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Would you buy a refurbished rMBP from Best Buy?

SnowLeopard OSX

SnowLeopard OSX

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Dec 5, 2012
676
60
California
Has anyone here bought a refurbished mbp from Best Buy? Did you run into any issues?

I can't imagine a safer place getting a refurb next to Apple, but I want to be certain. I have no problem with refurbished computers. In fact my last two were.

Also, has anyone bought a refurbished product from MacOfAllTrades? I ordered a refurbished Thunderbolt Display from them and I want to make sure these aren't faulty products because I decided not to purchase warranties for them.

Thanks
 
SnowLeopard OSX said:
Has anyone here bought a refurbished mbp from Best Buy? Did you run into any issues?

I can't imagine a safer place getting a refurb next to Apple, but I want to be certain. I have no problem with refurbished computers. In fact my last two were.

Also, has anyone bought a refurbished product from MacOfAllTrades? I ordered a refurbished Thunderbolt Display from them and I want to make sure these aren't faulty products because I decided not to purchase warranties for them.

Thanks
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What is Best Buy return policy on refurbished Mac computers? That is what I would be asking.
 
I really don't know about that one. Sorry.

I have one question though, how much cheaper is the refurbish to the price of a new macbook. If its 50 - 100 bucks cheaper, I wouldn't bother and just buy it new if you can.
 
Wreckus said:
I really don't know about that one. Sorry.

I have one question though, how much cheaper is the refurbish to the price of a new macbook. If its 50 - 100 bucks cheaper, I wouldn't bother and just buy it new if you can.
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500 bucks.

And yes I can purchase apple care with it.

But if I can't trust best buy refurbs, what can I trust?
 
SnowLeopard OSX said:
500 bucks.

And yes I can purchase apple care with it.

But if I can't trust best buy refurbs, what can I trust?
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The answer, in my opinion: trust only items refurbished by the manufacturer. If the BB refurb didn't come from Apple (and I would be very surprised if it did), I wouldn't touch it, even for a price difference like that.

Also, are you really sure you can get AppleCare on that? As far as I can tell, you can only get Best Buy's protection plans on their refurbished computers.
 
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SnowLeopard OSX said:
500 bucks.

And yes I can purchase apple care with it.

But if I can't trust best buy refurbs, what can I trust?
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That restocking fee is too high. Go buy the refurbished Mac directly from Apple. I bought a refurbished 2015 13" retina MacBook Pro 256GB SSD directly from Apple for $1269 and I had a 14 day return, no restocking fee. The computer looks identical, as in condition, to the new 2015 13" retina MacBook Pro 256GB SSD I bought 3 weeks earlier.
 
SnowLeopard OSX said:
Also, has anyone bought a refurbished product from MacOfAllTrades? I ordered a refurbished Thunderbolt Display from them and I want to make sure these aren't faulty products because I decided not to purchase warranties for them.

Thanks
Click to expand...


We have bought several systems from Macofalltrades, going all the way back to a sage iMac sometime around 2002 (which still works beautifully, btw). In total, I think we've made five purchases from them for us and family - all have been in great condition. Great products and great customer service... They've always been prompt to answers any and all questions we've had before making a purchase.
 
Wreckus said:
I really don't know about that one. Sorry.

I have one question though, how much cheaper is the refurbish to the price of a new macbook. If its 50 - 100 bucks cheaper, I wouldn't bother and just buy it new if you can.
Click to expand...

newellj said:
The answer, in my opinion: trust only items refurbished by the manufacturer. If the BB refurb didn't come from Apple (and I would be very surprised if it did), I wouldn't touch it, even for a price difference like that.

Also, are you really sure you can get AppleCare on that? As far as I can tell, you can only get Best Buy's protection plans on their refurbished computers.
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Can you elaborate on why, though? Have you actually had a bad experience with a Best Buy refurb? Or just guessing? I'm only asking people with experience with refurbs with BB. The MacBook is described as Geek Squad certified refurbished. It's a mid 2014 rmbp
 
Taz Mangus said:
Ouch.
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isn't that only for new? I actually became a silver member a few years back due to all the OB purchases, TB display, 13 air, and most recently my '12 rmbp. All of them were bought for considerably less than apple's refurb price due to coupon stacking, etc. If they prices are within 100 stick with apple for sure though.
 
