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Is my iMac a refurbished iMac

A

aicul

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jun 20, 2007
809
7
no cars, only boats
How can one find out if a iMac is refurbished?

Asking this to make sure my iMac is a new iMac and not a refurb. Its been thru hw repairs so I have some doubts
 
aicul said:
How can one find out if a iMac is refurbished?

Asking this to make sure my iMac is a new iMac and not a refurb. Its been thru hw repairs so I have some doubts
Click to expand...

Did it come in a plain white or brown box? If so it's a refurb. If it has a picture of the iMac on the front it's new.
Apple don't resell returned stock as new. They sell them as refurb's.
 
aicul said:
How can one find out if a iMac is refurbished?
Asking this to make sure my iMac is a new iMac and not a refurb. Its been thru hw repairs so I have some doubts
Click to expand...
Apple only sells refurb models online, not in Apple stores, and they ship in plain boxes. You can also enter your serial number here to check the specs. If in doubt, you can call Apple. Refurbs are assigned a serial number that identifies them as refurbished.
 
It was bought new

But apple does state it can repair/replace with refurbs

Since mine went thru repairs, i want to make sure it is not a refurb
 
aicul said:
It was bought new

But apple does state it can repair/replace with refurbs

Since mine went thru repairs, i want to make sure it is not a refurb
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If they were going to replace it with a refurb, they would tell you in advance. If they only needed to repair it, it's still the same Mac that you bought.
 
aicul said:
I would lime to check that for sure, not "they should tell you"
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I already explained how to check. Also, they can't replace your Mac without your involvement. You would have to sign to acknowledge the replacement, as the serial numbers would be different. If you still have your receipt from the purchase, that's another way to know for sure. If the serial number of your Mac still matches the serial number on the receipt, it has not been replaced.
 
aicul said:
The box?

I was hoping something more forceful than a box that cN be switched no problem
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Read the post(s) in this thread more carefully.

Check the serial number on your Mac. Cross-reference it against the serial number on your original receipt or box. Do they match? Then you have the same hardware as you had originally.

If you still want to believe otherwise, then there's little we can do to help with that.
 
Hi

I know my iMac was changed. I was told that.

I was not told if a refurb was used. So looking at serial mumbers and comparing them will not indicate if the last iMac is refurb or not.
 
who cares? if your iMac works then relax. Most of the time the refurbs are in better condition then the new ones because the new ones come off an assembly line and the refurbs get double and triple checked by staff.
 
GGJstudios said:
they can't replace your Mac without your involvement.
Click to expand...

Wrong. Steve always wore black turtlenecks because he was a ninja. He trained the teams that can come to your home in the dead of night and replace your Mac without you knowing. Even your cat will sleep through it.
 
I'm just asking if there is a way of finding this out.

I do appreciate the answers that were in this direction, but to date all i have found is to see thr date of iMac manufacture compared to date of delivery. But even this is not 100% reliable.

----------
CoMoMacUser said:
Wrong. Steve always wore black turtlenecks because he was a ninja. He trained the teams that can come to your home in the dead of night and replace your Mac without you knowing. Even your cat will sleep through it.
Click to expand...

I guess now you know why i ask...

;-)
 
aicul said:
So looking at serial mumbers and comparing them will not indicate if the last iMac is refurb or not.
Click to expand...

Yes, it will. As already stated, refurbs are given serial numbers that identify them as refurbished.
 
aicul said:
Well then ease direct me to what that number should look like.

Thank you
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Please read the answers that have been provided, specifically post #3. It doesn't help to answer your questions if you don't read the answers.
 
GGJstudios said:
Please read the answers that have been provided, specifically post #3. It doesn't help to answer your questions if you don't read the answers.
Click to expand...

I really re-read and checked post #3.

The "online" link just displays the apple on-line sale of refurbished products. It does not indicate if my iMac was refurbished or not.

The "check serial number here" link, does not indicate if the iMac was refurbished.

So either I am missing some very obvious - in that case I appreciate your patience in putting it clearly - or post #3 does not answer my question.

Thanks anyway for you answer
 
aicul said:
I really re-read and checked post #3.

The "online" link just displays the apple on-line sale of refurbished products. It does not indicate if my iMac was refurbished or not.

The "check serial number here" link, does not indicate if the iMac was refurbished.

So either I am missing some very obvious - in that case I appreciate your patience in putting it clearly - or post #3 does not answer my question.

Thanks anyway for you answer
Click to expand...
This:
GGJstudios said:
Apple only sells refurb models online, not in Apple stores, and they ship in plain boxes. You can also enter your serial number here to check the specs. If in doubt, you can call Apple. Refurbs are assigned a serial number that identifies them as refurbished.
Click to expand...
 
aicul said:
The "check serial number here" link, does not indicate if the iMac was refurbished.
Click to expand...

Correct. I just entered the SN for my iMac, which I purchased from Apple as refurbished, and it says nothing about it being refurbished.
 
Dear GGJstudios

I truly hope that you realize that I was asking how I could find out if my iMac was refurbished without asking the very people that may have "hidden" the fact that they delivered a refurbished iMac.

So point taken, that "may" be a manner, but it is not something very forceful.

Thank-you for your time and effort, it made all the difference.
 
CoMoMacUser said:
Correct. I just entered the SN for my iMac, which I purchased from Apple as refurbished, and it says nothing about it being refurbished.
Click to expand...
No one ever said that that site would tell you whether a Mac was refurbished or not. I said go to that site to check the specs. Call Apple with your serial number and they can tell you whether that model is refurbished or not.
aicul said:
Dear GGJstudios

I truly hope that you realize that I was asking how I could find out if my iMac was refurbished without asking the very people that may have "hidden" the fact that they delivered a refurbished iMac.

So point taken, that "may" be a manner, but it is not something very forceful.

Thank-you for your time and effort, it made all the difference.
Click to expand...

When you call Apple and give them your serial number, they don't need to look at your service history to tell you whether or not that model is refurbished. Apple has absolutely no reason to lie to you about whether you have a refurbished model or not. They won't even know whether you are the same person who took the Mac in for repair. You could've sold your Mac to someone else right after you got it repaired. Call Apple if you want your answer. If you don't, that's up to you.
 
GGJstudios said:
No one ever said that that site would tell you whether a Mac was refurbished or not. I said go to that site to check the specs.
Click to expand...

I'm puzzled why you'd respond to the question "How can one find out if a iMac is refurbished?" with a link that provides specs rather than the information the OP was looking for.
 
CoMoMacUser said:
I'm puzzled why you'd respond to the question "How can one find out if a iMac is refurbished?" with a link that provides specs rather than the information the OP was looking for.
Click to expand...
Read the whole post. I gave them the information they were looking for, and additional information, as well. Checking the specs on that site will confirm whether or not the replacement Mac has the same specifications as the original, and calling Apple with the serial number will confirm whether or not the replacement is a refurbished model. It's really not that difficult to understand.
 
GGJstudios said:
Read the whole post. I gave them the information they were looking for, and additional information, as well. Checking the specs on that site will confirm whether or not the replacement Mac has the same specifications as the original, and calling Apple with the serial number will confirm whether or not the replacement is a refurbished model. It's really not that difficult to understand.
Click to expand...

Your zeal to provide assistance is appreciated, but the additional information was superfluous to the point that it knocked this thread off track. We would all have been better off if you'd simply suggested calling Apple.
 
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