Q: Vertical line issue - How can we get Apple to address this?

Okay, so I called Apple last night and I believe I have some important info to contribute to the discussion...

I called the US support number, gave my SN, and then explained what I read on here. The woman said she wasn't aware of anything but that she'd look. She first asked for knowledge base articles, in which I told her there certainly were none and that to my knowledge there was no formal "extension program" for this issue. She then transfered me to a product specialist. I gave him the link to this article and explained the issue to him. He said that "there was an extended warranty that covers machines 3 years from the purchase date which ended in November of last year." I explained to him that many people here have received LCD replacements after the 3 year mark, and just recently (clearly after the "November end date"). I went on to point out that clearly people have had their machines authorized for a fix recently, and that he should just read the article. He started reading it and immediately declared that since it is a public forum there is nothing he could do. We went back and forth a little bit until I agreed to call back and speak to someone else.

The third person I talked to (second call) was a little nicer, in that they read through the warranty info and found a clause in it, and said that he could probably give it to me since I am showing the symptoms. After putting me on hold for a while, he then told me that my serial number was not within range of the covered machines. I was like huh??? I've got 17 pages of these people here who say they have received coverage. I asked him what that range was and he said "it was Apple-sensitive information". As he went on talking, the battery in my phone died. Ugh.

I called back and got a fourth person. He read over the last conversations I had with the other specialists for about ten minutes while I waited. He then started to repeat the same thing as the last guy... that the warranty had ended last November and my serial number was out of range. I asked him was the range was and he replied "W8522... is the highest, anything higher is out." I then told him that dozens of people on this thread have numbers higher than that. But what he said next gave me a clue. He said "and it looks like your machine isn't even the right kind... this covers the ALS iMac which came out before yours... you have a 1.9ghz model which wasn't effected." That's when the light came on... I have been talking to these guys about a warranty for the wrong machine. I then clarified to him - "I am talking about the iSight model. The ALS model was the prior model, which is the obvious reason for the November date... it's an earlier machine." I also told him "you're on the other end of the field. Read the thread. This is specific to iSight machines. You're talking about something completely different."

He then put me on hold. When he came back, he said he would authorize the repair and set up an appointment at the local genius bar. All I have to do is bring the machine, verify with them that it is displaying vertical lines, and they will replace it.

I would recommend a few things to anyone who is planning on calling Apple about this-
1. Do more research than I did I the subject.
2. Know your machines. Download "mactracker" and get acquainted with the various iMac models so you can confirm that these "specialists" are talking about the same machine as you.
3. Be stern and don't quit. Don't be mean, just don't let them push you around. If I hadn't continued on, I wouldn't have gotten the appointment.
4. Portray that you know what you are talking about, and try to show them that you know more than them about Apples. They certainly respected me whenever I corrected them.

Well, I'm glad you got somewhere, but the rule of thumb for this procedure, had you read, at the very least, my posts, was that you simply call up and make a Genius Bar appointment. You don't NEED to have a discussion with the person on the phone. You don't WANT a discussion with anyone on the phone. You simply say, "I have a problem with my display, it has lines on it, could you make me an appointment, please," they make you an appointment, you go in, the tech checks it at the Genius Bar, and authorizes the repair.

This is why I suggested that you read the posts, or, at the least, mine. They lay out the procedure for quick and easy. Had you done so, you might have had an easier time of it. Though, as they say, all's well that ends well.

Well since I already got what I needed there is no reason to argue... but I read every page on this thread and read all of your posts twice... this procedure was not clearly laid out. In fact you mentioned earlier that you explained the whole issue over the phone, that doesn't sound like "I have a problem with my display, it has lines on it, could you make me an appointment, please". Honestly it doesn't make sense for anyone to set up and appointment when they don't even know if it is covered... I'm not about to drive an hour to have someone tell me that my serial number isn't in range, or my computer was only covered for 3 years after the purchase date. Why not instead make sure the repair is approved over the phone so the appointment is worth your time? I did it, so apparently other people can do it too.

Thanks for your help.

I have a not quite 4 year old imac g5 17", s/n QP539***, with one pixel line as of yesterday. Called support, they said they didn't know anything about it. After reading this forum I think there is a major hardware problem. Did the usual software reboots to no avail. Anyone know of a problem with this model and the factory where it was built.

As I stated earlier in this discussion, my iMac had over 100 vertical lines and Apple replaced the screen for free this past March. I was line free until today, when a new line appeared! I had read of people on this board having their screen replaced more than once, but I was hoping to be luckier than that. I'm bummed that this is going to be an on-going problem for me.

