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

This is an update from my previous post:

Following a brief chat with an Apple representative who had called me back using the Support option on the Apple website, I was advised to contact the Apple Store in Southampton. I explained that I would need help to bring the iMac to the Apple Store. My details were passed to the store and details of my conversation and case number and the store's telephone number was sent me my email. I contacted the Apple Store in Southampton and booked an appointment, although not exactly local to me it's less than 30 minutes drive. In the store it was inspected and the repair agreed. Five days later, as promised, the iMac was returned with NO CHARGE as although it wasn't in warranty (14 months old) I had purchased it online from Apple and it was covered by the European quality standards of goods sold. The store was extremely busy on both visits but someone from the store helped carry the iMac from my car to the Apple Store which was parked several hundred yards away parked and back to the car after the repair. They were also happy to fit some additional RAM which I had brought with me, purchased online from a third party supplier, checked the computer start up was good before repacking it in its box. Excellent service. This is why I was happy to recommend to some friends of mine who'd been having trouble with the laptop that they owned, (running Windows), that they should visit the Apple store to check out what was available.

As he was unsure of warranty status to drive to the store and got a budget of 60 euros but the warranty was still valid (dec 2013), so I'm not cost anything and in two days they called me to pick it up. Great after sales service.,

I bought mine last winter... January 2014, probably?  It's a late 2013 model, and since its a couple months out of warranty it of course the mechanism just snapped, like all of the previous posters' and now I'm left trying to figure out if I can get this fixed without losing $80 and a bunch of time.

Really, you'd think a design defect like this would be fixed for free.  Maybe I should switch to PC...

faulty_imac wrote:

 

I bought mine last winter... January 2014, probably?  It's a late 2013 model, and since its a couple months out of warranty it of course the mechanism just snapped, like all of the previous posters' and now I'm left trying to figure out if I can get this fixed without losing $80 and a bunch of time.

 

Really, you'd think a design defect like this would be fixed for free.  Maybe I should switch to PC...I

It will likely be covered even if you are out of warranty. And you didn't buy AppleCare....not a wise move.

well, if that's the case, applecare wouldn't have made a difference anyway.

faulty_imac wrote:

 

well, if that's the case, applecare wouldn't have made a difference anyway.

You are assuming that the only thing that would go wrong is that part you now need replaced.

If you have any kind of hardware failure it is covered by AppleCare so if a GPU fails (god forbid) AppleCare will pay for it rather than you having to shell out-of-pocket hundreds of dollars. AppleCare can be purchased for as little as $125 (B&H Photo) and you can bet any repair on an iMac will far exceed $125! In addition you get 3 years of tech support and Apple commonly will replace a machine covered by AppleCare if it has persistent issues.

It's too late for you now with your current machine, however on your next Mac you should at least consider AppleCare.

Good points... I got applecare on my macbook but water spilled on it within the first year which completely voids AppleCare, so there went that pipeline.  My macbook pro didn't start really screwing up until after AppleCare expired anyway, turns out, so the water was a non-issue. 

In this case, the computer was bought for me by my advisor via a university grant.  I probably could have bought AppleCare on my own when I first received it, but given how easily AppleCare is voided I didn't really see the value.

I did buy squaretrade insurance for my iPad, which covers things that are actually likely--like cracked screens and water damage.  My plan is to get that next time I buy a computer.

The main point of my first post was to A) vent my frustration and to B) add my name to the list, since it seems from these forums that this thread, and the many number of people who have reported this problem on this thread, is the reason some manage to get it fixed for free.

Well my late 2013 27" iMac has gone crack. It scared the life out of me! I guess i'm on the phone to Apple tomorrow or booking a genius appointment. What fun.

I think I bought mine in September 2013 actually so it is out of warranty and alas i've no applecare. Ce la vie, least it can be fixed though. I'm going to make sure they know of this thread and EU Quality of Standards Laws so hopefully I won't have to pay!.

faulty_imac wrote:

 

Good points... I got applecare on my macbook but water spilled on it within the first year which completely voids AppleCare, so there went that pipeline.  My macbook pro didn't start really screwing up until after AppleCare expired anyway, turns out, so the water was a non-issue.

 

 

 

 

 

 

You could have requested a refund on the un-used portion of AppleCare, Apple does do that. Also, spilling water is considered abuse and AppleCare does for Macs does not cover abuse. AppleCare + for IOS devices does have some additional coverage though.

Additionally Apple Care covers peripherals used with the Mac it's assigned to. In my case Apple Care fully covered the replacement of a complete logic board in an Apple Cinema display I used with an earlier iMac I owned.

For the cost of a latte or so a month Apple Care is certainly the least expensive (and most comprehensive) computer support and insurance available on the planet. IMHO of course.

Hola,

Desde Caracas, Venezuela.

iMac 27-inch, Late 2012. Comprada en febrero de 2013 en una Apple Store de Madrid, España.

Hace cerca de dos meses, sin ningún tipo de aviso ni estando operando el equipo, un ruido desde su interior se hizo sentir. Al principio por mucho que busqué no pude darme cuenta de qué se trataba, con lo cual no sentí que no debía darle mayor importancia. Solo dos días después, al sentarme para continuar un proyecto me percaté que la pantalla permanecía inclinada hacia abajo y que por mucho que lo intentara no lograba que se mantuviera o pivoteara en ninguna otra posición. Luego de buscar y preguntar infructuosamente en la web, hace unas pocas horas pude aquí al final encontrar las respuestas.

En la foto mi solución provisional. Espero.

Por lo que puedo deducir después de haber leído todos los comentarios, este problema parece ser bastante común alrededor del mundo en el modelo iMac 27-inch, Late 2012 ¿Por alguna razón en particular?

Muchas gracias a Mo-Fo por crear el hilo y al resto que con sus comentarios y fotos también han podido ayudar a otros. Ya tengo referencias para dirigirme a Apple y poder explicar el problema de una manera más clara y mejor.

Saludos,

I dropped of my iMac with  a week ago for service. I was told that there would be a charge for parts and labor. I didn't agree that I should pay for it and I politely referred them to this forum topic and let them know that many people are having this problem. The computer was only a few months out of my original 1 year warranty but, I felt that these hinges shouldn't break shortly after a year. I was politely told that, unfortunately, I was out of warranty. The cost was not much, under $80, so it wasn't too upsetting. I swallowed the charge, which is due once repairs are complete.

I waited while and 5-7 days later (7 for me since I dropped it off on a weekend) I went to go pick up my iMac. It was nice and clean, freshly polished, and the hinge seemed smoother than ever. Presumably, there was a note in my work order about this forum topic and they decided that they could include the repair at no cost.

So, please. Take your computer to  and get the repair done. It appears they know about this issue and are willing to correct our problems. You should never have to wedge something to a mac for it to have functionality.

Just sat at my desk working away and "POP" then "droop"!!

Mine is a Nov 2013 iMac - so there definitely is an issue with these.

Luckily have AppleCare, drawback for me is that my closest Approved Repair place is 2 hours away and they want to have to for 72 hours!!

Update..

Apple collected...fixed and delivered in exactly 7 days ( would have been 4 if not for Bank holiday )

Even though it was 17 days out of guarantee...there was no charge.

Staff were very courteous and friendly

Even though it may/not be a design fault..

Thank you apple

Ray

It's not a design fault, it's a parts failure, isolated to a few iMacs. There is a thread here somewhere with pics of the small part that fails.