Buying Macbook from B&H?

[lynchfan]

Well, I had a problem that I posted earlier about needing a custom ordered macbook shipped from the US with a Canadian credit card.

I think I have solved my problem. B&H offers the specs that I'm looking for and I can pay with my Canadian credit card and ship it to the US.

My question is........is B&H a safe place to buy macs online? I will be buying Applecare from amazon.com because of my credit card issue and because of the savings, so should I pull the trigger?

I've been searching for over a day finding this and now I'm nervous about buying from B&H because I want to make sure I'm covered by Apple's great warranty and customer service programs.

 

[CanadaRAM]

B&H (this is the big pro music and photography place in NY, right?) is an excellent reseller, no worries there. You will get standard Applecare coverage.

Puzzled though, are you shipping into Canada, or taking delivery in the US but paying on a Canadian card?

If you are shipping into Canada, you need to know about all of the attendant costs.

 

[lynchfan]

B&H (this is the big pro music and photography place in NY, right?) is an excellent reseller, no worries there. You will get standard Applecare coverage.

Puzzled though, are you shipping into Canada, or taking delivery in the US but paying on a Canadian card?

If you are shipping into Canada, you need to know about all of the attendant costs.

I'm a Canadian on business in the US and Central America and I desperately need a laptop for work purposes.

I will be shipping it to a US address. Apple.com would not let me pay with a Canadian credit card through their US store online via telephone even though I'm in the US.

So, you're giving me the green light?

I'm just concerned if the laptop is DOA......I can send it into Apple with no problems?

PS. Thanks for helping out a fellow Vancouver Islander!

 

[CanadaRAM]

I'm a Canadian on business in the US and Central America and I desperately need a laptop for work purposes.

I will be shipping it to a US address. Apple.com would not let me pay with a Canadian credit card through their US store online via telephone even though I'm in the US.

So, you're giving me the green light?

I'm just concerned if the laptop is DOA......I can send it into Apple with no problems?

For warranty you would go to Apple. For DOA or replacement you would go to your reseller, so make sure you know the resellers policies first. You give up the direct DOA channel to Apple when you buy through the reseller.

B&H is one of the most respected firms in the music and photo business. One minor note - you'll find they are closed Friday afternoons and Saturdays, but are open Sundays. The owners and many of the staff are Orthodox and observe the Sabbath.

 

[lynchfan]

For warranty you would go to Apple. For DOA or replacement you would go to your reseller, so make sure you know the resellers policies first. You give up the direct DOA channel to Apple when you buy through the reseller.

B&H is one of the most respected firms in the music and photo business. One minor note - you'll find they are closed Friday afternoons and Saturdays, but are open Sundays. The owners and many of the staff are Orthodox and observe the Sabbath.

Well, the B&H policy says that DOA items must be reported within two days of the product being received. The problem is my item will be shipped to Miami and then somewhere in Central America. I won't be able to check if the item is DOA within their policy. If you're saying Apple won't help me and B&H won't help will I just have a $1500 Apple logo?

That all sounds rather risky to me, unless DOA macbooks are very rare. Can Apple tell if it was DOA if I sent it to them?

I want to order my macbook on Tuesday, but all of this is making me worry. I thought a first Apple purchase was supposed to be a fun time!!!

I've also heard of the "grey" market for online product.......is that a concern with Apple product?

I was hoping that my plan to buy my custom Macbook from B&H and the Applecare from amazon.com would be flawless.

 

[CanadaRAM]

Well, the B&H policy says that DOA items must be reported within two days of the product being received. The problem is my item will be shipped to Miami and then somewhere in Central America. I won't be able to check if the item is DOA within their policy. If you're saying Apple won't help me and B&H won't help will I just have a $1500 Apple logo?

That all sounds rather risky to me, unless DOA macbooks are very rare. Can Apple tell if it was DOA if I sent it to them?

I want to order my macbook on Tuesday, but all of this is making me worry. I thought a first Apple purchase was supposed to be a fun time!!!

I've also heard of the "grey" market for online product.......is that a concern with Apple product?

I was hoping that my plan to buy my custom Macbook from B&H and the Applecare from amazon.com would be flawless.

You need to call Apple and ask about your return options, then.

Or arrange to test it at first delivery.
Or find a payment method other than charge card.
Or find a reseller with longer DOA policies.
Or not order a custom unit, go with a stock unit and add RAM.hard drive yourself.
Or pick it up in person from an Apple store or reseller and check it on the spot (or contract someone to do this)

There are gray marketers for Apple products like any other (not a concern with B&H).

For others: Gray marketers are non-authorized resellers who import a product from another country and sell it -- bypassing the manufacturer's authorized dealer/distributor channel. It's a particular problem in countries where the authorized distributor takes a largish markup to support their operations, and the spread between US and local authorized price is considerably more than the exchange rate. The risk with gray market machines is not getting warranty service from the authorized country distributor.