It seems like these older iMacs were hit and miss... capacitor issues and lcd issues all over the place. Might be a good idea to sell it on ebay and get a new machine...

Rosie99 - is your iMac an iSight model, or an ALS model? If it has the iSight camera on the top of the front bezel then you have an iSight model. If you're not sure, type your serial number in here and it will tell you-

https://selfsolve.apple.com/GetWarranty.do

The ALS model had an extended warranty for 3 years from the purchase date... but has a clause that covers all machines experiencing the problem. If you call up Apple support and talk with a few different people (might take you a few tries), you might be able to get a replacement.

Mine is an ALS model. Purchased Oct. 05. Are you saying that Apple still has an extended warranty on this model, and if so why have I been shot down twice by Support.

Yes... but technically the extended warranty only states that it covers machines 3 years from the purchase date, which would exclude you. The program has actually been closed as on December 15, 2008-

http://www.apple.com/support/imac/repairextensionprogram/

However, I believe if you took the time to speak with a few different specialists, and you could prove to them that 1) you have the original LCD and 2) you are suffering from the problem that the warranty covers, then someone will give it to you. If they don't give it to you, then you should do as advised earlier in the thread - ask them to make an appointment for you at the Genius bar and make your case to them. Let them inspect the machine and determine that you are actually suffering from the issue that was/is covered. There is a good chance that they will award you a new screen.

I know you can get it, because I got it and my machine never had ANY extension program for it!

Hello! It seems that I may have a similar problem. Could this be the same?

I have an iMac that I got in 2005 with Mac OS 10.4.11.

A few months ago my desktop started to get weird green and pink lines. They only appear after the computer has been asleep. They seem to always disappear if I open up a game application(Like WarCraft 3) and play for 10 minutes or so. At first when they disappeared I didn't think it was a problem because I could just get rid of them by playing a game, but now I really want to get rid of them for good.

I ran the Apple Hardware Test and it found no problems. But I did notice that while it was testing the video RAM(the screen was going blank/white/blue etc. like the instructions said it would), the green and pink lines appeared for a few moments as well.

Be sure to look here for what the lines look like: http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a213/FoxSpyFox/Fullscreen_1-3.png

THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH. I have 60 vertical lines across my screen and went into a mac dealer (as Denmark doesn't have a mac store) and they almost laughed at me wanting to repair a computer over 3 years old and told me to just buy a new one. I was going to go in and do so today, UNTIL I read your message and I then decided to call MAC support and tell them of the issue and that I have seen a lot of people on Apple Discussions pages with the same problem. I also said I read that MAC extended your warranty to cover this repair.... anyway, what I am trying to say is MAC agreed to fix the problem for me... thus saving me US$2500 on a new computer. This has made my day!!

I have read all posts about the vertical line issue on iMacs and I found most problems were with serial # W8. My iMac serial # starts with QP. Would Apple in the U.S. cover the repair on this computer?

Also, I am worried that the vertical lines keep growing. It started with a a couple of colored lines a month ago and now I have a thick one-inch white line on the right side of the display! Has anyone experienced a display completely covered with lines? How long can this problem go on before getting more lines?

I hope someone can answer these questions. Thanks!

I don't have the G5, but my imac is from early 2006, so about 10 days ago a thin vertical yellow line appeared in the center of my screen. Reading through all of these forums, I thought I had no chance to call apple support in France and get any assistance - but I was wrong! Just called today, and with a short wait online (a free call, by the way), I received the supervisor approval to get my computer repaired free of charge, and I have 30 days to take it into an authorized service center. I mentioned on the phone that I had read about other people who have had their LCD replaced, but then have the same lines reappear within weeks - he said to me that in the five months he has taken 22 calls about the vertical line issue and in all cases it involved model years 2005, 2006, and 2007 - mostly when they reach the 3 year mark; and he says both the LCD and the graphics card are now replaced (not just the LCD), with no further issues logged on those repairs. I plan to take mine in just around Christmas when I won't need to use my desktop much, so feeling good that it will be all fine!

Oh, and by the way, apple support also told me that if I miss my 30 day window, all I have to do is call back and they will re-authorize the repair, no problem.

So no matter where you live, don't hesitate to call apple support and get this problem resolved, it seems to be quite common and if France authorizes it, for sure other countries will as well - and by the way, my serial number begins CK which means Cork, Ireland.

Good luck!

See my post - go ahead and call apple support, as it seems this line issue is widespread (from many manufacturing locations, not just W8 - Shanghai, China). Yours is QP which I think is manufactured in China as well - but it's a model year issue, not location.

Good luck!

Got a blue line thrusday, just got a yellow one a few minutes ago. GET YOUR HEAD IN THE GAME, APPLE!