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MBA refurbished.. Apple Care?

N

NateEssex

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Aug 30, 2008
310
8
Hi,
I'm thinking of buying my daughter a refurbished MBA on Groupon, but I'm concerned about AppleCare. Has anyone bought one and been able to get Apple Care? Any feedback on refurbished MBAs? Places for good deals?

Thanks!
 
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thanks for posting the link. I'll assume from this?
these are not Apple refurbished computers. they are just used machines that have been wiped (both the system inside and the grime outside) and determined to be minimally functional (refurbished!). 30 to 90 day 3rd party warranties (good luck with that). you cannot add Apple Care to them. are these prices even good?

only place to buy refurbished Apple is Apple.
http://www.apple.com/shop/browse/home/specialdeals/mac/macbook_air
inventory changes regularly so keep an eye out for what you want.
 
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To add: Refurbished from Apple means full warranty, and as new. Sometimes they even _are_ new; when Apple removes models from sales, they come back as refurbished a bit later (and they have not been sold to anyone). Most that are also currently on sale are computers that have been returned within 14 days; they obviously cannot be sold as "new" because they are not, but they are sold cheaper as "as new".
 
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1. Only buy refurbished units straight from Apple
2. Add AppleCare

AppleCare really makes life less stressful when there are unexpected problems with these non-easile-user-accessible machines. I actually wish Apple to offer longer AppleCare (eg. 5 years in addition to the standard 3).
 
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NateEssex said:
Hi,
I'm thinking of buying my daughter a refurbished MBA on Groupon, but I'm concerned about AppleCare. Has anyone bought one and been able to get Apple Care? Any feedback on refurbished MBAs? Places for good deals?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

If you buy refurbished straight from Apple, - and they are the only ones authorised to sell refurbished computers - the computer is - in legal terms - as new.

That means it comes with all of the guarantees and warranties of a new computer.

It also means that you can buy - or add - Applecare to it anything during the first year of your purchase, but at no time after that.

pika2000 said:
1. Only buy refurbished units straight from Apple
2. Add AppleCare

AppleCare really makes life less stressful when there are unexpected problems with these non-easile-user-accessible machines. I actually wish Apple to offer longer AppleCare (eg. 5 years in addition to the standard 3).
Click to expand...

Excellent post; I have always found that Applecare has more than paid for itself.
 
Scepticalscribe said:
That means it comes with all of the guarantees and warranties of a new computer.
Click to expand...

I really like the Apple refurbs, bought a 13" MBA for a family member last year. But there may be one slight difference between the refurb and new. Some credit cards will automatically double your warranty period when used to purchase a Mac. However they may exclude refurbs from these extended warranties. Probably not a big deal for most people, but worth checking the fine print in your credit card terms if you are concerned.

I run hot and cold regarding AppleCare. I got it for my iPhone 6s Plus last year but have not purchased it for a Mac in a long time. I have been using Apple computers going back the the Apple ][ in 1978 and Macs since the "Fat Mac' 512 in 1985. I have only had one issue that AppleCare would have covered in all those years - and I did actually have coverage on that machine, a PowerBook G4 back in 2004. There was an issue with it failing to recognize all the RAM I had installed and Apple swapped the motherboard twice. The issue came back each time, and I finally gave up on trying to resolve it since I was replacing it with a new computer anyway. It turned out to be a design flaw of some kind and there was even talk of a class action suit over it.

I could have bought a couple new Macs with the money I've saved by not purchasing AppleCare over the past 10 years. It's a gamble, like any insurance policy. But the odds are on Apple's side or they would not be offering it. ;)
 
Boyd01 said:
I really like the Apple refurbs, bought a 13" MBA for a family member last year. But there may be one slight difference between the refurb and new. Some credit cards will automatically double your warranty period when used to purchase a Mac. However they may exclude refurbs from these extended warranties. Probably not a big deal for most people, but worth checking the fine print in your credit card terms if you are concerned.

I run hot and cold regarding AppleCare. I got it for my iPhone 6s Plus last year but have not purchased it for a Mac in a long time. I have been using Apple computers going back the the Apple ][ in 1978 and Macs since the "Fat Mac' 512 in 1985. I have only had one issue that AppleCare would have covered in all those years - and I did actually have coverage on that machine, a PowerBook G4 back in 2004. There was an issue with it failing to recognize all the RAM I had installed and Apple swapped the motherboard twice. The issue came back each time, and I finally gave up on trying to resolve it since I was replacing it with a new computer anyway. It turned out to be a design flaw of some kind and there was even talk of a class action suit over it.

I could have bought a couple new Macs with the money I've saved by not purchasing AppleCare over the past 10 years. It's a gamble, like any insurance policy. But the odds are on Apple's side or they would not be offering it. ;)
Click to expand...

Well, there have been many debates on Applecare over the years on these threads.

Personally, I'm a fan, ever since a colleague in an ancient university where I taught had a windows computer completely die at 13 months and was left with nothing, neither warranty, legal support, nor a working computer.

In my case, the Applecare has paid for itself; my MBP had a HDD replaced, and I seem to recall a battery failure - both in the third year, so Applecare was useful.

My first MBA (13" 2010, the so-called 'Revolution C'), required a MagSafe replacement and a keyboard replacement, again, both handled swiftly under Applecare.

My second MBA - bought in the summer of 2013 - had issues with individual keys - the 'a' key in particular - kept coming off. Apple replaced the entire keyboard.

For me, Applecare regulates my purchases - the cycle of Applecare determines how long I hold not a computer for, not technological breakthroughs; I am not an 'early-adopter' - I prefer to see apple iron out all issues and teething problems before investing in a new computer.

Therefore, I will usually replace a computer before Applecare expires, as I like the peace of mind that having it gives me.
 
Well of course it's a personal decision and you chose what suited you. Perhaps you are just unlucky or you treat your computers differently, but I have never experienced anything like that many problems with my Macs. Over the past 5 years I've purchased three MacBook Airs and three Mac Minis. Zero problems with any of them. I think it would have cost $1050 ($250 per MBA and $100 per mini) to cover them all with AppleCare. That just doesn't make sense for me, I could buy either two new Minis or one MBA for that amount. I'll just take my chances, and my credit card already doubles Apple's one year warranty.

One reason I have stayed with Apple all these years is the quality of their hardware. If it consistently failed during the first three years I doubt that I'd still be a customer. ;)
 
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