macbook air - Open box at Best Buy, or Refurb from eBay?

dsutton01 said:

Hi everyone. Hoping to get a few opinions about a macbook air.

Is it worth saving the $60 to get the refurb model?

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I would keep what you have. It works and you have no issue with it. Another one "could" have an issue (I've had a fantastic experience with refurbs and buy them without hesitation) and if you had to mail it back for a repair / exchange for any reason it would eat up savings and time. For $60 I would stay put. Just my thoughts.

$60 is $60 but it's up to you. Plus if you're taking advantage of the 18 month free financing that should soften the blow a bit too.

A.

I would keep what you have because even though the eBay model should be backed by a warranty of some kind they can't give you the ability to repurchase the Best Buy floor model. If something goes wrong with the eBay one you won't (likely) be able to get the Best Buy one back. You'll be stuck hoping for another quality open box or paying full price.

Warning about Best Buy Open Box Purchase

I purchased my MacBook Air from Best Buy on an "open box" basis in May 2012. They told me that it was a display, just removed from the box. I assumed I had the Apple warranty with it. No one said anything to the contrary. When I took the computer to the Apple store a few days ago to talk about an issue I was having, they checked on the serial number and discovered that my MacBook Air had been bought by someone else in December 2011 and apparently returned to Best Buy, and the warranty was over, because it ran December 2011 to December 2012. The Apple store suggested I call the 800 number for Apple, and they said that Apple would honor the warranty from May 2012-May 2013 if I produced my receipt. I called them, but they would not honor it. I had planned on buying Apple Care, so they did allow me to do that, but running from the original December date. Basically I lost out on an extra 5 months of warranty that I would have had if the unit had been new as represented by Best Buy. The bottom line is, CHECK WITH APPLE to make sure your item is "NEW" and the warranty is in place. Needless to say, I am not very happy with Best Buy, and won't be purchasing any more big ticket items there.

dsutton01 said:

Thanks guys - good points, and it probably makes sense to just keep it. It's my first mac, and other then not having enough storage (and I will probably upgrade to a 256), I just can't get used to the keyboard commands (i'm a windows guy). Not sure i'm going to manage!

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You will use as much storage as you buy. I have 500gb on my current laptop but could easily live with 128 on a new MBA (or anything else). The additional storage is not necessary to me due to the massive storage capabilities that can be purchased easily.

dbroncos78087 said:

You will use as much storage as you buy. I have 500gb on my current laptop but could easily live with 128 on a new MBA (or anything else). The additional storage is not necessary to me due to the massive storage capabilities that can be purchased easily.

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It depends from your needs. I use my MBA with 128GB as a primary PC and I'd need much more. Just for itunes library, and backup of one ipad and two iphones requires more than 50-60GB. Having an hard disk connected all the time isn't that funny and reduce your use of peripherals (only 2 usb in the machine). Even 256gb can be quite a small capacity.

sandra.parker said:

I purchased my MacBook Air from Best Buy on an "open box" basis in May 2012. They told me that it was a display, just removed from the box. I assumed I had the Apple warranty with it. No one said anything to the contrary. When I took the computer to the Apple store a few days ago to talk about an issue I was having, they checked on the serial number and discovered that my MacBook Air had been bought by someone else in December 2011 and apparently returned to Best Buy, and the warranty was over, because it ran December 2011 to December 2012. The Apple store suggested I call the 800 number for Apple, and they said that Apple would honor the warranty from May 2012-May 2013 if I produced my receipt. I called them, but they would not honor it. I had planned on buying Apple Care, so they did allow me to do that, but running from the original December date. Basically I lost out on an extra 5 months of warranty that I would have had if the unit had been new as represented by Best Buy. The bottom line is, CHECK WITH APPLE to make sure your item is "NEW" and the warranty is in place. Needless to say, I am not very happy with Best Buy, and won't be purchasing any more big ticket items there.

Click to expand...

I would go back to best buy and try to get some satisfaction, can't hurt
they misled you.

help4desk said:

It depends from your needs. I use my MBA with 128GB as a primary PC and I'd need much more. Just for itunes library, and backup of one ipad and two iphones requires more than 50-60GB. Having an hard disk connected all the time isn't that funny and reduce your use of peripherals (only 2 usb in the machine). Even 256gb can be quite a small capacity.

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Point taken, everyone else's wants and needs are different. But you can change the backup location for your phones and ipad. But rest assured I know what you mean on this. I manage 5 iPads and 2 iPhones for myself, brother, dad, and grandparents. I use my Mac Mini for that.