Cosmetic Problems on Refurbished Units

[henryonapple]

I am debating whether to purchase a brand new iMac or a refurbished unit.

I have heard that refurbished units get "new housings" so they essentially look brand new cosmetically, but there are users on this forum who claim that their refurbished units had some scruffs on them.

Does your refurbished unit have any cosmetic problems?

If you have purchased a refurbished unit before, please vote and share your experience.

This poll is referring to all Apple refurbished products.

 

[GoCubsGo]

What exactly are you talking about or are you asking about all products?
Either way, there could be a slight blemish but refurb products from Apple have often been the best refurb I've ever seen.

 

[henryonapple]

What exactly are you talking about or are you asking about all products?
Either way, there could be a slight blemish but refurb products from Apple have often been the best refurb I've ever seen.

I am referring to any refurbished Apple product.

 

[MacSignal]

Since 2009, I have purchased six refurbished Apple computers and a refurbished AEBS. Everything arrived looking like new.

 

[Columbian]

I've bought an iBook, a MacBook, a MBP, two iMacs, and a Time Capsule, all refurbished, all looked and worked like new.

 

[GGJstudios]

Apple refurbished products are considered by most to be a very good deal, as they're pretty much like buying a new Mac, except for the box.

• Apple Certified Refurbished Products are available online from the Apple Refurb Store and are not sold in local Apple stores
• Educational discounts do not apply to refurb products.
• Refurb products come with the same warranty as new products, and qualify for AppleCare
• Refurb products have a changed serial number that identifies them as refurbished
• Refurb products come with whatever OS version and software they originally shipped with as new
• Refurb products come with the same items in the box as new products, only the box is a plain one, not the new box.
• A refurb product could have some cosmetic signs of prior use, but rarely do
• A refurb Mac may have some cycles on the battery, but not a significant enough amount to affect usable life
• The refurb store inventory changes frequently, sometimes several times a day, and doesn't have any direct relation to upcoming product releases. What's available in the refurb store is determined by what has been returned to Apple.
• If you're looking for a particular item, refurb.me can alert you when it becomes available.

 

[henryonapple]

Apple refurbished products are considered by most to be a very good deal, as they're pretty much like buying a new Mac, except for the box.

• Apple Certified Refurbished Products are available online from the Apple Refurb Store and are not sold in local Apple stores
• Educational discounts do not apply to refurb products.
• Refurb products come with the same warranty as new products, and qualify for AppleCare
• Refurb products have a changed serial number that identifies them as refurbished
• Refurb products come with whatever OS version and software they originally shipped with as new
• Refurb products come with the same items in the box as new products, only the box is a plain one, not the new box.
• A refurb product could have some cosmetic signs of prior use, but rarely do
• A refurb Mac may have some cycles on the battery, but not a significant enough amount to affect usable life
• The refurb store inventory changes frequently, sometimes several times a day, and doesn't have any direct relation to upcoming product releases. What's available in the refurb store is determined by what has been returned to Apple.
• If you're looking for a particular item, refurb.me can alert you when it becomes available.

wow thank you for that link!!!

 

[designs216]

I've purchased 2 MBPs from Apple and they have both been in pristine condition. The discount is deeper than what can be had with the EDU discount. Prices seem to trend progressively lower until the new model is released and hit bottom after a year or so. The process is painless and shipping is quick and free but the inventory comes and goes rapidly -- items can even be snatched from your cart up right up until you press "Purchase". People sometimes even get unadvertised upgrades, for example the item description on my Macbook Pro indicated a 5400 RPM drive and a 7200 was actually installed.

 

[snberk103]

Several refurbished units, all arrived looking brand new.

 

[henryonapple]

Several refurbished units, all arrived looking brand new.

how about the packaging? does it come with the original boxes? or is it like a generic brown box?

 

[GGJstudios]

how about the packaging? does it come with the original boxes? or is it like a generic brown box?

As the 6th bullet point in my first post indicates, a plain box.

 

[henryonapple]

As the 6th bullet point in my first post indicates, a plain box.

strange, i chatted with an online Apple representative and they told me an iMac comes with the original box. perhaps it's different for iMacs?

 

[GGJstudios]

strange, i chatted with an online Apple representative and they told me an iMac comes with the original box. perhaps it's different for iMacs?

Anything is possible, but I've never heard of any refurb Mac coming in the original box. It's possible the Apple rep was wrong, or it's possible they've changed the procedure.

 

[snberk103]

I can't speak for the iMacs... but my MacPro came in a plain box. However, it is the same box as the original... just without the printing. The size and the handle placement are just like the original box. Internally the styrofoam and all the bits and bobs were packaged like the new ones. For all I know, they were new.... things like they keyboard and the mouse, etc.

We've ordered a couple of MacBookPros and a Mini over the years... and for us it's always been the same. It's as if they took a new system and simply slid the original box off and put it all into a plain box. You get the same 'unboxing' fun... as long as the pretty pictures & logos on the outside of the box aren't important.

I think they also redo the serial number too... now that I think of it.