AGREED!!!
On a side note: My refurb 20" iMac C2D is amazing and I have had absolutely no problems with it. I say go for a refurb if at all possible. You won't be disappointed.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
refurb experience
- Thread starter w8ing4intelmacs
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
AGREED!!!
On a side note: My refurb 20" iMac C2D is amazing and I have had absolutely no problems with it. I say go for a refurb if at all possible. You won't be disappointed.
To add balance, positive refurb experiences!
I've had two refurb purchases from Apple, both times they were faultless.
My 3G iPod came in a plain brown box but didn't have even the faintest of scratches on the case and all the accessories were as new.
My Power Mac G5 even came with the original box with a couple of green refurb stickers pasted on. Again, everything was in as new condition and apart from the serial number and green stickers, identical to a brand new purchase.
My friend was so impressed that he ordered a PM and his friend has since got one too. They all came in the same condition as mine and none of us would hesitate to buy a refurb in the future.
I've had two refurb purchases from Apple, both times they were faultless.
My 3G iPod came in a plain brown box but didn't have even the faintest of scratches on the case and all the accessories were as new.
My Power Mac G5 even came with the original box with a couple of green refurb stickers pasted on. Again, everything was in as new condition and apart from the serial number and green stickers, identical to a brand new purchase.
My friend was so impressed that he ordered a PM and his friend has since got one too. They all came in the same condition as mine and none of us would hesitate to buy a refurb in the future.
I owned 4 Macs to date. All of them have gone back to a service centre within 6 months. I recommended a family member to get a refurb and it took a grand total of four trips down to a service centre and finally involving some more "power person" within Apple APAC to intervene before it got replaced with another refurb (and 1 more trip down to the service centre) until everything works fine.
Ball. Court. Yours.
Hell if I dig up a little I may even be able to scan these service chits.
Well what about you? Why are you sprouting off like you know anything more than me?
Just because your opinion is pro-Apple does not count.
Erm simple? Because I am also a Mac user?
Trolling? Why if all of us just sit back and look at everything on the positive side and doesn't strive to improve... everyone in the world will either be a Christian or a Buddhist. Science, who needs science! Medicine? Trust the Maker! Same deal with you guys, trust Steve! Even though Quanta farts Dell machines, the fart that Quanta produces for Apple are rainbow flavoured! Lol!
Get over your fanboism and shove it. If you don't like what I've got to say there is always the ignore list. Who are you to tell me what opinions are sanctioned by this hallowed 3% of the computing market anyway.
Say hello to your own little world if you want to. I don't subscribe to the same delusions as you.
If you think that annoying us on these forums is going to change anything over at Apple, you are seriously disillusioned.
And I repeat myself that a small number of bad experiences simply do not add up to a horrible company and product on the whole. I'd love for you to research numbers of satisfied vs. dissatisfied Apple customers, and then also compare those numbers to Dell's. But you can't.
Oh, and please find where I have tried spouting opinion as fact. Oh, wait, you can't. Unlike your "they're made in the same factories as Dell," and so on and so forth. I'm not the only one that is seriously sick of hearing it.
You're set on getting attention, and apparently the only way you know how is by causing rifts. Can't you go bother some people in real life, and stop wasting your breath here? It's not welcome.
Yes, you are surrounded by people who love Apple and adore their macs. Get over it. We don't think they're perfect - no company is. But stop trying to thrive on and over-exaggerate a few bad experiences, especially when your only audience are people who like Apple. What are you trying to accomplish?
