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Refurb advice!?!

U

umdjb

macrumors regular
Original poster
Hey everyone,

Anyone have any experience with buying Apple refurbs. Just wondering about performance, durability, quality (condition when you received it), latent problems, etc.

Thanks!
 
i don't have personal experience, but i know several people who've bought refurb machines either online or from an Apple Store and they've had no problems. they're exactly like the brand new ones except they've been opened and used for a few days (weeks, at most) before the original buyer realized they didn't want it.
 
I have had good experience in the past, but I did just get a DOA Black MacBook. It had a bad superdrive so I sent it back to get a refund and will probably buy another refurbished unit soon.
 
I have purchased these refurbished Apple items:

- Intel Mac Mini
- PowerPC Mac Mini
- iPod Mini

All three of the items worked perfectly, and looked cosmetically new. The Mini's had protective plastic on top of them, and the ipod came in a protective plastic casing.

The only problem that I had was that the restore CD's for the PowerPC mini would not work. I called Apple, and they FedExed me a new copy of Tiger.
 
I'm typing on my brother's white refurbished Macbook 2GHz. It looks perfectly new and works great. It even smells new🙂
 
I recently ordered a refurb 20" C2D iMac. It's in perfect condition psychically, but I'm not allowed to turn it on until Christmas, as it's a gift. Everything came with it, install discs, keyboard, mouse, booklet, etc.The one thing that impressed me the most was the delivery time. I ordered it on the 15th, and they said estimated ship date 19th - 21st. It came on the 18th. 🙂
 
i only bought a nano from the store and it had scratchs on it. On bottom near the connector the plastic was messed up and the click wheel had some dirt on it but i got rid of it with iklear
 
Refurb = FAB!

I've bought a 12" Powerbook & 2 iMacs & 3 iPods refurbed. All units perfectly refinished, except on the 'puter the bottom part that touches table (nobody looks there). The iPods had the plastic cover on the screen. The Packing boxes are usually plain brown instead of pretty picture boxes.
I find the refurb prices much better than the EDU discount on a new 'puter.
 
puckhead193 said:
i only bought a nano from the store and it had scratchs on it. On bottom near the connector the plastic was messed up and the click wheel had some dirt on it but i got rid of it with iklear
Click to expand...

If you bought it from the store, it was probably not a refurb but a refresh which is not the same thing. Refresh are just returned merchandise that are repacked by the apple store themselves. Refresh are usually cheaper than refurb too (at least here in Canada). Refurb are actually checked and remanufactured.

Frederic
 
yeah my school sold refurb video ipods dirt cheap at the beginning of the semester. they come in boring brown boxes but other than that are perfect down to the plastic film on the screen. first one had buggy software, i complained, they gave it back to me saying it was fine then the whole thing died. went back to the store and they gave me another refurb no questions asked which has worked phenomenally to this day. looking to buy a refurb black macbook very soon 😎
 
I concur on the apple refurb department. I have purchased a powermac a few years ago and just ordered a 24" Imac that I really LOVE!!
 
I bought a great powerbook on the online refurb store. Works great, looks great, you can still buy the standard extended warranty if you want to and sometimes people even get free upgrades with theirs (better video card/more RAM, etc...).
 
I am also in the same boat and can't decide whether to buy a Refreshed MB or a Refurbrished MB. Some memebers here say that Refreshed are cheaper than Refurbrished, but then again Refurbrished are throughly checked than the Refreshed. I really don't know which one to buy as I have heard people saying that some of them had good experience with refreshed and some of them with Refurbrished. I am a Switcher and I don't want to buy anything which will start giving me problems. I have heard so many people complaining on the forum that my buying decision is becoming harder and harder.
Also, if someone else buys it for me in their name can I register it under my name or does it have be registered under the buyers name.

Cheers!!!
 
i-sidd said:
I am also in the same boat and can't decide whether to buy a Refreshed MB or a Refurbrished MB. Some memebers here say that Refreshed are cheaper than Refurbrished, but then again Refurbrished are throughly checked than the Refreshed. I really don't know which one to buy as I have heard people saying that some of them had good experience with refreshed and some of them with Refurbrished. I am a Switcher and I don't want to buy anything which will start giving me problems. I have heard so many people complaining on the forum that my buying decision is becoming harder and harder.
Also, if someone else buys it for me in their name can I register it under my name or does it have be registered under the buyers name.

Cheers!!!
Click to expand...

I am another satisfied refurb purchaser. I've had my PowerBook 2.5 years and the only issue was that it did not come with a Tiger CD. I called Apple and they sent me one right out. And my next machine will be a MBP 2.33 C2D when they hit the store. YEAH!!!

I'm unfamiliar with the refreshed product. I gather these are "open box" items that you'll find at a retail store, right? It will still have a full manufacturer warranty of course. Unless the deal was really THAT much better, I personally would still go with a refurb.

Regardless, welcome aboard switcher i-sidd!!! 😀
 
umdjb said:
Anyone have any experience with buying Apple refurbs. Just wondering about performance, durability, quality (condition when you received it), latent problems, etc.
Click to expand...

Refurbished items come from various sources. Sometimes they are brand new but older items - like a Core Duo (not Core 2 Duo) MacBook, or an iPod Mini. It is exactly what you could have bought a few months ago as brand new + full price. Sometimes it is returned items; someone bought it, turned it on once, didn't like it, returned it. Sometimes it is a repaired item. Someone bought it, it didn't work, they fixed it.

In all cases it should look and work like brand new. You have the full warranty. Of course things can go wrong; anything can go wrong. A brand new MacBook might not work, and so might a refurbished one. In that case, you bring it back to the shop and get a new (refurbished) one.

The only thing where you need to be careful: When Apple quotes prices (like 36% less than brand new), that is compared to the price when the item was brand new. Take an iPod Mini: You might get one for half the price that it was brand new in its day, but if you could buy one brand new in a shop today, you wouldn't be willing to pay that much for it. So take the price, and compare the price and the product to what Apple is selling today.
 
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