In a 15-year-career around technology, business and marketing I’ve written thousands of articles, but I’ve never written a complaint piece based on personal experience. This is the first.

My two-month-old $3,000 MacBook Pro Retina notebook has been suffering from image burn-in. This is a commonly reported problem among customers. At the time of this writing, there is a 243-page thread on Apple’s own message board about this.

In addition, my screen has been developing white spots. It started with one spot, and now, somehow they are mating and having offspring. Today, there are five of them. This, too, is widely reported.

Both problems are getting worse with each passing week.

I’ve owned a dozen or more notebook computers and, and have probably used hundreds of LCD monitors in my life. I’ve never had these problems:

Above, a photo of my screen. The two windows pictured were there for two minutes. The bottom window was of Apple’s Web site. You can still make out the products that were shown!

Above, three of the white dots, in a triangular pattern.

So, to the Genius Bar I went.

The “genius” spent a few minutes with me, acknowledged the problem, left to go to the back behind a door, likely to check with his supervisor, and came back to run a test.

Apple, apparently, has created a four-minute test to check the problem. First, a black-and-white checkerboard appeared on my screen for three minutes. Then a a very dark gray screen came up for a minute. It was nearly black, probably 80 percent of the way to black.

After this test, we looked at my screen, and could no longer see remnants of the checkerboard. He went to the back again, and returned a few minutes later. Here is the conversation we had:

Genius: “I have good news and bad news. The good news is that your computer is fine. The bad news is we’re going to have to change how you use it.”

Me: “Sorry?”

Genius: “You need to use a screen saver more.”

Me: “But I actually need to use my laptop for work. I can’t have the screen saver up while I work.”

Genius: “You’re leaving the windows up too long.”

Me: “But they were up for just a minute here and we could see the burn-in.” (Thinking: Yeah, I leave them up long enough to accomplish the current task of business, like writing!)

Genius: “Your computer tests within spec.”

Me: “What about the white dots?”

Genius: “You’re holding it wrong! Those are pressure marks.”

Me: “Are you serious?”

Genius (demonstrating now): “You should hold it by the edges, never by the body or monitor.”

Me: “But I’ve had at least five MacBook Pros before and never had this problem.”

Genius: “But you’ve never had a Retina!”

Just like that!

I’ve never had a Retina.

There’s no problem with the Retina, I was screwing it up. The customer was ruining the product. Never mind that there are thousands of others dealing with the same issue. We’re all screwing up.

I was leaving windows open too long. This GENIUS was telling me I was holding my laptop wrong!

And then it dawned on me: Apple made a test that probably guarantees screens will test “within spec.” The nearly black screen they put up for a minute acts as a screen saver and removes the ghosting from the screen. And so, we are stuck with a $3,000 to $5,000 notebook with a faulty display. Here’s the kicker: most of us bought the MacBook Pro Retina precisely because of the revolutionary and highly touted display!

I want to be clear here: I’ve studied Apple’s marketing and customer service deeply, and have created my Evangelist Marketing book, system and approach to helping clients based largely around Apple. There must be at least 100 articles about Apple here on this blog, at least 99 percent of them positive. I love Apple. In my family alone, we’ve probably purchased 50 or more Apple products.

But this experience is simply not acceptable. Instead of thrilling customers, as Apple is known to do, the company is accusing them of ruining it faulty products. In fact, it has created a process to turn away customers with this problem. You can find many others having the same experience as I’ve had in that thread I link to above.

In this case, Apple has systematized disappointing customers. 

What kind of customer service is this? What kind of marketing is this? What kinds of feelings does this create in customers?

The problem has stayed relatively off the radar because not many people can afford a MacBook Pro Retina notebook. If this were the iPhone, with its exponential volume and attention, there would have been a return or repair process implemented a month ago.

Let’s hope it’s a one-off mistake, rather than a long-term shift in thinking and approach to the customer.

After so many years of satisfaction, I’m willing to give Apple the courtesy and benefit of the doubt that the genius wouldn’t reciprocate.

One of the defining characteristics of customer evangelists that I detail in my book is that they are forgiving. Evangelists believe you have their best interests at heart, and that mistakes are honest and will be fixed honestly.

Prove me right, Apple.

Update 1 (Added Wednesday September 26): I received a phone call from the supervisor at the Apple Store where I had this experience. I had responded to a survey from Apple about my recent Genius Bar experience and they followed up by phone. After hearing my story, he said I should come back in and get my screen replaced. Then he put me on hold and went to talk to the genius who “helped” me. When he came back on the line, he said he needed to see the computer because the white spots are likely pressure marks. Again, he explained I am probably holding my computer wrong. What of the burn-in, I asked? Apparently, it didn’t matter. I asked him why he called, and wished him a nice day.

Update 2 (Wednesday September 26): I phoned AppleCare, the company’s customer service line, which was far more more helpful. The senior technician stated he was aware of the problem, and that the faulty screens are no longer being made in production. He set me up for a screen replacement, which I insisted be done at a different store than the one I dealt with on this. We are set up for a Friday drop-off. I’m curious to see whether this will solve my problem, and whether the burn-in issues will recur.

The Lesson: Call AppleCare, as, at least in my experience, they were helpful about dealing with the problem.