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Yoursh

macrumors 6502
Original poster
May 28, 2006
326
0
MN
I will be purchasing a stock 1.83 Macbook this week, possibly today. (may change depending on WWDC) My final decision is where to buy it. I've looked around and come up with my top 3 but I'm unsure of witch one to go with in regards to returns. If I have any problems with it I want a place that will be easy to deal with if I have to send/take it back for another one. Here's my list.

Apple Store-several in my area/most likely in stock/easiest to get to if I need to return it.
Compusa-5% off all Apple sytems this week in my area.
Amazon.com-$100 rebate

Is the discounts worth the extra hassle of not buying directly from Apple? I would like to hear from people who have bought from them. I have bought from the online Apple store several times and had shipping problems each time, so I don't want to go thru the online store again. I don't think I'm elagable for the edu discount.(only took 1 course at my local uni. for my job) So any advice/experience would help. Thanks.
 

dmw007

macrumors G4
May 26, 2005
10,635
0
Working for MI-6
I have always bought my Macs directly from Apple, but if you can get it cheaper somewhere else, I say go for it. :)


You may be eligible for a student discount if you are currently still enrolled for any classes (taking them now or in the future) at the college that you have attended. :)
 

michaelrjohnson

macrumors 68020
Aug 9, 2000
2,180
5
53132
I would go with Apple directly. (And use the student discount if you can.)
I somehow feel comfort knowing that my purchase was direct, that there are no third parties between me and Apple in the event of a repair, etc.
 

Yoursh

macrumors 6502
Original poster
May 28, 2006
326
0
MN
Unfortunatly the course was just a single one I needed to attend for my job. I did get some uni. credits for it but that's about it. The 5% off at Compusa would equal the edu. discount for the 1.83 model. My main concern for Compusa is if they will have that model in stock and what is their policies if I get a lemon unit, since they don't specialize in Apple products. I'm a instant gratification guy, so I would prefer to be able to get one the same day I decide to buy one.
 

psziel

macrumors member
Jan 29, 2006
33
0
Chicago,Illinois
i ordered mine from the apple refurb store. got it real quick. the machine was flawless and had that new macbook smell! :D i have ordered my last few from the refurb store and been happy. Plus mine does NOT have the moo or any other issues that people have had with theres!
 

aristobrat

macrumors G5
Oct 14, 2005
12,292
1,403
I bought my MacBook Pro from CompUSA earlier this summer. Their policy (at least here in Virginia) is that within the first 21 days, if you're not satisfied for any reason, you can bring it back and swap it for another one, swap it for anything else in their store (if what you swap for is cheaper, they'll issue you store credit for the difference in price), or get your entire purchase amount back as a store credit.

What impressed me with CompUSA is that after exchanging 2 MacBook Pros for heat issues, they gave me a full refund (not a store credit) without any hassle, even though that's not their normal policy.

I ordered my MacBook from amazon.com a month or two later. The only "problem" I had was that I wanted it shipped overnight but it got held up for 2-3 days because they had to manually call AMEX to verify that it wasn't a fraudulent transaction. (It was the first time I used my AMEX for a big purchase w/ Amazon).
 

kbonnel

macrumors 6502
Mar 1, 2004
471
2
In a nice place..
I ordered mine from Amazon, and did overnight shipping. Worked out great. I wanted to order from Apple's refurb store, but they had a 7 - 10 day wait for the black MB, and I didn't want to wait. Now we will see how long it takes to get the $100 MIRB.

Kimo
 

aristobrat

macrumors G5
Oct 14, 2005
12,292
1,403
I was all excited because Amazon in the US was doing online rebates vs. mail-in rebates (thinking that it'd arrive in my hot little hands sooner), but it took about just as long. Not having to mail everything in was nice though. :)
 

Yoursh

macrumors 6502
Original poster
May 28, 2006
326
0
MN
Well the cheapskate won out. I ordered my Macbook from amazon, it is due either end of the week or more likely monday. I just hope mine doesn't have any problems. I'm crossing my fingers.
 

