Q: New iMac 27inch screen flickering/tearing/shutoff

Hi Warren,
well the posts have been deleted as far as I can tell. Too bad, your posts have been quite helpful. (Why your and Namikun's posts were deleted, and not those other back-and-forth off-topic prolific posters', is beyond me.)

BIG BROTHER  IS WATCHING!

It's gonna get ugly!
We have one weapon (well most of us) Send um back and get your money back!!!

Also seems like the posts from the chap in Norway (sorry, can't remember his name - his posts have been deleted, so far as I can see!) suggesting a fix that worked for him regarding changing Energy Saver settings. Can't see why that got the chop.

Thanks for your insightful reply, Warren.
I don't get why both of our harmless posts were deleted. Maybe this was a glitch. I am attaching our posts below. If they get deleted again, draw your own conclusion. Apparently there is something in there that Apple does not want to be shared... (maybe criticism?)

Warren Beasley posted "Re: New iMac 27inch screen flickering/tearing/shutoff" in "New iMac 27inch screen flickering/tearing/shutoff" on Jan 26, 2010 9:37:57 AM.
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namikun wrote:
I changed the Energy Saver Settings, but it didn't work for me.

I just called Apple Care and they told me that they only swapped out Macs, if they broke within the first 14 days after purchase and that I would have to take it to a Service Provider or Apple Store to get it fixed. Kinda blows, I was under the impression that Apple was more lenient regarding the screen issue.

Hello Namikun,

You know, if there is one thing that really bothers me about this whole issue, apart from the actual problems themselves, it is how Apple has not adopted a standard policy regarding how to deal with customers who report that their units are defective.

We have read so many stories in this thread regarding how different people have been treated very differently by online Apple techs, as well as by Apple Store personnel. In some cases, Apple employees are bending over backwards to satisfy customers, while in other cases, they are being both hard-nosed, rigid and unfair.

This, in my view, is NOT right. Everyone should be treated exactly the same.

But what irks me the most regarding your post, is that according to your account, the Apple Care personnel told that they only replace units "if they broke within the first 14 days after purchase".

Namikun -- and everyone reading this -- that is a load of nonsense, and Apple knows it! Perhaps your unit didn't manifest problems until after the two-week period had concluded; however, it is obvious to many of us here that many of these units are in fact leaving the factory *already broken*.

They did NOT break during the two weeks, or after the two weeks; that is simply when the problems began to manifest themselves. There is a big difference there, in my view.

Apple knows that they have shipped out defective units, and that there are apparently still many defective units in circulation...units which they are quietly trying to get back into their possession by encouraging people to swap their machines for another one.

My point is, because Apple is fully aware of the fact that it has shipped out many defective units, the onus is on THEM to give the end user the benefit of the doubt, and accept returns, even AFTER the two-week period has expired.

Why in the world should any of us have to pay for Apple's obvious mistakes?

It is not fair. It is not right. And I don't think that anyone here should accept it.

Namikun, perhaps you should be a little more assertive in your dealings with Apple, as others have been. Apple will steamroll right over you if you let them.

Well, let's conduct a little test here in order to determine if there was simply a technical glitch, or if the posts were really deleted by an Apple moderator, because I spoke a truth which struck a raw nerve.

Namikun had stated that the Apple Care employee had informed him that they would not replace his defective iMac because it had broken AFTER the two-week period.

Among other things, I retorted that it was not right -- and was in fact unfair -- for Apple online employees and Apple Store employees to treat people by different standards when they report that their units are defective. Some Apple employees are bending over backwards to satisfy disappointed customers, while others are being very rigid and hard-nosed about it...as was apparently the case with Namikun.

As I stated in my previous post, what really irked me is the fact that, according to what Namikun stated, the Apple employee was trying to create the erroneous impression that his iMac broke AFTER the two-week period had expired.

I wholeheartedly disagree. These units are NOT breaking during or after the two-week period. Many of them are in fact leaving the Chinese factories ALREADY broken and defective. It is simply taking time for the problems to manifest themselves in some cases...but the cause of those problems ALREADY exists even before the units end up in the customers' hands.

That was my main point.

Thus, I firmly feel that in light of the scope and gravity of these problems, ALL owners of the new line of iMacs should be entitled to refunds or replacements if their units turn out to be defective, even if the two-week period expires.

Now, if that is a truth that Apple does not want to be heard, they will delete this post as well.

If this post remains, then perhaps it was just a technical glitch without any human intervention.

We shall see...but I am keeping a copy of this message...just in case.

Your a very smart man!

Well, I suspect that it was a technical glitch for two reasons:

1. Both of our reposts are still there...at least for now.

2. A few minutes ago, after I did my repost, when I went back to the main thread, I got one very, very long page of posts. In fact, it may have been every single post that has been made in this thread, because the page total for the thread was only 1. I didn't even try to go to the top of the page, because it was so long.

