Bought a 27" iMac Refurb, nothing but issues

[Khabbi]

I decided to bite the bullet and replace my aged iMac with a new one, so I sprung for a refurb- 27-inch iMac 3.3GHz Quad-core Intel Core i5 with Retina 5K display (october 2015).

Set the machine up and started a time machine restore, only to have the machine randomly re-boot after about 20 minutes.

rebooted everything and re-started the time machine restore, only to have the machine again reset after about an hour in.

I spoke with Apple and they just told me to take it in to the Apple store and have them look at it. No way I'm keeping a refurb that has issues right out of the box! If they didn't figure out the problems on this one before, I'm not going to bank on them figuring it out now. So refund it is.

I had the machine shipped 1-day, so it cost me $40... they told me that I will not get my shipping costs back even though the machine they sent me is defective.

After dealing with this for hours on end and accomplishing nothing, I'm completely frustrated. I've never been a person to go for a refurb, but everything I've read on here tells me they are reliable. I guess it's just my bad luck!!

Now I have to drag this thing into the Apple store for a refund tomorrow. UGH. And the worst part? I'm eating the $40 and will have no computer. Thanks, Apple!

 

[varian55zx]

This is why I just advise to buy from B&H, Adorama, or powermax.

None of those sites charge sales tax so you end up paying about what a refurb would cost for a new one (returbs have tax).

In addition to that, those sites often have sales.

I bought mine brand new from B&H and have had literally zero software or hardware issues.

 

[macmee]

This is why I just advise to buy from B&H, Adorama, or powermax.

None of those sites charge sales tax so you end up paying about what a refurb would cost for a new one (returbs have tax).

In addition to that, those sites often have sales.

I bought mine brand new from B&H and have had literally zero software or hardware issues.

assuming ^ OP is in the US here? I wish I could avoid paying sales tax here in Canada. 15%!

 

[chscag]

assuming ^ OP is in the US here? I wish I could avoid paying sales tax here in Canada. 15%!

Ah, but think of all that free medical care you're getting!

 

[BorderingOn]

Did you try using it for a while without restoring the backup?

 

[macmee]

Ah, but think of all that free medical care you're getting!

You would be hard pressed to find many Canadians who would prefer The US healthcare system to ours. Also the amount of negativity in Canada surrounding your recent election isn't making the US a very appealing place to move to right now either. Of course, less taxes are always nice though

 

[varian55zx]

assuming ^ OP is in the US here? I wish I could avoid paying sales tax here in Canada. 15%!

Very true, in the US you won't have to pay tax with those sites but I assume it would be a different situation for other countries. Great deal here in the states!

 

[Flynnstone]

You would be hard pressed to find many Canadians who would prefer The US healthcare system to ours. Also the amount of negativity in Canada surrounding your recent election isn't making the US a very appealing place to move to right now either. Of course, less taxes are always nice though

There is no free health care in Canada. Its paid through taxes. Taxes aren't really much less when you factor in health insurance costs and social security. And property taxes are killer here in Texas.

 

[macmee]

Very true, in the US you won't have to pay tax with those sites but I assume it would be a different situation for other countries. Great deal here in the states!

I travel to the states semi-regularly so I could probably use these sites to order a macbook I guess, but an iMac might be pushing it as they're quite hard to transport

There is no free health care in Canada. Its paid through taxes. Taxes aren't really much less when you factor in health insurance costs and social security. And property taxes are killer here in Texas.

Yeah I've heard some states get murdered in property taxes, like Florida. Also, when I was working in California and paying income taxes there, I was paying pretty much exactly what I would've paid where I live in Canada atm, and in fact, income taxes in California for me were more (by a considerable amount) than what I would pay if I lived in Ontario, Canada.

 

[TinHead88]

Do not restore from a Time Machine backup! You should install the latest OS then test to see if the machine is running ok. Then you can transfer the data from your old iMac. I would suggest just copying files you need and setting things up from scratch to have a clean install. The riskier option is to use Migration Assistant to do it automatically but you may get some junk that way.

Time Machine restores are meant only for the original machine they came from!

 

[varian55zx]

Do not restore from a Time Machine backup! You should install the latest OS then test to see if the machine is running ok. Then you can transfer the data from your old iMac. I would suggest just copying files you need and setting things up from scratch to have a clean install. The riskier option is to use Migration Assistant to do it automatically but you may get some junk that way.

Time Machine restores are meant only for the original machine they came from!

hmm... are you sure about that. Then please explain to me why brand new Macs give you the option to restore from time machine backup. There can't be a backup from that machine, it's brand new

 

[Lankyman]

Ah, but think of all that free medical care you're getting!

