Poll: Laptop Defect Rate - online vs. retail

[xpovos]

Nearly every Apple product I've bought at an Apple retail store has been defective in some way or another. This includes multiple Apple laptops, some iMacs, some iPods, and a few accessories. But the majority of Apple products I've bought online have been defect-free. I suspect that my incredibly bad luck with the Apple stores is just a fluke, but I'm curious to know what others' experiences have been. Since I may be considering a new laptop after January, I'm interested in focusing on those.

Regarding your most recent MacBook or MacBook Pro purchase, was the unit completely problem-free on the first try, or did you have to do one or more exchanges to get it right?

Thanks in advance.

 

[mrwizardno2]

I've recently purchased 3 laptops, two (MBP, blackbook) from the retail store, and a refurb from online (white macbook)... all without any issues.

My previous mac mini (2 years ago?ish... not a laptop, but still) was also an in store purchase and never faltered.

 

[Osprey]

I really didn't have a choice but to buy online because there are no apple stores in my state. Never considered buying from a retail store because I wanted to custom build mine. I was really pleased when I received it and found no issues. Of course I wouldn't have worried about it, if I hadn't read posts on this forum about the defective ones.