interesting info about the white box refurbs and ranting

[Chef-Jer]

I just had my cracked launch weekend 3g replaced with a white box phone last week. I could personally care less if it is a refurb or brand new. Additionally in checking the apple forums I can't find any solid evidence that the white boxes are refurbs.

What I do care about is a phone that doesn't crack and works as advertised . if that is accomplished with a refurb fine. All I needed to hear was that it is covered in full by the original warranty.

 

[seedster2]

While I wouldn't have made a scene like the OP, I can understand his position.

I don't care as much so I have expected and accepted refurbs before. But the policy should be the same between AT&T and Apple stores with respect to what's given as a replacement.

It's almost as if he is being penalized for purchasing the device at a partner rather than from Apple.

also, despite what everyone thinks about refurb quality (and I have been lucky with them(powerbook and 1st gen iphone) they too can be subject to bad QA. I have read horror stories about them as well. They aren't as great as others make them out to be.

 

[aristobrat]

There's no problem for you. Other people don't want to pay full price for an item and then weeks later be provided with a refurbished model that they should really have been charged less than full price for.

Apple gives an immediate replacement that may be refurbished (or not). If you don't want to take the chance that your immediate replacement may be refurbished, ask Apple to repair your original non-refurbished device. It would probably only take a week or two, but you'd end up with your original, non-refurbished device.

I don't think that's the case at all. ALL the Best Buys and ALL the AT&T stores I've seen only have white boxed units. I seriously doubt that every single unit that both companies sell is a reconditioned unit. That does NOT make sense.

Replacement units (which are only given out at the Genius Bar at Apple stores) come generic white boxes only slightly larger than the iPhone itself. Again, this thread is the result of AT&T's policy, not Apple's.

I don't care as much so I have expected and accepted refurbs before. But the policy should be the same between AT&T and Apple stores with respect to what's given as a replacement.

It's almost as if he is being penalized for purchasing the device at a partner rather than from Apple.

I agree. AT&T should have the courtesy to do what Apple does and replace any iPhone that breaks within the return period with a brand new unit (instead of making the customer enter the repair process, which is what they currently do).

 

[Darth.Titan]

While all this discussion of what color box your iPhone came in is fascinating...

Has no one noticed that the OP is gone now because it was pointed out that his entire story was a lie to start with according to info they provided in other threads?

 

[WhySoSerious]

While all this discussion of what color box your iPhone came in is fascinating...

Has no one noticed that the OP is gone now because it was pointed out that his entire story was a lie to start with according to info they provided in other threads?

Wut-choo talkin' 'bout Willis?

 

[nomad01]

You've used the phone for a few weeks, so therefore why should you get a new one as a replacement?

Maybe laws are different in the US. In the UK, if we buy something and it fails within 30 days (I think) you get a replacement or a full refund.

If I'm entitled to a full refund, how does a refurbished/not new phone equate to that? I could take the refund and buy a new phone.

 

[bluenoise]

While all this discussion of what color box your iPhone came in is fascinating...

Has no one noticed that the OP is gone now because it was pointed out that his entire story was a lie to start with according to info they provided in other threads?

Oh he's around. He just hasn't posted in a few days. It is a pretty funny catch on the inconsistent stories, though. It's like watching the news, lately, where they show politicians today claiming they tried to stop the economic meltdown and then they show footage of the same politicians a few years back saying everything is just fine. I guess people don't realize that history is recorded or they figure no one will notice.

 

[Jeremy1026]

eh.. Go back and read the post again.. if it was a brand new car around 2 weeks old and there were already cracks in the bumper - they'd be replacing it with a new car..

Tell that to my very good friend Marina. Who purchased one of the 2000 MINI Cooper GPs. She had a defect in the rear bumper when she took delivery at the special event in New Jersey. They didn't produce her a new car, they casted a new bumper and swapped the bumpers.

 

[benflick]

Whats so bad about a refurb, Honestly?

 

[brasknucs]

I noticed that too Titan... He got called out and never came back!

 

[wreckshop]

Maybe laws are different in the US. In the UK, if we buy something and it fails within 30 days (I think) you get a replacement or a full refund.

If I'm entitled to a full refund, how does a refurbished/not new phone equate to that? I could take the refund and buy a new phone.