Always buy refurb from Apple. You will get a 1 year warranty from date of purchase and the ability to add Applecare at any time during the first year. With Best Buy you don't know what you are getting, Best Buy warranty is worthless.
 
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I would boot the machine at Best Buy and go directly to "About this Mac/Service/Check my service and Support Coverage Status"

This should tell you how old the machine is, and let you judge whether it would be a good buy -- and let you know how much of the original warranty is left.

I got a Geek Squad refurbished MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015) laptop from Best Buy, saved $400, and it was basically still new in box with only 10 days knocked off the warranty.

A few weeks early than this I also picked up a display model monitor from Best Buy for cheap when a monitor died at work.

Wasn't a bad choice, though trying to use the additional $30 gift certificate I got from the MacBook purchase a few weeks later was frustrating enough that the assistant manager gave me the Thule sleeve I was trying to buy for free.
 
Alright guys, I ended up canceling my order for the refurbished. I just went with the brand new mid 2015 rMBP instead. That way I won't have any headaches or stress about it. Plus, it's a long term investment where I spend time getting a significant amount of work and play done. I don't see the need to cut corners on this one. Not to mention, this is my first Macbook purchase EVER. So, I feel a little bit more justified in my decision.

As long as it means no more hard drive failures (2 hard lessons I've dealt with in the span of ~5 years) and my computer doesn't overheat through the simple task of web browsing with 10+ tabs open!

Also, I've never been able to resell any of my laptops in the past. If I take care of this, it should be easy to resell this computer in the future for a relatively small loss.
 
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SnowLeopard OSX said:
Alright guys, I ended up canceling my order for the refurbished. I just went with the brand new mid 2015 rMBP instead. That way I won't have any headaches or stress about it. Plus, it's a long term investment where I spend time getting a significant amount of work and play done. I don't see the need to cut corners on this one. Not to mention, this is my first Macbook purchase EVER. So, I feel a little bit more justified in my decision.

As long as it means no more hard drive failures (2 hard lessons I've dealt with in the span of ~5 years) and my computer doesn't overheat through the simple task of web browsing with 10+ tabs open!

Also, I've never been able to resell any of my laptops in the past. If I take care of this, it should be easy to resell this computer in the future for a relatively small loss.
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Congrats on your purchase, I'm sure it'll take care of your needs!

I'm late to the party, but that's a safe decision to not go with BB refurb. I'm sure there are some deals to nab there, but you really won't know why the previous owner returned it... Which is why apple refurb is perfect, as it's truly refurbed parts.

Enjoy!
 
jterp7 said:
isn't that only for new? I actually became a silver member a few years back due to all the OB purchases, TB display, 13 air, and most recently my '12 rmbp. All of them were bought for considerably less than apple's refurb price due to coupon stacking, etc. If they prices are within 100 stick with apple for sure though.
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I think anyone who is going to buy a Apple computer from BestBuy should understand what their return policy is beforehand. I certainly would.
 
Taz Mangus said:
I think anyone who is going to buy a Apple computer from BestBuy should understand what their return policy is beforehand. I certainly would.
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It must be the case for OPENED and NEW products because the guy I talked with on the phone said there's no restocking fee for returning an unopened refurb.
 
Taz Mangus said:
I think anyone who is going to buy a Apple computer from BestBuy should understand what their return policy is beforehand. I certainly would.
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It must be the case for OPENED and NEW products because the guy I talked with on the phone said there's no restocking fee for returning an unopened refurb.
 
SnowLeopard OSX said:
It must be the case for OPENED and NEW products because the guy I talked with on the phone said there's no restocking fee for returning an unopened refurb.
Click to expand...

A restocking fee on the return of a new computer that has been opened? Even Apple gives a 14 day return, no restocking fee, and I can open and use the computer during that period of time. Although, I have never done that with the exception of upgrading within the 14 day period.
 
After my personal experiences with BB with their internal operations, they will not get any more of my $$$. Their big box mentality is severely lacking. When I needed some upgrade assistance with one of my computers, the price for the service and the time frame to do the service were not within reason whatsoever. I would not buy anything new, much less refurb. Apple offers the best value for refurbs.
 
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