iMac Backlight Bleeding

[Xero]

Hey guys,

I know a bunch of you have iMac's on here, and at least a few with the newer 2008 ones. I bought my first one a week after they were released and its great, no dead pixels, no dust, no backlight bleeding. I went a bought another on the weekend for home. When I took it home I noticed a dead pixel or dust stuck under the glass. So I drove back to the Apple Store and exchanged it. When I got home I noticed my new one has a significant amount of backlight bleeding. With my luck I didn't notice it until I started to watch a movie, inconveniently after I had copied over 300gb of data over. Sooo now I'm just wiping it out to go back and exchange, I was curious how many of you on here with 24" iMacs have backlight bleeding. I included a picture below so you know what it looks like, the majority of them look the same, with the 2 strongest at the bottom and the weaker ones at the top, weakest on the right. Also 20" iMac users your safe from my many google searches it seems to only affect 24" users.

[Cara Veteran]

  Xero said:

Hey guys,

I know a bunch of you have iMac's on here, and at least a few with the newer 2008 ones. I bought my first one a week after they were released and its great, no dead pixels, no dust, no backlight bleeding. I went a bought another on the weekend for home. When I took it home I noticed a dead pixel or dust stuck under the glass. So I drove back to the Apple Store and exchanged it. When I got home I noticed my new one has a significant amount of backlight bleeding. With my luck I didn't notice it until I started to watch a movie, inconveniently after I had copied over 300gb of data over. Sooo now I'm just wiping it out to go back and exchange, I was curious how many of you on here with 24" iMacs have backlight bleeding. I included a picture below so you know what it looks like, the majority of them look the same, with the 2 strongest at the bottom and the weaker ones at the top, weakest on the right. Also 20" iMac users your safe from my many google searches it seems to only affect 24" users.

I've got 3 24-inch models which suffer from very minor backlight bleed, considerably lower than what yours seems to have. Given all 3 of those are simply test models it has never bothered me since the room is never that dark.

I'd give thought to calling ahead to your Apple Store and seeing if the tech could do a drive swap if you don't want to remove the drive for your replacement, after your second replacement they should be willing to work with you. :)

[Xero]

How long does that take? Because I would LOVE a drive swap. My iMac at work has very very slight bleeding, just a little bright along the bottom corner. Since my office is bright I don't even notice it, but at home I have the lights lower. Obviously for the picture though I turned them completely off so it would stand out.

[Cara Veteran]

  Xero said:

How long does that take? Because I would LOVE a drive swap. My iMac at work has very very slight bleeding, just a little bright along the bottom corner. Since my office is bright I don't even notice it, but at home I have the lights lower. Obviously for the picture though I turned them completely off so it would stand out.

It would depend on the tech and the time that they have open, if you can get in during a lull in the day they may do it while you wait, no promises. :) Best bet though is to call your local store, ask for a Store Manager, explain to them what the problem is and what you'd like and see if they can do it for you, most will be very helpful.

[Xero]

I called them and they said they can't do a drive swap (lucky me!) they offered to do a data transfer for me, but hell I can do that myself. I'm just going to do a complete time machine backup and restore to it when I first boot the replacement. Looks like I'll be venturing down to the Apple Store sometime tomorrow. Gotta love carrying that big ass Mac 10 minutes through the mall.

[DrewJW]

I am due to purchase a 24inch, I assume this is all covered but I have heard of users being on there 4th iMac with this issue in extreme cases, are Apple fine with this?

[Cara Veteran]

  Xero said:

I called them and they said they can't do a drive swap (lucky me!) they offered to do a data transfer for me, but hell I can do that myself. I'm just going to do a complete time machine backup and restore to it when I first boot the replacement. Looks like I'll be venturing down to the Apple Store sometime tomorrow. Gotta love carrying that big ass Mac 10 minutes through the mall.

Blah, not the user experience we all hope for.

I'd ask them to remove the replacement machine from the box in the store and set it up so you can see the screen to prevent this from happening again. :) I KNOW they will do that.

  Elven said:

I am due to purchase a 24inch, I assume this is all covered but I have heard of users being on there 4th iMac with this issue in extreme cases, are Apple fine with this?

As long as it is a visible defect I've never heard of a store giving trouble to anyone about this. :)

[Xero]

  Elven said:

I am due to purchase a 24inch, I assume this is all covered but I have heard of users being on there 4th iMac with this issue in extreme cases, are Apple fine with this?

I haven't been hassled at all with my multiple returns, if anything they have been very apologetic. I assume it might be different if you try and return it 6 months later but I assume after reading this thread you will take a look at your screen after you get it. Also the reason I made this thread was to see how many users actually had it, as you can see so far, not many so there's a good chance your screen will be fine first round.

  Cara said:

Blah, not the user experience we all hope for.