20% in UK plus the 'new Apple tax'. Making these products financially unviable. Still, we do get free healthcare.
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Do not restore from a Time Machine backup! You should install the latest OS then test to see if the machine is running ok. Then you can transfer the data from your old iMac. I would suggest just copying files you need and setting things up from scratch to have a clean install. The riskier option is to use Migration Assistant to do it automatically but you may get some junk that way.

Time Machine restores are meant only for the original machine they came from!

No they are not, hence why you have the option to restore to new machine. I always restore from TM to new machine with zero issues.

 

[maflynn]

Now I have to drag this thing into the Apple store for a refund tomorrow. UGH. And the worst part? I'm eating the $40 and will have no computer. Thanks, Apple!

That's a bummer and your experience is the small risk, that you get when buying a refurb.

As for the 40 bucks, yeah, I can see why you want your money back, and it is a little surprising apple didn't budge on this, especially given (relatively) low amount it is - low amount for them anyways.

 

[fathergll]

I agree with BorderingOn.

Just wipe the OS, reinstall the OS and see if you have issues.

 

[Taz Mangus]

This is why I just advise to buy from B&H, Adorama, or powermax.

None of those sites charge sales tax so you end up paying about what a refurb would cost for a new one (returbs have tax).

In addition to that, those sites often have sales.

I bought mine brand new from B&H and have had literally zero software or hardware issues.

Before I bought my late 2015 refurb'd 27" iMac, I had bought a brand new (not-refurb'd) late 2015 27" iMac. I had some issues with that machine and decided to return it for a refund. A few weeks later I decided to buy another iMac and this time I decided to buy a late 2015 refurb'd 27" iMac. I have owned it several weeks and experienced not a single issue with that machine. I also own a new 2015 13" rMBP and a refurb'd 2015 13" rMBP. I have had zero issues with the refurb'd rMBP. Even with paying sales tax I still saved several hundred dollars on the refurb'd unit over what the brand new iMac would have cost me even if I had not paid sales tax.
[doublepost=1479918224][/doublepost]

I decided to bite the bullet and replace my aged iMac with a new one, so I sprung for a refurb- 27-inch iMac 3.3GHz Quad-core Intel Core i5 with Retina 5K display (october 2015).

Set the machine up and started a time machine restore, only to have the machine randomly re-boot after about 20 minutes.

rebooted everything and re-started the time machine restore, only to have the machine again reset after about an hour in.

I spoke with Apple and they just told me to take it in to the Apple store and have them look at it. No way I'm keeping a refurb that has issues right out of the box! If they didn't figure out the problems on this one before, I'm not going to bank on them figuring it out now. So refund it is.

I had the machine shipped 1-day, so it cost me $40... they told me that I will not get my shipping costs back even though the machine they sent me is defective.

After dealing with this for hours on end and accomplishing nothing, I'm completely frustrated. I've never been a person to go for a refurb, but everything I've read on here tells me they are reliable. I guess it's just my bad luck!!

Now I have to drag this thing into the Apple store for a refund tomorrow. UGH. And the worst part? I'm eating the $40 and will have no computer. Thanks, Apple!

When I returned my iMac I called Apple up and they sent me a return shipping tag, you can arrange to have the shipping company come to your house and pickup the iMac. Apple even refunded me back the extra shipping charges I paid the first time. Surprised that they are not going to refund the shipping charges. If you called AppleCare the first time I suggest you call 1-800-MY-APPLE this time and explain the situation. That is what I did and they were the ones that arranged for a complete refund, even shipping charges.

Sorry that you are having issues but it does happen some times. The new iMac I had recently had an issue, so it can happen with new computers as well. The refurb'd late 2015 iMac I bought several weeks ago has had no issues, so contrary to what some are saying, refurb'd is a great way to save money.

 

[varian55zx]

Before I bought my late 2015 refurb'd 27" iMac, I had bought a brand new (not-refurb'd) late 2015 27" iMac. I had some issues with that machine and decided to return it for a refund. A few weeks later I decided to buy another iMac and this time I decided to buy a late 2015 refurb'd 27" iMac. I have owned it several weeks and experienced not a single issue with that machine. I also own a new 2015 13" rMBP and a refurb'd 2015 13" rMBP. I have had zero issues with the refurb'd rMBP. Even with paying sales tax I still saved several hundred dollars on the refurb'd unit over what the brand new iMac would have cost me even if I had not paid sales tax.

I found the exact same config I bought (3.3 i5, 512 SSD, M395) on the refurb store and it was something like $30 less than buying the model brand new. The only difference was it had 16GB of RAM vs the 8GB that my machine came with.

I thought spending the extra $30 and the RAM cost was worth the piece of mind at the time. I haven't upgraded my machine from the stock 8GB, but in all honesty I plan on doing so. though my machine is performing just fine because I don't use it for anything too demanding.

