August 17, 2009

When you look at your iMac, what do you see?

I see beautiful wallpapers!

Call Apple, forget once and for all about the vertical lines! Make sure it’s a free repair. You should not have to pay for it since it’s factory defect and not your fault at all.

47 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey all,
a blue line occured on my brand new MacBook Pro (15") during the third(!) use. Fortunately the MacBook is only 4 days old. I called apple today and they will replace it with a new one. But I will have to wait another two weeks for that...

This blog is very helpful!
Cheers

Anonymous said...

I suffered for so long. My screen was littered with lines i did initially try phoning apple to fix it but to avail. thanks to this website I have just got off the phone to apple who are fixing it for free. Justice has been done. Alex Foster Gloucester UK

Anonymous said...

Just wanted to say thanks for you blog. I had called in February about my own lines and got nowhere with Apple, but after calling them again, they granted me a free repair! Another success story :)

Claire said...

How exactly did this blog make a difference? I am curious as I am going to call Apple and I don't quite understand why these people all say that this blog helped. I am sure I missed the info. Please clarify. Many thanks,
Claire

BrandyMcD said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

Using the advice on this blog, I called Apple and got my screen replaced free! Thanks for the helpful information!

Anonymous said...

I called Apple just recently, Sept. 11, 2009, and they gave me no problems.
There is a "CS code" which is a customer satisfaction code.
Basically they are repairing even out of warranty Macs for good customer relations.
Mine is at an Apple store right now. I pulled out an old G4 @ 350Mhz. It actually not too bad! :-)
No one should have any problems considering this is a known problem and a CS code does exist. I don't know what the code number is but mentioning it will be enough.

shibaku said...

Called Apple support, spoke with a couple of really nice & helpful customer service reps and politely explained the problem. They offered to repair the display, gave me a case number, and scheduled me a support session at the local apple store.

Bummer that I suffered for a year before getting this fixed, but that kind of customer service is why I will keep buying apple products.

AH said...

Success in ONE CALL!!!!! I take it in next week. Had 10 lines on mine and super annoying. Thanks for this stellar blog!

Anonymous said...

Thx a lot to all of you guys.

I am from Canada.

Called apple customer service.

Worked for me the first time. I think it helped a lot when i mentionned they were giving "CS Code" for this issue.

The customer service was excellent and fast.

Dominic

Kerry Puckett said...

After 3.5 years I got my first line on my early '06 17" intel imac today. Put the machine to sleep and upon waking it up had a nice yellow line on the right side of the screen.

Weird thing is my serial # starts with QP and ends in WU2R. I wonder if that means I'm outside the "range."

Love some insight on this, but I will call in the morning.

Kerry Puckett said...

Called apple yesterday and in less than 10 minutes they agreed to replace the screen free of charge due to manufacturer defect.

I was 2.5 years out of warranty.

I thought the claims on this site were too good to be true, but I'm very happy with the outcome.

Call if you have this issue!

Anonymous said...

hello, i have the same problem with an iMac G5! (yes those are still around) the serial # does not start with w860.

i called apple, and sure it was free to get it fixed even though it was out of warranty.

THREE WEEKS later...
my first vertical line...

they have already replaced the logicboard (twice), the LCD (twice), the optical drive and airport card, the cables, and now they're going for the graphics card...
so what if that doesn't fix it???

advice?

Progressjess said...

When I called today (Apple Customer Support) they didn't offer to pay to fix the problem. He said I would need to take it to Apple's Genius Bar and I will be told how much it will cost. He knew this was a problem and said that his computer did the same thing!!

thevoguy said...

Please provide the CS Code number... I called Apple and they couldn't find anything for the iMac 17" Intel model. Please help!!!

Anonymous said...

Yes, if anyone has the CS code, please post it if you feel so inclined :) I've been procastinating on calling Apple this past year when I got my first line on my early 06 W860 just out of warranty.(I dont want to be without my mac for 2 weeks!) Now I have 5 lines total and feel I cannot wait any longer, and any firepower will help.

