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Should a new notebook have a faulty pixel?
Saturday, 19 June, 2010
OLD QUESTION
What are my rights as a consumer buying a new laptop that has a faulty (bright red) pixel on the LCD screen from day 1?
The supplier is saying the LAPTOP LCD must have three or more faulty pixels before they consider it warranty claim,
This is brand new and does not match the LCD panel (with no faulty pixels) that was on showroom display. Is this acceptable under Fair Trading?
(Originally posted September 2003)
Sharyn Merrin, Brisbane, QLD
 I don't know the legal position as I can't find any precedents for this sort of problem. I'm no lawyer, but I think this might be the way to go.
It's true that many vendors specify the number of pixels that must be dead before they'll consider a warranty claim, but in your case you aren't making a warranty claim. As long as you let the supplier know within a few days of taking delivery, this is a claim that the notebook was not delivered in a merchantable condition. That is, as you've said, it's already defective and not the same as the one on display.
Have you contacted the manufacturer? Is it a reputable brand?
Of course, if it's a cheap brand, one could almost get suspicious that one reason they can sell it cheap is that they use some components that are sub-standard or have failed a test.
By all means contact the Fair Trading department in Queensland, and put everything in writing to the supplier, stating what you're willing to accept (such as a new notebook or a $500 refund).
If any readers have experience in these matters, please get in touch below. Paul Zucker
 Reader solutions
Joshua Buttner USAPosted: 24/06/2010 re: Should a new notebook have a faulty pixel? My Company recently bought 2 laptops from Toshiba with system guard EXTRA warranty. One of them had a dead pixel so I called tech support and they sent a box in for me to repair. I then sent the laptop to them and they sent it back the next day saying that the area had to be larger than a postage stamp or 10x18 pixels. Infuriated I called tech support again and they basically said that we have had the laptop for too long to try and exchange or refund it. So this is what I did HAHAHAH. I sent the laptop back to where it came from (toshiba.com) and made a 3 page writeup to my credit card company and they reversed the charges on the item. We are currently under a lawsuit issued by toshiba! hahahaha its really too bad i recorded all phone calls and they can hear how rude they were with me . MikePPosted: 21/06/2010 re: Should a new notebook have a faulty pixel? Would you accept a brand new car with one cylinder missing, chip in the windscreen. Would you accept the bank present an account with 0.003% of your money missing?
Make a fuss, the bigger the better.
Loud noises are not good for business. If the goods are not equal to or better than the goods on display, you have not been sold an equivalent product.
Start with the retailer and go up from there.
Patricia C.Posted: 18/06/2010 re: Should a new notebook have a faulty pixel? I have this same issue at the moment.
Interestingly some people mentioned that this happens when you buy cheap crap.
Well, the laptop i just bought is a HP Pavilion DV7-4004TX and it cost me $3000. As soon as i turned it on i saw the dead pixel smack bang in the middle of the screen. It is so bright it really is hard to work with it.
Now, this was an expensive laptop but after considerable effort, i have gotten nowhere. I contacted the place i bought it from (and i will not mention names) and was told they couldn't dio anything about it and that i should contact HP directly. Needless to say they were totally dismissable and in less words told me to get stuffed.
Surely there is (and if not, there should be) a way that we can get around these pathetic policies of 3 dead pixels or more before being entitelled to a replacement.
We have 5 laptops at home and another 4 in the office. This is our first HP and it will be the last.ainly for the rudeness of the customer service people at HP. Simply unacceptable.
(Thanks Patricia. I'll forward your complaint to HP too. I hope it's okay to give them your email address. -PZ) Carlo SchisanoPosted: 06/11/2009 re: Should a new notebook have a faulty pixel? Hey Paul, yes, it was less aggressive...but unfortunately I read the next post and it all went to crap after that.
It's quite funny come to think of it though. There are probably a few readers that are starting to get sick of my rants. I seem to be the Kyle Sandilands of HelpStation - always with the rude comments. But then again, it seems that either the OP or the "solution" seems to press one of my nerves such as Apple VS Windows and the many other debates raging out there - all with no merit.
Looking through all these posts, I'm reminded of the Phil Collins song about seeing both sides of the story. Tim brings up a good point in that "These cases are a limitation of technology and do not represent a defect in material." I've never looked at it like that, and if you do look at it in that way, then yes, it is completely normal to have a dead pixel. The other way to look at it, of course, is if this is a limitation of the technology, why did they release it in the first place? Couldn't they invent something else?
Obviously by that I don't mean it's easy to invent new technology...just that perhaps a company or industry releases a technology in favour of another, or releases one product while they are actually 2-3 generations ahead. (Think of Intel and their westmere? chips...basically Intel have a working platform as displayed at IDF? which is two generations ahead of the current core i5 platform).
