But I have a very good reason for not wanting a refurb to replace a machine I bought new, and that is that I paid the new price, not the refurb price for the unit. I think the strongest argument against my view is the person's view who asked whether or not I'd rather have the unit I bought new repaired and wait, or take one that's been repaired and tested from someone else. I would have liked to have that choice. I think I would have chosen the repair if it were done in a timely way. The reason is that I know where the unit has been; I know it hasn't been dropped, etc. Of course Apple can test for some problems, but with complex machinery like this they can't test for all problems. But, look, if you think that refurb is JUST as good or better than new, then why on earth would you ever buy a new unit from Apple UNLESS the model is so new that no refurb units are available. Personally, I have a rule of thumb about computers/iPods: if it's a refurb then the unit has already broken once. This is a bad beginning. Also, opening these units up, as another poster suggested, loosens the seal. Anyhow, I don't think that it's convincing to say that because I used the unit I am only entitled to a used unit in exchange. I don't see any reason given to believe this.
Think of it this way:
Yes, you bought a new iPod. HOWEVER, you used it for two months. Used products go down in value. For example, you buy a brand new car for $30,000. After using it for a year or so, it's value goes down to, say, $25,000.
It's the exact same case for iPods, it goes down in value depending on both how long you've had it and for exactly how you've used it. An example of this is that I bought my brand new 32GB iPod touch for $540, it's recommended retail price in Australia. I've had it for 3 months, so in no way is it considered new. However, the moment I opened the box I put the iPod in a case, so apart from fingerprints on the screen it looks as if I got it yesterday. I'd be a fool to sell it for the full $540 that I bought it for, after all, no one in their right mind would pay full price for a product that someone has used a lot beforehand; I could sell it for, say, $350-$400. Yes, I'd be losing a lot of money, but I wouldn't sell it if I was charging the brand-new price for a new product.
If I didn't take care of my iPod and it was covered in scratches and dents, then the resale value of it goes down even more. People won't want to pay even $400 for an iPod that doesn't look the best on the outside, even if it's internal hardware and software still functions properly. I'd be able to sell a 'damaged' one for about $250-$300.
How does this relate back to you? Because you got 2 months use out of the iPod. If you tried to sell it, you wouldn't sell it as 'brand new', would you? No, it'd be sold as used. So regardless of what you think, it is technically a used iPod. This means it's current value IS NOT what you originally paid for it (even worse if you've never put it in a case and it's covered in scratches). Apple had every right to give you a refurb; the device you returned may have been BOUGHT brand new, but it was RETURNED as used hardware. You were not entitled to a brand new product as a result. Fair enough if you took it straight out of the box and found something wrong with it, then you would have gotten a brand new one, but no way in hell after two months of use.
philosopherdog said:
Wow. It would be odd if Apple didn't test new product before it gets shipped.
Do you know how many iPods have been sold worldwide? Over 100,000,000. That's one hundred million. There are no less than 16 million iPod touches out there currently in use, according to Apple. So you can see the problem with wanting every single device tested. Supplies would never be kept up if every single iPod had to be unboxed, tested vigorously, and then repackaged and shipped. That's not how it works. No company that produces devices like this tests every single unit before it's shipped. That's the entire reason of having a warranty; because no doubt some units will be faulty, and Apple wants people to know that they're covered.
On the other hand, refurbs only make up a very tiny part of that 16 million total. Every refurb is made by actual Apple techs, as opposed to factories in Asia, and they are only made on the basis that parts are available and there is demand for refurbs. Therefore the Apple techs actually have the time to test the products, because they aren't made in bulk, with hundreds of thousands being made a month, like with the brand new ones.
I'm not saying the new ones aren't tested, they are...just not every unit. Apparently a few out of each batch get tested, and if they have faults then more of the batch is tested. If these units pass inspection, then the entire batch is cleared.
Sorry, but if you expect every single one of the millions of iPods to be tested before they're sold...that's just insane.
philosopherdog said:
To many of the poster who say that there is NO difference between a refurb and new, if you really believe this, then the question I have for you is why ever buy new? In fact, some of you seem to claim that buying a refurb is better than new, because everything has been tested!
Many people prefer refurbs. In fact, do a search of this forum. When a new iPod model comes out many people go to the refurb section of the Apple online store and buy refurb units of the old model. The same thing is currently happening with refurb iMacs, since the new models have just been released; many people here didn't think the updates were good enough so they're buying old, refurb models for a cheaper price. So to answer your question, it's not like the refurbs go to waste. There are actually people that buy them. All my replacement iPods that I've had have been refurbs, and I've had no problems with them - I actually found them more reliable than the ones I bought brand new.
So, to sum up, you may have bought a new iPod, but after two months it is, technically, classified as used. It is no longer worth the price you paid for it, and wouldn't get anywhere near that price if you ever wanted to sell it. Therefore, Apple had no obligation to give you a brand new unit.
