I have a late 2014 iMac 27" 5k. In late 2017, noticed smudges in lower left and lower right corners of screen. I brought it in to be fixed under my extended Apple Care warranty - they replaced the entire display on Jan 28, 2018:
661-00200 Display Panel, Retina 5K $ 510.23 $ 0.00
S1490LL/A Hardware Repair Labor $ 79.00 $ 0.00
Total (Tax not included) $ 589.23 $ 0.00
The problem returned within weeks so I brought it back in March 2018, and the same fix was made under warranty ($589.23).
Now, I notice dust/smudge marks again, this time worse than ever in the lower right, lower left, and top left corners. I just called Apple and they tell me it is no longer under warranty but to bring it in and they will see what they can do. I told them I shouldn't have to pay for it and they said "we will see".
When I called Apple Care when I first encountered the problem, the senior rep told me that if you have a recurring issue, you do not have to worry about the warranty expiring - that it will always be taken care of, even if out of warranty - and she said notes have been added to my calls/repairs to that effect. She also said, if the same problem with the display keeps occurring, that they would replace the entire machine, but that they had to try at least twice. This all put my mind at ease, except now when I just called them, the senior rep I spoke to told me that none of that was true! She told me she would work with me, but that technically it is out of warranty and that the last fix only comes with a 90 day warranty. I told her that obviously something is wrong here - something that replacing the display panel is not fixing, and that I should not be held accountable for a manufacturing defect. She told me she agreed, but sometimes what she thinks is right does not always happen. She was pleasant enough and told me to take it to the Apple Store and call her.
I just signed up for the class action lawsuit as well.
I will keep this thread going with my experiences...
