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Red Stuck Pixel Makes Me Depressed

Q

Quickdood

macrumors regular
Original poster
Aug 17, 2007
147
0
Just got a brand new 24inch iMac and there is a red stuck pixel right in the center of the screen. Being a perfectionist this annoys the hell out of me. From what I read one needs atleast 6 stuck pixels to be able to get an exchange. I tried the programs out there that flash colors to get it out but none of them worked.

I am still within the 14 day return window but paying $200 for the restocking fee for one dead pixel doesn't make sense to me.

Anyway to cut to the chase this is a warning to all that if you plan on buying an apple product don't buy directly from them, go to best buy or somewhere with a nice return policy so you can return until you get a perfect product!
 
Have you actually tried to return it, or are you giving up based on what you've read?

Just because someone (or even many people) have written on the internet doesn't make it true. Call Apple or go into and Apple Store and respectfully explain your situation without getting frustrated or emotional, and see if you can get some help.
 
stoid said:
Have you actually tried to return it, or are you giving up based on what you've read?

Just because someone (or even many people) have written on the internet doesn't make it true. Call Apple or go into and Apple Store and respectfully explain your situation without getting frustrated or emotional, and see if you can get some help.
Click to expand...

I'll give the store a call tomorrow but from what I read an exchange is unlikely, thanks for the idea though!
 
Quickdood said:
I'll give the store a call tomorrow but from what I read an exchange is unlikely, thanks for the idea though!
Click to expand...

Hi, I live in California. I went to the Apple Store inside a Mall the other day, and asked the manager there what I should do if I happen to get a dead/stuck pixel on my screen, because I was really intereted in purchasing an Alu iMac. He told me that IF I ended up getting a screen with dead/stuck pixel, just bring it back, and they would do the exchange. Then I asked him if there is a policy that says how many dead/stuck pixels I have to have in order to get an exchange. He says, "Well, if there is ONE somewhere in the middle that really bothers you, just bring it back." I think you should bring it back to the store and check with the manager to see what he can offer you, and tell him that you dont want your money back, you just need an exchange. Since they get to keep your money, I dont think they are gonna give you a hard time on that.
 
Bought and iMac 2 weeks ago, got one with a stuck red pixel, called apple support and they said that they would exchange it, no problem. My machine was only one day old, so no problem there.

Got the replacement 3 days later (heads up for that apple!). However, when I had unboxed it and transferred all the information from the first iMac to the newer one, I found a completely dead pixel in the upper left corner. So I gave apple a call again, and they told me that they'd ship me a new one again.

Still waiting for that machine. Pretty upset with apple because I can't get a decent machine, but impressed by their kindness and understanding.

The later machine had some uneveness and gradient issues too, so after all I'm happy that I'm going to get a new one. Hopefully this one will be better.

Give them a call and hope for the best.
 
Thanks for all the responses, I was pretty depressed last night about it but now I feel a little better knowing that some people actually got replacements. The apple store doesnt open until 10am but I will keep all of you updated on my progress!
 
Quickdood said:
Just got a brand new 24inch iMac and there is a red stuck pixel right in the center of the screen. Being a perfectionist this annoys the hell out of me. From what I read one needs atleast 6 stuck pixels to be able to get an exchange. I tried the programs out there that flash colors to get it out but none of them worked.

I am still within the 14 day return window but paying $200 for the restocking fee for one dead pixel doesn't make sense to me.

Anyway to cut to the chase this is a warning to all that if you plan on buying an apple product don't buy directly from them, go to best buy or somewhere with a nice return policy so you can return until you get a perfect product!
Click to expand...

Hi.

I don't always condone this sort of thing, but I'll bet that if you bought an iMac at say, Best Buy, then returned it the next day because of the dead pixel, I'll bet they wouldn't be able to tell if the actual iMac in the box was the one in the box when you bought it or another iMac...

say one you bought from Apple....
 
How long did you use the flashing video for? It takes many hours to work usually - I got rid of a stuck pixel on a monitor a while back with one, but I had to leave it running overnight. Not that it matters too much if you return it.
 
RumMunkey said:
Hi.

I don't always condone this sort of thing, but I'll bet that if you bought an iMac at say, Best Buy, then returned it the next day because of the dead pixel, I'll bet they wouldn't be able to tell if the actual iMac in the box was the one in the box when you bought it or another iMac...

say one you bought from Apple....
Click to expand...



There's a printed serial number on the box. :confused:
 
The policies always state you need some arbitrary number of dead or stuck pixels to get a replacement, but nearly every manufacturer I've ever heard of will make exceptions when a smaller number are right in the center of the screen.
 