Then return it, get a refund and buy a new one! If you don't want to do that, then you have to deal with the warranty process, which legally in the US, the warrantor only has to repair or replace with a conforming product. No one is forcing anyone to undergo the warranty process.

 

[JForestZ34]

Car

eh.. Go back and read the post again.. if it was a brand new car around 2 weeks old and there were already cracks in the bumper - they'd be replacing it with a new car..

Are You serious!!!!! You mean I could have gotten a brand new car because my CD changer didn't work when I picked up my car.. Dam I could have gotten a totally different color too...?????? There is no way that I could have gotten a new car being my radio didn't work.. Let me ask you this could i have gotten a new car when I went to pick up my truck, the battery was dead also.. I could see the dealer, "we had to swap this car because the battery was dead.. SO what did you do? I gave him a brand new car... You gave him a brand new car over a $60 battery..?? Yeah I though that was the right thing to do.... LOL That would be your 1st and last day in business...

James

 

[nomad01]

Then return it, get a refund and buy a new one!

I don't have to... I live in the UK so I don't have to deal with this cr*p thankfully. If it goes wrong in the first few weeks of ownership, you get a new one. Simple as. I'm amazed that's such an alien concept to you. There's no warranty "process" to deal with.

My original iPhone stopped working after about 4 months of use and was replaced with a refurb model which looked new. That's acceptable.

 

[hazza.jockel]

Apple gives an immediate replacement that may be refurbished (or not). If you don't want to take the chance that your immediate replacement may be refurbished, ask Apple to repair your original non-refurbished device. It would probably only take a week or two, but you'd end up with your original, non-refurbished device.

I totally agree. Getting a refurb is just to save time, so you don't have to wait with out a phone whilst your original gets replaced.

Also with the car analogy. I think they would just fix your bumper. Otherwise what are they gonna do with your first car? chuck it out? Or do they fix it and someone else gets a second hand car? No they will just fix your bumper and give it back to you.

 

[taz.79]

I can understand wanting a new phone, but you also need to be reasonable.

I am on my 3rd iPhone 3g.

My first had a problem with the accellerometer after the phone woke up from standby and I swapped it for a new one in original packaging 4 days after buying it (once I brought back my original box and accessories) from the local O2 store here in Bristol (UK).

The 2nd new phone from day one had poor battery life (e.g. when first plugging it in to sync with itunes from unboxing it didn't power up for over 20mins until it had enough charge in it).....then due to poor battery life it reset the date and time when the battery ran out (usually after about 10 hours of little use)

I had it picked up by Apple tech support and a replacement issued within 4 working days.

The replacement arrived in a Black (not WHITE) box, slightly bigger than the phone itself with silver/chrome lettering "iPhone" on the top cover. The phone was on a clear hard plastic cradle vs. the original black thin plastic cradle the original came with.

After 1.5 days of having it I am happy with the phone, the letter that came with it said that due to the issues with my old phone they issued a replacement phone rather than repairing my old phone.

Didn't say anything about it being a refurbished phone, and I have no reason to believe it's not a new phone. In fact this is the best one out of the 3 phones. So happy that if it did clear any extra QA it's good news for me.

I did the serial number test and the factory was listed as 5K.

So not sure what all the fuss is about, i'm on the 3rd phone and am not super angry at staff about it.

 

[Bye Bye Baby]

????

thechidz is absolutely right. Refurbs are better than new. They go through a much stricter QC cycle. You have a better chance at having less problems with a refurb than you do a new phone.

How do you know that?

 

[l Shad0w l]

Are You serious!!!!! You mean I could have gotten a brand new car because my CD changer didn't work when I picked up my car.. Dam I could have gotten a totally different color too...?????? There is no way that I could have gotten a new car being my radio didn't work.. Let me ask you this could i have gotten a new car when I went to pick up my truck, the battery was dead also.. I could see the dealer, "we had to swap this car because the battery was dead.. SO what did you do? I gave him a brand new car... You gave him a brand new car over a $60 battery..?? Yeah I though that was the right thing to do.... LOL That would be your 1st and last day in business...

