Give me strength to deal with Apple tomorrow

[PDE]

So I'm on my second MBP and am going to return it tomorrow because I find the display to be unacceptable: unevenly illuminated so that whites appear brownish and washed out (murky) on the upper right quadrant, and a light strip on the bottom and a little on the side too. Otherwise it's perfect. I'm also going to have to return a black macbook I got for my father because there's something going on with the hinge when I open it - a clunk feeling that is not normal.

I'm so tired after numerous returns this year. I'm prepared to accept a lot, but not a poor display on a computer that cost over $2000. One of the main reasons I got it was to have the large display, but the quality of all the displays I saw at the store is really not great. They were all uneven to some extent.

At this point I'm not sure I want another one. I like it a lot, but only if the display is good and neither of the two ones I had was that good. The first one was acceptable, but barely. I probably wouldn't have returned it had it not been for the aluminum under the latch completely buckling and protruding outward.

Will they charge me a restocking fee if I decide not to go for another one? How can I avoid that? Maybe I should try one more before giving up?

Also, how do I argue that my display is NOT acceptable? I mean, when most of the displays are bad, it could easily be said that it's within specifications. The only thing I can say is that the much cheaper macbook display has a perfectly evenly lit display that is also crisp and sharp.

 

[brikeh]

Sorry to hear youre having troubles. Ive returned my 2nd MBP just now and like you I dont even know if I want another one, after I get my refund Ill be going in to the store to examine the machine up close before bringing it home with me. Problems Ive had are; uneven lighting, grainy display, squeaky spacebar, weird hinge one of the MBPs, crappy WiFi, a big scratch and a bit of a dent underneath the laptop and a pretty big gap on one of them.
I dont really have any advice for you, just want to say good luck and I hope you get one your happy with.

 

[PDE]

Thanks. I just compared the macbook display with the MBP and there is absolutely no question about which one is superior: the macbook. It has completely even illumination, better viewing angles, is sharper, absolutely no grain and is simply beautiful.

Oh well, going back tomorrow morning. ****.

 

[PDE]

Thanks. I just compared the macbook display with the MBP and there is absolutely no question about which one is superior: the macbook. It has completely even illumination, better viewing angles, is sharper, absolutely no grain and is simply beautiful.

Oh well, going back tomorrow morning. ****.

So I went in today. The genius, rather predictably, insisted that it was 'within spec' and that there was nothing wrong with it. I asked him to look at it next to the macbook and he replied that that 'would be comparing apples and oranges' since the macbook display is glossy. I then asked him to look at it next to the matte 17" macbook pro which he agreed to. It was abundantly clear that the 17" had a smooth, perfect display with crisp whites and NO grain at all, while the 15" was grainy and the whites were less crisp and more brownish. The overall impression is of a display that is fuzzy and murky, rather than sharp and crisp. Of course he didn;t acknowledge that at all.

Ayway, he agreed to replace it with another one but told me that after that there would be no more replacements and that a restocking fee would apply. I reluctantly agreed, even though I think it's unfair since if something else were wrong I would still have to get a repair rather than a replacement within the 14 day period. I figured that the chances I would get another 0cs57 (or whatever the model was XXX57) were slim and I could live with XXX60 one. Sadly, the replacement had the same display and it is quite literally awful compared to the macbooks and MBP 17". I talked to a wonderfully friendly manager and told her my situation and she agreed to a return without restocking fee. She was a model manager in every way. The genius was uncommunicative and, frankly, an ass.

That's the end of my MBP story. I loved the machine, but it is terribly let down by the display quality. The only thing nice about the display is the fact that it is very bright. Everything else (viewing angles, illumination distribution, the graininess) is subpar. If anybody doubts, just look at the 15" next to the 17" and weep! They're fine (just barely) on their own, but if you compare it to the others, it's very obvious what the problem is.

Back to a macbook until Apple fixes this.

 

[Karpfish]

i had problems with black acbooks back when i got mine, i had to return 2 due to boot issues and hing issues. the screen is starting to become uneven witht he bottom case, but im not returning it again.I didn't speak to a genius because they are generally pretty bitchy after dealing with all the people that come in saying their ipod doesnt work when the battery is just dead or something liek that.I go straight to the manager, and i actually got offered a job(i wasn't old enough to work though, so this summer i most likely am) there after describing my problems using terms and stuff most people don't know.

 

[PDE]

Yes, the geniuses are a hit or miss thing. Some are amazingly helpful and professional while others are terrible - like the guy I got today.

Cool about working there - good luck!

 

[iBorg20181]

Thanks. I just compared the macbook display with the MBP and there is absolutely no question about which one is superior: the macbook. It has completely even illumination, better viewing angles, is sharper, absolutely no grain and is simply beautiful.

Oh well, going back tomorrow morning. ****.

Sorry for your misfortune - after all the heated discussions here about the "bad screens" Apple is using, I took my glossy 15" MBP in to compare - the matte screens are, IMHO, rather washed-out looking and not as bright, with the "graininess" evident, although not terrible, in the ones I saw at MoM Apple Store. All the glossies there were quite good, although I thought that I could perhaps see some "graininess" in one of them, also (all of them had the "C90" screens in them, as is in mine).

You have to be happy with your purchase, but I'd surely not rule out MBPs - I've done alot of comparisons with other lappies, and have had many myself, and the MBPs I've seen are superior to just about anything else I've bought or seen for sale.

Hope you find something that fills your needs!

iBorg