Dead Pixels Turn out to be Cracked Screen!!!

I got my Black 60GB iPod Video 4days ago! I got it from Best Buy and got the Extended Warrenty! When I got home and opened my iPod and turned it on, I noticed what aperred to be dead pixels. I didnt realy care bout it so I didnt return it! Last night I put my iPod on its dock and turned it on, what I thought to be dead pixels was now a very little crack. I took it off the dock to imeditaly take it back. The crack then grew to this in my hands! I got to Best Buy and told them what happened and they said sorry your plan dosent cover cracked screens!!! I was pissed! Heres pics of my iPod now! Want to get a new one because I have about $150 in acssesories!

See all That LC!!! The chrack is a stright crack down the middle!

 

this seems strange since my friend also got a video ipod with the extended warranty as well. he put the ipod into his jeans without the cover on and it got all uber scratched. his dad took him back and exchanged it ez as pie. something so little he got a new one, u have a HUGE problem and u dont get to, thats f***** up, o well, corporate america i guess...

 

Well another reason why they wouldn’t do $hi* is because that was my fourth iPod!!! The first 3 iPods were a manufacture problem! I actually have an E-Mail from Apple telling me that! The Best Buy person told me that the plan doesn’t cover abuse!!! If you know me I don’t obese my electronics. I am Obsessive Compulsive and one little scratch makes me flip!!! I actually send my scratched electronics to a guy that repairs it! It cost 20 bucks but its worth it!!! I am going in on tomorrow because that’s the day the Manager is in and I know him well! We have spent Thousands of dollars at their store so I am going to try again! I was also looking at it and found a loop hole!!! The out side glass/plastic isn’t what’s cracked! It’s the inner part. When you run your finger over the glass it feels normal and in the 3 year plan I have says the outside glass/plastic has to be cracked for it to void the plan! So I am also going to point that out! Wish me luck! I will give you the update probably Sunday!!! [bold]Go Seahawks[/bold]

~Domreis

 

It's not Best Buy that's not covering the cracked screen, it's Apple's policy. And it's the LCD screen you cracked which is why you can't feel it, the outside is just clear plastic to protect the screen, which is now unfortunately broken. So good luck getting a new one - I hated it when they wouldn't take mine back but I understand.

Let's go Steelers

 

Ya I know Best Buy also says that their plan dosnt cover a broken LCD! The reason why I said that the outer part wasnt cracked is beacause that the lady at best buy says the plastic cant be cracked she never said anything about the LCD! I just thought of that now! I was so pissed befor I wasnt even thinkeing about what she said!!! I was spiting nails!!! LOL!

[bold]Go Seahawks[/bold]

~Domreis

 

Ouch that looked like it hurts Sorry for your lose

 

Ya It hurt I was so mad!!!

 

Ok I went back to Best Buy and told the store manager what I had concluded and he said go to the apple store! He also said they wont do anything about it! I asked the Best Buy guy if I could get my money back for the sevice plan I he said no! At that point I gave up and left the store befor I did something stupid and get arrested! I get to the Apple store and Sing in to the Guinus Squad and waght for about 5min then I am called to the counter I told the guy what happened! He said ok sorry for the trouble they gave you at Best Buy, I have seen this once befor and he gave me a new iPod! I went ahead and got the Apple sevice plan sice the one from Best Buy wouldnt work for that iPod. The Apple guy tld me that legaly Best Buy had to give me a new iPod since I had that plan! He told me that I should go back to Best Buy and demand my money back for the Service plan. I get to best buy and talk to the same guy finaly he gives up and gives my my 60 bucks back! DFang all that work for $360! It was worth it! Moral of the story if you break your iPod dont give up keep trying and you will get a new one!

~Domreis

 

My initial Complaint against Apple to BBB

Purchased iPod video 60gb Dec 12, 2005. Opened after Christmas. Small dark defect in screen was visible upon opening and removing from factory packaging. This has since expanded to make entire screen unviewable. Told by Best Buy and Apple Store that this is due to abuse and factory and extended warranty will not repair or replace.

I am a professional photographer and know how to handle delicate equipment. I live alone with no pets. There have been no earthquakes in the area recently. Item was never dropped, placed in pocket, or placed in luggage. The iPod WAS always in protective case. Body of ipod is as new with no scratches or other visible defects, even when inspected with magnification.

Product was defective and should be replaced without cost to me. Apple Customer Service states I have no recourse, that ALL cracked screens are due ONLY to customer abuse of product - in essence calling me a liar in that I have told them I know the product has received no such external force capable of damaging even a fragile LCD display.

Apples Response to BBB (and me):

Thank you for your recent correspondence to the executive offices of Apple regarding the above referenced customer.

