Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Replacement

lamenramen said:
Guys, a replacement is a refurb. Or a return to the store. It is in no way brand new. period.

It is hit or miss, and I would say the likelihood of getting a "non-perfect" iphone is HIGHER than just returning and rebuying.

Apple is going to give you a white box iphone, inspected by apple care means nothing. They are not any more well-trained than you or I.

It is possible that your replacement iphone will truly be the customer who bought it just to check it out and then returns it, but most people who buy the iphone, love it. Those who return it, usually buy another iphone.

The replacement will usually have screen problems

--dust
--yellow tint
--digitizer issues
--video tearing

or

physical nicks/mild damage

The only way to avoid this is to return it and re-buy. I personally do not care about litle nicks b/c they are going to happen anyway. The screen is what I care about, and they are not all created equally.
Click to expand...

You are absolutely wrong. Not all replacements are refurbs, even some replacement iphones that come out of black, white, brown, etc., box are not necessarily refurbished iphones. Apple streams new iPhones into their replacements batches.

Proof is in the details my friend. Apple keeps a strict inventory of what phones are new and what phones are not. You can look up the serial number for any iphone, refurbished or not, and it will indicate whether the unit was refurbished. I am pretty certain, at least from what I have seen, that all replacements iphone 5s are new, if not check the serial and you will see for yourself.
 
BFizzzle said:
last time i checked this isnt a thread for semantics :rolleyes:

everyone knows what he meant by his iphone 5 experience being a disaster.
Click to expand...

People keep using that word to describe how they feel when their cell phone isn't perfect so they can show it off to their friends is going to cause that word to lose it's effectiveness when describing something truly disastrous, like the sense of entitlement in this thread. :rolleyes:
 
GoreVidal said:
People keep using that word to describe how they feel when their cell phone isn't perfect so they can show it off to their friends is going to cause that word to lose it's effectiveness when describing something truly disastrous, like the sense of entitlement in this thread.
Click to expand...

Indeed it is used out of context..but like I said www.forums.macrumors.com not an English forum.

Yeah the entitlement on here..
Some people on here feel entitled to a brand new phone that they paid for (no scuffs) while others on here feel entitled to police grammar and assume people's motavies for wanting their phone replaced.

Win some loose some ;)
 
BFizzzle said:
Indeed it is used out of context..but like I said www.forums.macrumors.com not an English forum.

Yeah the entitlement on here..
Some people on here feel entitled to a brand new phone that they paid for (no scuffs) while others on here feel entitled to police grammar and assume people's motavies for wanting their phone replaced.
Click to expand...

Who said anything about grammar? :confused:
 
BFizzzle said:
:rolleyes:
Some self entitled guy was getting upset about the use of disaster in correlation to an iphone
Click to expand...

You don't understand the difference between grammar (the structure and composition of sentences and how words are used within the rules of grammar) and context (the meaning in which those words are used given the situations in which they are used). :rolleyes:
 
Mike84 said:
You are absolutely wrong. Not all replacements are refurbs, even some replacement iphones that come out of black, white, brown, etc., box are not necessarily refurbished iphones. Apple streams new iPhones into their replacements batches.

Proof is in the details my friend. Apple keeps a strict inventory of what phones are new and what phones are not. You can look up the serial number for any iphone, refurbished or not, and it will indicate whether the unit was refurbished. I am pretty certain, at least from what I have seen, that all replacements iphone 5s are new, if not check the serial and you will see for yourself.
Click to expand...

I have looked up my replacement serial number, and it doesn't say if it is new or not. Where do I find this information at? I can tell you when I looked up the serial number, the phone had a MD model number when it left the factory. The phone now has a ND model number. This would indicate to me that the phone is not new and had something done or changed to it, thus reflecting the ND model number.
 
[/COLOR]
GoreVidal said:
You don't understand the difference between grammar (the structure and composition of sentences and how words are used within the rules of grammar) and context (the meaning in which those words are used given the situations in which they are used). :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/_/dict.aspx?word=grammar

Grammar isn't always the structure and rules of a sentence. Regardless keep arguing semmantics on a thread about replacing your iphone. You'll only prove what's been stated already
 
Philly10 said:
I have looked up my replacement serial number, and it doesn't say if it is new or not. Where do I find this information at? I can tell you when I looked up the serial number, the phone had a MD model number when it left the factory. The phone now has a ND model number. This would indicate to me that the phone is not new and had something done or changed to it, thus reflecting the ND model number.
Click to expand...

http://www.chipmunk.nl/klantenservice/applemodel.html

Have you used that link? It should tell you when it was made and whether it is refurbished. The decoder has done this with all iPhones in existence. I doubt it has changed with the 5.

Also, taking into consideration how backlogged Apple, it would same impossible for Apple to already be re-circulating iPhones that aren't new, i.e., refurbished ones. As many have pointed out on the forum, a refurbished product has a completely new outer shell with the interior, for the most part, remaining original. I doubt Apple has already started the process of refurbishing phones to the extent that they are entering the supply chain again.

Input your serial number there and let me know.

Regarding your comment about the model number, that is interesting that it is different. That is one thing that usually doesn't change when a phone is refurbished. What indicates a phone is refurbished always is in the serial number.
 
Week 38 (September) for my replacement unit that came from a white box. I ask the genius were these refurb ... He said no way they are brand new ... At every new product launch apple sends these to stores for people who have original purchase problems ... The white box has a return label on it so Apple can determine why the product that was returned failed.
 
Mike84 said:
http://www.chipmunk.nl/klantenservice/applemodel.html

Have you used that link? It should tell you when it was made and whether it is refurbished. The decoder has done this with all iPhones in existence. I doubt it has changed with the 5.

Also, taking into consideration how backlogged Apple, it would same impossible for Apple to already be re-circulating iPhones that aren't new, i.e., refurbished ones. As many have pointed out on the forum, a refurbished product has a completely new outer shell with the interior, for the most part, remaining original. I doubt Apple has already started the process of refurbishing phones to the extent that they are entering the supply chain again.

Input your serial number there and let me know.

Regarding your comment about the model number, that is interesting that it is different. That is one thing that usually doesn't change when a phone is refurbished. What indicates a phone is refurbished always is in the serial number.
Click to expand...

Yes, I have used this link. Just entered the serial number of my replacement again. It does not state whether the phone is new or refurbished. It tells me production week, speed of chip, factory where built, name of phone and model number. The model number listed is MD...when I look at the model number on the phone now, it is ND...Again, I say this phone can't be new if apple changed its model number after leaving the factory
 
Philly10 said:
Yes, I have used this link. Just entered the serial number of my replacement again. It does not state whether the phone is new or refurbished. It tells me production week, speed of chip, factory where built, name of phone and model number. The model number listed is MD...when I look at the model number on the phone now, it is ND...Again, I say this phone can't be new if apple changed its model number after leaving the factory
Click to expand...

I understand what you are saying, but I truly believe your phone cannot be a refurb, but, of course, that is my opinion. At this point, though, I don't think we can know. Nevertheless, that link I provided you with used to show, for the 3G, 3Gs, 4, and 4s whether it was refurbished or not.

I remember the serial numbers for other iphones that were refurbished started with a particular sequence. Perhaps, like you are suggesting, Apple is changing the model number? Or, the model number indicates that it has been inspected?
 
Philly10 said:
Yes, I have used this link. Just entered the serial number of my replacement again. It does not state whether the phone is new or refurbished. It tells me production week, speed of chip, factory where built, name of phone and model number. The model number listed is MD...when I look at the model number on the phone now, it is ND...Again, I say this phone can't be new if apple changed its model number after leaving the factory
Click to expand...

ND models are new units, not in the original retail boxes. There are no refurb iPhone 5's yet.
 
gentlefury said:
You can't have refurbs on a product that is only a month old.

I had to get a replacement because my home button wasn't working. It was brand new and had 1 minute of usage on it (me setting it up.)
Click to expand...

Why do you think that? A month is a l o n g time and how many minutes it "shows" has nothing to do with if it is a refurb. DO you really think Apple is going to give you a refurb with the original minutes showing on the counter?:p
 
I do agree that the sticker means nothing if the device inside is damaged...we will never know how much examination a device has had, but I have had my iPhone 5 replaced twice and the Genius said it was brand new as it's too early for refurbs...plus I spoke to a woman in Applecare and she also said this. If there is any cosmetic damage out of the box they will replace it very quickly. Whilst I did not ask, I got the impression she had heard this complaint (damage) before as she put an unconditional swap on the case file due to the replacement having damage. I just need to call into a store and they will swap it for a replacement until I get one I am happy with. Great service as usual.

----------
Philly10 said:
Or they can be other customers' traded in units in which they did not like something about the phone
Click to expand...

No, they can't be! All returned units are put into the replacements box and shipped off from the store. Fact. Apple retail employees don't have the authority to give a device "back out" to another customer. Really!
 
Defender2010 said:
No, they can't be! All returned units are put into the replacements box and shipped off from the store. Fact. Apple retail employees don't have the authority to give a device "back out" to another customer. Really!
Click to expand...

exactly! this is not walmart....**** even they would not try to pass a return off as a refurb unit.
 
Hopefully my replacement iPhone 5 (from a white box) isn't refurbished. I'm suspicious of the ND serial number though. And it's a hassle to get a refund and buy an iPhone 5 again. My current one has tiny bits of scratches on the frame so I just let it go since I went through so many iPhones in the Apple Store just for the least scuffed phone. :mad:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back