monitor

[harrison56]

bought 22" cibox monitor on the 22 11 07.set it up fantastic,one problem it's got minute green spot on the screen.i know it's verytiny but i knowit's there.phoned the shopthey say there's got to be at least 5 before manufacturers will replace the screen.they also said all monitors have them.is this true.were do i stand.cheers.

[pug100]

Afraid it's true what the shop says. A lot of LCD screens have or will develop dead pixels or stuck pixels such as this, it's simply a fact of the manufacturing process. Because yours is a green pixel it sounds like it might be stuck rather than dead.
Some manufacturers offer a zero dead pixel warranty.
More info here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defective_pixel

[wildwood]

It is certainly not true that all monitors have them. It is an imperfection and should not be present in a new monitor. If you are in the UK you may have some come-back under the commerce or trading act. Inquire at your local citizen's advice.

It may be worth having a look at the Chinese monitors.... I know, it may not be a welcome suggestion. However tech manufacturers there have improved out of sight and many offer the zero dead pixel guarantee pugg1000 mentioned and a 3year warranty [check to see if you have to send it back to the factory, or distributor - it is no use to you if you have to pay freight to China and back].

If you do a little bit of digging you may find that some the LCD screen of the popular 'brand' monitors are made in China anyway.

[hairygrape]

wildwood, I'm afraid the advice harrison56 was given is correct. It's a fact of life that a considerable number of monitors have dead pixels and this is the risk you take in buying such a monitor.

All monitors sold in the UK are graded and if the retailer does not specify the grade concerned, you need to ask. The details of the grade are on the carton and casing of every monitor sold. It is only the monitors that are in top group that are guaranteed by the manufacturer (and the retailer in turn) to have no defective pixels. These monitors usually cost a considerable amount more than a standard one. Because of this, the public are often misled when they use the old adage of high price = high quality. Your paying for it to be dead pixel free primarily - quality may not be relevant.

When you buy a monitor that is not in this top-grade, you are taking a risk that it will have dead pixels. The next grade down from the top grade will very probably have one or two dead pixels and from there down as far as grading goes, it gets worse.Some could have a dozen or more and can still be sold as "brand new" and "fit for the purpose" in law.

This is a classic case of caveat emptor and you are assumed to be aware of these facts when you buy the monitor. The retailer doesn't have to point it out to you. After you buy the monitor, there's no comeback and trading standards will be totally disinterested. If you want to change it, you can try negotiating with the retailer, but he doesn't have to exchange it as it's not "faulty".

I do appreciate that what I've just said appears to be contrary to the Sale of Goods Act as amended and other consumer law, but there it is. After having spent many years in the industry, I still can't figure out exactly how laws were bypassed over dead pixels but thank God it's about the only thing that the consumer doesn't technically have a leg to stand on in law.

[wildwood]

hairygrape, while I do find your contribution interesting, I fail to see how the information harrison56 was given can be correct. If all new monitors come out with dead pixels how can any manufacturer can offer a zero dead pixel warranty. Even Cibox monitors don't all come out with dead pixels, although a fair amount do.

[hairygrape]

Wildwood, my apologies. Clearly, I should have clarified the points I made.

The point I was making was that NOT ALL monitors are released from the factories dead pixel free. The premium range monitors are tested and if they don't have a single dead pixel, they are sold as the top grade. If the manufacturing line only produces top grade monitors, the displays on those with dead pixels present are either scrapped (in the case of Sony and a few others) or graded to a lower grade depending on the number of dead pixels present.

If your prepared to pay for a monitor that's completely dead pixel free that is what you'll get and the warranty will reflect that. Unless the monitor is in this top grade, dead pixels are excluded from the warranty.

As an example, if you send a bog-standard monitor in for servicing within the twelve month warranty with say, a dead power supply, the monitor will be returned to you in a working condition. You can neither ask nor expect the service agent to fit a new display on the basis of it having dead pixels. They are simply not covered by the warranty. In the case of a premium monitor, the display would be replaced.

The bottom line is that if you've bought a bog-standard monitor and it's without a single dead pixel, count yourself very lucky. Most bog-standard monitors are not like that and if you want to exchange it, it's up to the goodwill of the retailer.

I have dealings with a well known monitor manufacturer that produces millions of them per year. They've admitted to me that quality control surveys have shown that in their basic range of monitors, they churn out no more than around 50 monitors annually that are completely dead pixel free.