so if you have a defective mac and you take it to the retail store, do they open up a brand new mac and give it to you or is it a refurb in the brown packaging?
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Question about exchanging a mac
- Thread starter sahni130
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At the retail store, they don't have refurbs in stock to give out.
So long as you have a stock config (i.e. you didn't order it online and customize it), if it's within 14 days of purchase, they'll almost always give you the option to swap out for a new one of the same config.
After 14 days, they'll usually have the Genius Bar repair any problems, although some folks have gotten swaps after the 14 day mark.
So long as you have a stock config (i.e. you didn't order it online and customize it), if it's within 14 days of purchase, they'll almost always give you the option to swap out for a new one of the same config.
After 14 days, they'll usually have the Genius Bar repair any problems, although some folks have gotten swaps after the 14 day mark.
so they are brand new macs, in new packaging, and are the same as what you would just "purchase" in the first place?
Yes, that's correct. Don't worry, if you're having problems with you brand new Mac, the Apple store isn't going to plot against you.
so say you have an defective imac and you take it to the store without the keyboard and the mouse. will they just give you a brand new computer in unopened packaging or will they open it and take out the mouse and keyboard?
They exchange like for like. They don't give away extra equipment (keyboards, mice, reinstall discs) for free.
You only bring your iMac, they will only replace your iMac. They'll typically keep the new box and the accessories and put your defective iMac in it and ship it back to get fixed and refurbed.
You bring in your defective iMac in the box with all accessories, and they'll typically just give you another brand new, unopened box.
You only bring your iMac, they will only replace your iMac. They'll typically keep the new box and the accessories and put your defective iMac in it and ship it back to get fixed and refurbed.
You bring in your defective iMac in the box with all accessories, and they'll typically just give you another brand new, unopened box.
oh so you dont get to take the new box home. also if i bought another brand new mac and bought ram from them, do they open the box to put it in or can you take the mac home and do it yourself. sorry, im new to macs.
also if i bought another brand new mac and bought ram from them, do they open the box to put it in or can you take the mac home and do it yourself. sorry, im new to macs.If you bring everything in with your old, defective Mac (i.e. the iMac, box, and all of the accessories), then you can usually take the new box home.oh so you dont get to take the new box home.
I've seen some people just bring literally the iMac itself (no box, no accessories in) and get that exchanged. In that case, they simply leave with the new iMac (not the new box, or the new accessories).
I'm not sure how they'd handle that. My guess is that they'd want to remove it from the defective iMac and place it into the new iMac for you, but I've never actually seen that situation.
No worries. You're more likely to get a perfect new iMac than not.
is it pretty easy to get it exchanged or do they test it out for a while and ask too many
questions?
questions?
Depends on the issue, from what I've seen.
At the store near me, if you bring it in with an obvious defect (i.e. it won't turn on, it can't find the hard drive, etc), one of the managers will verify the defect and then just swap it out.
If you bring it in with a less obvious defect (i.e. it occasionally locks up), the manager will usually have one of the Apple certified technicians from the Genius bar look at it to verify the defect, and then swap it out if it's defective.