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Apple Reportedly Offering 15% Refunds to Purchasers of Troubled 27-Inch iMacs

Thursday February 4, 2010 9:10 am PST by Eric Slivka
As Apple struggles with flickering and yellow-tinting issues on the displays of its 27-inch iMac models, Gizmodo has been continuing to closely follow the situation and has learned that Apple has been offering refunds of 15% of the machine's purchase price to users experiencing repeated service issues with their machines. The news comes just days after Apple issued a second firmware update that appears to be taking care of the flickering issues for many users.

Yesterday, Gizmodo reported that it had received information from an Authorized Apple Service Provider in the UK that Apple is experiencing a shortage of replacement 27" LCD parts in Europe, with a backlog of over 230 machines waiting to be serviced. According to the report, Apple was apparently offering affected users the ability to return their machines for a full refund, as well as offering all affected users a refund of 15% of their purchase price.

A follow-up report today suggests that a similar program is in effect in the United States, with Apple apparently offering 15% refunds to users who have exchanged their iMacs multiple times in seeking to have the issues addressed.

15%. Cash. So on a $2000 machine, we're talking about a $300 apology straight from Apple customer support. From the handful of reader anecdotes we've received thus far, it sounds like you need to be a repeat iMac returner who's dealt with multiple 27-inch iMacs that have been busted in some way (but they may accommodate first time buyers as well, we don't know). One reader had multiple yellow screens, then received another new model with broken Bluetooth. He took the 15% and just returned it.

Despite the apparent refund program in effect and Apple's efforts at addressing the flickering issues, the company has yet to publicly acknowledge the yellowing issue generating significant numbers of complaints from customers. The company has, however, reportedly published an internal service memo for its service providers alerting them to the issue and offering instructions on how to handle it.

Shipping lead times for new 27-inch iMac orders placed through Apple's U.S. online store remain at two weeks after improving from a three-week margin earlier this week.

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