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dbyl2

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Mar 16, 2008
17
0
Ireland
Hey everyone,
One and a half years ago a got a job to raise money for a macbook, and today I finaly am typing on one right now. But if it wasn't for a £130 discount by buying refurbished I wouldnt by doing this.

First of all many people think the refurbished store is second hand. if you take it literally it is but when you get the machine it comes perfectly new looking, the only diffrence is that it comes in a normal white cardboard box like below:
3410244054_11c6691f38.jpg
and when you open it it looks like this
3410215182_380acff8af.jpg

3409405583_03cd7bb58c.jpg


what is refurbished?
A: it is a returned model or one which has had a fault in the production line, it is fully looked over by apple engineers and it is 100% fault free

What is the difference between refurb and new?
A: nothing really the only difference is the box and that it has actually been opened before- but the price is massive- I saved £130 buying a alu 2.0ghz MacBook.

when is the refurb store updated?
A: I talked to an apple rep. she said it is updated as the need arrives but from 2 weeks of checking the store it is updated every morning, the UK store closes at 11pm each night (the store becomes inactive) and opens at 6 the next morning- delivery is by UPS and she same protocols as a new macbook

edit: by tomorrow "One thing I would like to add - sometimes a refurb is a computer that was never even delivered to a customer. When I worked in a computer store some years ago, from time to time a customer would bring in their computer - PC or Mac - with a problem that was as simple as swapping out a bad RAM stick for a good one, or a bad drive for a good one, etc. We would pull the replacement part out of a new computer, put the replacement part in the customer's computer, then return the feeder computer to the manufacturer, who would then refurb it. Nothing sinister about it, and like I said, no customer ever even saw the computer."


if you have anyother questions post them in the replies below

I posted this because many people like me were or still confused about the refurb store and how it works

thanks for reading,
paul
 
Well said. People who are worried about refurbs really don't need to be.

One thing I would like to add - sometimes a refurb is a computer that was never even delivered to a customer. When I worked in a computer store some years ago, from time to time a customer would bring in their computer - PC or Mac - with a problem that was as simple as swapping out a bad RAM stick for a good one, or a bad drive for a good one, etc. We would pull the replacement part out of a new computer, put the replacement part in the customer's computer, then return the feeder computer to the manufacturer, who would then refurb it. Nothing sinister about it, and like I said, no customer ever even saw the computer.
 
Thanks for the info, dbyl2. I actually was just on my way to check out the refurb store online, but stopped in at MacRumors first, so I'm glad to see your post! :)
 
how about apple care? is it the same coverage?

looking at a mac mini or even iMac to expand my current set-up
 
You can purchase AppleCare for refurbished products. Like it says at the top of the refurb store: "We test and certify all Apple refurbished products and include a 1-year warranty."
 
Great post and photos. Will prove good reading for many users on here. And for those with pcs who want to switch to mac, why wait? Go get yourselves a refurb for a great deal :cool:
 
Great photos, did not realize that they changed the boxes form brown to white looks great. Enjoy your new machine.
 
I've bought quite a few things from the refurb store... my AppleTV, Airport Express, 8 iMacs at work, and just bought a Mac Mini for my mom last night for $419. Couldn't beat that price at all, and it saved her from getting some crappy windows box. Hope to get an Al MacBook from there soon as well. Great way to save a few bucks.
 
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