Paul said "I had this exact problem and contacted the Dept of Fair Trading. They said my device (a Pocket PC) should be the same as the one in the shop. Since the shop's model was flawless, they had to exchange mine for a non-dead-pixel one. Thus, so-called "dead pixel policies" are useless when push comes to shove from the Dept of Fair Trading."
This is wrong. The manufacturer's dead pixel policy still stands. The STORE is now stuck with the product, and won't be able to use the Department of Fair Trading to send it back to the manufacturer, therefore making a loss on the product. BTW, if I am wrong on this, someone, PLEASE LET ME KNOW!This was the reason I didn't start my own IT business in the first place, as well as I why I don't "exercise my rights" except as a last resort...karma.
Huy Tran says "I suggest you contact the store that you bought your laptop from rather then the laptop's company." This is a good point, depending on which store you bought from. Places like DSE and Officeworks have 7-day return policies. Of course, they are getting tighter and tighter, so if this is important, check before you buy.
It's so funny that Mitch said "I've got a brand new ACER notebook next to me now, that has a bleeded line of 8 dead pixels from new." I only just saw this which backs up my story about Acer's previous generation products!
Oh, and lastly, my LCD monitor has two dead pixels in a spot where all I need is one to get it sorted under warranty. I haven't bothered sending it in because you only notice it when you specifically look for it, combined with the fact that I have to send it away, is more trouble than it's worth.
(Feeling better? -PZ :-) Carlo SchisanoPosted: 06/11/2009 re: Should a new notebook have a faulty pixel? Well, Sharyn, you can thank all those people that walk into the shop who want to buy a laptop, and when asked by the salesperson what kind of laptop they are after, they ask "what's the cheapest one you got?"
That is why only the high end products have the better warranty. That is why you have to pay 20% more for a better warranty...because you pay, FOR THE WARRANTY!
And Frank, you crack me up...LOL! You DO REALISE that half the people on this earth wouldn't know quality if it came out their ****, right? That's why most of the stuff you can buy is cheap crap...because we allow, CHEAP CRAP! Cos if we didn't, companies like Medion, Acer, Brother and others would have gone out of business in 2005..Acer laptops are slightly better, haven't seen much of Brother inkjets or any Medion products since.
Oh, and Frank, am I a little less aggressive now that I have come back from holidays about an hour or so ago? :)
(That's LESS aggressive? LOL. -PZ) FrankPosted: 06/11/2009 re: Should a new notebook have a faulty pixel? Thats why you should always check it out first at the shop you are buying from providing: (1) you can market yourself well and aproachable enough for the sales assistant to take it out of its packaging and start it up and (2) maybe flash a little cash at them, as they have to believe that you are really buying and not jerking their leg.
Frank n St31n ;) BradPosted: 05/11/2009 re: Should a new notebook have a faulty pixel? If you have trouble from day one you need to return it to the retailer, generally for most large companies they have a 7 day return policy. Within that 7 days they cover the DOA policy which the manufacturer does not. But yes through the manufacturer you are looking at generally 5-20 before they will replace. If you have trouble its because they deem one pixel as not faulty, this is also because they purchase the panel off one of 3 LCD manufactures in the world and repackage it. These LCD manufactures are expensive to get a better warranty then 3-5 pixels. Not saying I agree but unfortunately we the consumer are in a lose lose situation. Dylan DoxeyPosted: 17/11/2007 re: Should a new notebook have a faulty pixel? NO. A consumer has a right to receive a product free of defects at the agreed upon price. This is my opinion, and it seems like sound logic to me. However, the ASUS zero bright pixel guarantee only applies to products classified as "high end" products. My new ASUS eee PC has a single bright pixel and is exempt from the guarantee because it is not a high end product. Johnny PPosted: 28/11/2005 re: Should a new notebook have a faulty pixel? recently purchased an NEC notebook for my brother.
Straight out of the box it had one dead pixel. I called the supplier who said they cant do anything about it. NEC said its a 5 dead pixel policy. So no go either.
Problem is I bought it through my usual wholesaler, ordered online so i cant compare to a display version as some other guys have.
Argued a fair bit with no results. I gave up and my brother has just had to deal with it. winstyPosted: 27/11/2005 re: Should a new notebook have a faulty pixel? NO. It should not have a dead pixel. And that applies to all LCF/TFT/PLASMA's off the shelf. If u buy it and it has a dead pixel, it was DOA and you are entitled to a repair, replacement, or refund at your discression, provided you return it to the store within the DOA period, which under ACC law is up to 14 days. If a pixel fails then it is subject to the manufacturere's law, for warranty post DOA, which means you have to call them to find out the terms and conditions. ken chongPosted: 17/11/2005 re: Should a new notebook have a faulty pixel? I believe it is time that PCUser Mag did a full comparison of all reputable brand name laptop suppliers plus locally produced ones to see which manufacturer provides the best warranty claims for dead pixels. This will give us the customers the power of choice in selecting the companies based upon price, features and warranty. It would also be fruitful to assist us the readers if you also would compare the price of a replacement battery for those mid-range laptops from various companies. I heard that the battery replacement for brand name laptops can be as high as $800 per battery. Buyers should be wary of replacement spare parts such as batteries, which usually have to be model specific and not available from a generic supplier.