The following excerpt from the Apple Limited Warranty - iPod and iSight is available at http://www.apple.com/legal/warranty/ipodisight.html:

''This warranty does not apply: (a) to damage caused by accident, abuse, misuse, misapplication, or non-Apple products; (b) to damage caused by service performed by anyone other than Apple; (c) to a product or a part that has been modified without the written permission of Apple; or (d) if any Apple serial number has been removed or defaced..''

As Mr. Light purchased his iPod from a third party reseller, Best Buy, and as such a return of the unit would need to be handled by Best Buy. All sales and refunds policies revert to the reseller. As for any warranty issues with the unit, it appears it was the determination of Apple the damage exhibited was consistent with that which is caused by accident, abuse, misuse, or misapplication. As such, the iPod is not covered under warranty.

Apple considers this matter closed.

Sincerely,

Patrick Ekstrand,
Apple
Corporate Executive Relations

My response to Apple’s rejection:

I am a professional photographer and know how to handle delicate equipment. The screen defect was present without accidental or intentional force being applied to the screen.

To presuppose that all such screen defects result from accidents or abuse by the consumer is improper. It was clear to me and others that the screen had a small defect when it was first opened, charged, and viewed. The defect was clearly created during the manufacture or assembly process since at all times the device was either encased within the original protective factory packaging or within my careful physical control.

Although this small defect was visible when viewing video, the device was still quite useable until roughly handled by the Apple Store employee at the Stockton Street, San Francisco location. At that time the employee rubbed his thumb repeatedly and vigorously on the screen, both scratching the previously unmarred surface and increasing the size of the defect by several thousand percent, rendering the device completely unwatchable.

The Apple Store employee stated he was trying to "rub away" the defect - stating that this technique often worked to erase small amounts of leaking liquid within the display. This rough handling by the Apple Store employee was sudden and unexpected. I was shocked that a presumed knowledgeable professional would treat this expensive and delicate device so harshly - utterly ruining the iPod right before my eyes.

I have no way of knowing the level of training that the employee had received. I don't know if he was a technician or simply a clerk. I do know he wouldn't last long in the professional photography industry, handling customers’ delicate equipment so negligently. Seeing such brutal handling was painful and it left me with a now useless but expensive product. It also left me feeling betrayed and frustrated.

I do not accept Apple's response to my claim and want the issue either reconsidered or addressed by more senior staff. It may be true that Apple will be able to prevail in this dispute, but I intend to seek whatever remedies lawfully available to me. For me it's no longer a matter of the loss of a few hundred dollars and the enjoyment of my iPod, but it is an issue of Apple's business ethics and their questioning of my competence and veracity.

Sincerely,

Phil (last name removed)
Currently on assignment in California.

 

phillight, I understand your frustration, and the Apple employee was probably figuring the defect was a stuck pixel as you've described it as being quite small. Apple is unfortunately a large corporation that can't handle all issues personally. The screen crack issue is a good policy on there part I believe as it clearly defines 'abuse' There will, unfortunately for the consumer, be exceptions as in your case. Has Apple responded to your reply? If you keep working at it I think they may replace it for you. From what you've said it obviously isn't your fault, but Apple has to be sure of that as there are quite a few liars out there. Good luck.

 

Wow,

I was very pleased with the service I got at the Pionier Place Apple Store in portland Oregon! They swaped my iPod out like that!

~Domreis

 

"Has Apple responded to your reply? If you keep working at it I think they may replace it for you."

No, but I just sent the reply to the Better Business Bureau today. I presume it will take a couple of weeks to hear from them. The fact that their reply concluded with "Apple considers this matter closed" doesn't give me much confidence that they'll respond at all.

 

I agree, but I don't want to reject the possibility that they may make an adjustment simply because it's the right thing to do. It's not as if I'm asking for charity. This problem is their fault - starting with the small defect in the manufacture process and ending with the exascerbation caused by brute at the Apple Store.

 

You have a point!

 

True!

 

Ok I need some serious help. I had my brand new black 30g video ipod in my pocket and I went underneath my garage door. My pocket didnt touch the ground hard and I take it out and there is a small red spot in the middle of the screen. I call my friend, he says the plastic probably touched the lcd screen and distorted it. He said that it might go away in a day like his did. The next day the red spot is plack and when you turn the back light on there are streaks of lines going out from that spot. It dawned on me that the LCD screen cracked and so I looked online at my 2-year extended warrenty. And NO WARRENTY COVERS BROKEN LCD SCREENS. I flipped and started doing some research, I find out to replace the screen costs $150 and that just pissed me off. Some of my friends said that if i take it to the Apple Store that they are stupid and will just replace it no questions asked. But its not just the screen, its also the hard drive, it wont respond to my comp or play music even though I cant see the screen. Does anyone have any comments before I barge into the apple store?

 

Remain Calm... Tell the truth... say that I did touch the ground but not hard! Tell them that when you first got the iPod you noticed Black dots near the crack but assumed that they were dead pixels!

~Domreis

 

You think that they will believe me with the whole dead pixel thing?