Iphone 6 plus replacement phones new or remanufactured?

[Mbv]

When apple replaces a defective phone with a replacement phone , how do we make sure it is new not remanufactured.
I had to give back my new Iphone 6 plus the day after due to back camera lens being not clear.( small dust or smudge?) , it was replaced by the phone that the Genius Bar employee had with her to compare my phone. The genius employee just gave the serial no .sticker ripped from the box for my feature reference . My question is do they have one demo phone with them all the time to compare phones for defects or every time they see a customer get new box from back? I didnot see her opening the box in front of me! Neither she gave the box.
I want to make sure I got the new phone not a demo phone or remanufactured, since mine was a day old phone. I am not getting clear answers from apple or apple store. Mine was brought from At and T and the apple care directed me to go to apple store for device check. Now I cannot return the phone to At and T . I am new to this since all my previous apple products were flawless.

 

[Tyler23]

When apple replaces a defective phone with a replacement phone , how do we make sure it is new not remanufactured.
I had to give back my new Iphone 6 plus the day after due to back camera lens being not clear.( small dust or smudge?) , it was replaced by the phone that the Genius Bar employee had with her to compare my phone. The genius employee just gave the serial no .sticker ripped from the box for my feature reference . My question is do they have one demo phone with them all the time to compare phones for defects or every time they see a customer get new box from back? I didnot see her opening the box in front of me! Neither she gave the box.
I want to make sure I got the new phone not a demo phone or remanufactured, since mine was a day old phone. I am not getting clear answers from apple or apple store. Mine was brought from At and T and the apple care directed me to go to apple store for device check. Now I cannot return the phone to At and T . I am new to this since all my previous apple products were flawless.

It could be either. With a device swap and not a full return, Apple has no obligation to give you a "new" phone and it may likely be refurbished. Often times, refurbished phones are "better" than new phones as they undergo more thorough testing.

 

[eyoungren]

Replacements come in a white box. The white boxes are a mix of refurb and new.

Refurb is just as good as new because of Apple's process. If you have problems with the replacement, take it back and they will give you another one.

 

[Mbv]

Is there a way to find out from serial no?
Will it have two dates?
One for original date it left factory
Another one if it is refanufactured/ refurbished (second time it left factory)?
I was told it is brand new from the employee, but later found out it could be either, they cannot tell for sure. getting a remanufactured phone for a never touched one day old phone is not fair.

 

[bizack]

Is there a way to find out from serial no?
Will it have two dates?
One for original date it left factory
Another one if it is refanufactured/ refurbished (second time it left factory)?
I was told it is brand new from the employee, but later found out it could be either, they cannot tell for sure. getting a remanufactured phone for a never touched one day old phone is not fair.

Mine was definitely refurbished. I sent it back and tracked down a new device for in-store pickup.

 

[c120]

Mine was refurbished. I had my phone for 2 days before realizing it had a problem so Verizon is sending me a new iPhone for replacement as it is within the 14 day exchange window.

 

[ssl0408]

You should not have accepted a service unit for a day old phone. At this point they're probably refurbished since it's been two months since launch. If you are within the return period you should always just return the device and purchase another. Service units have serial numbers that start with an N; that's my experience.

 

[rgarjr]

You should not have accepted a service unit for a day old phone. At this point they're probably refurbished since it's been two months since launch. If you are within the return period you should always just return the device and purchase another. Service units have serial numbers that start with an N; that's my experience.

I agree, although refurb phones are like new it just makes more sense to get a brand new one when you're in your return window.

I think a lot of people however get the refurbs because they don't want to wait for stock.

 

[bizack]

You should not have accepted a service unit for a day old phone. At this point they're probably refurbished since it's been two months since launch. If you are within the return period you should always just return the device and purchase another. Service units have serial numbers that start with an N; that's my experience.

Mine didn't start with an N.
Also, if you're replacing something like an iPhone 6 Plus, Space Grey, 128GB (off contract), it's not as simple as walking into the store, and swapping out for a new one. You have to spend hours to days tracking one day via istocknow.com. It's definitely a PITA.

 

[ssl0408]

Mine didn't start with an N.
Also, if you're replacing something like an iPhone 6 Plus, Space Grey, 128GB (off contract), it's not as simple as walking into the store, and swapping out for a new one. You have to spend hours to days tracking one day via istocknow.com. It's definitely a PITA.