®îçhå®?

macrumors 68000
Mar 7, 2006
1,826
2
If you dont need it for another week or so, buy it off the Apple Refurb Store. It is a hell of a lot cheaper.
 

aristobrat

macrumors G5
Oct 14, 2005
12,292
1,403
®îçhå®? said:
If you dont need it for another week or so, buy it off the Apple Refurb Store. It is a hell of a lot cheaper.
FWIW, it's only US$50 cheaper than Amazon.
 

vacationgirl

macrumors newbie
Feb 1, 2006
8
0
I ordered my iMac from Amazon with the rebate. It is the same as getting the ed disc. and you also save extra $$$ cause there is no tax.
 

Jamesw

macrumors member
Jun 4, 2006
83
0
Got hooked up with the MacBook Pro from Apple refurb store.
There was damages to the machine right out of the box.
Called up Applecare and they said NO PROBLEM!
I have to drop off my laptop at the supply depot 7kms away from my house.
Wait 2-3 days for the repair and WALLA. New laptop.
Kinda dissapointed but with AppleCARE BY MY side it is okay.
BTW, I payed $1699 + 7% tax.
 

Yoursh

macrumors 6502
Original poster
May 28, 2006
326
0
MN
I thought about the refurb store but as I stated in my first post I'm reluctant to buy from Apple's online store. Their website's fine but I've had 3 different Apple orders to 3 different addresses get screwed up via fedex. My ibook was left on a doorstep in an unsecured apartment complex, my ipod was almost shipped back to Apple when the delivery person didn't knock on my brothers door, and some accesories were delivered to the business across the street from my house that I had to go and retreive. Untill Apple ships through someone else I'm going to avoid ordering from their online store.

After breaking down the costs, I found Amazon had the cheapest price due to not paying tax and the rebate on the Macbook. Besides, I never had problems with any orders from them. My only concern is if I have problems right out of the box do I return it to amazon or go to one of my local Genius bars for assistance. I know my odds of having a bad system are genrally low but you never know.

Note:ETA 8/14-8/15
 

admanimal

macrumors 68040
Apr 22, 2005
3,531
2
Here's another question about ordering from Amazon vs. Apple:

We know with Macbooks that it's better to get one that has been made more recently in order to potentially avoid the common problems. When you buy direct from Apple, you usually will get one that was made as recently as possible. Is this the case with Amazon? I suppose it comes down to how they manage their inventory/how many they are selling.
 

Yoursh

macrumors 6502
Original poster
May 28, 2006
326
0
MN
We know with Macbooks that it's better to get one that has been made more recently in order to potentially avoid the common problems. When you buy direct from Apple, you usually will get one that was made as recently as possible. Is this the case with Amazon? I suppose it comes down to how they manage their inventory/how many they are selling.

I was wondering the same thing. Right before I ordered mine Amazon showed that they only had 3 left in stock then about 16 hrs. later it didn't have that warning when I ordered. Did they get more "newer' units in? I guess I'll find out when I get mine in early next week.

Q: What week # would be the newest units?
 

flyers1

macrumors newbie
Jul 7, 2005
20
0
I ordered mine from macmall. No tax plus $100 rebate. I really wanted to go to the local Apple store to buy it in person but I couldn't justify the extra cost of buying it in person. Amazon was out of stock at the time otherwise I would have ordered from them.
 

Yoursh

macrumors 6502
Original poster
May 28, 2006
326
0
MN
Well just got it in today and currently updating while writing this. Here's my opinion so far after 3+ hrs of use.

-week 29 unit
-no moo, adapter buzz, discolorization
-one dead pixal on lower end 1/4 in from right side. not worth complaining about since it is hard to see in the dock.(my ibook had one in the same area and I never noticed it until right before I sold it)
-does get warm but it doesn't bother me. I rarely use my notebook on my lap. I've gottn' my ibook just as hot.
-holy crap the screens bright!!!!! I've seen these things in the store but never realized how bright they are until I had it side by side to my ibook.
-KB is nice. spacing isn't a problem and looks like all keys work correctly.
-trackpad button going to take some time to get use to. it doesn't have as hard of a click as my ibook. it's easy to take force off of it without noticing while dragging something across the screen.

Well that's it for now. I'll finish updating it then transfer important files. I also need to do the Amazon rebate.
 
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