3 Day Old Macbook Pro. Dead pixel.

Welcome to Apple Discussions!

You may have the option to return this MBP for a refund minus a restocking fee. If it really bothers you, you could ask about that option, and then take your chances with another machine.

Good luck!

This isn't just Apple--many people charge restocking fees for returns. Apple will on occasion waive the restocking fee, which most others will not.

I'm not sure exactly what Apple's policy is with dead pixels--I think they are decided on a case by case basis. It may depend on where the pixel is and how bothersome it is. If you are really upset, I would suggest returning to the store and speaking to the store manager about it.

One reason why a few dead pixels may be tolerated is that the overall cost of the computer would be significantly higher if each display has to be perfect. It's just one of those real world compromises when trying to balance perfection and affordability. I can't speak for Apple specifically, but in general terms, that is a problem that manufacturers must wrestle with.

Good luck!

So I got my 13" MBP 18 days ago and found a dead pixel on it. It took three separate discussions with Apple support, two on the phone and one in the store, but finally they connected me to sales support and allowed me to return the 13". Hopefully this 15" thats supposed to arrive in a week or so has nothing wrong with it or its going back. This was after I sat on the line for about an hour or so with tech support and a product specialist. They kept on telling me to take a pic of the pixels in question and I told em my camera was too crappy to show the anomaly and if I sent it to him he could see what I was talking about. I just kept on reiterating that a new computer should be free from defect and that I didn't spend 1,600 dollars to get a low quality computer. Also, I let him know that this anomaly was going to be incompatible with my everyday use of the computer (GIS software) and that I needed that pixel to correctly read the info on the maps. The product specialist finally got the point and transferred me to sales support where they were much more inclined to work with me. In fact, the lady who helped me was great and I was more than satisfied with the way they handled this. I guess my advice is just be steadfast with tech support and you will get what you want. Yours is only like 6 days old so it should be a lot easier to get a replacement.

You are going to have to bug the **** out of Apple or w/e retailer you bought your macbook from, and hope they have pity.

Unfortunately manufacturers consider a few dead pixels as inherent to the LCD technology. They usually will not consider a panel defective unless the number of defective pixels exceeds some number recorded in company policy.

The reason it is like this is that to guarantee every LCD panel contained 0 dead pixels would mean that they would have to charge MUCH more money for the panel due to the amount of quality checking needed and the number of panels that would become waste. This is the only way they are able to manufacture and sell LCD panels at a price consumers are willing to pay.

I wish you luck with this. While their reasoning is understandable, no one wants to receive a LCD panel with defective pixels. I hope you are able to get it replaced.

dude, that *****!(hahaha, I can't believe s-u-c-k-s was edited)

I would try to bring it in, maybe you'll get someone else that might be a little forgiving.

Another thing you could try that I've had success with, is to argue that in the warranty, dead pixels aren't listed in the things that the warranty doesn't cover. They might try to suggest that its cosmetic, but you could point out that its really more like a component failure. LCDs are essentially made up of millions of little lights, to have one of them fail and be considered a cosmetic flaw is a little ridiculous.
No guarantee this will work, but its worth a shot.

Jo Chow: How many products do you buy that are 99.999999% perfect and that you consider completely unsatisfactory because of the .000001% imperfection?

Few LCDs are perfect.

hard to say, it depends on the product and how much it cost.

If this happened to me again, and was a less expensive computer, I likely wouldn't care as much. It'd still bug the heck outta me, but I'd be able to learn to deal with it.

For what macs cost, I don't have any qualms or any guilt about expecting things to be pretty much perfect. I understand there will be things slightly wrong here and there due to mass production, but when its something glaringly obvious like a stuck/dead pixel, that's where I draw the line.

And besides, there is no publicly stated rule that says it has to be 5 dead/stuck pixels before a replacement/refund. I know Apple has that knowledge base article on stuck/dead pixels, but last I checked, it didn't stipulate any rules when trying to exchange/return a computer for dead pixels.

I can't say I agree with your statement about how few LCDs are perfect. Out of the entire time I've purchased electronics, I've only encountered just 2 instances of a stuck pixel. Perhaps I've just been lucky, I don't know, but I'm seriously not kidding.

Lastly at this point, it seems absurd to still think that stuck/dead pixels are acceptable due to cost. While this might have been the case a few years ago, if cost is the big reason as to why we're supposed to accept dead/stuck pixels, how is it possible that companies like Dell can offer a guarantee on no stuck/dead pixels for their LCDs?

http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/sna.aspx?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&~topic=premium _panel
(I know what I found applies to monitors, but I'm just using it as an example)

...if cost is the big reason as to why we're supposed to accept dead/stuck pixels, how is it possible that companies like Dell can offer a guarantee on no stuck/dead pixels for their LCDs?

Ask a simple question, get a simple answer: Dell doesn't. Quoting from the page you linked:

Q: What pixel defects are covered?
A: Dell’s Premium Panel Guarantee applies to UltraSharp monitors with bright pixel defects only. The Premium Panel Guarantee does not cover monitors with dark/ black type of dead pixels.

And as you say, the Dell warranty (such as it is) applies only to Dell's top-of-the-line monitor models, not to all of them. And the LCD panel in a monitor is far easier to replace than the LCDs in Apple's notebook computer displays.

Message was edited by: eww

And by the way, the fact that only Dell's costliest monitors are warranted against some bad-pixel anomalies means that, in effect, Dell is charging extra for that warranty.