Yeah, I'm sure it's a pain trying to purchase a 6 Plus. I went through a similar situation last year with the gold 5S. This year space gray is the most popular color in both sizes and they're hard to find as well.

 

[aristobrat]

When apple replaces a defective phone with a replacement phone , how do we make sure it is new not remanufactured.

If you've used the replacement phone for this many hours and can't tell if it's new or refurbed, what's the point?

Apple puts all of the refurbs in new exterior shells, throws in a new battery, and shrink wraps them just the same as the new ones. So even if the Genius unwrapped it right in front of you, you still shouldn't be able to tell if it was new or refurbed.

 

[iososx]

According to two Apple Store managers, they're refurbished. I've seen them, good as new

 

[Xzentric]

Is there a way to find out from serial no?
Will it have two dates?
One for original date it left factory
Another one if it is refanufactured/ refurbished (second time it left factory)?
I was told it is brand new from the employee, but later found out it could be either, they cannot tell for sure. getting a remanufactured phone for a never touched one day old phone is not fair.

Your right,

It's not fair. You deserve a brand new phone.

Not a reconditioned iPhone, that has gone through far more rigorous testing than a factory sealed unit.

Had all the parts and exterior casing replaced and is probably better than any other factory phone.

look, without sounding harsh. As others have said, if you are struggling to find out if it's a new phone or not, surely that's the point of why worry.

You can't tell, so why care?

I would research up on apples refurb process. A lot of the time these returns are far better than new as they have been individually tested to a high standard.

I recently purchased a 27inch iMac that was a recon. I was dubious despite researching. When it arrived, I was blown away. The only way I could tell it was a refurb was because of the brown box it came in.

If you really are OCD on this go back to Apple and demand a factory sealed unit. I'm sure they would give in eventually going by their customer service.

Personally I would be happy that I have a new shiny phone that works.

Good luck

 

[Mbv]

I am writing a complaint letter to apple customer care. Any one here got positive response?
How long it takes? Have not activated my replacement phone yet?

 

[ssl0408]

I am writing a complaint letter to apple customer care. Any one here got positive response?
How long it takes? Have not activated my replacement phone yet?

It's unfortunate that this happened to you. You should have dealt with AT&T first because you purchased the phone from them. They would have sent you a new phone in the box. Lesson learned.

 

[Newtons Apple]

I am writing a complaint letter to apple customer care. Any one here got positive response?
How long it takes? Have not activated my replacement phone yet?

Are you close to an Apple store? If so take you original receipt and see if you can return the refurb one for a refund and then buy another that you know is new. If it is only a few days you have that right.

 

[bizack]

Your right,

It's not fair. You deserve a brand new phone.

Not a reconditioned iPhone, that has gone through far more rigorous testing than a factory sealed unit.

Had all the parts and exterior casing replaced and is probably better than any other factory phone.

look, without sounding harsh. As others have said, if you are struggling to find out if it's a new phone or not, surely that's the point of why worry.

You can't tell, so why care?

I would research up on apples refurb process. A lot of the time these returns are far better than new as they have been individually tested to a high standard.

I recently purchased a 27inch iMac that was a recon. I was dubious despite researching. When it arrived, I was blown away. The only way I could tell it was a refurb was because of the brown box it came in.

If you really are OCD on this go back to Apple and demand a factory sealed unit. I'm sure they would give in eventually going by their customer service.

Personally I would be happy that I have a new shiny phone that works.

Good luck

Responses like these are frustrating. What *other* products do you buy, where one day out of the box you find them defective, and rather than returning for new, return for repair or a refurbished item? Especially when said product is $800-$1000.

Also, the refurbished units don't go through some super special process that exceeds a factory new unit. They're visually inspected, and some diagnostics are ran on them. If something is clearly defective, that part is replaced. Have you seen the teardown of the iPhone6/6 Plus? Taking the phone apart and replacing the shell, screen, display, etc is less cost efficient than issuing a new device.

My replacement was scratched. It was immediately easy to see. It was in a warehouse since September. The box was full of dust and cardboard debris.

If you want to purchase a refurbished unit as a 'new' device, that's different. You're acknowledging that you're buying a used piece of hardware. Otherwise, if you're within your 14 day window, return it for new.

 

[ssl0408]

Responses like these are frustrating. What *other* products do you buy, where one day out of the box you find them defective, and rather than returning for new, return for repair or a refurbished item? Especially when said product is $800-$1000.

