Got off work early today as I'd hoped, and went over to the Manhattan Beach Apple store to attempt a replacement for my screen bleed issue. I backed up my iPad last night in preparation. So I made no appointment, and just walked in.
A gal greets me and asks what she can do. I tell her about my screen bleed issue, and that I wanted to see about a replacement. I also told her I wanted to check about possibly upgrading to a 64GB version, as that's what I initially wanted but was sold out at Best Buy when it came my turn to indicate which iPad model I wanted. She then asked if I made an appointment, and I said no. She indicated an appointment was needed, and asked if I wanted to make one. I was hesitant, as I thought I'd have to return back another day. She then inidcated that it was 3PM and she could have my appt set for 3:30PM, so I said ok.
During the wait I checked out some fo the Apple hardware there, and as a PC guy, I have to say I was impressed with the new 27" iMac. If my wife would've let me, I would've bought that 27" iMac there and then! But as my current PC has about $2500 invested in it (it's a custom water cooled rig I put together with a 24" 3D display), there was no way I could have both.
That 27" iMac is a beautiful rig, but I don't know how it would hold up to PC gaming with the latest games available. I'll have to do some Google searching on that. But it's seriously making me think about trying to sell my PC rig to get that.
Sorry, got off track there...
So 20 minutes later (at 3:20PM), a gal comes up to me and asks how she can help. I tell her my story again. She asks if I brought my receipt, and I said yes. She said, sorry but you bought your iPad at Best Buy. if you would've bought it at an Apple store, we could see about getting you an upgrade. Then she states that she can check out the screen bleed issue I'm having and replace it with the same model if it's a valid concern. I say ok, and she takes my iPad into a back room to validate the issue. She comes back out with my iPad and a sealed brown box model. She said she was able to see the issue and I that I could have the replacement with no problem. I then told her I'd like to check this new iPad out to make sure it didn't have the same issue. Since I wasn't allowed in the back, she said she could take both into the back room and see if how the new one compared. I told her ok, that I trust her judgement. She came back out saying she couldn't see the bleed issue that my original had. I said, great - thanks! I then signed the paperwork and walked out with the new iPad.
After I got home I wanted to check the screen bleed issue for myself. There was a slight single spot where bleeding was occuring, but no where near as bad as the larger muiltiple spots in my original. So I think this one's a keep if the bleeding doesn't spread - so I'm a happy camper! After seeing some negative Google reviews about this Apple store, I can say that my experience was very good there!
What I learned from all this is, if I buy an Apple product again, I'll make sure it's from an Apple store.
