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Sousa203

macrumors member
Original poster
Hi everyone. I've been looking at the apple refurbished store and i can't help but notice the AMAZING deals in there! The line of iPod Touches are actually all $100 cheaper. But being a pessimistic electronics buyer i can't help but wonder: "what's the catch?" Has anyone here purchased any refurbished products from the store and, if so, could you please discuss any negatives (or positives) of your experience. thanx
 
I bought my iMac at the Apple Refirb store.
It has the same warranty, same support, looks brand new and comes with all the stuff that the new ones come with.
The only difference is that it ships in a brown box, instead of the retail box.
 
Got my first gen iPhone from there, and it was more stable than my new 3g (I think I'm one of the 2%...)

That purchase + Applecare = you're good to go
 
This is not true. I bought the latest model top of the line iMac for 300 less than retail.


Refurbs are a completely solid deal from the Apple Store, as long as you're not looking for the latest model. Totally safe, fully warranted, etc. Buy & enjoy.
 
It depends on your price sensitivity. The refurb prices do nothing for me: a meager 10% discount for used and/or previous revision Macs is too little for me. I'll pay full price for something new.

The iPods look to be 20% off right now, which is much more appealing.
 
It depends on your price sensitivity. The refurb prices do nothing for me: a meager 10% discount for used and/or previous revision Macs is too little for me. I'll pay full price for something new.

The iPods look to be 20% off right now, which is much more appealing.

10% on a $3,000 computer is a meaningful discount to many people. And the items are "refurbished", not "used". In many cases, that means someone canceled their order or sent it back, unopened. In any case, Apple inspects/tests everything thoroughly, replaces anything that needs replacement and the end result is the same quality as brand new. All of the newest models are available as refurbs from time to time, and are in no way inferior to buying new. They're also completely covered by a full warranty, the same as new.
 
The Refurbished Store: Is it worth it?

Even in Spain the refurb system works. I have several refurbished products all of which have performed exactly as I would have expected a new product to perform.

Go for it!:):apple:
 
I'd go for it- I understand people being reluctant to buy something 'used' but as I understand it... if you buy it 'new' and have a problem with it, Apple could end up replacing it with a refurb anyway.

(And I bought a refurb Apple Hi-Fi and it was as good as new... only cheaper, but I'd do the same for the next Apple computer or iPod I buy)
 
My refurb iBook came with a huge booger on the screen.



OK, I made that up. :D
 
I've bought three refurb iPods and a refurb iPhone with great success, and if I hadn't wanted a larger hard drive I would have gone the refurb route there as well. The only drawback to the Refurb Store is the inability to customize. But even so you sometimes get free surprise upgrades; you just can't count on getting them.
 
If you are looking at Apple, then it is a great deal. You will always find a much better deal on the refurb of a computer that is discontinued than you would on a refurb of a current product.
 
I definitely recommend the refurbs. It's not always previous models - there is current stuff on there. But, the previous generations generally have greater discounts.

Also, logic tells me that there is probably less of a chance of a defect with a refurb. It has been checked over at least one extra time.
 
I agree with everyone else on this, refurb'd is great, everything in my sig except for the red ipod nano i got refurbished, never had a problem with any of it, and i do think the quality control on refurbished products is much better than just mass produced new products, though someone might (not even always) have owned it before, everything is checked out, anything that appears differently than if it was brand new (like scratches or anything) is replaced and fixed, in fact the only apple product i've had problems with is the red ipod nano i have which has a click wheel that's too sensitive
 
Hi everyone. I've been looking at the apple refurbished store and i can't help but notice the AMAZING deals in there! The line of iPod Touches are actually all $100 cheaper. But being a pessimistic electronics buyer i can't help but wonder: "what's the catch?" Has anyone here purchased any refurbished products from the store and, if so, could you please discuss any negatives (or positives) of your experience. thanx

The catch is your getting a fake Made in China computer. Disclaimer: I'm Chinese

All kidding aside, you can't apply discounts to refurbished computer, so no edu discounts, no employee discounts, no ADC discounts, no free iPods or printers. You get an essentially new machine. On the better side, it's all the computers people returned and Apple made sure the parts don't have issues, so in a way you're better off than buying new.
 
The catch is your getting a fake Made in China computer. Disclaimer: I'm Chinese

All kidding aside, you can't apply discounts to refurbished computer, so no edu discounts, no employee discounts, no ADC discounts, no free iPods or printers. You get an essentially new machine. On the better side, it's all the computers people returned and Apple made sure the parts don't have issues, so in a way you're better off than buying new.

Not true. My friend just bought an iMac from the Refurb store and got a free printer.
 
I'd go for it- I understand people being reluctant to buy something 'used' but as I understand it... if you buy it 'new' and have a problem with it, Apple could end up replacing it with a refurb anyway.

No true. Apple might try to repair it at first. But when Apple decides to replace a computer, it's replaced with a new one. At least, that was my experience. That does not mean they cannot have defects right out of the box. I have had two replacements returned the same day I received them, because one had a bad touchpad button, and the other had a bad keyboard. All of them were new.
 
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