The dreaded Dead Pixel problem

Pulse8

Got my brand new Macbook delivered last Wednesday, all was goin good in the switch over to Mac having only ever being a PC head before last week.
Left the macbook for about an hour & a half last night downloading some stuff & when I came back theres 2 marks on the screen, both unwipeable & what look to me like dead pixels. Theyre not overly noticeable but now that I know theyre there & having paid 1500 quid last week I find this pretty unacceptable

Am i better off ringing up Apple & just returning it for a refund under the 14 day moneyback "change of mind" guarantee...then buying a new one a week or 2 down the line or should I explain the situation to them & angle for a replacement??
I understand they can be quite picky on the whole dead pixel issue having read up about it online but even so, if i do tell'em & they decide to be hard to work with on it & its still within the 14days they more or less have to take it back anyway right???

Elessar

Well if you have 14 days to change your mind and send it back I would do that. They have a strict pixel policy and you might be stuck arguing about it if you rang Applecare. Just send it back and get a new one.

iamnothim

As far as I know, they'll replace it so long as it's still under warranty

Pulse8

hmmm thats my whole reason for posting, dont wanna get into a stupid argument over dead pixel count when at the end of the day theyre are pretty much gonna have to take it back under the 14 day guarantee anyway if Im unhappy with it I hope???
Was just lookin to save some time & get a replacement shipped out as soon as the one i have here is picked up rather than goin through the whole rigmaroll of refunds & then ordering again etc

Pixelcraft

unless apple do something i'm unaware of, the 14 day cooling off period is if you decide you don't want to product and return it in the condition it was delivered. Not use it for a few days and send it back!

Pulse8

From their own T&C's:

http://a248.e.akamai.net/7/248/8352/1195/store.apple.com/Catalog/irl/Images/salespolicies_consumer.html

7.1 If you are not satisfied with any Product or the terms of any entitlement to Services you have purchased from us, you may return the Product to us or cancel the entitlement to Services and obtain a refund of the price of the Product returned or Service entitlement if you contact us within 14 Calendar Days of delivery of the Product to you or within 14 Calendar Days of your purchase of the entitlement to Services. However, you may not return a Product to us and claim a refund if the Product concerned is Software which we supplied to you sealed and unused and you have broken the seal. You may not obtain a refund of the purchase price of a Service entitlement if you have commenced use of the Service.

Pulse8

Just off phone with Apple, couldnt have been anymore helpful...especially seen as Im still so early in the "remorse" period

Should be gettin 2 emails tomorrow, one with details of collection of the faulty machine & another with details of the replacement & when it will be shipping.
The guy said feel free to use away on the faulty one until collection time so thats exactly what I intend to do lol
Most likelly be UPS delivering the new one Im told whilst it will be TNT picking up the old one so totally seperate operations...not a case of having to send the old one back & only then having my new one sent out

Must say Im pretty relieved having read all the horror stories online...I guess it must be pretty common & they now make quite a few allowances for it

Pixelcraft

nice one!

RichyX

I'd never even seen a dead pixel until I bought my MBP just before Xmas!
Luckily it's in the bottom left of the screen so it isn't noticeable during regular use.

I wonder if Apple screens are less reliable than other brands in this regard...

Flaccus

Pulse8 wrote: »

Just off phone with Apple, couldnt have been anymore helpful...especially seen as Im still so early in the "remorse" period

Congrats. So he was ok with the fact you only have 2 dead pixels ?
Thinking about uggrading to a Pro 17" soon as this has me a little worried.

Pulse8

Seems to be quite a common problem in them, believe me Ive trawled Google in the last 12hrs & theres lots of reports & faults
After having read them I was a little apprehensive to ring about it,thus this thread.....they seemed a helluva alot cooler & more helpful about it than I thought they would be to be honest

RichyX

Pulse8 wrote: »

they seemed a helluva alot cooler & more helpful about it than I thought they would be to be honest

Maybe it's because they're well used to it by now.

Flaccus

Although I don't think macbooks are more known for having pixel issues. I'm on my 2nd macbook with no issues. Lots of mates the same. I guess you only hear on places like macrumours and the macforums and here from people with issues and never from happy customers.

