I'm not sure I'm sympathetic to these kinds of assessments; the following snippet from a Tech Crunch article, though a bit harsh, sums it up nicely:
"Ill be the first to admit that this is the epitome of a First World problem, but this is also a device from a company that makes a big deal about how
its phone was `made with a level of precision youd expect from a finely crafted watch not a smartphone.` Supposedly, `each iPhone 5 aluminum housing is photographed by two high-powered 29MP cameras. A machine then examines the images and compares them against 725 unique inlays to find the most precise match for every single iPhone.` Clearly, Apple needs to install some of these cameras at the end of the production line, too."
I spent a significant amount of money on a brand new iPhone 5; it arrived with the "rattling problem" that while it's hardly a deal breaker, it's certainly disconcerting given that other iPhone 5s don't exhibit that issue.
Since I was within my carrier's 14 day DOA window I got a brand new, sealed replacement. This unit doesn't rattle, but there's something wrong with the vibration motor: it's hard to describe but believe me, the vibration sounds dreadful, as though though the motor is "grinding" or rubbing up against some other componentry in the unit.
So now I'm past my carrier's DOA window and phone #3 is on its way from Apple Care, likely a refurb. When weighing the advantages and disadvantages of refurbs over new phones it's clear that this isn't the end of the world.
But it's also clear that there are a few quality control problems with the first few batches of 5s, and given that refurbs are often sold at discounts, it's unfortunate that consumers wanting new phones are being handed refurbs when the problems weren't their fault.
Love Apple, and I know this is just a bump in the road, but still.
BTW: is there a way I can verify based on the serial number, IMEI, etc. whether my new phone is a refurb or a brand new unit? I was told it pretty much depends on stock at the time.