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How are Apple's refurbished Macbook Pros?
- Thread starter Drifty_Child
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This does not mean they won't exchange a defective unit. But if you change your mind they are not taking it back with in an Apple like 14 day program.
B&H Return Policy
Eligibility Conditions
Please read conditions below. If all conditions are not met, B&H reserves the right to refuse the return or to charge a minimum 15% restocking fee. All returned items must be in new condition, in their original unaltered box (including an intact UPC code) and must include all packing material, blank warranty cards, manuals and accessories. B&H can only refund the original purchase price. Shipping and handling fees are nonrefundable.
Nonreturnable Items
B&H Return Policy
Eligibility Conditions
Please read conditions below. If all conditions are not met, B&H reserves the right to refuse the return or to charge a minimum 15% restocking fee. All returned items must be in new condition, in their original unaltered box (including an intact UPC code) and must include all packing material, blank warranty cards, manuals and accessories. B&H can only refund the original purchase price. Shipping and handling fees are nonrefundable.
Nonreturnable Items
- Opened TVs, combos and monitors 37" and larger — original packaging cannot be unsealed
- Opened computers and computer software — original packaging cannot be unsealed
- Electronic software downloads
- Opened consumable items (e.g., film, tapes, paper, bulbs, CD, DVDs, ink cartridges, etc.)
- Any computers built or modified by B&H to customer specifications
- Select special-order merchandise, or any item indicated on the website as nonreturnable
- Underwater equipment that has been submerged
- Opened or unwrapped educational tapes and books
I'm not so sure about that for computers. Opened computer packages are on the Nonreturnable list:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/find/HelpCenter/ReturnExchange.jsp
Yeah, mine was other stuff. More like computer accessories but not computers.
Is that 2,150 with or without sales tax? You can buy the 15" base model right now from B&H for 2149$ without tax (depending on your state), which beats both in the end. Apple refurbished comes out to around $2,230 after tax.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1423733-REG/apple_mr932ll_a_15_4_macbook_pro_with.html
I live in NY so I pay taxes to all of the above. All of the prices mentioned are without the taxes.
I bought one in Late 2013. It’s been great for 5 years. I noticed a problem with the screen a few weeks ago. Apple is repairing it for free. So yes I would buy my next computer as a Refurbished.
Has Apple ever had a sale on refurbished MBPs during BF? I noticed that a local retailer, P. C. Richard, had the base 2018 MBP 15 for $2,100.00 back in October. Are the refurbished MBPs really like new? Could I expect no scratches and less than 50 battery cycles? Do they wipe the SSDs really well? Thanks for any help.
Never seen any Black Friday deals on refurbished systems. They do usually offer $100~$150 off new system purchases and some other specials on Black Friday and/or Cyber Monday. FWIW, I just ordered a refurbished 13” MBP from Apple, current mid-2018 model, i7, 16GB, 1TB SSD. It was $490 off new price, so couldn’t pass it up. B&H has $200 off MBPs right now for Black Friday and with no tax (outside of NY) I almost went that route but the discount for the refurb was still about $140 cheaper for me vs. B&H and it still gets full warranty/ AppleCare. Worst-case scenario, if it doesn’t meet expectations when it arrives in a couple days, I return it and buy from B&H. Heh. I’ve bought refurbs before and have always had good luck so there’s that too. Although I usually buy current model stuff, not refurbs that someone probably used as a daily driver for a year before it was replaced under warranty and then rebuilt for the refurb store.
The only downside I see with buying refurbished is potentially selling it used in a few years when / if you decide to upgrade. I'm not sure if it being refurbished will affect its resale value, but I don't see why it would as it is pretty much a NEW laptop (besides battery, etc) if you bought it from Apple.
I plan to sell my 2018 15" base model in 2020-2021 and upgrade to the new design hopefully. As long as I can get $1000+ USED for it, I'm happy.
I plan to sell my 2018 15" base model in 2020-2021 and upgrade to the new design hopefully. As long as I can get $1000+ USED for it, I'm happy.
But when you go to sell it, it’s just pre-owned, no one knows how many owners or if you purchased as a refurb. And really, if you sell it after a couple years and it’s still covered by AppleCare, or you guarantee it’s fully working to the buyer, it really makes no difference.
My past experiences when buying refurbished were two 2013 MBP 13” systems for my kids and a 2014 15” MBP I picked up for an employee. All three came with < 15 battery cycles and were like new. Great deals and can’t complain. Still have the kids’ units and they use the crap out of them and have for the past [almost] 5 years now. The 15” MBP for my employee was sold last year with about 60 days left on AppleCare. It sold the same as any other 15” from the same year...
