Returning a product

[martyp87]

Hello,

Completely non-MB related but wondering if you can shed some light on this for me.

I purchased a Mac Pro (custom order) right at the end of last month however, have only owned the device for 3 weeks or so (due to being a custom order and taking longer to be built from the US).

I went to a Apple repair shop today and they believe the computer isn't compatible with my 4k monitor. Basically I have strange display issues, so want to return it and purchase a HP Workstation instead which my next best option.

Problem is, Apple state I only had 14 days to return the product.

In between times I was trying different cables and reinstalling OS X and Windows to narrow down issues in-between working on it hence why I've been a little late to get to the point of raising a return case.

What is the law on this as I thought you had around 60 days?

Computer was paid in full so no finance or anything was in place on the order.

Worst case scenario I put it on eBay and lose a few hundred pound which doesn't seem fair given the circumstances.

Thanks in advance.

 

[markjay]

Was it purchased in-store, or online?

If purchased in-store, than I am afraid that you can only give it back if there is an issue with it, but not due to change-of-heart.

If purchased online (remote sale), then yes you can give it back due to change-of-heart, but it has to be new and in its original package.

So either way the law is not on your side here, and you will have to abide by the vendor's own Returns Policy.

 

[markjay]

When I say 'there is an issue', then for example if you clearly told the salesperson that you intend to use this computer with the 4k screen, or if their online advertising is misleading and not making it clear that this product can not be used with their 4k screen, then you could argue that the goods are 'not fit for purpose' and that they were in fact mis-sold the computer.

I am not suggesting you should be dishonest with the vendor, just providing an example of a possible legitimate dispute in case it is applicable for your circumstances.

 

[GLK]

Before you put it on eBay or similar, have you tried asking question re: its compatibility with your monitor, somewhere other than Apple store? I would suggest posting a detailed description of the problem on MacForums - plenty of knowledgeable and helpful chaps there.

 

[bozmandb9]

Worse case, I wouldn't have thought you'd lose that much! Mac's tend to hold their value really well.

Probably worth looking into your statutory rights, they overrule the Apple rules, but I'm not sure you'll find anything in there. But as above, I suspect that you'll find a way to make it work perfectly with your monitor. What does your monitor manufacturer say about compatibility with Mac?

 

[martyp87]

I purchased the Mac on Apple's online store, the product states it is compatible with driving upto 3No. 4k monitors - doesn't state you are limited to specific ones...

I purchased the monitor before the computer and as it worked with my MacBook Pro (which is capable of driving 1 4k monitor) so assumed I wouldn't have any issues.

My monitor isn't the most common one out there, it is a pro-grade NEC PA322UHD monitor (£2.5k at time of purchase but I think they're around £2k now) I know Apple stock the Sharp panel but that doesn't have as good reproduction or as many features as the NEC.

I'll get in touch with Apple and see what happens. Want to ensure I get in before 30 days. Received the Mac on 2nd April.

 

[martyp87]

What does your monitor manufacturer say about compatibility with Mac?

They ship a copy of their software to calibrate and get into the advanced features for Mac OS so I'd say they support them.

The Mac is basically just a PC now-a-days anyway and the issues still happen in Windows so it's certainly down to hardware or compatibility. Never heard of a monitor not working with a computer until now though!?

 

[Meldrew2]

If you made your buying decision based on the seller's statement "the product states it is compatible with driving upto 3No. 4k monitors - doesn't state you are limited to specific ones... " then you have more protection under the Sale of Goods Act - which requires that the product must be as described.

 

[martyp87]

If you made your buying decision based on the seller's statement "the product states it is compatible with driving upto 3No. 4k monitors - doesn't state you are limited to specific ones... " then you have more protection under the Sale of Goods Act - which requires that the product must be as described.

Exactly what I thought too. I'm going to give them a call just now and see how I get on.

If they want me to take it to get inspected that's fine so long as if it comes up looking fine to them I can return it because it clearly doesn't work for me. I have photos and videos showing it playing up as proof.

 

[martyp87]

Need to trail along to Glasgow for them to test it which is fair enough, but sounds like returning it could be a headache.

We'll see how it goes I suppose.

 

[tec]

Distance selling rights mean you have 7 working days to return an item for a full refund.
Apple or whoever you bought it from may have longer terms.