All right, you got me in that dell doesn't cover dead pixels, but in my defense I only did a quick google search and glanced through the results 🙂.


- I just checked, while the guarantee does indeed only cover Ultrasharp monitors, it doesn't apply to just the more expensive models.

For instance:

http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/products/Displays/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=e n&s=dhs&cs=19&sku=320-6523

I'll admit that changing display LCDs as opposed to laptop ones are obviously easier, but if you take into the account that apple method is to simply replace the whole display instead of just switching out the panel, then that argument is kinda weak.

In any case, this is getting ridiculous and taking away from the OP's concern. Its apparent you're ok with minor imperfections no matter what the product. Good for you!

However some of us would like to get our money's worth and expect a certain standard when we plunk down our hard-earned cash for something as expensive as a mac.

As a sidenote, apparently Samsung will cover stuck pixels as well!

http://www.samsung.com/my/support/repairpolicy/servicePolicyWarrantyMain.do

Though I'll admit it does sound alot like Dell's policy.

Oh, so carelessness is now a defense?

I'll answer the question you didn't, above: you've never bought a product that was perfect. There's no such thing. You've usually failed to notice what was imperfect about the things you've bought, and when you have noticed, most of the time you've let it slide. We all do the same thing. The percentage of perfection that's achieved in most products would make every LCD user livid if it appeared in an LCD display. One bad pixel in a thousand? The screen would look like chickenpox. One in ten thousand? Heck, there'd be more than a hundred of them on a 15" MBP display. One in a hundred thousand? Still a dozen bad pixels on that 15" screen.

You don't (and can't) expect this degree of perfection in any other product you buy. So why do you think it's reasonable to expect that an LCD display should be more than ten times closer to absolute perfection than anything else that's mass-produced by humans? And furthermore, you want Apple to guarantee that every *one will* be that way? If you think Macs are expensive now, just wait 'til that policy is implemented!

Message was edited by: eww

I don't know if this post will get deleted so hopefully it makes it to your mailbox.

I have been a mac user for 6 years and the best advice I can give you after countless hours on the phone with Applecare is: *1. BE A SQUEAKY WHEEL!*

*2. NEVER GO TO THE APPLE STORE TO DEBATE A DEAD PIXEL*

The genius's knowledge is ALWAYS questionable and I have always found them to be infinitely more rude and useless then the people on the phones. Always call 1-800-APL-CARE and let them help you. I have had dead pixels and I have always been taken cared of. My first laptop had over $2,600 worth of displays replaced for free.

Best Buy will replace any size tv with just ONE dead pixel. It helps if you let Apple know that Best Buy takes care of their customers better then them and that Apple is supposed to have the best customer support in the industry.

*ALWAYS BE KIND AND COURTEOUS ON THE PHONE*

If they fail to help you explain how you are a new mac owner and how you thought they would give you a quality machine. Reiterate how you have had the computer for 3 days. If they still fail to help you, ask to speak to their supervisor.

Rinse, Wash and Repeat. It may take a few hours to get it taken care of, but I can promise that they will always help you out as long as you have the warranty and you have not dropped your computer.

Well, its the truth and I knew it was a weak defense hence the smiley face, no need to be a ******.

My last post was going to be my last(sorry OP!) but since eww has decided to resort to personal attacks...

-I never claimed to have ever purchased a perfect product. I in fact, made it a point to say that, of course, mass manufacturing will, on occasion produce defects. That doesn't mean I don't still have certain expectations from the manufacturer. Like I said it depends on what I bought and how much it cost me.


-I also made it a point to mention that that when a defect is "...glaringly obvious" is when I have a problem. I don't know about you but for me, a stuck or dead pixel is a pretty noticeable problem.

- Let me preface my next point, by saying I have no idea how LCD panels are made. But common sense tells me that they aren't made by some chinese guy sitting at a work bench placing each individual transistor in its proper place. Logically that suggests a machine of some sort is involved. Is the process automatic or is someone controlling that machine? I don't know, but in short, its highly unlikely these things are made entirely by hand.
With that mind, it not hard to expect LCDs to be free of any dead/stuck pixels, especially considering its a mac.

- I never said I wanted Apple to guarantee a display free of dead or stuck pixels. I can see where you might think I'm expressing that opinion, but all I would want is for Apple to *own up* to their faults when these things happen, especially if the computer is brand new in the case of the OP. I brought up the other company's warranties as an example of how unlikely it is that cost is whats letting panels with dead/stuck pixels get out into the world.

Similar situation. Purchased refurb MBP 13 from apple site. LED (not pixel) is brighter than surrounding area in horizontal center, bottom third of screen. Took it to the local apple store. Tech corrected me when I called it a pixel problem and confirmed it was not pixel but LED -- stuck/dead pixels don't change colors (changes brightness as various windows move over the same spot, off when black otherwise brighter than surrounding). Sent it off for repair.

Apple repair center called and said they would not repair it since it was within apple's specs for dead pixels. I explained it was not a pixel issue but LED issue. Makes me wonder if anyone even looked at the screen. Rep said she would ask the engineers to re-examine.

Not happy. Plan to send it back to Apple under their 14 day policy if not fixed. Will ask for restocking fee to be waved.

Very disappointed. I've owned two mac desktops, a powerbook and three ipods.
I had to return two of the ipods for repair service with no problems.

Shouldn't be an issue to replace the screen given the premium paid for Apple hardware. I wonder if Jobs would find a personal laptop in the same condition acceptable.