My past experiences when buying refurbished were two 2013 MBP 13” systems for my kids and a 2014 15” MBP I picked up for an employee. All three came with < 15 battery cycles and were like new. Great deals and can’t complain. Still have the kids’ units and they use the crap out of them and have for the past [almost] 5 years now. The 15” MBP for my employee was sold last year with about 60 days left on AppleCare. It sold the same as any other 15” from the same year...
I know they used to have a different serial number, so you could tell a refurb. This is from a 2015 post in the Apple support forums. I have no idea if this is still the case.
You do bring up a good point about resale though. Someone who does not really understand what an Apple refurb Mac is might be inclined to pay less for one used than a Mac that was bought new.
True that, people unfamiliar with Apple refurbs might not grasp the idea that these machines are as good as new.
Not Mac-related, but last year I had trouble selling an iPad Air 2 in pristine condition for a decent price, because most potential buyers sent ridiculous offers using the "eh, but it's a refurb" excuse.
I know with iOS devices, they always get a brand new battery. I wonder if this is not the case with laptops, like maybe they have a cycle/health cutoff (something high like 20 cycles max and 99% health) for just straight re-use? Would be disappointing to open up a machine with 25 cycles on it and like 97% health.
I've purchased multiple refurbs in the past, all the battery cycle count was betwen 2-5, never higher. So either they were brand new and returned laptops, or the refurb process dropped in a new battery.
Unfortunately I never even turned it on. It had a lot of wear and tear on the ports and even a couple nicks on the casing, so I returned it before ever turning it on.
Are you saying this picture is from a newly opened refurbished unit from the APPLE store?Unfortunately I never even turned it on. It had a lot of wear and tear on the ports and even a couple nicks on the casing, so I returned it before ever turning it on.
Wow, that's bad. Wonder what happened to the MagSafe port, like the power adapter melted itself while connected or something. That should not have been re-sold that way. Although, I suppose some questionable things like this do slip through from time to time.
FWIW, my 13" refurb MBP arrived this morning and I'm typing on it now after getting it mostly set up. It's indistinguishable from a brand new one. So it seems I did well... Yes, it has the refurb style serial number and the box is labeled as Apple Certified Refurbished. Battery cycle count at 4. This is a mid-2018 13" so it's at most only a few months old and was probably just a customer return and nothing more.
FWIW, my 13" refurb MBP arrived this morning and I'm typing on it now after getting it mostly set up. It's indistinguishable from a brand new one. So it seems I did well... Yes, it has the refurb style serial number and the box is labeled as Apple Certified Refurbished. Battery cycle count at 4. This is a mid-2018 13" so it's at most only a few months old and was probably just a customer return and nothing more.
You gotta have it sent to a friend in NJ!
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My last 3 Macs have been refurbs and they've been great, very durable. I only trust direct Apple refurbs though. I see no downsides to buying Apple refurbs at all. I probably won't ever buy brand new ever again, to be honest. If the life of a Mac is anywhere from 6-8 years, buying one 1 year removed isn't that big a deal for me. I'll take the savings and company warranty.
* 2008 15" MacBook Pro purchased in 2009 - died in 2016. There was an upgrade to SSD in 2012/13-ish . RIP DarthMac. You were loyal and reliable.
* 2011 11" MacBook Air purchased in 2012. Still kicking. Slow, but kicking. Not eligible for upgrade to Mojave. Will probably replace when the new MacBook Airs are available as refurbs in about 6 mo. lol
* 2015 15" MacBook Pro purchased in 2016.
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This is my experience as well with Apple refurb laptops for years now, except I've probably bought about six or eight of them, some for family members.
I like that even when you buy an older model year as an Apple refurb, it's still eligible for 3-yr Applecare. I've had great times with their refurbs and most of them never did make a trip for repair. Think I had one 2010 MBP that must have been made on a real lemonade Monday, because that one just about memorized the FedEx path to Texas or Tennessee and back, but the rest had very few issues if any.
My only hesitation now is not about refurb quality.... but some of the issues around functionality and durability of the keyboards on newer models. Brand new off the line or as a refurb, I guess those keyboards could still become problematic.
I have been hanging onto my (somewhat upgraded) 2010 MacBook and a refurb 2012 MBP because of the ports, but all good things come to an end even if the 2012 still looks to have ongoing OS support for awhile yet (mine has applecare but until mid-2019 which is why I am starting to do some homework on a replacement). But in looking around now at available refurbs and in first considering some 2017 models, I'm running into mixed signals regarding the butterfly keyboard experiences.
In any case, whatever I finally buy will still most likely be an Apple refurb for as long as they continue to offer that buying option.