Brand New MacBook, Stuck Pixel

Just brought my MacBook home from the store, started it up, and found a stuck pixel. After having another MacBook and a MacBook Pro from the past two years that had perfect screens, I'm a little disappointed about it.

What do you think my options are? "Suck it up, cupcake " is what I'm thinking they'll tell me if I go back to the store.

 

Is it black or a colour? If its a colour, its stuck, if its black, its probably a dead pixel, which won't get fixed. But a stuck pixel may unstick itself over time.

But feel free to try and get an exchange, I doubt they'll be so harsh, Apple Store employees are known to be courteous!

 

I don't know if Apple Store have this policy but most of the electronic stores have a 30days return/exchange no question asked, as long as everything's in the box

 

Yah, that should be the case, that would be really weird if they dont have that same deal. Anywayz, i guess thats what you get for being a super early apopter LOL!!!

 

I'd take it back. Apple would/will honour an exchange. Make sure that the original box and paperwork are available

cheers ...

 

Hey thanks for the help and reassurance guys (gals?).

I'll head back to the store on Sunday and see what they say.

Other than the pixel problem, this thing seems solid as a rock! I bought a MacBook Pro in January of this year, and after trying use it in class for notes it became too much of a hassle to carry around the heavy beast. Then I got a Dell Inspiron Mini 9 a couple weeks ago, but that ended up being too small (and not OSX blah). So this MacBook non-Pro is looking to be, as Goldilocks would say, juuuuuuuust right.

 

Try getting the pixel unstuck first using special programs.

Where is the pixel located anyway?

 

I tried some of the pixel un-sticking programs and websites, but no luck.

The stuck pixel is in the bottom right corner of the screen, about an inch from the edge of the left and bottom of the screen. It's stuck on red, I believe.

I won't get a chance to go back to the Apple store in Grand Rapids until Sunday or Monday, so I'm not bothering to migrate my information from my MBpro yet.

 

Sometimes what appears to be a stuck pixel is really a dead sub-pixel. I had an iMac with a dead sub-pixel. I thought it was stuck on red, turned out it was a dead blue sub-pixel. Without the blue sub-pixel, the pixel showed only red or yellow. On a red or yellow background it was fine. One a blue background, it was a black dot. On a black background it was a red dot.

Apple genii have some discretion as to what constitutes a reason for replacement. Many will tell you it has to be near the center of the screen or it has to be several pixels for a replacement. My advice, by super cool and act broken-hearted when you go in for help. Get on your genius' good side and make them want to help you, and you'll probably get taken care of. The downside is, you can get a new replacement with dead pixels, too. There's no guarantee. That iMac I mentioned? Replaced 4 times for screen issues!! 5th one is awesome, though.

 

I think I would be broken-hearted if they didn't help me out and get me another MacBook. I'm hoping it'll all work out for the best, keeping positive and yadda yadda.

I wonder if they'd let me open the replacement and make sure it didn't have any pixel issues before I left the store. OK maybe I'm pushing it.

 

Keep us posted please! Hope they replace it =)

 

They'll give you a new one.

How can they let you spend 1300+ for something that's broken.

The display is a fundamental part of the notebook, I would demand a replacement on the spot.

 

Curious to find out if you were able to get it exchanged and if so, how you went about it
dead/stuck pixels scare me!

 

So this is the end to my story:

I packed up my new, pixel-deficient MB in its box along with all the accessories. I even put it back in the plastic sleeve it came in just for good measure.

I drove an hour up to Grand Rapids (the closest Apple Store to me in Kalamazoo) and, despite being deathly ill, managed to push my way through the crowds to get to someone with an orange shirt.

I explained my case (I'm sure the sniffling from being sick helped the situation) and the girl with the orange shirt said she'd check with a genius, as one pixel is usually not a reason to do an exchange. I did remind her that I was a loyal Apple customer, with three computers, two iPhones, and blahblah other Apple products, and was only here because my impression of Apple's high-quality products had been tarnished by the P-D MB. She gave no impression of sympathy.

After a while, she comes back and wants to take my P-D MB to the back room to have a tech verify the flaw. I hand it to her and wait for her return.

About ten minutes later, she comes back, and says that under normal circumstances, I would not get a free exchange, but because I am within my 14-day return window, they would issue me a no-cost exchange, waiving the 10% restocking fee. Then they ask for my receipt. Which I forgot at home.

After some explaining, they agreed to pull up the receipt in the computer and do my exchange without the original. I feel very very happy, but it the happiness is muted by my illness. I leave the store with a fresh MB in hand, get to my car, and promptly open it up to check for obvious deficiencies, such as dents, dings, scratches, and of course, pixel issues. None.

And that's my story!

PS***
For those interested, I did ask her what the normal policy was for stuck/dead pixels, and she said that one pixel was within tolerable limits, but multiple dead/stuck pixels in the same quadrant of the screen would warrant a genius to look at the computer and decide.

 

In the same quadrant???? So, I could have one with two dozen dead pixels but all over the screen, and they'd tell me to **** off???

 

i think there is a number like 6 or something, however, in my apple training, i remembered that they said "If it is still in exchange period, we usually just exchange it." In fact, Apple 99% of the time will waive return products fee. all you need is say "i want to talk to your manager!" and the manager will come and waive without question.

 

Ok so if I find a dead/stuck pixel within 14 days of purchasing my MB/MBP I can exchange it with out the restocking fee/ or whatever?

 

If you are not satisfied with your Apple purchase, return it with the original receipt and original packaging within fourteen (14) calendar days of the date of purchase. If the item is returned unopened, in the original box, we will exchange it or offer a refund based only on the original payment method. Apple will mail a check within ten (10) business days for cash, cash equivalent, and check transactions over $250. Except where prohibited, a 10% restocking fee will apply to any non-defective item that requires Apple to perform rework prior to resale; please ask a Mac Specialist for details. ( http://www.apple.com/legal/sales_policies/)

Maybe most sellers don't apply this policy since they are nice but most electronic stores have 30days return, no question asked (14days for computers) so I would be very surprised if it wasn't the case for Apple.

 

Indeed, all manufacturers require that a certain number of dead/stuck pixels be present throughout the screen, or within a certain area, to qualify as defective and be eligible for warranty replacement - the specifics vary by brand. The sole exception to this I'm aware of is Asus' 30 day zero bright dot lcd warranty.

It is the nature of the manufacturing process that it is impossible to build every single screen with 100% error free status all of the time, and the industry considers a single or even a couple of dots to be within the margin of error for manufacture. That's the way it is......

One should confirm Apple's policy ahead of time, and not presume it to be similar to other manufacturers 30/14 day return policies - the latter is dangerous when you're talking about several hundred dollars in restock penalties if you have buyer's remorse and guessed incorrectly.