One thing, in the mean time that I have found helps is to shut down every night - letting the computer sleep brings on more lines faster!

I discovered this 'temp solution' on a blog, and I thought it was this wonderfuly blog that I found this summer, but now I am not seeing it anywhere (Maybe it was the apple forums?? Can anyone help me find it again?)

The post I read argued that it is indeed the logic board (inverter board/bad capacitor) NOT the LCD that was the problem, which is made worse my letting the Mac sleep. I've tested this theory, and the line appearance has slowed considerably.

But I don't think I can ignore the problem any longer. I hope that many of you who've only had the LCD replaced are not having recurring issues, as I've read they come back :/

Wish me luck!

Anonymous said...

I, too, had 4-8 lines on the screen, but just had my 2006 iMac G5 repaired, with a completely free replacement of the LCD screen. Thanks so much for the blog info.

Sylvan Payne said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Jay Johnson said...

I'm in Japan. I found a blue line on the LCD screen of my late 06 iMac Intel. After reading this blog, I called up Apple Japan. The phone call lasted about five minutes. It was like I said a magic word. Doors opened and the woman was ready to send a car to pick it up. It is obviously something Apple is aware of, and is very ready to fix. A driver came and picked up the computer that night. 48 hours later he dropped off the repaired machine. I am stunned with how fast it was fixed. This is obviously a huge priority for Apple. I am impressed and even more loyal than before. Apple is amazing (this time). So I urge people with this problem to call Apple right away.

Unknown said...

I have an 17" iMac G5 purchased Sep 2005 and it started getting lines about 2 months after the extended warranty ran out. After I got the 4th line I checked the internet and found it was a problem for many people and it would cost about $600-700 to get it fixed. I just returned from the Apple Store Genius who said that my Mac qualified for a new screen and Logic Board installed for free.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/43390911@N06/sets/72157623344181545/

Anonymous said...

I got mine Repaired, 2 day's later... They are back!

I'm gonna have a go at getting them replace my mac with a new one.

Boaz Agmon said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
biirrd said...

Has anyone had any success with getting a LATE 2006 model rep[aired fro free? I seem to be having the same issue; sudden apperance of a 2 inch wide band of lives of various colors. Upon subsequent start ups, changed to white, pink and now black.

Anonymous said...

Same happened to me in Brazil:
I first called Apple in the telephone they provide you in the site, explained them the problem with the vertical lines, they checked my computer serial no. told me to go to an apple store, and fix it for FREE.
it occurred exactly like this.
no fee. no money at all:)
e.t. I did this outside the waranty period, precisely two years after the end of it.

While I'm bored... said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
While I'm bored... said...

I m having the same problem, blue lines in my screen, first one.. and now have 3 blues and one pink.
my serial number starts like yours...W860____U2N, it was bought in japan, but now in Brazil... just called apple, and they said to call some third party to fix it.. called there they believe it would cost U$ 450 to fix it!!!
Even called US-apple and they said that i would have to take to store.. called again to apple-brazil and they said that they couldnt do anything, as my machine is 2006 and more than 3 years old... so out of the extend warranty.
so I will have to pay for the repair!!
I wonder if the guy above in brazil, how old was your machine? and what serial number??

biirrd said...

Still looking for comments from anyone with a LATE 2006 model that has gotten theirs fixed for free. My serial number starts with W872; seems it's the W860 that are getting fixed. I don't understand why when the problem looks to be the same. Mine hasn't worsened; still the 2 and 1/2 inch white band in the middle of my screen. It flickers with color on start up. but then goes white. And does anyone know about this CS number? If it does exist, I'd like it so I can be specific when I call....I'm not good at bluffing.

Unknown said...

