1] My case number goes back to March 2015: *** *** *** Same late 2012/2013 27" Core i7 iMac. Three times to Genius Bar for ineffective repairs, now on my third AppleCare Senior Adviser. Brought it back for the fourth time to Apple Store in Short Hills NJ, this time with a print of all fifteen pages of this thread.
2] The AppleCare Warranty issued in 2013 reads, in part, as follows: 3. What is Covered? 3.1 Hardware Service. If during the Coverage Period, you submit a valid claim by notifying Apple that (i ) a defect in materials and workmanship has arisen in the Covered Equipment, or (ii ) the capacity of a covered iPod battery etc. . . , Apple will either (a) repair the defect at no charge, using new or refurbished parts that are equivalent to new in performance and reliability, or (b) exchange the Covered Equipment with a replacement product that is new or equivalent to new, in performance and reliability, and is a least functionally equivalent to the original product. . . "
3] If Apple, in the case of these defective 27" iMacs, replaces the power unit with another unit which subsequently fails, as seems to be the case with many of the contributors to this thread, has Apple honored its Warranty? i.e. it has replaced one defective part with another similarly defective part.
4] Is there a limit to the number of trips to the Genius Bar and the same recitation of ineffective solutions: remove programs, reformat disk, remove plug ins etc?
5] At what point will it be concluded that the defect has not been repaired, and the exchange of the Covered Equipment be honored? To what extent, if any, can the Warranty be extended if a "repair" was executed within the Warranty period, yet after an lapse of three months, for example, the defect reappears? Does the Consumer have any right to Warranty repair if the repair is ineffective?
6] Based upon a review of all these threads, one may realistically conclude that there is no repair which meets Apple's criteria of "using new or refurbished parts that are the equivalent to new in performance and reliability".
7] To reiterate an earlier suggestion of mine: you can always use the machine in Safe Boot. You will lose audio and flash, but the computer will still operate.
8] As for dealing with the AppleCare Senior Advisers, while some may fail expectations, others do try to be helpful under what must be very stressful conditions. I certainly would not last 30 minutes dealing with any Customer over the telephone. Their performance is constantly scrutinized by their own Senior Staff. It must be nerve-racking. As Customers we should be meticulous in keeping records of contact with Apple Support, as well as be aware that just because we may have had a bad day, we should not unload on the Advisers. I am guilty of this as much as anyone, and my apologies to Messers. C. and K.
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