Are iPhones replaced by Apple refurbed units?

[barkomatic]

And that's why I buy Apple refurbs.

The huge difference is, I am intentionally buying a refurb for a lower price... not being given one to replace a higher priced brand new unit that fails in the first few days.

Imagine if the Apple store called you up a week after you got your new iPhone, and said "Bring it back in, we want to swap yours for one that we got as a return from someone else. Don't worry, we shined it up." Would you want that? That's what getting a refurb as a replacement is like.

I understand what you are saying--that being a brand new iPhone being returned within the 30 day window should be replaced with another new retail boxed unit. I guess I agree in principle--but I think the current policy is an *overall* win.

This actually happened to me once. I went in with a defective new iPhone within the return window and got a refurb in its place which was perfect. At first I was a little miffed until I realized the refurb didn't have the cosmetic blemishes that my "new" unit came with out of the box. I think this policy allows Apple to be very liberal about iPhone repairs/exchanges--which is great. Every time I've walked into a store just to ask a genius how to fix what I believed was a software glitch they've not bothered and just swapped it out--kind of hilarious actually.

"Can you help me get rid of that tint on my screen" SWAP

"My phone freezes, can you help me restore it?" SWAP

"I had a dream that I dropped my iPhone, will you hold me?" SWAP

(Ok, that last one was not true. lol)

The last time I went in and it was my fault--I water damaged my iPhone and expected to pay for the refurb. Nope, out came the black box and it was swapped out for free.

 

[ijohnbro]

Wrong. Replacement units are in black boxes and are brand new. I would know, I had to get 3 of them. They are brand new phones but they just don't have all the accessories and stuff that comes with the phones in the white boxes.

3? Wow that's alot. I'm still on my first Android I bought in March.

 

[Shrink]

You can tell if the iPhone was a refurbished unit by the serial number. It starts with 5K for refurbished units. That said, I've gotten multiple iPhone 4 replacements from Apple. The first time it was defective right out of the box and Apple gave me a brand new retail boxed iPhone 4. The other times, which were outside of the 30 day window, I got black box units. So I expect the same thing to happen if I got the iPhone 4S and it was defective right out of the box, which is a brand new retail boxed iPhone 4S. Outside of the 30 day window, I'd expect a refurbished unit as a replacement.

I just received a black boxed swap for my iPhone4. The serial number started with C5. Does that mean it's a new phone, not a refurb?

Wrong. Replacement units are in black boxes and are brand new. I would know, I had to get 3 of them. They are brand new phones but they just don't have all the accessories and stuff that comes with the phones in the white boxes.

See above. Does this mean I received a new iPone4 and not a refurb. I wouldn't know the difference anyway.

Just curious...

 

[cababah]

3? Wow that's alot. I'm still on my first Android I bought in March.

First one was having kernel panics and random reboots.

Second replacement had an embarrassingly large gap in the home button area which is quite common (or easier to see) on the white iPhone models. So, I got it swapped again and the next one had the really yellow washed out screen. I finally got that replaced for one with a better screen.

Yeah, they hate me.

 

[boomhower]

If it fails in the first 30 days I can see how you would expect a new one in return. Outside of that expecting a new phone for you used phone is an unrealistic expectation.

 

[kdarling]

This is so, so wrong.

Apple charges less for a replacement because they keep your old phone and refurbish it. A broken iPhone still has a lot of value in it's components. You are not getting some cheap, crappy value phone as a replacement. The only difference is the box.

In the post you responded to, we were not talking about swap replacements, but straight out purchased refurbs. A lot of us buy Apple refurbs because they're less expensive than a new one.

As far as a replacement during the first 30 days, I do think a buyer deserves to get a new device, as that is what they paid for.

It's like going into the store and seeing two stacks of phones: one with brand new ones for $600 and the other stack full of refurbs for $300. So you hand over $600 but the salesperson takes one off the refurb stack. Do you just go, "Oh that's okay, I understand that the refurbs are just as good as new" ?? Or do you say, "Hey wait a second, buster. I paid for a NEW one."

 

[imehta]

Replacement phones

They are "replacement phones" I believe when they get a new release, they get a slew of brandy new phones signed, sealed, and delivered, and they get a small portion of brand new phones in black boxes to be used as replacement phones for those who bought online or from carriers so they could be swapped on the spot without opening one of the brand new sealed phones that are for sale.

As returns go in, they get sent to China for the refurbishing process, and then those start to funnel into those black boxes.

At this point if you receive a replacement, it should be new.

So basically the phones in the black boxes are brand new. I recently got a replacement for my iPhone 4s due to its defective ear piece. I saw the apple genius take the " new" phone from a black box. I even asked him and he said it was new but I had my doubts leading me to this forum. So it is not a referberished unit?

 

[ryguy2303]

So it is not a referberished unit?

Definitely not a "referberished" unit. Refurbished…who knows?