You are not some martyr set on a greater good. You are an attention-seeker hiding behind your keyboard. Stop already.
actually, this isn't quite true. If you buy new, you have the option of bringing the iPod to an apple store and either a) having a genius fix it or b) having them just pull a new one off the shelf for you. You're pretty much promised a refurb if you mail it in but you can usually get a new one by going to the store, but refurbs have different serial nos so you can't do the same with a refurb.
i bought a refurbished 20" C2D imac recently and i had issues with it. it had some kind of discoloration in one spot on the screen. i tried cleaning it off but it became obvious quite quickly that the issue was with the screen and not the casing or anything.
the same day that i received it i took it to apple to look at it. i get there and they have no more appointments for me that day.... great.
so midnight that night i make an appointment to see a genius the following day. he writes up his little report and whatnot and tells me to call applecare and they will help take care of it. since my computer was a refurb, there was nothing they could do for me at a retail store.
so i call applecare and they were AWESOME. i had to wait to initially speak with someone and i was put on hold a couple times, but they were polite and solved my problem quickly. the next day i sent the imac out and i received my refund in a timely fashion.
i decided on a refund because at this point i just wanted a brand new computer. so i bought my new 20" that i'm currently using, and i'm extremely happy with it. only thing that's wrong with it is that it has just one dead pixel on the screen. i freaked out at first but it's really not a big deal since it's off to the side.
anyway, i understand that what happened to me doesn't happen to everyone. i wouldn't say do not buy a refurb, but just understand the risks that come with it. personally, i doubt i will consider a refurbished model again in the future.
the same day that i received it i took it to apple to look at it. i get there and they have no more appointments for me that day.... great.
so midnight that night i make an appointment to see a genius the following day. he writes up his little report and whatnot and tells me to call applecare and they will help take care of it. since my computer was a refurb, there was nothing they could do for me at a retail store.
so i call applecare and they were AWESOME. i had to wait to initially speak with someone and i was put on hold a couple times, but they were polite and solved my problem quickly. the next day i sent the imac out and i received my refund in a timely fashion.
i decided on a refund because at this point i just wanted a brand new computer. so i bought my new 20" that i'm currently using, and i'm extremely happy with it. only thing that's wrong with it is that it has just one dead pixel on the screen. i freaked out at first but it's really not a big deal since it's off to the side.
anyway, i understand that what happened to me doesn't happen to everyone. i wouldn't say do not buy a refurb, but just understand the risks that come with it. personally, i doubt i will consider a refurbished model again in the future.
I bought refurb.12-inch powerbook (rev D) back in summer 2005. it's still very nice. well, I dropped it when I checked in hotel in S.F. left edge where palm rest is little damaged. but it still look great, fine machine. I love form factor. but only thing I don't like 1024x768. it's old pixel resolution. I hope Apple will bring new 12-inch macbook pro with higer resolution, all options like full video card support (at least 128MB).
I had a really good refurb experience 
Got mum a Macbook (Core [1] Duo) for this Christmas just gone. Arrived in a brown box, but was superbly packed. All accessories were packaged exactly as they had been on my new Mac. Cables were all rolled correctly and covered with those little caps just like new. The Macbook itself is pristine - zero indication that it's a refurb. It doesn't suffer from any faults whatsoever.
Incidentally, refurbs are covered by exactly the same guarantees as new models. Those of you who received extremely sub-standard refurbs (such as the grime) would have been perfectly entitled to a replacement. The fact is, these machines are not sold 'as-is'. They're sold under a clear declaration that they've met certain quality standards. As far as I can tell, the only difference between the standard refurbs are sold under and that which new models are sold under, is that either the entirety or part of the refurb had previously been sold to someone else. Other than that, the consumer may apply exactly the same standards to refurbs as they can to new models.
Got mum a Macbook (Core [1] Duo) for this Christmas just gone. Arrived in a brown box, but was superbly packed. All accessories were packaged exactly as they had been on my new Mac. Cables were all rolled correctly and covered with those little caps just like new. The Macbook itself is pristine - zero indication that it's a refurb. It doesn't suffer from any faults whatsoever.
Incidentally, refurbs are covered by exactly the same guarantees as new models. Those of you who received extremely sub-standard refurbs (such as the grime) would have been perfectly entitled to a replacement. The fact is, these machines are not sold 'as-is'. They're sold under a clear declaration that they've met certain quality standards. As far as I can tell, the only difference between the standard refurbs are sold under and that which new models are sold under, is that either the entirety or part of the refurb had previously been sold to someone else. Other than that, the consumer may apply exactly the same standards to refurbs as they can to new models.