I have a late 2006 17" imac with a W863 number.
Called Apple US and got a migraine from hearing "Im sorry but your warranty has expired and you'll need to pay for it to be fixed" about 1000 times!!!
Today I tried Apple UK and spoke to a very polite, kind person, who knew exactly about the problem and said they'd replace my LCD for free, but any other repair I'd have to pay for.
I live in Israel, and they only have a licensed seller, so I hope there won't be any problems...

As I understood from here, it may not be the problem. Can anyone tell me what did in fact solve the problem?

Alex said...

Mine is now off to Apple.
I live in Japan, and my serial starts with W864-.

They said I need to pay for the support for the very first time because the warranty's expired, but as soon as I mentioned about Apple Discussion Board, like "Hey, I know many people on Apple Discussion got their machine fixed for free...I have the same problem as they do, do I still need to pay for it?", they re-checked my serial no and then boom!

I got mine repaired for free. Still works.

For people having the same issue in Japan, call Apple Care and don't forget to mention about Apple Discussion Board. Everything goes just smooth with it.

While I'm bored... said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Ricardo said...

For the record:

One more W860 freely fixed by Apple...

...thanks to this blog!

Ricardo (Spain)

omahamandy said...

Hi.
Is this deal just for a certain range of serial numbers?
I have an iMac 5, 17" display. My serial is QP...VUY.

And what do I say when I call Apple? I just called and said, "I have vertical lines running down my screen where the pixels are going out. I've read that this is a factory defect and that it can be replaced."

My computer is out of warranty, so the guy said there was nothing that could be done. Do I need to say something about this being a CS code? Do I ask to speak to his supervisor?

Please help. I need real and moral support.

Jon Wakeman said...

Hello, many thanks for this blog. Just called Apple customer support technical dept and BINGO they created the exception code due to this being a known issue.
10 minutes, 1st attempt.
Really did not have to sell the problem and just mentioned the W8... machine code, and even though not registered in my name (it is now) no problem. Will call the company in Leeds later today (who already do our company server), super.
Very pleased!
Jon Wakeman Leeds UK

Seto the Tech said...

My mate just gave me a late 2006 model 17" iMac that had this problem quite badly (affecting the entire right half of the screen). I rang Apple today who acknowledged that it's a known issue and they're going to replace the LCD panel free of charge at any of their service centres.

I'm down in Australia for the record.

Anonymous said...

When I called apple the first couple of times earlier this year (2010) they wouldn't do anything for the lines. This time I called and they said to take it to the apple store for them to determine if it was covered by the exemption (I think he meant extension). Sure enough, they are fixing my Mac for free. I was about to abandon apple. Now, I will probably buy another.

Anonymous said...

Anonymoous of 10/1/10; what are the first numbers of your seriel number? Did you determine whether your Mac is an early 2006 or late? I'd like to know because mine is late. Most of the repairs I've seen people get for free have been on the early ones.

Anonymous said...

I have called apple care today. The said to me they'll repair it for FREE!! I have an imac 17" C2D from late 2006. I didn't expect this because everyone told me that! They said it was special warranty :P and it still working after 4 years :D

Temudjin said...

Hi i'm from Belgium, i have a serial nr W87 and have the vertical lines also. I called Apple today and although my guarantee has passed, they will repair it for free.

Thanx

Anonymous said...

Hi,
I'm in Los Angeles and am having the same problem with my 2006 iMac. I just called Apple's phone tree and the automatic voice wanted me to pay for customer service but instead of agreeing to pay I mentioned "apple discussion boards, known factory default, and CS numbers" and the phone tree connected me to a human. She was incredibly kind and took down my information, looked up my computer, and said that "yes, they had a record of this LCD problem". She then put a supervisor on the line who issued me my own personal CS number and made an appointment for me this evening at an Apple Customer Service Center. Total time for the phone call was about thirty minutes due to being transferred from one representative to the other, and waiting for Apple's Customer Service Reservation System to boot up. But I'm willing to wait thirty minutes to have something like this fixed for free, especially as the machine is four years old and out of warranty. Great customer service Apple!

