refurb MacBook

[cartmell]

Hi

I am thinking of buying a refurbished black macbook from apple but I'm a little concerned of the condition it could be in. I would want to get something full of scratches. I would rather just pay the extra cash for something thats pristene.

I know that each macbook will be different but can anyone tell me the condition of their refurbished macbook and what should i be expecting? Can apple confirm the condition?

And has anybody received any extras?

thanks

 

[Helianthus]

My macbook came with a bit of small scratches on it, but that was because of how they shipped it. I'm certain that before they put it in the box, it looked brand new. I'm almost certain that the macbook that you buy will look brand new when you get it as well!

 

[MacDann]

I have purchased a number of refurbished products from Apple over the years, and other than coming in plain cardboard boxes, they have been as-new.

I just bought a 15" CD MacBook Pro last month, and you can't tell that it was ever touched.

MD

 

[lord patton]

Mine (well, my wife's) was brand new perfect, complete with bonus ram.

Although, this particular MacBook was manufactured just a week or two before they announced the C2D MacBooks, so it's possible mine was never owned by anyone (just overstock of a discontinued item).

 

[NewbieNerd]

...and other than coming in plain cardboard boxes...
MD

What do you mean they come in plain cardboard boxes? It doesn't come with the normal macbook or whatever box/packaging?

 

[xJulianx]

What do you mean they come in plain cardboard boxes? It doesn't come with the normal macbook or whatever box/packaging?

Thats right.

 

[MacDann]

What do you mean they come in plain cardboard boxes? It doesn't come with the normal macbook or whatever box/packaging?

True. While you get everything that would normally come with a new product, the packaging is a plain cardboard box. Unless you're a fanatic about the cool packaging (and who doesn't just love the way they package things!) it's the only difference between new and refurb product besides the cost.

As an earlier poster mentioned, you sometimes get "courtesy upgrades." While I have never been lucky enough to get any myself, I know people who have. This might be in the form of additional memory, a Superdrive instead of a Combo, etc.

I am convinced that refurb is the way to go in many cases. I have bought new and refurb products, both with AppleCare, and never had to use it during the products' life.

MD

 

[luminosity]

I'm clearly the first owner of my refurb MBP, which I received yesterday. It arrived in pristine condition.

 

[schmintan]

my refurbed MBP had some nasty scratches on the back of the base, and around the lid opening button on the front. they almost looked like they were done with keys or something, and could never have gotten there with regular wear and tear. it also had two spots of about 7 - 10 pixels each that were stuck permanently on bright blue. this was unbelieveably annoying when using an app with a white background as they were very obvious. As its a refurb, apple said they couldnt replace the machine, as there was no other refurb of similar spec to replace it with so i just got my money back and bought a new MBP. a little more expensive, but totally worth it. as a good will gesture for the state of the refurb i got, they gave me 150 quid off my new MBP which sealed the deal. I would never go with refurb again, but a lot of people swear by it. at the end of the day you have to realise you are getting a potentially used computer and even apple's site state there can be wear and tear on the computers.

heres a quote from the apple web site:

They are in 100% working condition, and are then sold as refurbished product. As these refurbished products have been unpacked and manipulated, they might however exhibit some minor cosmetic imperfection, such as scratches, marks or discolorations.

that comes from this link http://store.apple.com/Catalog/irl/Images/apple_certified.html

so its up to you. you are taking a slight risk for a little bit of a saving.