Apple's Repairs: Willing & Forced

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	Free Repair Campaign            v for Apple 17inch PowerBooks
	More About Us / Contact Us Campaign Discussions Your Contributions Apple's Censorship & Censure Diagnosis Correlation Apple's Position Consumer Rights Infringement Apple's Repairs: Willing & Forced Influencing Apple's Decision Dell's Repair Program ACTION - For All ACTION+: Apple Execs ACTION+: Mediation ACTION+: DIGG This! ACTION+: Publicity Campaign ACTION+: Publicity Contacts Publicity Successes Campaign Resources Campaign Mascot Acknowledgements
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ACTION: Investigate taking legal action under your national state's Class Action type legislation, if available Explore getting our case registered at ClassAction.com

[edit] Amicable precedents: Apple's Repair Extension Programs

Apple already has in place several global Repair Extension Programs which offer to replace defective components on end-user computers for free; for example:

1. 15-inch PowerBook G4 Display Repair Extension Program
   • For a defect “which may cause faint white spots to appear on the screen over time” source
2. Expanded iBook Logic Board Repair Extension Program
   • For a defect which may manifest as “appearance of unexpected lines on the screen” source
3. iMac G5 Repair Extension Programme for Video and Power Issues
   • For a defect which may manifest as “scrambled or distorted video” source

The 15-inch PowerBook G4 Display Repair Extension Program is especially worth taking a look at, since it is most directly analogous to our Dreaded "Bridget Riley" vertical lines display defect:

• The program only applies to 15-inch PowerBook G4 computers with serial numbers in the above-mentioned ranges that exhibit faint white spots on the LCD display.
• The repairs outlined in this program, including shipping charges, will be covered by Apple.
• If you paid for an eligible repair, Apple will reimburse you for the cost of the repair.

So if you've already paid an inordinate amount of money to have your defective 17inch display repaired, then you still have a material stake in helping us win a Display Repair Extension Program, since your repair costs will be reimbursed. This was a feature of Dell's Repair Program too.

[edit] Adversarial precedents: Class Action Suits and Settlements against Apple

In other cases, Apple have been obliged by class action suits in the USA to make reparations to customers who bought defective Apple products, but who had to sue Apple to attain redress by court mandated settlements; for example:

1. Allen v. Apple Class Action Settlement
   • “Apple has agreed to provide a cash refund to Class Members who paid for the type of repair covered by the settlement. [...] The settlement covers repairs required because the inverter board of the Display failed, causing the gradient dimming of the top or bottom half of the screen of the Display.” source
2. Apple iPod Settlement
   • “Apple will extend the one-year limited warranty on that iPod for one additional year solely to cover Battery Failures.” source
3. Apple Adapters Settlement
   • “Apple will pay a cash refund of $35.00 to Settlement Class Members who own or owned Covered Adapter(s) that failed within the first or second year.” source

There’s even an ongoing case against Apple:

• Fred Greaves and Dave Gately v. Apple – Class Action Suit

• “The case has been brought by two MacBook owners, Fred Greaves and Dave Gately, who charge Apple with deceptive advertising, misrepresentation and unfair competition over the use of the phrase 'millions of colors' to describe the capability of the LCD displays in the laptops.” sources: news and suit (2.3MB PDF)

And there's a site called ClassAction.com where owners of MacBooks afflicted by Random Shutdown Syndrome can ask questions:

• Faulty Apple MacBook Logic Boards

• “We have received reports of Apple MacBook logic boards failing repeatedly, with long periods of down time. If you own a MacBook laptop and have experienced this problem we would like to know about it. Please complete the form below.” source

Since these are still fresh in the Apple legal division's collective memory, and a class action suit is one potentially positive (albeit adversarial) way to proceed to rectify this difficulty for consumers...

QUESTIONS: Does anyone know if a class action suit regarding defective Apple 17inch G4 Powerbooks is being pursued in the USA? Or in any other nation’s jurisdiction? If so, please share your info, on this page, via editing