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My girlfriend and her brother got the refurbished ones online. We then went to the att store to find out that they're only covered for 90days and she told us apple wouldn't help if anything went wrong. an hour or so later we found out my friend had a reward zone so we went to get a new one from bestbuy for the discounted price and she tried to cancel the order but was told "its already in transit" so the only thing they suggested was refuse delivery but her brother is going to get one of the refurbished ones because bestbuy only let us get 1 for the discounted price. I think I'm just going to unlock the one she was suppose to get then ebay it, instead of sending it back.
 
Okay guys im still a little confused. I just ordered one on the referbs. Now my question is whats it going cost to me to UPGRADE my phone? Am i going to be paying this "ETF"? I dont mind the activation but if there is ETF I will send it right back to them.
 
Okay guys im still a little confused. I just ordered one on the referbs. Now my question is whats it going cost to me to UPGRADE my phone? Am i going to be paying this "ETF"? I dont mind the activation but if there is ETF I will send it right back to them.

Hmm, I'm a little confused, you ordered the refurb iPhone 3G with AT&T then you're asking what's the cost of it to get "upgraded" --> upgrade to what? If you're asking with the new iPhone released in a couple of months, we don't know as there are no official announcements yet. You will probably extend your contract if you're gonna get that soon to be released iPhone.
 
Sorry Im talking about an upgrade from my crappy LG flip phone.

The Early Termination Fee only applies when you're gonna cancel your service with AT&T within your contract period. You won't be paying any ETF if you just bought the iPhone, unless you want to leave AT&T within that period of 2 years as said in the contract.
 
I was interested in purchasing one as a hold over until the new iPhones got released but I realized that once a new iPhone gets released I will not be able to purchase it at the discounted rate b/c I will have already been locked into a plan. AT&T said you are locked into a plan for 21 of the 24 months until you can change phones and get a discount.

Can someone confirm this?
 
Refurbys only to new ATT users...

So I'm assuming this is the same deal as last time where this offer is only available to new customers and not to existing customers looking to upgrade and renew their contract?

Yes, the website says: "*2 yr contract-New service price
Limit one device per household."
 
Got mine (16GB White) last week and it was flawless!

When I entered the serial # in Apple's warranty support site, it tells me the warranty is good until October 2010(!). :cool:
 
8gigs are now sold out, which makes me mad, because I was about to buy one today!!
 
Who actually refurbishes these phones? I heard that Apple never actually refurbishes them, but just give you a new one, so how does this work? Are these just USED phones?
 
Who actually refurbishes these phones? I heard that Apple never actually refurbishes them, but just give you a new one, so how does this work? Are these just USED phones?

They don't give you a new one if you have a problem and take it to the Apple Store. They give you a refurbished one in a plain white box. They look and act like new, but they are not "new" nor are they "used" since they've gone to a factory where they get a complete overhaul and QA testing.
 
Bought a refurb a week or so ago .Been happy with itever since.Had one minor issue and apple gladly helped .You can still purchase Applecare, so it's a good dealfor 100 bucks.
 
Got my phone yesterday in an AT&T box. Actually came with an extra set of headphones (nice!!!).

My issue is with the home button however. Sometimes it seems unresponsive. I posted this in another thread where others were having the same issue, but no one can pin it down as to whether or not its hardware or software that causes it. :confused:

Thinking about taking it to the Apple store to see what they say.
 
Got my phone yesterday in an AT&T box. Actually came with an extra set of headphones (nice!!!).

My issue is with the home button however. Sometimes it seems unresponsive. I posted this in another thread where others were having the same issue, but no one can pin it down as to whether or not its hardware or software that causes it. :confused:

Thinking about taking it to the Apple store to see what they say.

Whether hardware or software I do have that same problem at times on my first gen
 
Just to clarify a few things in this thread; the phones AT&T sells as "refurbished" are just pre-owned phones that were returned to AT&T. They may have been returned because they were faulty or because the owner just didn't like it. If you buy one you get whatever is left of the previous owner's 1-year warranty (365 days from the day it was activated and the timer keeps running even when AT&T gets the phone back). They are still eligible for the regular AppleCare service, and you can add the AppleCare Protection Plan anytime before the 1-year hardware warranty expires.