 

[grober]

May be related to which video card or on board graphics you have?

AMD FirePro? D-Series GPUs

have a look under drivers and support at their forums

 

[tec]

I was just trying to work out why anyone needs a 4K monitor?

 

[Branchman]

was the item purchased with a credit card if so you have 90 days refund

 

[martyp87]

Gober, the D700 cards in my Mac Pro are running the latest AMD bootcamp drivers under Windows 8.1 pro (the Apple drivers only give 30Hz which is painful compared to the latest ones Dec-2014 IIRC).

Mac OS, you hardly ever get any driver updates. Everything is supposedly up-to-date though.

Tec; I don't need a 4k monitor but having previously used 30" Apple Cinema displays and later upgrading to a Dell 30" U3014, 4k was the next logical step when replacing the Dell for a pro-grade one. I'll probably have this display for 3 years until something better comes out. EDIT: I also don't like working with multiple displays hence always going for whatever gives the highest resolution. 4k is very close to having two 30" panels in one display which is great.

I work with Photoshop, InDesign and AutoCAD on a daily basis and the extra resolution is great although I scale it down to about 3k in Mac OS.

Branchman, I did purchase the machine via credit card so that could be a potential option actually...

 

[gaz_l]

OP.

First question. You were happy with your monitor originally. How was is connected to your computer?

Cheers,

Gaz

 

[martyp87]

It's actually never worked properly with the Mac Pro since I got it the beginning of this month. I use it as a work machine so I'm messing about with it when I have a quiet day or two which isn't that often.

It has always worked fine on my MacBook Pro, connected the same way though, Mini-DisplayPort to DisplayPort. (Mini-DP is connected to the ThunderBolt ports on either Mac).

So far, I've tried...

Installing Windows 8.1 via BootCamp - all latest drivers etc.
Trying 3 different cables - 2 certified 4k 60Hz compliant
Wiping the hard drive completely and doing a internet restore of OS X 10.3
Tried different ThunderBolt buses on the Mac Pro (6 ports total but only 3 buses, my external drive is always connected to a separate bus)
Tried the other DisplayPort on the monitor too

SMC and nvRAM reset done on the Mac Pro also...

Out of ideas hence why I'm now escalating it to Apple as I thought it would be down to a cable or something software related but clearly not.

 

[219]

Need to trail along to Glasgow for them to test it which is fair enough, but sounds like returning it could be a headache.

We'll see how it goes I suppose.

I've always found the guys in the Apple Store Glasgow to be really knowledgeable and helpful - don't the Edinburgh Apple Store have any 'geniuses' ?

I remember years ago when I had an issue with my PowerMac G5 they spent half an hour on the phone to the USA to resolve it ( they had quoted me a firm price to replace the processors in my computer , then found none available in the UK and offered me one of the then new MacPro 1.1 machines for the same price , until I mentioned my maxxed out 8Gb RAM , upgraded graphics card and non Intel software which meant the new machine wouldn't work for me - they eventually got a pair of processors shipped over .

Thankfully my 8 core MacPro 3.1 hasn't given a moments trouble , albeit I'm just running 1920x1080 on my Iiyama 27" Prolite for HD video and photography .

If all else fails , just ensure that you gave them every chance to resolve the issue amicably , and cooperated with all their suggestions - then if you have to initiate a small claims action the court will not be able to fault you .

 

[martyp87]

Hi Derek, I don't actually have any issue with the guys in the store (Edinburgh was booked out for the next 6 days+).

It's just a bit of a poor show that a £4.3k computer comes with such rubbish aftercare (unless you spend another hundred plus on AppleCare) - knowing this having previously had a Mac Pro 3.1 also but that was a flawless workhorse until I sold it on eBay to go back to a Dell PC as the Mac Pro line was totally neglected by Apple in terms of updates.

Had I purchased a HP Z640 or Z840 series workstation, someone would have come to me the next day and I would be covered for 3 years for no extra charge.

The reason I bought the Mac Pro though was Mac OS X has much better scaling on high resolution displays as they've been using retina panels for ages now and Photoshop & InDesign with HiDPI mode enabled are just awful! I don't think Windows 10 is improving this area much either unfortunately...

 

[219]

I'd be a bit miffed if I had spent that much to end up where you are .