Wow thanks for all the replies! Got back from the Apple store about 3 hours ago, they replaced it for me no problem they were really nice about it! The new one has no dead pixels!!! Thanks to the people who told me to try, I am really happy now!
 
hi!
i think i have the same problem. i just got (two days ago) 24" iMac. after one day of using it i realize that there is one red pixel in the middle of the screen. when the screen is white it doesn't show up. but when it is black (front row) i can see a red spot. i am wondering if i can return it? i am not sure if i still want to have an imac, so i am am not interested in replacement that much. now i am thinking about a mac mini.

it really made me sad, because i was razing up money for this thing for a long time.
 
I also have a brand new 24" iMac with one stuck pixel , but its right down in the bottom corner under the dock, so its not noticeable, however what are these programs your talking about that fix the pixels? Can anyone link one please?

Thanks :)
 
Question about pixels

I have read all these discussion about pixels in new Al imac.I have for about a month the 24 inch model.I didn't notice the gradient issue(hopefully) but i can see 2 black marks.The first think i thought was that maybe they are dead pixels,but when i closely look at the screen i saw tha pixels are working(they are not black).I change all the solid backgrouns and these marks are always noticeable,so i thought that maybe is dust between the glass and the panel.Can anyone tell me how i can be sure if they are dead or not?As i said when i closely look at the screen i noticed that they change colours.They are not only black.

Thank you
 
well mine looks like a red one, it will either be red green or blue if its a stuck pixel, black if its dead.
 
But i said if i closely look at the screen they are working perfectly.Only from a specific distance they seem black.So i guess from the moment that they change their colours every time i change the background they are fine.Am i right?


Thank you
 
Yeah i have a stuck pixel too. Its blue and its about an inch above the dock. When i have a desktop thats black, it is screaming for me to look at it :( I just got it in september too :(
 
Ha! I have the same thing as the OP

It's red, but thankfully not in the center. It's in the right 1/3.

I've tried rubbing it, and playing JSfixit on it, but it's still there.
 
RumMunkey said:
Hi.

I don't always condone this sort of thing, but I'll bet that if you bought an iMac at say, Best Buy, then returned it the next day because of the dead pixel, I'll bet they wouldn't be able to tell if the actual iMac in the box was the one in the box when you bought it or another iMac...

say one you bought from Apple....
Click to expand...

Good luck getting warranty service afterwards if you need it.

If you return the one from Apple to Best Buy, then you won't be able to use the warranty from the one purchased from Apple because the serial number on the one you kept won't match the one that Apple has on record from you.

If you try to get it serviced under the warranty of the one purchased from Best Buy, then you won't have a receipt to back-up when you purchased it since the Best Buy receipt will likely be marked when you return it.

So, you'll have a new computer without proof of purchase.

Of course, it will have an automatic warranty associated with it's build date. But, since all that information is maintained in Apple's system, they'll likely be an issue if you try to file a warranty claim (since they may make a note of the serial number for the system they are now missing).

Even if it doesn't get flagged, then you may still end-up with an issue if you have a dispute over when the system became yours. It's happened before. Some people have reported having Apple's system indicate that there was a month or so less on their warranty than they actually had. But, if you cannot provide valid proof of purchase, then you can't dispute it.

The automatic information in Apple's system is usually based on build / ship date. If you buy at retail in a big box store, that can be a month or two before you purchased it.

A return slip to Best Buy isn't going to convince Apple that they owe you another 2 months of warranty service.
 
I think I have a cyan/green stuck pixel. It's right on top of the words "Macintosh HD," and it will disappear for a while, then come back when I least expect it. It isn't glaring by any means, though, and with the standard tiger background it's practically invisible. I decided that if I couldn't see it, the guy behind the counter wasn't going to "see" it :rolleyes:, so I left it alone.
 
Quickdood said:
Just got a brand new 24inch iMac and there is a red stuck pixel right in the center of the screen. Being a perfectionist this annoys the hell out of me. From what I read one needs atleast 6 stuck pixels to be able to get an exchange. I tried the programs out there that flash colors to get it out but none of them worked.

I am still within the 14 day return window but paying $200 for the restocking fee for one dead pixel doesn't make sense to me.

Anyway to cut to the chase this is a warning to all that if you plan on buying an apple product don't buy directly from them, go to best buy or somewhere with a nice return policy so you can return until you get a perfect product!
Click to expand...

I had one red stuck pixel also, returned it no problem, I noticed it when I brought the computer home and brought it back the next day. No restocking fee, nothing. My Apple store is really good, they never gave me any issues about anything.
 
I have the same problem with my Imac! One stuck red pixel.
But I didn´t noticed it until I changed my background picture to a bw one, and this was more than 14 days after I bought it.
I cann´t believe how many people have this same issue.
 
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