Temudjin said...

Hi Temudin again.
After i called i went to the switch store for repair. They asked a 30€ fee but the apple customer service had reported it already in their system on my serial number. After 5 days i have my imac back. They changed lcd-screen and lcd cable for free.

Thanx apple!

Anonymous said...

Hi there. I live in New Zealand and am speaking on behalf of my partner who has one of these dud machines. Has this happened to anyone else in New Zealand. Did you have any success with free replacement? I will be ringing apple as soon as.

Luciana said...

Hi
I have my first line just now and I feel sick. I've used Macs since buying a Performa in the '90s. At the current exchange rate (I'm in South Africa) repairing or replacing this machine is not an option. How long does it take before the screen dies? My iMac is 2 years old. The mouse has been replaced twice and the keyboard once because they were faulty. Tell me again why we buy Mac and tell people it's a great computer?

Anonymous said...

Apple will repair this problem. Our iMac (early 2006 version) has been out of warranty for over 3 years. We had about 2 dozen vertical lines on the screen. I called Apple support after seeing this blog. First rep said they couldn't do anything because unit is out of warranty. I said that it's a "known issue" and there's a history of repair for this model on the Apple Discussion boards & online forums. First I was cut off. When I called back, I was transferred to a technical advisor, who was aware of the problem, and I repeated the "known issue". He suggested taking it into an Apple Store. But I told him that I wanted it repaired at no charge and asked for a Case Number. Once you get a case #, there is a record of your call to Apple when you take it in for repair. So, I called my local Apple Store for an appointment. When I took the iMac in, the rep asked about the problem, then plugged it in to see for himself. Before I could say anything else, he was writing up a service order to replace the screen, and if necessary, the logic board. Total repair. . .over $1300. He said it would be done at no charge because it was an Apple issue. A week later, my iMac was ready with a new screen. (The logic board did not need replacing.) Would have been about a $600 repair. Apple took care of it! My suggestion is to be persistent, but polite. I think they are willing to fix it, but will try to dissuade you first.

Anonymous said...

Apple just fixed mine with no quibble at all. Called them and straight away they said it was a known issue, & opened a case. I took it into my nearest repair center & they fixed it within 4 days.

swapna said...

I have 9 lines on my October 07 17" imac. I took it to Apple and they said it would cost $600-$800 dollars to repair because it is considered an old model. They told me this problem only represented about 5% of the imacs, so if we had one of the 5% percent it was basically tough %&#$ unless it was still under warranty. They, of coarse, suggested getting a new icam because it would only be a couple hundred more than the repair. They also suggested adding an external display. So I did, the only problem is that, at least on the old imac model, you can only MIRROR the display, so the imac is on at the same time the added display is, I covered the imac with a towel, but that just looked funny and it made the imac hotter. Anyway, I just use my Macbook more and look past the lines on the imac. It runs to well to replace over some lines.

maggie said...

I just called Apple's phone tree and the automatic voice wanted me to pay for customer service but instead of agreeing to pay I mentioned "apple discussion boards, known factory default, and CS numbers" and the phone tree connected me to a human. She was incredibly kind and took down my information, looked up my computer, and said that "yes, they had a record of this LCD problem". She then put a supervisor on the line who issued me my own personal CS number and made an appointment for me this evening at an Apple Customer Service Center.

Anonymous said...

I own an i mac bought in November 2006 which developed the dreaded blue line at the beginning of March 2011, so well out of warranty. I thought I'd have to bite the bullet and fork out for a new machine but happily found this blog first.

I rang Apple care and explained the problem stating that I had read this and other forums which stated that it was a known fault and that Apple were repairing the fault for free. The guy I spoke to asked me to hold while he spoke to his boss and after less than a minute came back with Case Number and the welcome news that the repair would be free. Brilliant