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Refurb macbook - what you get

F

fishcake

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Mar 23, 2009
22
11
Hello all,

I've been lurking here for a little while as I pondered making the switch from PC to Mac, finally pulled the trigger a week ago. Since I've made use of all your lovely advice I thought I'd give a quick summary of my experience to help anyone else that's thinking of buying.

Much as I'd like to buy new, I decided that I'd go down the refurb route, money is an issue at the moment. :( So, I picked a base spec unibody macbook from the Canadian Apple store and placed my order last Monday, March 16th, around 5pm atlantic time.

I received a receipt email from Apple shortly afterwards which said the macbook was being prepared for shipping, which would take 3 - 5 days and would be delivered somewhere between 23rd and 30th March.

The following day, 17th March, I received a second email from Apple telling me the macbook had shipped from California by FedEx and the expected delivery date was Friday 20th, yipee.

I followed the package as it meandered around North America for a couple of days before it arrived in my local sorting depot late morning on Thursday 19th. I figured it would be delivered the following day as the van must have already left for the day, but when I got home late afternoon there was a note from FedEx letting me know they'd been. Pants, missed them! Anyway, they turned up the following day, and I was in, so I got my shiny new(ish) macbook.

For those who want an idea what you might get with a refurb, my macbook is apparently 6 weeks old, (though I'm not getting a hit back from Apples website when I enter the serial number, anyone know why?). The machine itself looks new apart from some scratches on the bottom, and functions fine. The main scratch is about 1cm wide and 5mm long, there should be a picture of it with this post.

So, there's some cosmetic damage to the bottom of the machine, but other than that it's perfect. I can live with the damage given that it has saved me CAD$200.

Hope that helps anyone out there that's thinking of going refurb.
 

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It's too bad your machine arrived with some small damage. You might consider asking Apple to fix/replace it, though that may not be worth the hassle.

I've bought two refurb products from Apple: an MBP and an AEBS. Both arrived in pristine condition, exactly as ordered. I do recommend their refurbished items to friends and anyone considering buying from Apple but wary of the price of new products.

Oh, and as for the tour of America taken by your computer? That's happened to me with all of the items I've purchased from Apple. It ships from California (or Asia), makes a couple of stops in the mid-West, stays at the border for a day or two, and finally arrives.
 
I also recommend refurbished units. I can also say that Apple is great about replacing any problem with a refurbished unit.

I purchased a refurbished aluminum Macbook (2.4ghz) from Apple.com at the end of January 2009. It took 5 days to arrive. There was a rather large scratch on the palm rest area, next to the trackpad. I immediately called Apple for a replacement - even though it was a refurbished unit with a cosmetic defect, I paid alot of money for the Macbook.

The Apple rep was extremely nice and apologetic. She immediately emailed me a FedEx tracking slip while we were still on the phone. I dropped the Macbook at FedEx that night, and THE VERY NEXT DAY I received the replacement Macbook....absolutely perfect, with no marks at all. Apple even sent me a free keyboard cover!!

Yes, my first refurbished unit had a scratch...but Apple was so great about arranging for a replacement unit, that I wouldn't hesistate to buy another refurbished. In fact, I ordered a refurbished white Macbook for my dad this week.
 
Apple actively promotes their refurbs as "good as new" (and of the several I've ordered over the years, all have been). I too would recommend contacting them about replacement. Although, if you've fallen in lurv and don't want to part with it, we understand that too :p:D:D:D.
 
Get in touch

I would also agree about getting in touch and seeing if they'll do something about replacing it. From the picture it looks like pretty serious damage considering it's supposed to be 'as new'.
 
scienide09 said:
Oh, and as for the tour of America taken by your computer? That's happened to me with all of the items I've purchased from Apple. It ships from California (or Asia), makes a couple of stops in the mid-West, stays at the border for a day or two, and finally arrives.
Click to expand...

Anything shipped by air will do that. FedEx (and all carriers) have major hubs, so strange as it may sound, it winds up being cheaper and more environmentally friendly to ship them around the country than fly a direct route. :)

As for your MacBook: Apple would likely replace it if you ask. But as others have said, it may not be worth the hassle. I bought my last iPod refurbished, and it was absolutely perfect. Saved a fair bit of coin, too. :)
 
awesome >< im going to buy a refurb myself in the next couple of days thanks for posting your experience.

about the contacting apple about the scratch its ur call do or dont. the posts warning apple roulette are sound advice. but if i do call the consensus is that they will send you a new one and be willing to take care of you.

i will add though that you should still contact apple and atleast tell them that it came with a scratch and have them take note that it ARRIVED that way.

