I think you should contact your country's customer protection agency if Apple is refusing to fix it. A bit over year is not an acceptable lifespan of a 2000$ computer.
I took a look at some other sellers and the prices are nearly the same.
This is a good example of why it's a good idea to invest in Apple Care from day 1.
Hi is possible to order Motherboard for iMac 27 2009? Mine is gone and service asked for same price as new iMac
Tried ifixit without luck
Really thanks for suggestions
The OP will not get anywhere by complaining about a computer that needs service that's out of the standard one year warranty that ships with the computer.
The standard one year warranty is the limitation that the OEM, which is Apple in this case, has agreed to bind themselves to with the shipping product. Unless the end-user chooses to purchase an extended warranty (Apple Care), the OEM is free from any liabilities beyond the standard shipping one year warranty.
Of course, this is assuming that the OP purchased his or her iMac in the United States. However, I would imagine that there are similar limitations of liabilities that manufacturers are bound to in other countries.
I don't know what is the case in the US but at least here we have laws that protect customers. Law does not force companies to give any kind of warranty to their products but it does say that a product must have a reasonable lifespan and seller is responsible for flaws.
You don't expect a 2000$ computer to last for a bit over a year, unless it was physically abused or misused. The expected lifespan is something close to 4-5 years at least. Especially since OP is only a couple of months out of the warranty, he should try to get it fixed through Apple or the seller. "The machine is out of warranty" isn't an acceptable reason why it broke.
As long as you find out what your rights are, there is no reason to buy overpriced extended warranties. My PS3 was 8 months out of warranty when its optical drive went bad. First they said they won't fix it because it was out of warranty. In the next email, I attached a document from customer protection bureau filled with my details and said I don't find 20 months to be a reasonable lifespan for a product like this. In the reply they gave me the address where to send it and 1.5 weeks later it came back, for free.
OP, find out what your legal rights are in this case. Don't listen to this nonsense about if you're out of warranty, you're doomed. It is always worth it to try getting it fixed on their expense. Just be polite but confident. They usually try to say no first because most people are stupid enough that they don't know their rights but when you show them that you are not one of those, they usually give up pretty easily.
Even if OP's country does not have legislative system that protects consumers in cases like these, it is still worth it to give it a try. Sure, you can be stupid and pay that ridiculous amount of money right away but with little effort, it is possible that you will get it fixed for free. You should not go there and complain, that is not the point. Be polite and reasonable.
Consider yourself fortunate to live in Europe and in a European country that puts its citizenry ahead of corporations and special interests. You are fortunate to have laws and agencies that regulate business practices aggressively.
We in the United States are not as fortunate. Unless there are specific laws that protect a consumer purchasing a product in the region of the country they reside in (state law), the only thing that binds an OEM is to the product is the standard one year warranty that ships with the product. Beyond that, the consumer is on their own. And I agree, a consumer should know what their rights are where ever they live.
However, the OEM should also keep in mind having good customer relations. Apple is a company that seems to truly care about its customers. We hear stories where Apple goes out of their way to help out a customer even if the product is no longer under warranty. Is Apple perfect? No. But they probably do a much better job than their competitors.
In the OP's case, I think that if his iMac is somewhere within 90 days past the shipping one year warranty that it would be good customer relations for Apple to go ahead and volunteer to fix it at little or no cost to him. I think that would be fair even though Apple has no contractual obligation to do anything.
you push your luck really hard and possibly need a year or more to get a positive outcome if you start a lawsuit against a computer company which has done noting wrong
Consider yourself fortunate to live in Europe and in a European country that puts its citizenry ahead of corporations and special interests. You are fortunate to have laws and agencies that regulate business practices aggressively.President Obama, is that you?![]()