I would need a savings of at least $200+ to look at a refurb seriously, and my thinking at the time is I may not even go for it then. Of course, many have had great luck with their refurbs. But you cannot deny it is "used". It's a used machine. I know how many times I've dropped stuff before returning it, or there have been imperfections that only I knew about because they were slight and then I returned the item anyway. So that remains a consideration of mine.

 

[Gregintosh]

I would have tried it with a clean setup and see if that works. A lot of people have issues with time machine even on existing units so it's not unbelievable that the problem was the time machine backup and not the computer.

Would like to hear if you tried a normal clean install also. Otherwise we will see another thread soon about how Apple is garbage and despite buying 5 different units none of them work when it's really the backup's fault.

 

[cincygolfgrrl]

I had the machine shipped 1-day, so it cost me $40... they told me that I will not get my shipping costs back even though the machine they sent me is defective.

The shipping choice was yours, not Apple's. I suspect if you'd just chosen the standard option it would be no problem.

 

[havokalien]

Time machine is hit or miss. I also suggest fresh install and import from old mac, not backup.

 

[Khabbi]

Correct, but I have a reasonable expectation that their product would perform as advertised, especially given the fact that this was sold as a refurbished item and had been returned due to some type of defect (or another reason).

If their computer worked, the shipping would not have been an issue.. it is only an issue due to the defective product that arrived from their distribution center.

Not sure how you could think I should have to pay shipping on this, especially when we're talking a defective product. If I had just decided I did not want it, that would be another thing and I'd happily pay it then.

 

[Shark5150]

I travel to the states semi-regularly so I could probably use these sites to order a macbook I guess, but an iMac might be pushing it as they're quite hard to transport



Yeah I've heard some states get murdered in property taxes, like Florida. Also, when I was working in California and paying income taxes there, I was paying pretty much exactly what I would've paid where I live in Canada atm, and in fact, income taxes in California for me were more (by a considerable amount) than what I would pay if I lived in Ontario, Canada.

Property taxes in Florida are not high compared to PA, NY,NJ, CA...etc. Theyre quite reasonable.

 

[qs933]

When you take it to the store and they can reproduce the problem indicating that the machine was defective, I would agree that Apple should refund the $40 expedited shipping. I don't think that's unreasonable. Maybe the store/store manager will have more leeway?

Now if the issue is actually a corrupt Time Machine backup, that's another issue. I'd also agree with those who suggested it -- you should try a non-Time Machine first-time setup and see if the problem still occurs.

I've bought both new and refurbs over the last decade -- my MBP refurb started to show signs of graphic card failure after 5 years (Apple already replaced it once while it was under AppleCare), while my 2011 mini purchased new also lasted only 5 years. I replaced the mini with a 2015 iMac refurb last week -- really happy with it so far.

The only thing I noticed is that it doesn't have a strong "new Mac" smell that I was used to with new hardware -- or maybe my sense of smell is going.

 

[macmee]

Property taxes in Florida are not high compared to PA, NY,NJ, CA...etc. Theyre quite reasonable.

Florida has really low/no state income tax though right? How do they compensate?

 

[maflynn]

Time machine is hit or miss

How so? I've never had an issue with TM, all my data that I expect to be backed up is in fact backed up. The restores when needed, worked as I had hoped. Admittedly, I use TM for file restores and CCC for full system restores, because Carbon Copy Cloner is much faster at restoring a full system.

 

[62tele]

I decided to bite the bullet and replace my aged iMac with a new one, so I sprung for a refurb- 27-inch iMac 3.3GHz Quad-core Intel Core i5 with Retina 5K display (october 2015).

Set the machine up and started a time machine restore, only to have the machine randomly re-boot after about 20 minutes.

rebooted everything and re-started the time machine restore, only to have the machine again reset after about an hour in.

I spoke with Apple and they just told me to take it in to the Apple store and have them look at it. No way I'm keeping a refurb that has issues right out of the box! If they didn't figure out the problems on this one before, I'm not going to bank on them figuring it out now. So refund it is.

I had the machine shipped 1-day, so it cost me $40... they told me that I will not get my shipping costs back even though the machine they sent me is defective.

After dealing with this for hours on end and accomplishing nothing, I'm completely frustrated. I've never been a person to go for a refurb, but everything I've read on here tells me they are reliable. I guess it's just my bad luck!!

Now I have to drag this thing into the Apple store for a refund tomorrow. UGH. And the worst part? I'm eating the $40 and will have no computer. Thanks, Apple!

I have purchased two refurbished Macs and never had a problem with either. I took the plunge because of the positive things most folks say about buying refurbs. However, as your case indicates, they are not a sure thing just like you can get a defective unit when purchasing new.