The refurbishment process that Apple uses for its phones is different from their computers and other products. When Apple takes a phone back on warranty it is disassembled into parts and any faulty parts which fail inspection are scrapped and recycled. The remaining quality parts are separated into bins and used to build new re-serialized iPhones. These rebuilt phones are then thoroughly tested and inspected before being certified as refurbished.


I have known people to get "refurbished" (or pre-owned as Apple calls them) iPhones from AT&T and have them come out of the box needing a restore or hardware repair. This is not a huge issue since Apple will still stand behind those products and warranty them the same as any other iPhone. If you get a faulty "refurbished" iPhone from AT&T Apple will replace it the same as they would a brand new phone. It is something potential customers need to be aware of, however.
 
Just to clarify a few things in this thread; the phones AT&T sells as "refurbished" are just pre-owned phones that were returned to AT&T. They may have been returned because they were faulty or because the owner just didn't like it. If you buy one you get whatever is left of the previous owner's 1-year warranty (365 days from the day it was activated and the timer keeps running even when AT&T gets the phone back). They are still eligible for the regular AppleCare service, and you can add the AppleCare Protection Plan anytime before the 1-year hardware warranty expires.


The refurbishment process that Apple uses for its phones is different from their computers and other products. When Apple takes a phone back on warranty it is disassembled into parts and any faulty parts which fail inspection are scrapped and recycled. The remaining quality parts are separated into bins and used to build new re-serialized iPhones. These rebuilt phones are then thoroughly tested and inspected before being certified as refurbished.


I have known people to get "refurbished" (or pre-owned as Apple calls them) iPhones from AT&T and have them come out of the box needing a restore or hardware repair. This is not a huge issue since Apple will still stand behind those products and warranty them the same as any other iPhone. If you get a faulty "refurbished" iPhone from AT&T Apple will replace it the same as they would a brand new phone. It is something potential customers need to be aware of, however.

I purchased an 8gig phone through my corporate account the week before last. The phone took 6 business days to arrive, but seemed to be in good condition. I was replacing my Blackberry 8820.

After a few days the ringer stopped working. The headphone jack was jammed and the phone thought that headphones were plugged in.

I went to the local Apple Store and explained the problem. They explained the warranty details just as the last poster describes. They replaced the phone with an Apple refurb and now i am happy. Great customer support from Apple. My bosses Blackberry lost a key on the keyboard after a few months and RIM wouldn't cover it. They wanted $200 to fix it. He ended up getting a Bold instead. I wish that more companies would learn how to handle customers like Apple does. The world would be a much happier place!!
 
i've had my iPod Touch for 3.5 months and it's like having a powerful computer at my disposal anywhere i go. i didn't want to pay monthy carrier fees, thus the Touch but over these months, i've realized that i must have live internet everywhere i go, not just in wifi hot spots. i bit the bullet on 3/19 and ordered the 16GB refurbished iPhone online for $199. i'm crossing my fingers i don't get a defective refurb. :apple:
 
Refurb Update

After about 40 days of getting 2 3G Refurbs, the 8GB is working just fine. No issues. The 16GB developed a "stuck pixel" on Wednesday. I tried to reset it using the "flashing app" but that did not work.

Took it my local Apple store (note: make an appointment on-line and reserve a time. I would have had to wait 1-2 hours as a walk-in) and they swapped it out no questions asked.

It was interesting that the warranty date they had on file must have been the original sale date of the phone (9/08/2008) so I was still in my 1 year. If you bought an AT&T refurb, I'd suggest getting an Apple Care warranty sooner rather than later.

Just FYI. The Apple replacement phone is working just fine!

-Benster
 
i've had my iPod Touch for 3.5 months and it's like having a powerful computer at my disposal anywhere i go. i didn't want to pay monthy carrier fees, thus the Touch but over these months, i've realized that i must have live internet everywhere i go, not just in wifi hot spots. i bit the bullet on 3/19 and ordered the 16GB refurbished iPhone online for $199. i'm crossing my fingers i don't get a defective refurb. :apple:

just wanted to add my refurb was shipped 3/23 and i received my phone Wed 3/25. the phone came pre-activated so no pre-activation process necessary. the condition was perfect with no physical defects or hairline scratches. no stuck pixels on the screen. i jailbroke it that same night, the OS seems stable and i can surf using it as a wireless modem (PDAnet). i'm happy with the device.
 
hmm i may get a refurb instead.
do you think i could get a refurb, and cancel within 3 days because of bad service then keep the phone? at&t doesnt get the greatest reception where im at anyway.
 
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