Refurbished MacBook arrived: A-OK

[opus_az]

Hi...My refurbished MacBook arrived today and I'm very impressed. Everything is like new. No scuffs, no scratches. No noticeable wear and tear. One thing that swayed me over to the refurbished side was learning from an Apple sales rep that all refurb MacBooks get a new shell. Very very nice.

Everything went smooth except, since refurbs arrive in a plain brown shipping box and the re-imaging disks didn't come in the little white box, one of the two disks slid out of its sleeve and got scratched. It probably banged against the power cord which was also sloshing around. But Apple will replace the disks free of charge. Again very cool!

Interesting enough, when I ordered the MacBook over the phone the rep got my zip code wrong. In fact when I called the next day to correct it they got it wrong again! (I think it was because I was shipping to a different address than my .Mac address and they weren't really paying attention.) But apparently they can change things like that even after it ships. There wasn't any delay in shipping. Very cool!

All in all, my first foray into Apple refurbished stuff was a good ride except for the few extra phone calls that weren't really necessary. I saved $150 on a 2.0 GHz Core 2 Duo white MacBook. A good deal I think. Not bad for a few extra minutes of my time. My upcoming vacation will be better since I can take my new laptop, and I have a little more spending money too which is always a plus.

Oh, and I found out my neighbor has an unsecured wifi. (No, I won't use it).

 

[Netty4mac]

Glad to hear everything went well Opus az!! I've heard great things about the apple refurbs.

 

[JackTheMac]

(No, I won't use it).

Yes you will, I can see it in your eyes

 

[Moo]

Yes you will, I can see it in your eyes

I would, but I have no scruples.

 

[wytwolf]

My disks, along with the manul came in a small grey box with the usual made in california and apple logo. Mine is a 2.0Ghz C2D blackbook. I upgrade my ram myself. I bought the 2GB from a local guy that accidently purchased it thinking it was desktop windows ram. I was still in the package brand new for $90CAD.

 

[Village Idiot]

My refurb experience was 50/50. The first one I got had the small metal piece above the button to open the cover bent outwards and had lines appear on the screen every time you switched to Adobe RGB color space. I sent it back and order a C2D the second time since the first was a CD. It came new in box, which some one said was likely just a bulk return from some store like best buy or curcuit city. It was in perfect condition for the most part. Just some crooked keys on the keyboard and about a month after using it, the power button dropped into the case.

I took it to an Apple Store and had those fixed and now it's good as new. The only part that really sucked was waiting for Apple to receive the computer to credit my account som I could get another. I took about 2-3 weeks for that.

edit: I got a MBP though...no worries for bent pieces on a MB, I would assume.

 

[Toyman321]

Opus, sounds like you and I picked up the same machine through the refurb site. Mine's also came in perfect condition, no problems and shipped super quick. My wife and I also bought ipod video's though the reburb section of the apple site a little over a month ago aswell. We've been more than happy with both.

 

[opus_az]

Yes you will, I can see it in your eyes

Umm...as long as you can't see me in their logs!!!

(disclaimer: as a sys admin i'm sensitive to this stuff)
(extra disclaimer: but ya gotta believe me!)

 

[ArmyChief]

I've had my refurb for about 1.5 months. Mine came in great/like new condition. So far, no problems. If anybody is questioning if refurbs are good deals/in good condition...they are. Get a refurb if you'd like to save some money. ;D

 

[PapaNoHair]

I don't know anything about refurbs. Is this done thru Apple or another retailer? I imagine it would lower the cost significantly.

 

[MacHeadCase]

Umm...as long as you can't see me in their logs!!!

(disclaimer: as a sys admin i'm sensitive to this stuff)
(extra disclaimer: but ya gotta believe me!)

LOL

Great to see you are happy with the purchase. I gather the price diff makes it worth it?

Just be sure to ask for replacement restore disks: if they're scratched, they might be a major let-down if you need them in an emergency.

 

[opus_az]

Just be sure to ask for replacement restore disks: if they're scratched, they might be a major let-down if you need them in an emergency.

Oh yeah, I ordered it the same day though it took three tries. I got disconnected and the second call was too frustrating, talking to an apparently bored and frustrated woman so I said I'd try back later, but the disks are on the way.

I don't know anything about refurbs. Is this done thru Apple or another retailer? I imagine it would lower the cost significantly.

Just go to apple.com and click the store. Near the bottom of the page on the right you'll see a little link to Special Deals including refurbs.

 

[MacHeadCase]

Oh yeah, I ordered it the same day though it took three tries. I got disconnected and the second call was too frustrating, talking to an apparently bored and frustrated woman so I said I'd try back later, but the disks are on the way.

Just go to apple.com and click the store. Near the bottom of the page on the right you'll see a little link to Special Deals including refurbs.

Excellent move! Now you're all set!

 

[hagios1972]

Hi...My refurbished MacBook arrived today and I'm very impressed. Everything is like new. No scuffs, no scratches. No noticeable wear and tear. One thing that swayed me over to the refurbished side was learning from an Apple sales rep that all refurb MacBooks get a new shell. Very very nice.

How much did you save compared to buyng a new one?

 

[JuanGuapo]

My g/f bought a refurb two months ago and loves it. I was impressed at how well it was all packaged in the albeit uneventful brownbox. My next notebook or desktop will be a refurb.


Quality-wise..No scuffs or scratches.. I think they replaced the topcase b/c it had a tiny gap between the top and bottom cases, which was fixed w/ a tightening of the screw under the battery.

Since it was a last-gen MB (Core Duo vs. Core 2 Duo) 2.0GB, she saved probably an extra $150-$200 over what her educator discount would have gotten on a new one. Plus, it had a "complimentary" 1GB RAM and 120GB Hard Drive upgrade. I bought 2GB of RAM for mine w/ the intent of upgrading hers to 1GB w/ my RAM, but it didn't work out that way so I keep the ram in a box.

 

[Toyman321]

How much did you save compared to buyng a new one?

I think my savings came to around $300 on the macbook, when I bought my ipod video my savings came to around $70 (US)

I've been more than happy with both purchases through the refurb section.

 

[jasonmac]

Refurbed is the way to go!!! I got my macbook like that and saved $$$$. Works just as good as a brand new one in my opinion. Good deal dude!!!

Jason

 

[jaywong87]

Glad everything was okay, considering all the fears people have with buying a BRAND NEW model.