27" iMac i3 refurb hard disk noise need thoughts/opinions

[rugox]

Hi there,

So I bought a 27 inch iMac core i3 refurbished from Apple online store. It's been 2-3 weeks. Unfortunately, it came with the infamous Seagate hard drive that makes a rumbling noise when it's working and clicks sometimes when there's nothing going. I've done my research and it seems the particular hard drive with serial number ST31000528AS was causing trouble for many people. I tried to live with it but having been exposed to the issue shared by other people as well, I can no longer bear this noise it is making. It is loud. It is especially unbearable when there's multiple applications going on and cpu intensive apps are running. It's crazy loud when the iMac is being turned on as well.

So I decided that I would go through the trouble of trouble shooting this thing and called Apple Care tech support. I was really astonished at how unknowledgeable this tech support guy was. He kept on asking unrelated questions and told me to turn the computer off, plug everything off, and plug back in, wait 5 sec, and turn it back on. I told him about this problem and how many people are having it and the hard drive is the culprit. In the end, he just told me to go to the local Apple store and gave me a reservation with case number.

I asked him, since I bought the computer from the online store and it is a refurb, what kind of options they would present to me at the Apple store. He didn't say much and just told me that the warranty should cover everything.
So here's my question. Since mine is bought from the online store and it is a refurb, how will Apple store treat it? I mean, if I want an exchange, would they have the same model in stock at the store? Can someone with the similar experience elaborate? Would they exchange my hard drive?

Also, in case I have to ship it back to the Apple online store, and since I'm living in Canada, which is the best shipment method to do this? As far as I know Apple doesn't cover the return shipment fees?

 

[Detosx]

Hi rugox, the 27" iMacs are lovely machines and you have my sympathies on the possible rogue drive issue. I would at best be speculating having read a few threads on it, so I would phone your local Apple store and find out some of the answers to your questions. My experience of Apple people in the past has on the whole been very good. Worst case scenario perhaps worth mentioning, if you didn't notice it in some of the posts, is that along with many people who came away happy, some came away with the same problem and ended up taking their iMacs back several times. I would think that could be avoided by quickly trying out the iMac in store at a time when the store isn't crowded. Just don't let it get you down.

 

[flipster]

I had the same hard drive as you, but on a 24" version of the iMac.

I couldn't stand the noise, it was distracting and loud. I booked an online appointment at a Genius Bar, came in with the iMac, told them about it, and no questions asked they just swapped my HDD out for a new one

The old one I had was a seagate with your model number. It used to make the "working" sound all the time. My new one is another Seagate model number ST3500418ASQ and it is extremely quiet. No clicking, no sounds its literally all quiet.

Take it to an Apple store, and tell them that you need it replaced