Design fault? 27" 2013 iMac stand just gave up!

So i took the machine in to my nearest iStore who have then couriered the machine to the ONE service centre in the country (500+km away). After 24 hours I got an acknowledgement of receipt of the machine. Fully 48 hours later I got another email telling me "Diagnostics are currently being performed on your unit.

Please be aware that diagnostic times may vary dependent on the fault being experienced." For a broken stand/hinge?

So now I wait some more to see if they acknowledge the case number and the decision taken by Apple (the iStore could not access any such number on their system - suggesting the local agent isn't fully integrated with Apple's network). But the helpful lady from the Athens, Greece call centre (to whom I am copying all communication) says that because they've assigned my case a repair ID she will be able to monitor things and assures me she will intervene or not depending on the response of the local agent.

With the mountain of cash that Apple sits on and the fraternal image they try so hard to create that Apple users are all one big global family you would think that they would just come out and acknowledge this as a design fault and either do a recall or promise to pay for repairs as and when the machines fail.

I'm interested to know if when they repair them, are they replacing the old dud part with a new/improved quality replacement. Or can the unlucky expect second and third failures with the passage of time? Anyone had the stand/hinge fail after an initial repair?

Davper. Sorry getting a fix has been such a headache. Again I suspect the local repair guys are mostly concerned as to who pays them. Hopefully the Athens center will stand up for you.

I don't know anything about what parts are used for the replacement, but for as long as this thread has been open you would think that a second failure would have turned up if it was at all common. Lets hope that is not the case! The store that repaired my machine told me that Apple would continue to repair any failures of this part free of charge. Doesn't make the inconvenience any better but I think they know there is a problem.

Just look how many people this has happened to, That would qualify as a common problem.

2004, I was responding to the question of a SECOND failure of the hinge after a first repair.

There is no doubt that there is a problem.

theblum2004 wrote:

This is rediculuous. I paid $4000 for the best mac I could buy and there are numerous problems.

Is this the end of the mac quality control promise?

You got nice looking chasis computer. It's worth $4000. Assembly parts for computers are all made in China or Taiwan but the design differentiate from other products. You can avoid buying it if you can't justify the price for its design. Above all, it's all in one slim desktop. Don't expect same benefit from luxury slim computer as that you can get from heavy duty huge business workstation....

Dropped my late 2013 iMac 27" off on Tuesday and received it back, fully repaired on Friday. It is out of warranty and they repaired it for free, under what the Genius called a "Quality Program" so if you have this problem and can live without your Mac for 3-4 days, I'd take it in regardless of your warranty status. The Genius was well aware of the problem. This is in Austin, Texas, so results may vary worldwide.

Thats not the case at all. Apple have compromised on their parts and service. If Steve was alive he would never accept the compromises apple have made in quality and service. I have the imac common dark left screen problem and i was told that because there is no service centers in israel i either have to pay the rip of prices of idigital or risk my life crossing the border with my imac through Hizbullah territory to get to Tripoli Lebanon to get it fixed.

Now the broken tilt, whic i see from the posts is also common.

That's not apple's fault at all.... It's yours. Buying things from distant place involves some risk or cost. Electronic products sometimes break. Shop are saying they will help. You may be able to get help from them. What is wrong with it? ....

On a lighter note: I'm wondering if the trip to Tripoli through Hizbollah territory in southern Lebanon is as dangerous as driving through the notoriously crime ridden city centre of Johannesburg? Maybe if they're Apple fans the Hizbollah guys might give you and your iMac safe passage! (tongue in cheek of course)

And here I thought braving Northern Virginia beltway traffic was a pain to get to the Apple store...

After referencing this problem on TechnoBezzI I found the following comment which after calling Apple for the second time about this, was confirmed.

But there’s a thing which not many users know. This issue is actually covered by Apple for 3 years from purchase. So, all we have to do is:

• Make sure your iMac purchase is not more than 3 years.
• Contact Applecare and tell your problem. If there’s an on-site service in your country, you are lucky because the technician can come to your house and fix it for you or if it possible they can change your unit.
• You can also take it to Apple Authorized Service Provider to change the mechanism for free. In some countries, you may just need to pay labor service and the mechanism still free.

The Apple person I spoke with said it's at the store's discretion to replace the hinge free of charge, but it is obviously an issue they are aware of and are at least willing to fix (at their discretion). I have an appt. with Apple Care on Friday, here in Spain. Good luck!

Same thing just happened to me too. Simply typing and I heard a loud crack and the screen tilted down... If you consider that only a small number of faults will be reported here, it may be a bigger problem than it seems... I have 3 iMacs 27" so I'm not looking forward to considerable repair bills...

These hinges have a 3 year warranty from Apple (so I found out). Apple

Support will not freely offer this info. I had to mention it to them after

reading it somewhere). My 27" was almost 1 year out of U.S. warranty, I

called Apple USA from Spain, they confirmed and I had it repaired in Spain

at NO COST.

On Mon, Sep 28, 2015 at 4:08 PM, Apple Support Communities Updates <

My iMac has also just failed after less than 18 months. This is clearly a design fault given the number of people reporting this issue. This is a hinge, not a complex piece of engineering and users should expect these to provide a number of years of failure free service. Nice design but that should not be at the price of poor engineering. Out of 10 Apple products I have owned this is now the 5th failure the other 4 being under 12 months. That is a 50% failure rate.

Add my 27 inch late 2012 iMac to the list. This morning I was greeted with a drooping screen, so the stand failed at some point over night, with no one near it. Very disappointed. I don't have time to read every response in this thread, but I hope at some point Apple decided to own up to the obvious design flaw. They need to overcompensate with a solution here as this is down right embarrassing. Next is a call to my Apple store to find out.