Macbook Air Rev. B Screen makes clicking noise

[walvero]

Hey guys, been on the forum for awhile checking out all the different problems the MB Air Rev. B might have. Well I am on my 4th MB Air Rev.B already. I seem to have a problem with it and I was wondering if I should bring it back in, I am getting tired of going back to the Apple store and I think they are also with me, hahaha. Well my problem is this:

- When I clean the screen with the included cloth or any cleaning cloth, the screen makes a clicking noise. As if it's like not flushed against the bezel. This only happens on the left part of the screen from, top to bottom. If I wipe in the center, no problem at all. I was wondering if anyone of you is experiencing the same problem? Btw, I also have the lines, but its very faint and I don't notice it as much as the my 3rd replacement Air, which I exchanged for this one. The Apple Store said that if I had any more line problems with this one, they won't replace it anymore and they would just try and replace the screen. I don't know if my problem is a common one and worth it to send my computer out to get its screen replaced, and who knows, maybe the replacement screen might have the lines and that's why I'm worried about getting the screen replaced, in addition to being out of my laptop for a couple of days.

 

[walvero]

Ok so I went to the Apple store today, to see what they would say. Well they told me that it wasn't normal, so they ordered me a new screen. I found out though that they couldn't just open up the bezel and fix the screen. They said that with the Air, the screen and bezel is all one piece and that they just order that part as a whole and replace the whole thing. I hope though that the new screen I get doesn't have the line issue, cause the one I have now is ok, I don't really notice it as they are faint, but my previous one was terrible. I'll see what happens when they get the screen in.

 

[walvero]

Alright, I just got back from the Apple store, and boy was it crazy! haha. Well they got the screen replaced and lo and behold, the screen clicks in, but this time there was a dead red pixel, very noticeable, on the screen. And the lines! They were more pronounced! I was really disappointed when I saw this.
So I told all this to the salesperson who got my laptop from the back, and he then took it to the back and came back with a genius and a manager. The genius went on to say that all these problems were within spec (I know, the dreaded word all the geniuses tell you when they don't wanna repair your computer). He says that the clicking was within spec and that they went above and beyond customer service by ordering a new screen and replacing my old one. I told him then, if the clicking was within spec, then the previous genius that took my laptop in should have told me that, and I would have kept my old screen, as it was ok to me and I just wanted to make sure that the clicking wasn't normal. But the Apple store said they would just replace it. So I guess it was my fault then for bringing my laptop in! lol. And to make matter worse, he said that this was the end of the line for me as in getting customer service, because he said this machine was replaced 4 times before (albeit they were different problems, and it was the Apple Store that wanted to replace it when all I wanted was a repair). He told me that they were diverting time and resources to me and my machine and wasting hundreds of dollars when it can be better serve to help other people. hahaha. But isn't that what customer service is suppose to be? Aren't they suppose to help the customer out and not fight them? Well the manager said I had two options left: 1) They would send out the computer to the depot in texas and get it serviced or 2) They would refund me.
When I asked for a refund, the manager said, then said that he couldn't do it anymore since my machine was replaced many times before and that he suggested I just get it sent out. So I agreed with him and said, fine, send the computer out. Then the genius tells me that the depot might not even fix it since it was within spec. So I told him to just add into the notes, the dead pixel, the clicking noise, and the horizontal lines. He then proceeds to tell me, that he can't see the lines, and even writes it down in the notes! It was funny because the customer next to me, interrupted and said that he can see them, and also my friend that was with me also saw them. I'm just a little angry that I paid so much for a laptop and all I wanted was a working screen, haha. I just felt that the genius wasn't even trying to help me, and to the point, that even in the tech notes, he wrote that the problems I had was within spec. I just thought that since you work in customer service, that you should be providing service! Well that's my long story, and now I wait for my laptop to be shipped out and sent back to me, hopefully everything will be fine.

 

[Sound Evolution]

Dear walvero,

Unbelievable no words for this! It is like blaming the customer for their own faulty products! They should be deeply ashamed for the fact that a Major brand laptop keep having issues over 4 times!

Apple has serious QC control issues, and that is a hard fact, and for the price you paid you should expect a perfect manufactured machine.

That means,

-No scuffs
-No dent's
-No bended screen bezel
-A even trackbar buttion
-Perfect aligned screen
-No wobbling chassis
-No clicking or badly mounted LCD screen
-No lines
-No dead pixels (for a premium product like this!)