I'd ask them to remove the replacement machine from the box in the store and set it up so you can see the screen to prevent this from happening again. :) I KNOW they will do that.

Heh we think alike, I told them on the phone that they are going to have to open it up and let me check it out before I go back home for the 3rd time. She said that was fine and they were planning on doing it anyways, I also bitched about having to carry through the mall so many times so she said she'll get someone to carry to my car for me :) So heres to hoping the next one is fine, because all this back and forth trips is just raping my gas bill.

[Cara Veteran]

  Xero said:

Heh we think alike, I told them on the phone that they are going to have to open it up and let me check it out before I go back home for the 3rd time. She said that was fine and they were planning on doing it anyways, I also bitched about having to carry through the mall so many times so she said she'll get someone to carry to my car for me :) So heres to hoping the next one is fine, because all this back and forth trips is just raping my gas bill.

If you make some light jokes with the manager you might be able to get an iTunes Gift Card out of the deal, I've heard that Managers are authorized to give them out for people with reoccurring problems and was even given one myself once when I got 2 bad hard drive replacements on my personal BlackBook. Don't ask for it but if you make little hints sometimes you can get a bit more than you thought. :)

[KeR]

My 24" iMac has significant backlight bleeding on the left side, but I could never be bothered to exchange it. Reason being, it has to be completely dark, and the picture on screen has to be dark in order for it to be distracting...but reading Apple Support Forum it seems to be a wide spread problem with all iMac's.

[Binary]

  Cara said:

As long as it is a visible defect I've never heard of a store giving trouble to anyone about this. :)

Ha.

Apple online has been giving me the run-around for a month now on my iMac.

It's the second unit I've received with the same gradient problem. Now they tell me I may have to wait 2 months for a refund cheque - I paid them instantly, I expect to be reimbursed instantly.

This is all after talking to about 20 reps or more and having 3 voicemails ignored.

I'm on the verge of seeking legal advice and possibly suing Apple, and maybe never buying another Apple computer again.

I'm going to shoot off a couple emails to steve jobs and see if anything comes out of this, but seriously this situation is appalling.

Oh - and on top of all this I haven't been offered a damn thing for my troubles. All I keep hearing is "sorry".

Well sorry doesn't pay the interest on my VISA now does it?

I'm truly ****ed at Apple right now.

[Piggy]

Not sure about Applecare etc, but that's horrible bleeding. I had it in one corner in my old dell monitor and they replaced it. I remember the girl on the phone didn't have a clue what I was talking about but I was convincing enough. ;)

[Mikee99]

I have planned on getting a MacBook Pro in the future, however, reading about all these screen issues with iMacs and MBP's are really making me start to think twice about getting one. Issues like this should not be occurring.

Macs are not inexpensive systems, and when you're paying top dollar for one, you should be given top choice hardware. Not only that, but Apple likes to promote themselves as being graphic design friendly. How can a graphic designer properly work when they have lousy displays?

That is some NASTY screen bleeding in the picture above. It's really unacceptable that issues like this are still occurring. This issue should have been ironed out after the first generation, and the fact that it's still happening is very disconcerting.

[Cara Veteran]

  Binary said:

Ha.

Apple online has been giving me the run-around for a month now on my iMac.

It's the second unit I've received with the same gradient problem. Now they tell me I may have to wait 2 months for a refund cheque - I paid them instantly, I expect to be reimbursed instantly.

This is all after talking to about 20 reps or more and having 3 voicemails ignored.

I'm on the verge of seeking legal advice and possibly suing Apple, and maybe never buying another Apple computer again.

I'm going to shoot off a couple emails to steve jobs and see if anything comes out of this, but seriously this situation is appalling.

Oh - and on top of all this I haven't been offered a damn thing for my troubles. All I keep hearing is "sorry".

Well sorry doesn't pay the interest on my VISA now does it?

I'm truly ****ed at Apple right now.

If they have sent you two units already I would say that this shows they are attempting to resolve the situation directly. As for refunding your funds, rarely have I seen a refund take 2 months, normally the refund is cut within 7-10 business days of receiving the merchandise back and verification that the unit is in the original condition containing all of it's original parts.

I just reviewed the Apple Store Online's refund policy and there is no specific statement that a refund will be issued any specific way, thus I would suspect this allows the Store to determine the method of refund to be used.

I think you will find that as long as Apple is offering to refund your money upon return of the product you will have a difficult time winning any legal proceedings. There is nothing against the law taking place here, you are a customer who has asked for a refund, outside of the specified return period of 14 days, and yet a refund is still being offered...I would consider that to be above and beyond what is required.

I'm sorry you're not having a good experience with your purchase, however from your statement Apple seems to be doing quite a bit to accommodate you.

