Refurbished Apple Products - is it worth it?

[TGF]

hi,

i was wondering if any of you guys had experience of buying refurbished apple products from apple's refurbished store...

are the sacrifices you are making in not having a new product worth the lower price? if so, what kind of sacrifices are you having to make? if you are being purely spartan about it: are you only paying the extra amount for a new one for the knowledge that no one else has used it before?

or, are they really bad?

Thanks guys!
Happy Easter!

[Horrortaxi]

What sacrifice are you making? The way I see it you're taking the same chance with anything you buy. It might have a problem but it probably won't. It's covered by warranty just like a new one so I really don't know what the difference is.

I'll bet that a lot of refurbs have never had a problem. People buy something, then change their minds and return it. Apple can't resell them as new so they sell them as refubished.

They aren't always available. That's the toughest thing about them.

I wouldn't worry.

[Dont Hurt Me]

I dont know but i think Urdam will agree.

[Urdam]

You're right, I do agree

[Dont Hurt Me]

LOL :D

[applefan]

I was planning to buy my son a new 12" G4 ibook, but then I saw a 12" referbed PB on Apple's web site. The specs were slightly better and the price was about $100 less. The PB warrantee was the same as new. It came with two very small scratches on the top, otherwise it was perfect.

I think when I need a new PB, I'll look at referbs first.

[James Craner]

A friend at work has just purchased a refurb iBook from the Apple UK store. It was perfect, without a scratch and is very happy with it.

[realityisterror]

i bought a refurb imac last september that has been perfect. it might be a bit louder than a new machine, but i don't know for sure. there is just a small brown spot on the back of the machine...

just remember that, as with all problems, you're most likely to hear about the purchases gone wrong than the happy stories. most people who got a perfect alu15" or refurb unit don't say anything; however, anyone who had a problem will post it. this makes it seem like all machines had issues which is not true..

reality

[Jovian9]

My wife has had a refurb 2G 10GB iPod and now a refurb 3G 20GB iPod....I have had a refurb 2G 20GB iPod and now a refurb 3G 40GB iPod. We also have a refurb 17" Aluminum PowerBook. I had a defective battery with the PowerBook and that's the only problem I've had with these refurbished products. On my iMac 17" I've had the LCD replaced and the SuperDrive replaced......and that is not a refurbished product. I am very happy with my refurbs. I've actually had more problems with 1 new Apple product than I have had with 5 refurbished Apple products. Hope this helps.

[nbs2]

Ignoring the fact that it feels like forever that I've been waiting for my PB (it's only been since Wednesday morning), I've never had a refurb of any type be bad. Like it was noted above, they are few and far between sometimes. I waited about 10-14 days for the 1.25 15 to show up on the Apple website. If you are looking for something in particular, I'd check fairly often. When it gets here, I'll post some pictures so you can see the condition.

[ToddW]

FWIW I received my refurb PB 15" loaded and it was in immaculate condition. Looked brand spanking new to me!

[Gherkin]

Is there anyway to add more RAM or a larger HD to the refurbs?

At $400 below the MSRP, the $1,599 15" PB is looking tempting. The Education Discount won't bring this done any lower, will it?

[Gherkin]

Then again, with the Education Discount, I can get a brand new 15" PB w/ double the RAM, 20 GB larger HD, and Airport card for $450 more.

[ToddW]

not from the factory. you can add more RAM after you receive the PB, upgrading the hard drive, and correct me if I am wrong, will void the warranty.

[Koodauw]

Downside:

I beleive your stuff comes in a generic cardboard box, (but a high end one at that) and not the Official Retail box.

No custom configuration.

Upside:

The boatload of money you just saved.

[Koodauw]

I dont know but i think Urdam will agree.

So I've ran across a couple of posts by Urdam. All the posts are the title. And there is tons of them. What is he up to?

[Maverick]

I'm the proud owner of a refurb 15" PB. It came in the retail box, and if I hadn't ordered it myself I never would have been able to tell it was a refurb. It was flawless out of the box...no dents or scratches, no dead pixels, and not even any screen issues (white spots, dim area in the lower left corner) like people have been reporting. I'll strictly buy refurb units from now on.

In contrast, my brother bought a brand new iBook last year (800 MHz G3), suffered the logic board issue 3 times, had the backlight in the screen go out, suffered through a faulty Airport antenna and then a bad network card. I'm not saying all brand new machines will have problems like this, but man, was he ever ticked off. :D