What would you do?

[richard13]

Hey guys. So the Holiday Return Period is coming to a close so I'll need to be making a decision soon. I have bought an iMac and a rMBP in this time period and to be honest I'm less than completely satisfied.

The iMac has the "yellow screen" issue. This is actually the 2nd iMac I've had as I've already exchanged it once and both iMacs had the same problem. Since it's a BTO exchanges are a major hassle.

The rMBP seems to have a pretty good screen but it's got this odd occasional ticking sound that seems to be related to expansion/contraction of the case. This is a standard top tier model so I could get it from an Apple Store if need be.

There's also an issue between the two related to networking. I store my files on the iMac and edit remotely from the rMBP. Unlike my old setup, I am now getting very slow access times, closing problems, etc. Beach balls are frequent. We are only talking about tiny TextEdit files here so I don't know what's going on. Maybe it's Mavericks fault.

I am considering exchanging both of these computers but my worry is that I will get something worse. For example, I'd rather deal with the "yellow screen" issue by making it more blue in calibration than to get one with a loud fan or dead pixels. If the replacement rMBP had a worse screen or a more creaky case I'd rather keep the one that makes the tick noise.

I've gone over this in my head a bunch of times vacillating between going for an exchange and thinking to heck with it. Is it really worth my time and aggravation?

Would you guys just live with these defects and move on? Or is it worth rolling the dice here?

 

[Apple fanboy]

If the yellow screen is uniform it is not a faulty screen. It is just set at a different colour temperature than you are used to. By a calibration device, like the ColorMunki display or i1 display Pro and your iMac will be fine.

I don't own a MBP so can't really advise you on your other issues.

 

[richard13]

If the yellow screen is uniform it is not a faulty screen. It is just set at a different colour temperature than you are used to. By a calibration device, like the ColorMunki display or i1 display Pro and your iMac will be fine.

I don't own a MBP so can't really advise you on your other issues.

It is a bit on the yellow side overall but it's mostly noticeable on the bottom 1/3 of the screen. I notice that if I tilt the screen far back (so the bottom is higher) that the yellow goes away so this is definitely a viewing angle problem. I haven't seen any in the wild that don't do this in this generation of iMacs so I'm not sure if this is just the way they all are.

 

[Apple fanboy]

I get a very small colour shift if I tilt my screen. But as I never do change the angle it's not a problem. To be honest if you are going to go looking for problems, then you will find them. I just calibrate my screen and get on with using it.
There are better screens out there like the NEC and Eizo offerings. Maybe if it is that important to you return the iMac, and just use the RMBP connected to a NEC Spectraview 272 or an Eizo CG276.

 

[tbolt11]

I would exchange both of them. Think you just hit bad luck.

If after the exchanges you're not satisfied with either than return them.

 

[Twimfy]

If you're not happy and you have the option to exchange them, exchange them.

No offence but I'm not entirely sure why people keep coming here and asking these questions???

 

[richard13]

If you're not happy and you have the option to exchange them, exchange them.

No offence but I'm not entirely sure why people keep coming here and asking these questions???

My guess is that you didn't read my entire post.

But to answer your rhetorical question with a real answer, I am asking folks given my situation would they go for the exchange or not bother. It's really that simple. Just looking for other people's opinions. I guess I have yours as well.

I'll likely make a decision on this tomorrow. Thanks all for your thoughts!

 

[DJJAZZYJET]

To be honest I would exchange. If you got a screen with dead pixels on your exchange unit, you'd get another instant replacement no questions asked. If you got a loud fan, most likely the same result.

Also a ticking noise inside a rMBP does NOT sound good. You said the ticking noise was related to the case, if your exchange has a worse case that makes even more noise than your last one you would probably get a replacement unit.

These machines cost a lot of money. No way i'd accept that.

 

[mpantone]

It doesn't seem like you are one of those people who will let this stuff go, so I suggest you exchange the devices.

If that doesn't work, I suggest you give up on Macs and find some PCs to make you happy.

Good luck.

 

[Seramir]

I would personally try the maximum of 4 times of exchanges. If the 4th time is still not good, I'd give up and either return for a full refund and look at other options, or keep it and live with the issues.

 

[Twimfy]

My guess is that you didn't read my entire post.

But to answer your rhetorical question with a real answer, I am asking folks given my situation would they go for the exchange or not bother. It's really that simple. Just looking for other people's opinions. I guess I have yours as well.

I'll likely make a decision on this tomorrow. Thanks all for your thoughts!

I did read your entire post and I still don't get it. Even though it's a hassle, surely swapping systems until you're entirely happy with the product is worth doing rather than sitting with a machine you're unhappy with for the next few years?

Although you've been unlucky a few times, it's really unlikely that you're going to keep having this issue. I've seen a lot of people who've been caught out only once and then adopted the ***** Apple attitude for life when really there's no need for it. Bad luck happens but there are millions of us out here with perfectly satisfactory devices and Apple is hands down one of the best companies in the world for device exchanges. Yes there are a few horror stories but I know that 99% of the alternatives are far far worse.

Anyway like I said, no offence intended, it's entirely your decision and I wish you the best of luck, I'd just hate to see you abandon Apple over a bit of bad luck. They will get it sorted for you if you push hard enough.

 

[richard13]

Hey guys. Thanks for your support! After reviewing my options and reading your responses I decided to try an exchange on these computers. What happened when I called Apple this morning is below:

The first person I spoke with was very quick to set up an exchange but said they wouldn't ship until they received the original equipment. I asked for a cross-ship and I was told that can only be done from AppleCare. Ok, I talk to the AppleCare rep for a while and he has me reset the PRAM, set up a test account, but nothing about an exchange. When he wanted me to re-install Mavericks on the iMac is where I drew the line. After all, I have a problem with the panel and a fresh install of the OS isn't going to fix that. He said I needed to talk to a senior advisor to do an actual exchange (even though this is what I asked for in the first place). Ok, senior advisor says that since i've already exchanged the iMac once before it may be a problem because it's now longer than 2 weeks. He needs approval from the sales team. Fine, I'm ok with that. But aren't these the people I spoke to in the first place? Anyway, after being on hold for 10-15 minutes I was disconnected. In spite of giving them my phone number, no callback either.

At this point I have to laugh at the absurdity of the situation. But I'm also a bit annoyed that nothing has changed either.

I think I'm going to make an appointment at the Genius Bar tomorrow to try to get to the bottom of all this. I was hoping to avoid boxing all this stuff up and dragging it to the store just for a consult but maybe it's for the best.