all the displays are the same (of course, that isn't true at all).
-- Said that Apple is aware of every single problem that's reported on the internet. Because Apple has said nothing about this, it's not a problem (once again, even though she didn't even look at the computer and was hearing about this for the very first time).
-- Said she might authorize and exchange one more time, but if I still have the same "issue", there's nothing Apple will do anymore for me.
After all that, I was so frustrated that I just returned the MBP for a refund, insisting that they not charge me a restocking fee (they didn't).
I'm extremely frustrated that both the technician and the manager refused to be open even to the possibility that there's an issue with the display/Snow Leopard. They not only denied there's a problem, they refused to investigate the issue by looking at the computer.
I'm going to contact customer relations. Can someone please tell me the easiest way to do this, and how I might receive a prompt, helpful reply?
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