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Refurbished iPhones Available from AT&T

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MacRumors

macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
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30,872






AT&T has started offering refurbished iPhones for discounted prices through their website.

The 8GB Black iPhone is available for $149 ($50 off) while the 16GB (White and Black) are available for $249 ($50 off). We're not sure how much stock is available. The last time AT&T offered refurbished iPhones, they sold out rather quickly.




Article Link: Refurbished iPhones Available from AT&T
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2008/12/17/refurbished-iphones-available-from-atandt/
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ninjadex

macrumors 6502
Jun 1, 2004
328
215
Plus it looks like you can't upgrade your current line. Is this for new customers only?
 
topher2889

topher2889

macrumors regular
Jun 1, 2007
188
0
Wisconsin
Drumjim85 said:
be careful, they only have a 90 day warranty, not the full 1 year.
Click to expand...


Based on what its says "90 days or more..check apple.com" I would think it meant that you get whatever is left of the warranty with that phone's serial but guaranteed at least 90 days. Could get lucky I suppose if this were the case
 
M

mdwsta4

macrumors 65816
Jul 23, 2007
1,300
175
not a very good deal IMO. the original refurbs were like $150 off normal price and you didn't have to sign a contract.

for those talking about 90-day warranties, i'm sure just like the first gen refurbs, if you type in your serial number on apple's site it will tell you how long of a warranty that phone has. then you can contact ATT and they'll extend it a full year from your purchase date. at least that's what happened the first time around.
 
alexbates

alexbates

macrumors 65816
Nov 24, 2008
1,082
0
Georgia, USA
Why wouldn't you get a refurbished iPhone for $50 less? I know the warranty is not as long and it has used hardware. So what's wrong with old hardware if is is the same exact memory and CPU as any other new iPhone? I see buying a refurbished iPhone the same as buying a new iPhone as long as it is restored.
 
C

comacnut

macrumors member
Aug 6, 2007
81
0
I bought one for my wife for Christmas. The first time I tried it wouldn't let me add the refurb I could only set up a new line. I called customer support and they said it was only eligible on new accounts. I tried again a few minutes ago and everything went through fine. The $50 I saved will buy her a nice case and screen protector.
 
T

tys

macrumors 6502
Jan 3, 2008
373
62
comacnut said:
I bought one for my wife for Christmas. The first time I tried it wouldn't let me add the refurb I could only set up a new line. I called customer support and they said it was only eligible on new accounts. I tried again a few minutes ago and everything went through fine. The $50 I saved will buy her a nice case and screen protector.
Click to expand...

So you were able to upgrade an existing line?
Did you do it all online (if so, how?), or over the phone?

thanks,
tys
 
P

plan4

macrumors newbie
Feb 11, 2008
17
0
According to ATT, these are phones that have been returned within the 30 day examination period. They may have "slight" scratches. I was at the last page of the checkout when I decided to buy new. I was imagining just how scratched up a phone could get in 30 days.

For a lot of people, a few scratches are a worthwhile tradeoff for $50, but for me, this time, I want to walk away with a new phone and put my own scratches on it, and fill the ports with my own pocket lint.
 
doodads

doodads

macrumors 6502
Jul 17, 2007
312
22
East BF, TN
comacnut said:
I bought one for my wife for Christmas. The first time I tried it wouldn't let me add the refurb I could only set up a new line. I called customer support and they said it was only eligible on new accounts. I tried again a few minutes ago and everything went through fine. The $50 I saved will buy her a nice case and screen protector.
Click to expand...

You might want to check to make sure you didn't order a new line with the phone. AT&T told me that the refurbs aren't for existing lines. I tried a couple of times to upgrade my son's phone, and the refurb. 3G was never among the available choices.
 
C

comacnut

macrumors member
Aug 6, 2007
81
0
Sorry, I think I described the situation poorly. I am a current customer, the phone is on a new line added to my family plan. The AT&T rep said the phone was for new customers only and could not be added to my family share plan. After a second shot online I was able to add the new line + iPhone to my existing family plan.
 
bytethese

bytethese

macrumors 68030
Jun 20, 2007
2,707
120
mdwsta4 said:
not a very good deal IMO. the original refurbs were like $150 off normal price and you didn't have to sign a contract.

for those talking about 90-day warranties, i'm sure just like the first gen refurbs, if you type in your serial number on apple's site it will tell you how long of a warranty that phone has. then you can contact ATT and they'll extend it a full year from your purchase date. at least that's what happened the first time around.
Click to expand...

Exactly. I was thinking of getting a phone for development and testing on the device. I could always swap my SIM from my phone to my dev phone if I needed to test "normal" functionality or if I just wanted to test accelerometer performance and multi-touch gestures, I can do it on the unactivated device.

Damn it AT&T/Apple, offer me a phone for dev purposes to make my life easier! :)
 
Surely

Surely

Guest
Oct 27, 2007
15,042
11
Los Angeles, CA
These are the parts I don't like:

Some refurbished iPhone 3G devices will have minor scratches.

I guess AT&T gets to define what constitutes "minor".

Refurbished iPhone 3G devices carry a warranty of 90 days or more. For details about the warranty on your refurbished iPhone 3G go to http://www.apple.com/support/oss/.

Is it worth saving $50 to possibly only have a 90 day warranty (yes, I know it could be longer than 90 days, but it most likely won't be the full year).

Quotes are from the AT&T website's explanation of refurbished phones.
 
M

Michael CM1

macrumors 603
Feb 4, 2008
5,681
276
I find it curious that when I followed that link, the $100 unlimited talk time plan was selected by default instead of the $40 plan that most people I know use. Kinda like those dorks at Wendy's who decided to make all of their stuff larger and then charge you more for a medium combo. Just another way of making us have to triple check stuff.

I bought my original iPhone as a refurb and saved $150. I don't think $50 is worth the chance of "minor" scratches, especially since there's no guarantee they aren't on the screen.

I'm also sticking it out until there is at least a 32GB iPhone. I'll probably wait for 64GB because I like the $20/month plan and 200 free texts. But the 3G speed sure would be nice.
 
Surely

Surely

Guest
Oct 27, 2007
15,042
11
Los Angeles, CA
Michael CM1 said:
I don't think $50 is worth the chance of "minor" scratches, especially since there's no guarantee they aren't on the screen.
Click to expand...

I agree. 50 bucks off is also not worth not having the 1 year warranty.

Michael CM1 said:
I'm also sticking it out until there is at least a 32GB iPhone. I'll probably wait for 64GB because I like the $20/month plan and 200 free texts. But the 3G speed sure would be nice.
Click to expand...

3G would be nice, but it's so rare for me to not be on wifi. I really dig the $20/month and 200 free texts. It will take a major hardware change for me to upgrade.
 
doodads

doodads

macrumors 6502
Jul 17, 2007
312
22
East BF, TN
I just went to my account on AT&T, and for my son's existing line, it allowed me to upgrade him to a refurbished 3G phone.
 
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