So if I shell out for a new Macbook Pro 17" and it has even 1 dead pixel, is it just a case of ringing up and saying you bought a new macbook the other day and it has a few dead pixels you are not happy with and you would like it replaced or you will have to return it under the 14 day satisfaction guarantee ? I also wonder would it be wiser buying from a shop like CompuB and trying to make a prearrangement with them in case of issues, even 1 dead pixel. I assume the prices are the same as online or possibly even better. Also wonder do these shops do BTO models or only basic configs. And are there any shops out there who buy mac hardware as I'd have to sell my 2 month old unibody 2.4 mac to afford the pro 17.

Pulse8

Flaccus wrote: »

Congrats. So he was ok with the fact you only have 2 dead pixels ?
Thinking about uggrading to a Pro 17" soon as this has me a little worried.

I told a little white lie & said there were 3....funny thing is now that Im home Ive noticed one just off to the right of the previous 2 so I guess I was telling the truth after all.
I cant help but feel that Im being overly picky as to be honest theyre not that noticeable or that much of a hindrance....but still, if ya shell out 1500 quid ya want it to be decent,especially 4 days after delivery

Flaccus

Guess I was just lucky with my unibody macbook 2.4 which I bought in Harvey Normans as the price was incorrect (1350 instead of 1499) Plus I got a fee ipod nano

whiterebel

Having worked there, long long ago in a galaxy far away......:D

They used to be very hard on dead pixels and wouldn't replace under warranty. Indeed we were give the "LCD Screen POlicy" document for all laptops, and screens, which covered Dell, Sony, Toshiba etc. The policy was all the same - 5 or more in a small space, or 7 or more in total on the screen -any less its not faulty!! The only way to deal with it previously was send it back under the 14 day remorse period. We were in Tech Support, and would NOT be allowed DOA an LCD screen if it was within tolerance. Trying to explain this to a poor barsteward who had 6 pixels blown on a £2000 laptop was not fun, I tell thee!

Someone suggested a store to buy from, I would say if anything they are worse - The Apple 14 day return is No Quibble - Don't like something about it, return it - no explanation needed.

Flaccus

Yeah, I think buying direct from apple is the way to go. However, I do see that CompuB have a trade in service on macs, so I filled out the form looking for a quote on my unibody macbook 2.4 I wonder how much it's worth, considering it's 2 months old, and in perfect condition with box/accessories etc.. I have heard that mac's hold their value better than pc notebooks.

To the OP : do you have slightly slanted function keys on your macbook, loose battery cover or battery cover which clicks when you put the mac down on the table (due to the hinges on the cover being slighly bent from the factory). Seem to be the problems alot of users are having.

Pulse8

Nope,nothing of the sort here anyway

Got 2 emails today.....1 outlining that TNT will be callin me in the next 48hrs to arrange pickup & the 2nd to tell me my new web order number for tracking & that hopefully my replacement should be shipped tomorrow for arrival by Friday....not too shabby at all

Just hope the replacement is A1 now!!

Flaccus

Hope so too.

Glad to hear you had no other issues. Have a look at the top function keys when you get your new macbook though. If you look at them head on with your chin near the touchpad, you might notice they are slanting to the left slightly. All the macbooks in pcworld,compub,3, and harvey normans had this "issue". Originally heard about it on MacRumours forums. Doesn't bother me anymore. In fact you can't even notice it when typing, just at a certain angle. A stuck pixel I am sure is much more annoying. As for the loose or clicking battery cover, that is caused by the clips flexing when you take the cover off the 1st time. Easy to fix.

Flaccus

Well, did you get your replacement. Any dead pixels ?

Spoke with someone in CompuB today. They offer same day 14 satisfaction policy as apple so might go with shop as they will take my current macbook as a trade in. Interestingly on the return conditions on the Apple US site, they wont take back a BTO Mac unless it's DOA. No mention of this in the Irish shop, so should be covered in the event of dead/stuck pixels, backlight bleed/clouding etc..

im...LOST

Sounds cool. I have two bunches of stuck pixels on mine and I've fried a good few things to try and repair but no joy.

Still, they aren't dead so they aren't that noticable.

Pulse8

Yeahhhh, the dodgy one was picked up last Thurs morning & the new one delivered that afternoon - everything totally fine so far (fingers crossed) :cool: