Refurbished Macbook questions

[Christie6]

Hello all.

I've been researching, using this forum and others, to read accounts of others' experiences with purchasing a refurb Macbook from the online Apple Store. Obviously one person's experience can differ from the next, so I'm reading conflicting information - a lot of it seemingly outdated as well. If you've recently ordered a refurb Macbook online from Apple, it'd be great if you could tell me a bit about your experience...

- What month/year did you order it?
- In what country and state/province do you live?
- What country and state/province did the Macbook appear to ship from?
- How many days did it take for the package to show up at your door after ordering (and did you choose standard shipping or pay for faster service)?
- Did you have any cryptic messages show up on your FedEx tracking page, and if so, were there any unfortunate/frustrating results?
- Did the Macbook arrive in full working order, and has it stayed that way?
- If you're not from the States, did you have to pay any unexpected freight fees after the package crossed the border?

If there's anything else you think I should know, please enlighten me!

Thanks for your help!!

 

[anothermacaddic]

If you really want to buy someones unwanted or previously broken stuff why not save your self a bunch of cash and pick up a lemon on ebay. Buying a for sure return is asking for trouble if you ask me. Whats the price diff on a mb refurb from apple anyway? I HIGHLY doubt its worth it! I would assume that its going to be about 1 cent an hour in headache when you have to return it.

 

[chrisdazzo]

see below.... vvvvvvvv

 

[Christie6]

Thanks, Chris. I'd love any updates you get.

Regardless of what anothermacaddic said, I'd appreciate help from any new refurb owners.

Thanks.

 

[MaddieBrad]

Youd think that your almost better off buying a refurb because they have had extra attention. less of a chance of something being wrong with them?

 

[chrisdazzo]

Youd think that your almost better off buying a refurb because they have had extra attention. less of a chance of something being wrong with them?

Exactly. Apple refurbishes its computers to perform and look like brand new ones. Any parts that are defective or scratched (yes, I asked), etc. are replaced with (brand new, I'm assuming) Apple parts. One-year warranty guarantees nothing will go wrong, and if it does... You're covered.

 

[theman]

Yeah, it seems like buying refurb is much safer because you know they have actually be working on the machine - testing, probing, all that. With the new ones, they just build it, and send it off and never see it again. Buying a new one is like gambling for one that works (although the probability is actually really good). Plus, the price.....

 

[Forever Bored]

It was a white 2.0gHz, 1GB RAM, 80GB hard drive

-Ordered on April 13th 2007, sometime in the morning between classes.
-Houghton, Michigan United States
-Shipped from Sacramento CA via Fed Ex
-6 days standard shipping
-Not a single cryptic message.
-It arrived and worked perfectly, so far aside from some issues after the 10.4.10 update still working perfectly.

Hope that helps.

 

[macbookworm]

I just ordered one on Tuesday and it arrived yesterday! I didn't pay for the faster shipping, but it still came to Toronto in 2 days from somewhere in Cali called Rancho Cordova. On Tuesday night I had a "Package received after FedEx cutoff" message, Wednesday morning I had a "Shipment exception" status, and Thursday morning it said, "Paperwork available for non-FedEx broker", all of which I was a little confused about, but didn't seem to make a difference. I've read stories about packages sitting in Mississauga for days but mine arrived there Wednesday evening and was put on the truck first thing Thursday morning. No extra taxes or fees on the shipping.

The only thing different from what I was expecting from my 2.16/1gig/120/white Macbook was, it came with two gigs of ram instead of one! Apparently this is common with refurbs. My iSight camera had the green screen problem, but taking out the battery seemed to work. I still have to try out the Superdrive and make sure there's no random shut down syndrome, but it seems to be running beautifully. I'm very pleased with Apple at the moment.

 

[chrisdazzo]

I ordered an Apple refurbished black Macbook, 2.0GHz Core Duo processor, 512MB (256MBx2) of RAM, 80GB HD, with a Superdrive. Only cost me $983.91 with tax. I was so happy.

-Ordered July 23, 2007 around 2:35AM Mountain Time. (I couldn't sleep, and luckily, Apple refurbs refreshed around 2:15AM.)
-I live in Parker, Colorado (USA).
-Shipped via FedEx from Sacramento, California.
-Using FedEx ground shipping, this should've taken 5 business days (ordered Tuesday morning), but now it's supposed to arrive Friday afternoon.
-Nothing strange on my FedEx page as of yet.
-I'll update you on how it works and what condition it's in.

I'm just waiting for that big brown Apple refurb box to arrive at my door.

@anothermacaddic: There's a one-year warranty on all refurbs, which are refurbished to look and function like brand new Apple products. I wouldn't recommend buying a laptop off eBay... You can't try before you buy, and you're screwed if it doesn't work properly when you receive it.

UPDATE:
Macbook arrived this afternoon at around 3:00PM.
FedEx did everything right as far as I know.
The Macbook is in PERFECT condition, and everything is working fine right now. I actually recieved 2x512MB of RAM instead of 2x256MB as shown on the refurb page. I didn't mind. Overall, the keyboard feels crisp, and the mousepad shows absolutely no wear. I assume they were replaced. Overall, I am EXTREMELY happy with my purchase, and would like to thank Apple for this wonderful transaction and definitely recommend Apple refurbs.

Wow. Awesome.