James

No are you serious, you cant even compare an iphone to a car. If you bought a 50,000 dollar Mercedes and the engine crapped out on you will you were leaving the dealership, I'm pretty sure the dealership would either: a) fix it or replace the engine b) Replace the car. Would you be content if they gave you a used car for something you just paid 50 grand for??? i think not. The point the original OP made is all he wanted was what he paid for which is a new device not something that has been used already regardless of its condition. I'm pretty sure he would of been happy if they replaced the cracked case with a new one. Now if his story was legit or not I'm not to be the judge but I'm sure they're others going through this same situation.

 

[unixfool]

Replacement units (which are only given out at the Genius Bar at Apple stores) come generic white boxes only slightly larger than the iPhone itself. Again, this thread is the result of AT&T's policy, not Apple's.

I coulda swore I mentioned AT&T. Wait...

I don't think that's the case at all. ALL the Best Buys and ALL the AT&T stores I've seen only have white boxed units. I seriously doubt that every single unit that both companies sell is a reconditioned unit. That does NOT make sense.

I thought so...

Again, I doubt all of these white boxes are refurbs...where'd this rumor come from. Is there any substance behind it? Anything on Apple's or AT&T's sites that state that white boxed units are refurbs? As much as I'd like to believe some of these posts, I've learned not to believe everything I read in forums and such. I renewed my contract by purchasing an iPhone (my first iPhone). It came in a white box. I find it very hard to believe that that unit was a refurb just because it came in a white box. There has to be more to determining what's a refurb than the box itself...

 

[unixfool]

How do you know that?

Logic.

 

[ribenaberrie]

I renewed my contract by purchasing an iPhone (my first iPhone). It came in a white box. I find it very hard to believe that that unit was a refurb just because it came in a white box. There has to be more to determining what's a refurb than the box itself...

So did you get any accessories with your iphone? I thought the plain boxed phones were only used as replacements?!

 

[slate1]

refurbs are better than new with apple..

its not a banana

I don't post often... but, seriously... best - post - ever!

 

[dauerhippo]

You know, the same thing happened to me back in July. What made it worse for me was that they were "out of stock" of the white box ones at that point, but had plenty of "new" ones in the store. But, since I bought it at AT&T, i was SOL. I had to wait several days, for their white box stock to replenish.

What is so maddening about all this, to me, is that the hypothetical guy next to me had the same problem, but he bought his at an Apple store, instead of an AT&T store, so he gets a new one on the spot, pulled out of a new box.

Treating the people who bought it at AT&T differently from the way they treat the people who bought it at Apple store is unacceptable, since they don't advertise ANYWHERE that there is ANY difference between the two, in that regard.

So, all of you who say - "oh come on, white box phones are fine, stop whining" to people who have problems the day after they bought their phones - you're not being fair. In my case, my replacement was delayed several days b/c of this policy, and my time wasted (waiting in line at genius bar TWICE and TWO trips to the Apple store, one to get them to agree to replace it, and then one to pick up the replacement after it arrived at the Apple store).

 

[Andrew K.]

Uhmm why didnt you replace it ATT? They give you 30 days to replace or return and just tell them you want a new one because the reception was bad, thats what I did ( no apple store here) so they switched it out for a new one, they wont notice the small cracks heck they didnt even look at it!

Oh and that Apple is the DMV remark? Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha HLMDFAOOFTNP
(Histerically Laughing My Damn F*cking Ass Off On the Floor Trying Not to Pee )

 

[bmwpowere36m3]

I think Apple should give you a new phone within 14day period in which you can return it for a full refund. Then between 14-30days it’s up to AT&T or Apple to choose either new or refurb. Finally after 30 days they are only entitled to "fix" your phone and your phone is no longer new anyways... so I think you’re entitled to a refurb.

You can't compare vehicles to phones; it's sort of like apples to oranges. One costs $ the other $$$$. Since companies are only entitled to "FIX" what’s broken on a device, it up to them whether they take it in for servicing or just offer you a replacement (new). You are in no way entitled to a new replacement, other than within the standard return period.

 

[dauerhippo]

I think it actually is sort-of legitimate to the car-phone comparison, but only because APPLE ITSELF TREATS IT THAT WAY. They play up the whole "experience" of buying an iPhone, and then they send you emails saying that "we can't wait to show you around your new iPhone" and stupid sh*&t like that.