It seems many of the Mac books (including the 5 I went through, and my current one) seems to have some of those issues and that is never acceptable for the Mercedes brand under the computers!

Apple shoud do something about their quality control and stop blaming the customer for not accepting this kind of bad craftsmanship done in China!

Good luck!

With kind regards,
Bas

 

[justit]

Quite a story, I'm guessing the first time your brought it in it was past the 14 days? I think that's where it started to go wrong for you. Do you have applecare which allows for more than one service request?

 

[jackiecanev2]

That's crazy. Is there another apple store near you?

You could always try calling Applecare over the phone. Explain what happened with your genius, and be firm. They might be able to help you out.

 

[walvero]

@ Sound Evolution

Yea, it seems like QC has gone down a bit lately. I guess I would say I wouldn't haven been as irritated, if the machine didn't cost $2500 to begin with (MB Air Rev. B with 128 SSD) and if the genius didn't make it his agenda to write inside the tech notes that all the problems we're within spec (and that I as the consumer held the product to be of a higher standard then they hold it to) and basically put his two cents in as too why they didn't need to fix the machine. I mean if I was the genius, I would have just wrote in the problems instead of also adding in my personal feelings as to why the Air was ok. ( I mean i have a MacBook Pro and an iMac at home, and plus the 3 other macbooks that that my family has, and all those screens are fine! No red, dead pixel either! But thanks for your response Bas!


@ justit

Yea the first time I brought it in was past the 14 days, maybe like 7 days over:

1) The first machine had a clicking screen problem, I just brought it in, cause I didn't know if that was suppose to do that, cause my Rev. A Air and my Macbook Pro never made that noise or clicked in when I cleaned my screen (and it's not like I'm pushing the screen in with such force that I could break it! haha, just a normal wipe, that's all) So they went into the back and just gave me a replacement, which totally surprised me! So thank you to them!
2) For the 2nd machine, the bottom of the Macbook Air had a gap, that wouldn't close, so I brought it in to see if they could screw it in tighter (I was thinking that the screw was just not tightened all the way in) They tried screwing it in, but instead just replaced the laptop! Surprised me again!
3) For the third machine, it had the dreaded line issue! Very noticeable, especially if I'm working on a pic (I'm a wedding photographer, so I really rely on looking at the screen intently when I'm editing). I thought I was looking at a parchment paper! I first was wondering if it was my fault or my camera's, but it was on everything. And I went here and saw that people had those problems too, so I wasn't in the minority with the line issue. Well they ended up replacing the laptop instead of repairing it. So that surprised me again!
4) And now for the 4th and last machine (the one in the thread that I started), the screen made a clicking noise (actually it felt like and sounded like when you step on crushed glass, that noise, a very brittle sound). So I was concerned and brought it in, they said they wouldn't replace it but instead try to repair the screen, which was fine with me.

Never once, during all my visits, did the geniuses tell me that my all my problems were within spec. If they did, I would have understood and complied, as because the first Air I had was perfect, no lines, not problems on the body, just that weird clicking noise. For a $2500 machine, I would like to hold it to a high standard, unfortunately, the geniuses at the Apple Store don't hold the same standards I have.

Oh yea, I don't have Apple Care, because I still have a year warranty (I just got the machine on 12/08/08, so it's pretty new) and I usually sell my laptops when the next revision comes in, so it never lasts a year. I thought I could just save my money on the warranty, but I do usually buy it for every Mac I buy.


@ jackiecanev2

I was thinking of trying another apple store, but I wasn't sure if the tech notes are shared with all the stores. But they already are shipping mine out to the Main Service Center in Texas to be worked on (they don't wanna work on it in the store because the genius said it takes away time, resources and money, which could be used elsewhere; basically he said they did all they could do already). So I will wait to see if the service center will fix my screen, if not, maybe I will try another Apple Store.

 

[jesperulvelius]

how did it turn out with your computer?
i just shipped back my third 2.13 macbook air rev c and waiting for number 4 to arrive this weak.

here is my history of macbook air.

1. Screen was tilting, very heavy backlight bleeding. No lines
2. Found a 5 cm hair inside my screen?! WTF? No lines.
3. No tilting or hair screen but very bad lines all over the screen.
4. ?

I am going to keep sending it back until i get a perfect computer. do anybody know how many computers you can ship back before the apple store get pissed?

best, jesper