So when, should u have to, take it in for repair in the future the "geniuses" wont see the scratch and think that YOU DROPPED causing the possible damage you're taking it in for.

read this post about how apple handles dents and repair:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/672511/

other than that enjoy your bran spankin Re-NEWed machine =)
 
Thanks

Thanks for the replies and advice guys. I'm still happy to keep the macbook as is, the scratch isn't visible so it doesn't bug me, and it knocked $200 off the price. :) However, thanks for the comments about logging the damage with Apple, I'll give them a call and discuss it with them to make sure if there are any issues down the line they're not going to use it as an excuse to void the warranty, or applecare if I get it later on.
 
You should call and discuss it now instead of a few months down the road when it starts to corrode and you wish you have called.

A refurb is not "scratch and dent".

They should either exchange it with another refurb or refund you part of the money ($100-$200).
 
Those of you believing in the "like new" of refurbish products are WRONG. Apple does not guarantee no cosmetic damage. It's up to them to decide whether you get another unit if the problem with your unit is cosmetic damage.
 
SnowLeopard2008 said:
Those of you believing in the "like new" of refurbish products are WRONG. Apple does not guarantee no cosmetic damage. It's up to them to decide whether you get another unit if the problem with your unit is cosmetic damage.
Click to expand...

Each Apple Certified Refurbished Product:

* is fully tested (including full burn-in testing)
* is refurbished with replacement parts for any defective modules identified in testing
* is thoroughly cleaned and inspected
* is repackaged (including appropriate manuals, cables, new boxes, etc.)
* includes the operating software originally shipped with the unit and the custom software offered with that system
* is given a new refurbished part number and serial number
* is placed into a final QA inspection prior to being added to sellable refurbished stock

Refurbishment procedures follow the same basic technical guidelines as Apple's Finished Goods testing procedures.



It doesn't say either way on cosmetic damage, it only says it thoroughly cleaned and inspected.

I would call them and see what they will do.
 
From one fellow Atlantic Canadian to Another

Contact them as soon as you can. If you have issues in the future, they could say that you damaged it yourself by dropping it and your issues are a direct result of dropping your computer.

Better safe than sorry!!
:D
 
I bought mine brand new from MacMall and I thought it was a much better deal than the refurbished MacBook on Apple Store Online.

Here's the breakdown.

Apple Store Refurbished MacBook Aluminum Unibody 2.0GHz

Price: $1099
Tax (8.6%): $95.52
Total: $1194.52


MacMall New MacBook Aluminum Unibody 2.0GHz

Price: $1274.99
Tax (Tax Free): $0.00
Subtotal: $1274.99
Shipping (Next Day): ~$24.00
Rebate: -$65.00
Total: $1233.99

Price Difference = $39.47

For that price you can get a new MacBook instead of a refurbished one :)

Of course, if you live in an area with no sales tax, the Refurbished MacBook through Apple's Online Store is a better deal :0

I love my MacBook!
 
Update - returned it.

Called Apple customer service yesterday and explained that the bottom of the case was scratched and that I was concerned that it had been damaged after going through the refurb process since the cellophane it was wrapped in was also damaged. Straightaway they said return it and they'll ship out a replacement as soon as the courier confirms it's on the way back.

The emails with the RMA and courier label arrived yesterday evening so the machine went to the courier at lunchtime, so I'm sitting here endlessly hitting refresh on my browser waiting for the tracking status to change. :D

Hugely impressed since I was scarred for life by Dell in 2002 when I bought a new laptop that was faulty and spent 3 months trying to get that sorted. Nowadays I tear the adverts for Dell out of computer mags and hang them on a nail in the outhouse. The shiny paper is a bit of a pain but the feeling of satisfaction when you use it is great!:p
 
fishcake said:
Hugely impressed since I was scarred for life by Dell in 2002 when I bought a new laptop that was faulty and spent 3 months trying to get that sorted. Nowadays I tear the adverts for Dell out of computer mags and hang them on a nail in the outhouse. The shiny paper is a bit of a pain but the feeling of satisfaction when you use it is great!:p
Click to expand...

I nearly squashed one of the cats ROFLing! :D
 
Second Macbook has arrived

The replacement arrived at lunchtime today, physically it looks perfect, no scratches like the original. I've started to set it up and so far there seems to be no issues.

So, if anyone is trying to decide between new or refurb, I'm happy with the refurb experience. The first machine was damaged but it was replaced without any problem.
 
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