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To Refurb or Not To Refurb
- Thread starter VideoBeagle
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No con.
You get a different box, but warranty and physical appearance or Apple refub is the same as new.
You are limited to stock configurations. There's no opportunity for further discounts (such as educational). Sporadic availability -- the model you want might not be there when you want it. Lack of shiny box may reduce resale value.
That said, I buy them whenever possible.
Actually there are some more configurations than just the stock ones. But you are right that the inventory is constantly changing.
No real cons except finding a configuration you like at any given time. One of the bonuses of refurbished is that if I were to buy a new iMac right now, the CTO build I'd be looking at is $2400 however, there is a refurbished model that is usually available for $2200 that is actually better than the CTO model I would get.
Another bonus that isn't always mentioned, there is a [small] chance you will get a bigger disk or more ram or a better processor in a refurbished system than you expected.
Refurb, no downside and as has been mentioned, check the inventory early daily as it'll change. I've seen it change from 8am to 10am...
Coachingguy
Coachingguy
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Go to refurb.me and they show the times that different models have appeared on the Apple site. It's also a convenient way to check inventory.
dead
Just got an iMac and it was dead on arrival. Spent 2 hours on phone with tech support to no avail. Then another few hours negotiating a deal on a new one. Saleman told me that I had to expect something like what happened since it was refurbished and not new.
What a royal waste of time...
Just got an iMac and it was dead on arrival. Spent 2 hours on phone with tech support to no avail. Then another few hours negotiating a deal on a new one. Saleman told me that I had to expect something like what happened since it was refurbished and not new.
What a royal waste of time...
If you are telling the truth and the salesman said that he should be fired. He is undercutting his own company> I have purchased so many refurbs I can not keep count. More then 50 a year since 2007. That makes about 300- 350 my track record is 3 bad ones. I have also purchased 150-200 new machines since 2006 my record is 2 bad ones.
So I would say the refurbs are better then 99% while the new ones are between 98-99%. Most purchased are mac minis. some
macbook airs
mac books
macbook pros
mac pros
and a few imacs
I'm in the very tiny minority
but I got 2 dud refurb iMacs and will never buy another refurb.
If I'm going to buy an iMac I'm going to go brand new, I've had better experiences with new.
For the OP, whatever you choose I hope the iMac is everything you want.
but I got 2 dud refurb iMacs and will never buy another refurb.
If I'm going to buy an iMac I'm going to go brand new, I've had better experiences with new.
For the OP, whatever you choose I hope the iMac is everything you want.
I have purchased iPads, iPod Touches and MBPs as refurb, but never an iMac. So far I am batting 1.000 on the refurbs.
I have a refurb iMac and I love it, was in like new condition when I unpackaged.
Think of it this way. Although many refurbs are simply new returns, don't sweat the though of it may have been a repaired one. If it was a repaired unit, the weak part have already failed so you don't have to worry about it
Think of it this way. Although many refurbs are simply new returns, don't sweat the though of it may have been a repaired one. If it was a repaired unit, the weak part have already failed so you don't have to worry about it
My refurb experience;
Mac mini late 2009 2.66GHz. Since it originally was a BTO my guess is it either was defective or just returned was not wanted. It was advertized as having a 320GB HD but actually had a 500GB one.
I've read that unmentioned upgrades occasionally are included with former BTO refurbs. The mini still runs perfectly after spending much of the time running since early 2010. I've upgraded it a couple of times. It's perfect.
iMac 21.5 2010 standard model. This machine has proved to be a real piece of trash. The hard drive failed. The optical drive failed. The screen has yellowed along the bottom half. As a standard model this one may have spent a lot of time frying itself at an Apple Store.
The backs of previous iMac models at Apple Stores were often too hot to lay a hand on even though they did nothing all day long except looping Apple videos. Talk about getting burned in!
If I order another refurb it will be a BTO model only.
Mac mini late 2009 2.66GHz. Since it originally was a BTO my guess is it either was defective or just returned was not wanted. It was advertized as having a 320GB HD but actually had a 500GB one.
I've read that unmentioned upgrades occasionally are included with former BTO refurbs. The mini still runs perfectly after spending much of the time running since early 2010. I've upgraded it a couple of times. It's perfect.
iMac 21.5 2010 standard model. This machine has proved to be a real piece of trash. The hard drive failed. The optical drive failed. The screen has yellowed along the bottom half. As a standard model this one may have spent a lot of time frying itself at an Apple Store.
The backs of previous iMac models at Apple Stores were often too hot to lay a hand on even though they did nothing all day long except looping Apple videos. Talk about getting burned in!
If I order another refurb it will be a BTO model only.
I have had good luck buying refurb in the past but haven't ever bought an iMac refurbished. With that said, I wouldn't blink an eye buying a refurb iMac from Apple.com. If there is anything wrong with it I can just take it back to the store (and have done that before with a mini).
However, I would NEVER buy a seller-refurbished model from a 3rd party.
However, I would NEVER buy a seller-refurbished model from a 3rd party.
Definitely go Apple Refurb. They're more likely to work since Apple does a quality check on them before putting them up on the online store.
I did wind up ordering a refurb with BTO's...about $500 less than what it would cost, $200 less than what I would have likely bought with the i5's rather than i7's. Due in later this week, so I'll report back...
well Imac arrived and unboxed not a single mark on it, well packaged and to be honest its like a brand new machine! Only thing i need to do now is to learn to use it! Wish me luck!!
Do you need to sign for the delivery of an iMac? I want to order a refurb but its virtually impossible for me to be here to sign for it. My neighbors will bring it in for me (I live in a condo where the main door is locked) so I'm not concerned with it being stolen.