I have purchased multiple used and refurbished Mac's and have not had problems with any of them.
- PowerMac G4 Dual 1.25Ghz
- PowerMac G4 800 Mhz
- MacMini 1.25Ghz G4
- Mac Mini 1.5Ghz Intel Core Solo
The only new Mac that I have purchased new was a MacBook, and it came with a leaking battery that oozed battery juice all inside the computer.
- PowerMac G4 Dual 1.25Ghz
- PowerMac G4 800 Mhz
- MacMini 1.25Ghz G4
- Mac Mini 1.5Ghz Intel Core Solo
The only new Mac that I have purchased new was a MacBook, and it came with a leaking battery that oozed battery juice all inside the computer.
Well said! I used to love reading these fora, until iWoot turned this into his personal Dell-Troll, Apple-bashing site. Fortunately, I see that he's finally banned .... at least until he re-registers with a new e-mail address.
As you've pointed out, this is, of course, an Apple-loving site, but a place where we can come for help, knowledge, or sometimes just a sympathetic shoulder to lean on! Apple isn't perfect, and we want to hear about complaints or shortcomings, but Trolls aren't welcome, and neither help, nor learn.
As for refurbs, my experience has been near-perfect. I've bought 2 refurb iMacs for family members, and another 4 refurb iBooks for family members (a generous guy, eh?), and out of all of these, only one iBook came with a defect (wouldn't run off of battery, needing a new logic board), and NONE of them had even the slightest cosmetic defect! They all came in a brown box, but all looked brand new. Now, when you can buy new from Amazon, or elsewhere, $50-100 more than an Apple refurb (which charges tax!), then I'd buy new - but if you can save a few hundred, I'd certainly not hesitate to buy Apple refurbs!
iBorg
Great refurb experiences!
I've bought two iBooks, 1 iMac G5 20", 3 iPods and will soon be buying a MPB refurbed. All of my purchases have been long lasting computers with nary a scratch on them. None of them came w/ a surprise amount of RAM or HD, but I wasn't expecting that, so no loss. As for all of the people who had problems with there refurbed machines. That also happens to the new machines as well(my father went through 2 brand new MPB's before the 3rd one worked like a charm)... Hence, why we have refurbs. I look at the cost savings and know I'm getting the same year warranty, why not?
Coachingguy
I've bought two iBooks, 1 iMac G5 20", 3 iPods and will soon be buying a MPB refurbed. All of my purchases have been long lasting computers with nary a scratch on them. None of them came w/ a surprise amount of RAM or HD, but I wasn't expecting that, so no loss. As for all of the people who had problems with there refurbed machines. That also happens to the new machines as well(my father went through 2 brand new MPB's before the 3rd one worked like a charm)... Hence, why we have refurbs. I look at the cost savings and know I'm getting the same year warranty, why not?
Coachingguy
How do you test for dead pixels???
Is there a program that gives you a count or do you need to just visually inspect it?
Is there a program that gives you a count or do you need to just visually inspect it?
Just visually inspect - the OS has no way of knowing whether there's any dead pixels.
The problems actually come in two varieties: 'dead' pixels remain permanently black. For the most part, these are irreprable. 'Stuck' pixels remain constantly one colour. Usually, they'll be stuck white, but sometimes you'll see others. These can sometimes be brought back to life using a special video clip which cycles through red, green, blue, black and white very quickly. A quick google will lead you to a download.
I agree with you, I will probably just buy new next time. The box they sent it in is not even worth holding on to. I didnt get any apple stickers. I had to wait much longer. I didnt get my employer discount. It just wasnt worth the 6% I saved (14% - the 8% employer discount on a new).I bought a refurb mbp glossy c2d 2.16 from the online apple store.