  Mikee99 said:

I have planned on getting a MacBook Pro in the future, however, reading about all these screen issues with iMacs and MBP's are really making me start to think twice about getting one. Issues like this should not be occurring.

Macs are not inexpensive systems, and when you're paying top dollar for one, you should be given top choice hardware. Not only that, but Apple likes to promote themselves as being graphic design friendly. How can a graphic designer properly work when they have lousy displays?

That is some NASTY screen bleeding in the picture above. It's really unacceptable that issues like this are still occurring. This issue should have been ironed out after the first generation, and the fact that it's still happening is very disconcerting.

Mike99,

Honestly, these problems are very few and far between anymore. Customers happy with their purchases rarely post about them online, those who have problems or feel 'slighted' are normally the ones who make the most noise about a product justifiable or not.

At work I get new machines every day for one purpose or another, I've had VERY few out of those I received with anything that I'd consider to be even close to a design flaw in the displays. I've been quite happy as a Designer with the displays I have gotten on my MacBook Pros and, admittedly, I don't care for the glossy iMac Displays I've seen very few current revisions with banding or unusual light bleeding.

What I normally suggest is to drop in your local Apple Retail location and take a look at the equipment yourself, look over the displays (which are simply machines out of the box in the back, not hand picked or anything) and see what you think of them yourself. :)

That is normally the best way to see the quality of a product as online can often be very misleading.

[Binary]

  Cara said:

If they have sent you two units already I would say that this shows they are attempting to resolve the situation directly. As for refunding your funds, rarely have I seen a refund take 2 months, normally the refund is cut within 7-10 business days of receiving the merchandise back and verification that the unit is in the original condition containing all of it's original parts.

I just reviewed the Apple Store Online's refund policy and there is no specific statement that a refund will be issued any specific way, thus I would suspect this allows the Store to determine the method of refund to be used.

I think you will find that as long as Apple is offering to refund your money upon return of the product you will have a difficult time winning any legal proceedings. There is nothing against the law taking place here, you are a customer who has asked for a refund, outside of the specified return period of 14 days, and yet a refund is still being offered...I would consider that to be above and beyond what is required.

I'm sorry you're not having a good experience with your purchase, however from your statement Apple seems to be doing quite a bit to accommodate you.

Erm, it's not outside the 14 day return period. I received a new unit, that's the start of another 14 day return period, and I attempted contact immediately. BTW in Canada it's supposed to be 14-day no-quibble returns - it's the law. This means nothing even had to be faulty in order for me to get a refund.

It's hardly my fault that 3 voicemails were ignored, and my being pushed around to many different dept's and still don't have anything resolved.

And for the record - if they were doing everything to accomodate my needs, I'd:

1. Have a properly functioning product in front of me.

or

2. Have the product returned already and have a refund.

I mean come on, it's been a months worth of wasting my time and money and the issue still isn't resolved.

Maybe nothing illegal is being done but that doesn't mean I can't sue for monetary reasons.

[Piggy]

Yes but as long as they are trying to resolve the problem, then they are doing their job.

[Cara Veteran]

  Binary said:

Apple online has been giving me the run-around for a month now on my iMac.

It's the second unit I've received with the same gradient problem. Now they tell me I may have to wait 2 months for a refund cheque - I paid them instantly, I expect to be reimbursed instantly.

  Binary said:

Erm, it's not outside the 14 day return period. I received a new unit, that's the start of another 14 day return period, and I attempted contact immediately. BTW in Canada it's supposed to be 14-day no-quibble returns - it's the law. This means nothing even had to be faulty in order for me to get a refund.

It's hardly my fault that 3 voicemails were ignored, and my being pushed around to many different dept's and still don't have anything resolved.

And for the record - if they were doing everything to accomodate my needs, I'd:

1. Have a properly functioning product in front of me.

or

2. Have the product returned already and have a refund.

I mean come on, it's been a months worth of wasting my time and money and the issue still isn't resolved.

Maybe nothing illegal is being done but that doesn't mean I can't sue for monetary reasons.

Your first post you said it was the second unit you returned, I assumed that meant you got one, returned it and received a replacement (2nd) unit.

What I'd suggest to you is to call Apple and return the unit if you want your money back, accept the fact that there is nothing that says they must return your money immediately and that it will be returned as swiftly as possible.

If you are having trouble getting a replacement unit sent, speak to a supervisor and reference the Apple Support Forums in regards to the issue you're having and you should reach some resolution to having a new unit in your hands in a week or so.

Treat the representative how you want them to treat you and you will get much further, I've yet to ever deal with a bad AppleCare support person even without them knowing my position.

[Rudy]

unfortunately I have to agree with Binary, Apple support in Canada is horrible, I had to deal with them when I had problems with my Macbook Pro and I hope I never have to deal with their support.