Anyway, let's give Apple moderators the benefit of the doubt with this one.

All I can say is, while I have been a bit forceful in the manner in which I have expressed some of my views here, I have always been respectful. I have never resorted to name-calling, or cussing, or using words filled with asterisks. Neither have I engaged in any of the childish tit-for-tat saber-rattling sessions that we have seen occur here over the past several months.

One thing that we don't want to do is to give Apple reason to delete this thread, because it is being a help to many; so we would all be wise to maintain a certain level of civility and respect here, and try to remain on topic as much as possible.

If the shoe fits...well...

I think it is safe to say that we all love & respect Apple Computers or we wouldn't be here, if we didn't. That is why we are so shocked as to how this is all being handled. We are not use to Apple being this way. You guys know better than me. I'm only a User for 3 years. But in those 3 years, I have bought a good amount of product from Apple, simply because I love their products. And everything I have bought until this one, has worked beyond what it was advertised as. We are just getting frustrated. After 3 months with no definite Solution, we are getting very tired of guessing if our next iMac will work as advertised.

Warren.......you may have exposed another bug.

Are you using Safari?

I have noticed, on several occasions, when going back to this thread, that it also lists all posts on a single very very long page. I have to hit refresh in order to get it back to individual pages.

I should point out, that Apple owns the space we are using.

If Apple had anything to hide, or wanted to quelch dissent, all they have to do is hit the delete button, and we are all gone. Not just a single user, but all of us.

They allow this thread to continue, even though it is the single most negative reflection of Apple on the internet.

Surely, it must have been a technical glitch, or something of that order that caused the post to disappear.

Another consideration - what if you reported the fault within the 14 days and had a case number raised but opted to allow Apple the opportunity to resolve the problem. This had been my tactic, albeit for the yellow peril, as I thought constantly returning iMacs until I got a keeper was a waste of mine and Apples time. I would however expect to be allowed the choice of opting for a replacement, as opposed to a repair, once the issue has been solved. I actually feel I have been more than patient and understanding and would be rather put out if I was penalised for this - I could have done the whole returning 5 imacs in a row routine but couldn't see the point until I was confident that Apple had actually fixed the issue.

Paul_31 wrote:
Also seems like the posts from the chap in Norway (sorry, can't remember his name - his posts have been deleted, so far as I can see!) suggesting a fix that worked for him regarding changing Energy Saver settings. Can't see why that got the chop.

You're right Paul. I hadn't noticed that.

However, as I already said, I suspect that it may have been a server glitch on Apple's end. After all, why would they delete our posts, but not the ones by KH, who, let's face, has used some rather ugly language here?

I agree with Warren. I went into the local Apple store and said I had the 'flickering screen' problem, but didn't want to bring the Mac in until there was a proper solution, and would that be a problem. The Apple store rep said the problem would be taken care of whenever I brought it it - there wasn't any deadline.

Perhaps the original answer had to do with when he could get a refund (2 weeks) vs. getting the repair/fix...

Nathan, I agree with your point and I feel the same: I am trying to be patient and trusting that my case number will help me get this settled in the long run. I don't see the point in all the back-and-forth returns etc. until they can resolve the problem.

However, as time passes and no word from Apple, I can't help but feel that I might "lose out" for waiting and giving them the benefit of the doubt. I'd really feel like a Class A Fool if it turned out that all my waiting and patience was in vain, and in fact it only allows them to catch up, and just forcing us, who have already paid our money, to wait to get a working product after all those other new orders are taken care of?

pazuita wrote:
Warren.......you may have exposed another bug.

Are you using Safari?

I have noticed, on several occasions, when going back to this thread, that it also lists all posts on a single very very long page. I have to hit refresh in order to get it back to individual pages.

I should point out, that Apple owns the space we are using.

If Apple had anything to hide, or wanted to quelch dissent, all they have to do is hit the delete button, and we are all gone. Not just a single user, but all of us.

They allow this thread to continue, even though it is the single most negative reflection of Apple on the internet.

Surely, it must have been a technical glitch, or something of that order that caused the post to disappear.

Hello Pazuita,

I love my Macs, but I am a Firefox user. Have been for a number of years now. I very rarely use iTunes either. Too big and bulky. I use Vox 0.2.7b.

Yes, Apple indeed makes the rules here, just as I make the rules on my messageboards. They can do as they please; however, I think that at this point, given the very wide exposure that this and related threads have received from Apple-related blogs and news sites, and even from secular news sites, Apple would be crazy to delete this thread, as it would really make them look bad before *a lot* of people. Such actions by Apple would expose a real intent to control the information that is getting out regarding these problems.

So, yes, I too feel that it was more than likely a technical glitch.

Maybe they need a programmer to write them a better messageboard script.