Apple Giving 15% Payoff to Unsatisfied iMac Owners

[Paul Daniel Ash]

While the flickering problem experienced by some owners of 27-inch iMacs may be - at least partly -addressed by a new firmware update, the yellow tinted screens that have also been a common complaint appear no closer to resolution. With month after month going by and still no fix in sight, Apple may be moving into damage control mode, with reports coming in that the company has quietly offered full refunds to the most seriously affected customers, and throwing in an extra 15% of the purchase price (or $300 US for a $2000 system) as an apology.

Gizmodo passed on a leak today from a UK-based Apple authorized service provider who reports a severe backlog of replacement 27-inch LCD panels. With 230 machines awaiting replacement of their screens and no parts shown on hand nor any estimated time of delivery, the reseller says that Apple has been offering people in the queue a refund of their purchase price. The contact also said that Apple was picking up the malfunctioning computers from people's homes and offices free of charge.

The contact also said that the refund is being offered by both Apple Stores and third-party retail outlets, but that "the refund itself comes from Apple not the 3rd party retailer. We've had two customers that have both gotten there [sic] machines' refunded plus the 15%." in order to be eligible for the refund, according to a separate report, customers need to have gotten their 27-inch iMacs replaced by another unit with problems. A Gizmodo reader who received the payout said they had more than one unit with a yellow screen, then got another new model with a working screen but malfunctioning Bluetooth.

Gizmodo has been following this issue closely, and on Friday of last week posted a memo purported to be an internal Apple Support message, directing tech support reps to offer refunds to users who "needed an immediate resolution." Other customers were directed to leave their contact information so that Apple could ship them a replacement.

[aldech]

good thing i dont have an iMac

[Melech518]

I had this issue when the new 13.3" MBPs were released last summer. Apple replaced the MBP 3 times and gave me a $200 kick back as well as over $300 in free accessories

You just need to know who to talk to ...

[aldech]

Funny how its 15% but the picture has "lots" of hundred dollar bills...is that how expensive iMacs are these days that a 15% = hundred of dollars??

[lolcats1]

Funny how its 15% but the picture has "lots" of hundred dollar bills...is that how expensive iMacs are these days that a 15% = hundred of dollars??

it's just an illustration. of how much money you're gonna waste on the whole "oh ma fukkkk it's alooominum!" phase of your life. mostly from 20 to 30 years. some don't outgrow it.

[MetallicaFan1991]

Mac's are expensive!! They've gone up in price, well my MBP(2.66Ghz) has anyway since I got it last June. It's not a waste. ^

About time Apple, I want an at least £30 refund on my MBP now as Snow Leopard is taking an extra 7 seconds to shut down nowadays!! Fix that too!!

I had this issue when the new 13.3" MBPs were released last summer. Apple replaced the MBP 3 times and gave me a $200 kick back as well as over $300 in free accessories

You just need to know who to talk to ...

My MBP screen had that issue to as well as dead pixels and I only had it a month, they wouldn't give me anything though, guy was soo stubborn.

[Melech518]

My MBP screen had that issue to as well as dead pixels and I only had it a month, they wouldn't give me anything though, guy was soo stubborn.

That's why I deal with corporate

[riku98523]

You can build an i7 PC with a gtx 295 for less money than the 2.66Ghz duo if that isn't overpriced I don't know what is. I'll say this though Apple will throw stuff at you if you have problems they sent me two iphone screen protectors (both costing about $22 at the time) for free because the one I bought came messed up.

[adrian1480]

easy for them to do when they're making money hand over fist.

better solution: charge less for your hardware. your income suggests you can do that rather easily.

[steve-z17]

it's just an illustration. of how much money you're gonna waste on the whole "oh ma fukkkk it's alooominum!" phase of your life. mostly from 20 to 30 years. some don't outgrow it.

Funny how you seem to hate Apple so much yet you're giving them money by using one of their products. The word for that is Hypocrite. No one likes someone who just hates to be hating or in your case cause you think it's "cool" to hate on Apple. At least the rest of us know what kind of person you are and it's actually quite sad, but I guess some ppl just don't outgrow it...!

Those ppl definitely deserve some sort of money back, it's the right thing.

[Icemanmods]

This is AWESOME of apple to do this for their customers, people make mistakes, companies even more so. For them to step up to the plate and SATISFY with a refund, AND give you $300 in unheard of.

/clap for Apple

[rickybobby]

I have a friend that works over at Best Buy and he told me last month that the customer service line for 27 inch iMac returns was beyond belief

[lolcats1]

Funny how you seem to hate Apple so much yet you're giving them money by using one of their products. The word for that is Hypocrite.
Those ppl definitely deserve some sort of money back, it's the right thing.

i have an ipod touch, one time purchase of 230$. that's all the money they've ever gotten from me.

At least the rest of us know what kind of person you are

my kind of person? you mean a college bound senior? or the type of person who wants to be a doctor?

which type?

[one1]

Maybe he means the kind who need to focus on the topic. You're gonna be a doctor and can't hold attention to topic I might be a little scared.

Soooo on topic, I think it is good of Apple to make a peace offering. They don't HAVE to do anything and they are known to tell people to piss off on a daily basis for less things so when you think of hoe much revenue they will be giving away by their own choice, it shows them really helping their users. One of the few good things I've seen them do lately. They've been a little stingy since they went big time.

[rhekt]

15% isn't anything