No secret upgrades
The battery cycle count was up to 7. Not bad but obviously not brand new.
The box it comes in is a plain brown box (not the neat new mbp box).
Saved a little bit of money
In the future, I'll probably just buy new.
Bought Mac Pro 2x 3.0 Referb
saved over $600 and the computer looked brand new. Yes it did come in a brown box, but that goes in the recycle anyways. everything on mine came packaged like new - only problem was that they have put in the wrong power cord so I had to have them send me the correct one. -no big deal.
works perfectly. I would totally recommend buying referb - you end up getting far more for your money.
saved over $600 and the computer looked brand new. Yes it did come in a brown box, but that goes in the recycle anyways. everything on mine came packaged like new - only problem was that they have put in the wrong power cord so I had to have them send me the correct one. -no big deal.
works perfectly. I would totally recommend buying referb - you end up getting far more for your money.
There are several freeware apps (check versiontracker.com), such as PiXel Check 1.2 that run through several colors on your screen to visually check for stuck/dead pixels.
iBorg
I got my refurb 20" C2D iMac, I am very happy with what I have purchased. I saved over 30% on the original purchase price I don't see how you can complain about saving like that.
With the savings and quality of the product I definantly will be buying refurbs again, from my experience it's worth it just for the savings and free upgrades are just bonuses
(For the record there were no free upgrades with my iMac)
With the savings and quality of the product I definantly will be buying refurbs again, from my experience it's worth it just for the savings and free upgrades are just bonuses
(For the record there were no free upgrades with my iMac)
Having worked in a refurb room for another computer and computer-related products company, I don't counsel anyone to buy anything refurbed, ever, for any reason. As much as I would like to think and hope that the good folks at Apple do a more consistent job than we did when it comes to training the techs, overseeing the work and double-checking what ends up in those plain brown boxes before shipping, too many of the stories on this and other forums make their refurb units sound just like the band of clowns I worked with. And I'm not being arrogant; I was an undertrained clown when I started too, and sent out plenty of stuff that I'm ashamed of now.
Having said that, to all those people that got great deals and the rare bonus surprise, congratulations! It can happen...but you're always gambling, and when I gamble I like to know the odds upfront.
Having said that, to all those people that got great deals and the rare bonus surprise, congratulations! It can happen...but you're always gambling, and when I gamble I like to know the odds upfront.
I just received my refurb Core 2 Duo Macbook last week (1st Mac ever! Whoo hoo!). The battery count was only at one, all materials were packed in the brown box, but the manuals looked fairly worn, but I don't really care. The packing material "foam" left imprints on the case, but I just stuck a shield on it. It may come off with scrubbing. All in all, it was a pretty pleasant experience. I saved $100 off of the educational pricing, so it was a good deal. I put the money toward accessories and will max out the RAM soon. Still cheaper than new though!
I received my refurbish macbook pro 2.33mgz 2 gb ram, and so far the experience has been very positive , i was a bit anxious when i ordered but i 'm super happy with it .. no problem at all, the machine look new, the battery had only 5 cycles !!!! okay come in a refurbish brown box but that not a big deal..
My previous apple was a 1,67 ghz g4 both new had to wait 4 weeks for it !! (maybe this one had a better screen ) and also i ordered the macbook on the monday at 12h00 and got it on the wednesday at 13h00 that very quick shipping , so i think depend of what you are looking for in my experience was very good this is the first time i got for a refurbish one and i have no reason not to buy an other one next time.
My previous apple was a 1,67 ghz g4 both new had to wait 4 weeks for it !! (maybe this one had a better screen ) and also i ordered the macbook on the monday at 12h00 and got it on the wednesday at 13h00 that very quick shipping , so i think depend of what you are looking for in my experience was very good this is the first time i got for a refurbish one and i have no reason not to buy an other one next time.
Check out this thread for some of the freebeies people have gotten from refurbs:
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/277144/
Add yours if you have one!
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/277144/
Add yours if you have one!