Radio Shack Offering "Refreshed" and "Remanufactured" 16GB iPhone 4S for $99.99

[MacRumors]

Radio Shack has begun offering "refreshed" and "remanufactured" iPhone 4 and 4S models for a significant discount. The iPhone 4S is available from Radio Shack on AT&T and Verizon starting for $99.99 with a two-year contract, and the iPhone 4 on the same carriers for free.

According to Radio Shack:

Refreshed phones are models that have been restored and repackaged internally (no full warranty), while remanufactured are used phones provided from a third party that have been remanufactured with a new warranty.

Those looking for an iPhone 4S will be able to purchase a refreshed or remanufactured model on AT&T for $99.99 (iPhone 4S 16GB) and $149.99 (iPhone 4S 32 GB). Verizon models of the iPhone 4S are available for $99.99 (iPhone 4S 16 GB), $199.99 (iPhone 4S 32 GB) and $299.99 (iPhone 4S 64 GB).

Additionally, users buying phones on Verizon also receive a $50 Radio Shack gift card.

Radio Shack has been fairly active offering special promotions and deals for the iPhone and iPad.

Article Link: Radio Shack Offering "Refreshed" and "Remanufactured" 16GB iPhone 4S for $99.99

 

[Agent OrangeZ]

These are "refreshed" by someone at Radioshack and are exempt from Genius Bar support at the Apple Store. No thanks.

 

[autrefois]

Apparently someone at Radio Shack works at the Department of Redundancy Department.

remanufactured are used phones provided from a third party that have been remanufactured

In case you're like me and actually want to know what "remanufactured" means exactly, here's Wikipedia's take

Remanufacturing is the process of disassembly and recovery at the module level and, eventually, at the component level. It requires the repair or replacement of worn out or obsolete components and modules. Parts subject to degradation affecting the performance or the expected life of the whole are replaced. [...] Remanufacturing [...] differs from other recovery processes in its completeness: a remanufactured machine should match the same customer expectation as new machines.

Still not completely clear how much this differs from "refreshed" other than since they aren't offering a warranty on refreshed phones, I would assume they don't do as much to them and you'd be taking a bigger risk on how long or whether your phone would actually work. But if it's Radio Shack or their partners and not Apple doing the refreshing or remanufacturing, which appears to be the case, I'm not sure I'd want to go with either.

 

[Boiler]

$100 for a broken and fixed old gen phone
When the next one comes in 8 weeks for. $200 brand new

No thanks

 

[newdeal]

99 bucks doesn't seem like a deal it's the 2 year commitment that costs the real money.

 

[pubwvj]

Wow. That is quite the deal.

 

[Mad-B-One]

So, in other words, it is about $100 off and loose the warranty and availability of AppleCare+? No thanks! I mean, I have a refurb 4S as replacement from VZN but I still have the support because I have the original iPhone 4 purchaise. That is the only way I would ever touch a used phone binding me to a contract running $80/month. iPhones can and do break on occasion. I wonder what AT&T would do in this case it breakes? Tell the customer to buy a new one? For me, and that is just me, I need the coverage as long as I cannot upgrade to the next device or am able to release the contract and move on to another carrier.

 

[nsfw]

99 bucks doesn't seem like a deal it's the 2 year commitment that costs the real money.

Exactly, over two years yer in for about $2400. What does it matter if its $99 or $199? Not sure why people fall for this. As someone above mentioned, iPhone 5 comes out in two months for $199 for iPhone 4 owners on a two year cycle.

 

[RaggieSoft]

No thanks. Especially at my local RadioShack. Pressure like no tomorrow (I was getting smoke detector batteries and paying cash), even when my 4S was in plain sight

 

[KdParker]

$100 for a broken and fixed old gen phone
When the next one comes in 8 weeks for. $200 brand new

No thanks

Or let the new one come out and get a new iPhone 4S for 99 bucks.

 

[CReimer]

Today's Radio Shack isn't your granddaddy's Radio Shack. Why would anyone buy anything at Radio Shack?

 

[zorinlynx]

Today's Radio Shack isn't your granddaddy's Radio Shack. Why would anyone buy anything at Radio Shack?

Well, sometimes you just really NEED a 40Kohm resistor RIGHT NOW...

 

[Acorn]

radio shack is hard to read. the radio shack by me does almost no business at all. unless you think a store can survive on selling batteries. the store by my parents is always really really busy. that is a surprise to me because every radio shack ive ever been is has been completely dead. to me circuit city always had way way more business then radio shack yet they went under and radio shack continues to survive somehow.

 

[thelink]

I just want the iPhone 5! Bring it on apple!!!!

 

[rdlink]

Today's Radio Shack isn't your granddaddy's Radio Shack. Why would anyone buy anything at Radio Shack?

Actually, it is. It sucked then, too.

 

[deannnnn]

I don't trust Radio Shack to remanufacture an iPhone. I don't even trust Radio Shack to remanufacture a radio. Thanks for that mini-pin cable I bought for my car 8 years ago though.

 

[awtech9311]

Yea lets buy an iPhone thats had who knows what wrong with it and trust that Radioshack can fix it then hope it works for two years...pass its worth the extra $$ to get one that you know works and has a warranty.

 

[midwestfisherma]

No Sprint iPhones?