UK question: Amazon Vs Apple purchase

[TWHH]

In the market for MBA. Amazon Prime Day has them at £850, with Apple selling the same model at £1,000.

Amazon is the seller, not some 3rd party.

Question is this: are there any advantages to buy from Apple? I kinda think they honour UK consumer law more when there’s an issue that occurrs after 6-12 months, or am I just hallucinating on that one?

Anyone got any horror stories of being dropped by Amazon and the folks at the Genius Bar shaking their heads when they realise you didn’t buy from them?

TIA

 

[JPack]

Amazon has a poor return process. If you need to return it, they determine at their sole discretion, whether you have returned the correct item and if there's any damage. In the unlikely event they disagree, you don't get anything back, not your item and not your money.

 

[TWHH]

Gosh, that sounds awful, but very far from what I've experienced with any amazon purchase. Did this happen to you?

 

[flowrider]

Never heard of anything like that happening 🤔 I bought my MBA from Amazon - No ISSUES👍

Lou

 

[martint235]

Amazon has a poor return process. If you need to return it, they determine at their sole discretion, whether you have returned the correct item and if there's any damage. In the unlikely event they disagree, you don't get anything back, not your item and not your money.

I’ve always found Amazon’s return process to be simple and efficient. Not had any problems at all but this is in the UK, I’ve no experience of other countries setup.

 

[NoBoMac]

Random thoughts:

Have only bought one Apple device from Amazon and is working out great. Apple Watch 10, $100 off bundled with discounted AppleCare. Got a working Watch, no scratches, dings, etc, and can take to Apple Store 20 minutes away for service. Worth it in this case. A MacBook, I might do that (Prime Days are also bundling discounted AC on the Macs they are selling), but others maybe not a great option due to...

If someone is the type to take a microscope to their new Mac and look for the most faint scratches on the case and such, and "has to" return due to "damage", return process could be a pain in that might be weeks before return is fully processed. Repeat enough times and Amazon might not want to deal with you ever again. Me, I'm not that OCD about such things as will get a scratch from my own doings soon enough: if it works and no major damage, I'm good to go.

I've only done two returns via Amazon, one time was a "just keep it" and second one took three weeks before got my account credited.

 

[wordsworth]

As I understand it, regardless of wherever you buy your MacBook Air, once you register it if there’s a subsequent problem you just take it in (or send it in) to Apple and they’ll sort it. If it’s within the guarantee period it’s more likely to be a no-cost repair by Apple.

I bought an ‘old stock’ new Air M1 via eBay (I knew exactly what I was buying), registered it with Apple, and as the battery was drained and wouldn’t charge, Apple replaced the battery for free. (I had also signed up to Apple Care when I bought the Air, just to 'be on the safe side’.)

As you’re based in the UK, check out the Very online store. I buy a lot of Apple stuff from there. I got an Apple Studio monitor with a £150 discount recently. They have a MacBook Air M4 (16GB memory, 256 SSD) for £849. If you sign up as a customer you may well qualify for a 20% additional reduction, if you pay over twelve months (no interest). Worth a look.

 

[Andrey84]

Totally legitimate to but it from Amazon, and if you can save £150, go for it!

 

[Jackbequickly]

Amazon has a poor return process. If you need to return it, they determine at their sole discretion, whether you have returned the correct item and if there's any damage. In the unlikely event they disagree, you don't get anything back, not your item and not your money.

Amazon in America has a great reputation when it comes to returns. I return stuff all the time and they pay for shipping it back and have ALWAYS refunded in full.

 

[JPack]

Amazon in America has a great reputation when it comes to returns. I return stuff all the time and they pay for shipping it back and have ALWAYS refunded in full.

Amazon globally puts high value items like Apple products under a microscope when you return it. The refund takes longer and there is a higher risk of theft at any point in the reverse logistics process.

 

[TorontoSS]

I also look at Amazon resale here in the uk. I got a 15 inch m4 mba, with 24gb ram, for about £180 less than the sale price of 1399. It had 10 days left to get AppleCare. It was totally legit and I added it.

Apples price was 1599 for the same laptop and the Apple refurbished price (a more fair comparison) was 1359. The fact I could get AppleCare made the purchase good for me. Amazon is legit and perfectly fine to buy from in the uk.

 

[Jackbequickly]

Amazon globally puts high value items like Apple products under a microscope when you return it. The refund takes longer and there is a higher risk of theft at any point in the reverse logistics process.

I have returned an iPhone to Amazon and it only took one day after they received the item to credit my account. If one returns a product that was damaged, you should not get a full refund. iPhone and a wireless keyboard sent back via UPS, at Amazon’s expense, no problems or issues.

I still prefer to buy from the Apple Store.

 

[FreakinEurekan]

Question is this: are there any advantages to buy from Apple? I kinda think they honour UK consumer law more when there’s an issue that occurrs after 6-12 months, or am I just hallucinating on that one?

Consumer Law is through the seller, so if you buy from Apple then Apple would handle any CL claims. If you buy from Amazon, you have to go through Amazon after the warranty ends (1 year).

 

[Nomad-X]

Amazon has a poor return process. If you need to return it, they determine at their sole discretion, whether you have returned the correct item and if there's any damage. In the unlikely event they disagree, you don't get anything back, not your item and not your money.

Agreed. I got rid of my Amazon account a long time ago after having problems with their returns. A few different issues - refunds just not getting applied, inconsistent return options, and once I returned three small items in one box (as per their instructions) and they charged me £1.99 return for each item 🤣. In the last 3 years their customer service has been in free fall.

 

[Jackbequickly]

Consumer Law is through the seller, so if you buy from Apple then Apple would handle any CL claims. If you buy from Amazon, you have to go through Amazon after the warranty ends (1 year).

If I buy a new iPhone from Amazon, it is Apple who will warranty the device if under warranty.

 

[FreakinEurekan]

If I but a new iPhone from Amazon, it is Apple who will warranty the device if under warranty.

Yes. But they won't handle CL claims AFTER the warranty. That's 100% on the seller (in UK)

 

[ascender]

Buying something from Apple rather than a 3rd party can mean the stores have a bit more leeway to replace an item than send it for repair - that's happened twice to me with laptops and once, in the wrong way with headphones. But is that worth more than those savings... I don't think so.