[Cara Veteran]

  Rudy said:

unfortunately I have to agree with Binary, Apple support in Canada is horrible, I had to deal with them when I had problems with my Macbook Pro and I hope I never have to deal with their support.

Even if you're in Canada, you should feel free to call Apple US and speak to someone there about the problems you're having with CA support...sometimes they can help. I don't know the policies about it but I have heard of people having some results.

[Rudy]

  Cara said:

Even if you're in Canada, you should feel free to call Apple US and speak to someone there about the problems you're having with CA support...sometimes they can help. I don't know the policies about it but I have heard of people having some results.

good to know, I will try to remember that if I have call them again :)

[Binary]

  Rudy said:

unfortunately I have to agree with Binary, Apple support in Canada is horrible, I had to deal with them when I had problems with my Macbook Pro and I hope I never have to deal with their support.

Actually I've been dealing with the big wigs in Customer relations in Texas.

It's troubling when even the highest up in the chain of command can't get their act together and actually return my calls about the issue, or call back when they say they will.

Cara - it wouldn't bother me if I had my money refunded quickly; but the guy literally told me it may take up to 2 months to receive a cheque if refunded through AppleCare and not sales.

He told me he was going to try and get it done through sales, since that's who initially accepted the refund, and that he'd call back friday..... Yet to receive that call.

I'd also like to add, when I returned the first unit it took them 4 business days to even send me the shipping labels when I was told 24 hrs or less. It's just crazy how slow they've been with me.

I had it back to them the next day, and have been prompt with all of my calls.

Anyways I'm going to call again today and see where I get.

*shakes head*

[Cara Veteran]

  Binary said:

Actually I've been dealing with the big wigs in Customer relations in Texas.

It's troubling when even the highest up in the chain of command can't get their act together and actually return my calls about the issue, or call back when they say they will.

Cara - it wouldn't bother me if I had my money refunded quickly; but the guy literally told me it may take up to 2 months to receive a cheque if refunded through AppleCare and not sales.

He told me he was going to try and get it done through sales, since that's who initially accepted the refund, and that he'd call back friday..... Yet to receive that call.

I'd also like to add, when I returned the first unit it took them 4 business days to even send me the shipping labels when I was told 24 hrs or less. It's just crazy how slow they've been with me.

I had it back to them the next day, and have been prompt with all of my calls.

Anyways I'm going to call again today and see where I get.

*shakes head*

Well, not making excuses for them at all (not my job LOL) but some of the additional shipping time might result if it's sent from Texas to Canada. What disappoints me is that the rep could have sent you a Preapproved/Prepaid shipping label link to UPS/DHL/FedEx that you could have printed out yourself, that makes me a bit unhappy.

If sales approved the refund did you get a reference number? If so, call the sales team and see what they can do for you. :)

[Binary]

  Cara said:

Well, not making excuses for them at all (not my job LOL) but some of the additional shipping time might result if it's sent from Texas to Canada. What disappoints me is that the rep could have sent you a Preapproved/Prepaid shipping label link to UPS/DHL/FedEx that you could have printed out yourself, that makes me a bit unhappy.

If sales approved the refund did you get a reference number? If so, call the sales team and see what they can do for you. :)

That's the bigger problem. It took 4 business days to get the EMAIL with the labels to print. :crazy:

As for a ref # all I'm working off of is my Apple Care case number.

It's kind of sad every time I call and state my case number they say "Well let me look this up and read a bit about it .... oh.... there's pages of notes here". :o

[Cara Veteran]

  Binary said:

That's the bigger problem. It took 4 business days to get the EMAIL with the labels to print. :crazy:

As for a ref # all I'm working off of is my Apple Care case number.

It's kind of sad every time I call and state my case number they say "Well let me look this up and read a bit about it .... oh.... there's pages of notes here". :o

4 business days for the email? Wow, that is entirely unheard of since they send it at once, it's automated, not something that they would come back to and say, "Oh crap, I forgot."

Give the sales route a try, if nothing else they may be able to transfer you to a Customer Care Manager directly instead of dealing with the first line support.

As for the pages of notes... Trust me, I had one tech ask me how I could call in 12 times in one day on one incident. She didn't mean anything by it but it was downright funny. ;)

[Binary]

Just an update.

Well the last person who said they'd return my call never did. Fortuantely, I filled out a survey sent to my email by customer relations. I detailed everything that has happened, and to my surprise I was contacted the very next day.

We spoke on the phone and everything was resolved within 2 minutes.

I received the shipping labels that night and sent the iMac on it's way yesterday, which has arrived to their sales dept. today. :D

I've been told the refund may take 3-5 business days, and they even started the credit last night before they even received the iMac.

I never would have thought that anyone even read those survey emails. I thought it was just BS. Well now I know which avenue to go down if i ever have problems again.

So now I'm a little less ****ed with Apple, and just glad the ordeal is over.