Also, the refurbished units don't go through some super special process that exceeds a factory new unit. They're visually inspected, and some diagnostics are ran on them. If something is clearly defective, that part is replaced. Have you seen the teardown of the iPhone6/6 Plus? Taking the phone apart and replacing the shell, screen, display, etc is less cost efficient than issuing a new device.

My replacement was scratched. It was immediately easy to see. It was in a warehouse since September. The box was full of dust and cardboard debris.

If you want to purchase a refurbished unit as a 'new' device, that's different. You're acknowledging that you're buying a used piece of hardware. Otherwise, if you're within your 14 day window, return it for new.

That was well said. It kills me when people think buyers should be "lucky" to get a service unit for a phone that's been in their possession for a few days.
I've had to return two iPhone 6s. One was due to a loose home button, and the other one was severely overheating. At no point did I consider getting a replacement from the genius bar. I'm not paying full retail for a service unit.

 

[Femme]

If you've used the replacement phone for this many hours and can't tell if it's new or refurbed, what's the point?

Apple puts all of the refurbs in new exterior shells, throws in a new battery, and shrink wraps them just the same as the new ones. So even if the Genius unwrapped it right in front of you, you still shouldn't be able to tell if it was new or refurbed.

Is that true? I have a dead pixel on my brand new phone but I don't know whether or not I should get it replaced because I don't wanna risk getting one that might be defective in other aspects. My phone is currently perfect except for that dead pixel.

 

[ssl0408]

Is that true? I have a dead pixel on my brand new phone but I don't know whether or not I should get it replaced because I don't wanna risk getting one that might be defective in other aspects. My phone is currently perfect except for that dead pixel.

If you are within the 14 day return period get a refund and buy another one. If they have stock at a local Apple store, it's very easy to do. If you have a 6 Plus, though, they might not have any stock.

 

[bizack]

Is that true? I have a dead pixel on my brand new phone but I don't know whether or not I should get it replaced because I don't wanna risk getting one that might be defective in other aspects. My phone is currently perfect except for that dead pixel.

That's completely not true. At most they flash the device and replace any defective parts. They don't replace non-defective parts. And it seems you have a 50/50 chance of getting a device that's 'good as new.'

Given that the holiday is approaching (in the United States), there will probably be ample supply next week. I'd setup alerts using istocknow.com and swap your device for a new one.

 

[JayLenochiniMac]

That's completely not true. At most they flash the device and replace any defective parts. They don't replace non-defective parts. And it seems you have a 50/50 chance of getting a device that's 'good as new.'

Apple does give white box replacement units a brand new shell, screen and battery even if non-defective. Carriers, on the other hand, may not give their refurbished units the same treatment.

 

[bizack]

Apple does give white box replacement units a brand new shell, screen and battery even if non-defective. Carriers, on the other hand, may not give their refurbished units the same treatment.

Please point me/us to where this is documented.

----------

Please point me/us to where this is documented.

Actually, I found it for you (contradicting information):

https://store.apple.com/Catalog/US/Images/apple_certified.html

Each Apple Certified Refurbished Product:
is fully tested (including full burn-in testing).
is refurbished with replacement parts for any defective modules identified in testing.
is put through a thorough cleaning process and inspection.
is repackaged (including appropriate manuals, cables, new boxes, etc.).
includes the operating software originally shipped with the unit and the custom software offered with that system. See each products "Learn More" for more details.
is given a new refurbished part number and serial number.
is placed into a Final QA inspection prior to being added to sellable refurbished stock.


There's *no* mention of replacing batteries, shells, displays, etc.

 

[Femme]

That's completely not true. At most they flash the device and replace any defective parts. They don't replace non-defective parts. And it seems you have a 50/50 chance of getting a device that's 'good as new.'

Given that the holiday is approaching (in the United States), there will probably be ample supply next week. I'd setup alerts using istocknow.com and swap your device for a new one.

I've had it for a month now. The dead pixel cannot be seen unless you're looking for it. Should i just wait until my warranty is almost over and get it replaced then? I need opinions!!!!!!

 

[Mbv]

I purchased from AT and T, so I cannot return with out the original phone.
I was told it is a brand new phone by the Genius Bar before swapping. They didnot even mention the word remanufactured at that time. Manufacturing date is couple of days after release date.( will this be a new one?)
I explained what happened , but they refused to swap for a retail box. Wish I knew these forums before so I would have known what to expect.
Never had issues with apple before. Now I am disappointed the way this was handled.

They r selling any new phones they manufacture, so how can they have so many replacement phones that are new?