(I'll pass this to John Hilvert to work on Ken. -Paul Zucker) Huy TranPosted: 16/11/2005 re: Should a new notebook have a faulty pixel? I bought my sister's laptop mid last year December, it was a HP. It had one dead pixel. I phoned HP and they said nothing can be done so i contacted Dick Smith (which is where i bought the laptop from) and they told me to come in and exchange the laptop. After exchanging the laptop, the 2nd laptop had a dead pixel AGAIN!!! I was mad! so i contacted Dick Smith again and exchanged for another laptop for the third time and luckily this one had no dead pixel. I suggest you contact the store that you bought your laptop from rather then the laptop's company. MitchPosted: 13/10/2005 re: Should a new notebook have a faulty pixel? The higher end ASUS brand of notebooks now come with a 30 day Zero Dead Bright Pixel Policy.
Certainly its a step i the right direction and a good indication of ASUS's assurance of their product working out of the box!
I've got a brand new ACER notebook next to me now, that has a bleeded line of 8 dead pixels from new.
Thankfully I bought an ASUS myself, and am loving every minute of it. NapoleonPosted: 08/09/2005 re: Should a new notebook have a faulty pixel? This is the most unacceptable fair trade rules I don't know why they could not check it on Quality control before shipping it. I got an experience also before. check the LCD pixel and surface scratch before you paid for it. also be aware of the package whether it had open before or not TonyPosted: 26/11/2003 re: Should a new notebook have a faulty pixel? There is a very, very simple solution to this problem. Never purchase a notebook without first seeing it in operation. Faulty pixels are a very common problem and surprisingly the bigger name brands are often the worst culprits. Of course this rules out dealing with all of the on-line merchants, but it's your choice to take that risk or not. damxamPosted: 24/11/2003 Partial Fix it won't fix the problem and I haven't tried it myself but you might be able to deactivate the dead pixel by taping it gently with a thin object , it'd be dark which is better than red PaulPosted: 14/09/2003 re: Should a new notebook have a faulty pixel? I had this exact problem and contacted the Dept of Fair Trading. They said my device (a Pocket PC) should be the same as the one in the shop. Since the shop's model was flawless, they had to exchange mine for a non-dead-pixel one. Thus, so-called "dead pixel policies" are useless when push comes to shove from the Dept of Fair Trading. BenPosted: 14/09/2003 re: Should a new notebook have a faulty pixel? Hi,
I recently bought a brand new laptop with exactly the same problem. There was one single dead pixel on the whole screen, which ruined the otherwise perfect screen. I called up the company and they told me that in order to get a replacement there had to be 3 or more dead pixels. So I took it back to the store and had a talk with the people there. Luckily for me, the kind people at Dick Smith replaced my laptop even though they knew that te company's policy on dead pixels.
Have you tried bringing it back to the store and talking to the people you bought it from? Hope this helps.
(Now wasn't that a good thing for the store to do. They've generated more positive "advertising" with that act than they could have done in any other way. -Paul Zucker)
TimPosted: 12/09/2003 re: Should a new notebook have a faulty pixel? Toshiba says on their brochures for their laptops that
"Display: Toshiba
warranty does not cover limitations in technology such as nonconforming pixels. The TFT display may present up to 6 non-conforming pixels, (bright or dark spots) representing
less than 0.003% error rate. These cases are a limitation of technology and do not represent a defect in material. Small bright dots may appear on your TFT display when you turn
on your PC. Your display contains an extremely large number of thin-film transistors (TFT) and is manufactured using high-precision technology. Any small bright dots that may
appear on your display are an intrinsic characteristic TFT manufacturing technology."
That is what Toshiba says, at that probably applies to every LCD screen.
It is not unusual for a LCD to have faulty pixels, but it is a pain in the *you know where*.
Around the family, we've had quite a lot of laptops (like 6+) and a couple of LCD screens and so far, I only know of one that has had a faulty pixel - it just happens to be the one my brother is currently using.
DavidPosted: 12/09/2003 re: Should a new notebook have a faulty pixel? I recently purchased a faulty CRT monitor and found that it had dropped a pixel.
They (Mitsubishi) took it in for repairs. Aparently it wasn't worth fixing so they (eventually) replaced it with a new one.
I don't know the legalities of such issues but personally I wouldn't be satisfied with a faulty monitor.
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