Refurbished Macbook Pro

[melankholy]

Thought i'd share an experience with you guys here.

Decided to buy a macbook pro 17".
Scanned through the refurbished deals and bingo found an early 2011 model going for $2618. Not too bad.

Having had good past experiences with refurbished apple items (ipods mainly), and tonnes of positive reviews online, i bought without hesitation.

Item arrived and i was sorely disappointed namely when it came to the cosmetic condition of the mac. Most would agree that refurb items arrive with almost zero defects and 99.99% like brand new.

My macbook arrived looking like someone had used it for a few months.

There were obvious scratches on the top lid. Nicks and chips on the edges.
The base when placed under sunlight had circular marks similar to that left behind on surfaces after you clean with soap and some solvent. Dust trapped in the ports. Consistency of casing between the top lid and the base was different. To top it off i could still find stains and dirt that were not properly cleaned.

Speakers were slightly louder on one side as well.

Apple does warn customers that their refurb items may arrive with defects but usually their QC is so stringent that the ones that arrive are almost brand new. Quite rare to find lemons.

Suffice to say, i thought i could live with it. It is refurbished after all. But after a few hours of browsing for similar experiences, which soon became futile, i called them up and asked for a return. thank god for 14 days return policy. Now its sitting in the box waiting for the DHL man to come and collect it. Once bitten twice shy. Gonna get brand new when it comes to big ticket items from now on. Not condemning Apple, but archiving this experience in case someone else comes in looking for info on refurbs.

Thanks for reading!

 

[erwinrommel]

Can you request to get you another refurbished replacement?

 

[whaleshark87]

Thought i'd share an experience with you guys here.

Decided to buy a macbook pro 17".
Scanned through the refurbished deals and bingo found an early 2011 model going for $2618. Not too bad.

Having had good past experiences with refurbished apple items (ipods mainly), and tonnes of positive reviews online, i bought without hesitation.

Item arrived and i was sorely disappointed namely when it came to the cosmetic condition of the mac. Most would agree that refurb items arrive with almost zero defects and 99.99% like brand new.

My macbook arrived looking like someone had used it for a few months.

There were obvious scratches on the top lid. Nicks and chips on the edges.
The base when placed under sunlight had circular marks similar to that left behind on surfaces after you clean with soap and some solvent. Dust trapped in the ports. Consistency of casing between the top lid and the base was different. To top it off i could still find stains and dirt that were not properly cleaned.

Speakers were slightly louder on one side as well.

Apple does warn customers that their refurb items may arrive with defects but usually their QC is so stringent that the ones that arrive are almost brand new. Quite rare to find lemons.

Suffice to say, i thought i could live with it. It is refurbished after all. But after a few hours of browsing for similar experiences, which soon became futile, i called them up and asked for a return. thank god for 14 days return policy. Now its sitting in the box waiting for the DHL man to come and collect it. Once bitten twice shy. Gonna get brand new when it comes to big ticket items from now on. Not condemning Apple, but archiving this experience in case someone else comes in looking for info on refurbs.

Thanks for reading!

You could ask apple to bring back and refurb it again, since the QC failed. by right they will replace the shell for refurb sets.

 

[melankholy]

You could ask apple to bring back and refurb it again, since the QC failed. by right they will replace the shell for refurb sets.

thats what i thought.

dont think i want to go through the same experience again. gonna get the latest 17incher with education discount. About $400 more but i can sleep easy at night knowing its new.

 

[melankholy]

Can you request to get you another refurbished replacement?

nope. they told me to return it and they will refund me and i can go purchase the refurb item again.

 

[negativzero]

Can you request to get you another refurbished replacement?

No two refurbs are the same due to specs. Can't ask for the same model again.

 

[eric16]

I don't think Apple will replace the casing for laptops and computers. Only for iPad, iPod and iPhone will they replace the casing. But thumbs up for the thread starter to archive a thread on this cos a lot of threads out there only praise the good quality of refurbished sets.

 

[whaleshark87]

I don't think Apple will replace the casing for laptops and computers. Only for iPad, iPod and iPhone will they replace the casing. But thumbs up for the thread starter to archive a thread on this cos a lot of threads out there only praise the good quality of refurbished sets.

Yes they will.. They have to change the shell btw cause they need to change the serial number of the unit. Refurb set Serial number is not the same as brand new sets.
But some times QC will fail one.. Cause someone sleeping on their job and forget to change it.

 

[skipper]

I don't think Apple will replace the casing for laptops and computers. Only for iPad, iPod and iPhone will they replace the casing. But thumbs up for the thread starter to archive a thread on this cos a lot of threads out there only praise the good quality of refurbished sets.

then you are wrong,Apple will replace casing and battery with new ones and usually Apple standard is rather high and seldom you can tell it is not brandnew.

 

[RightClick]

I just bought a refurbished 15" as well and it looked pretty new to me except for a slight nick at the bottom corner. I almost bought the 17" that TS bought, I am sorry to hear of his bad experience. Thanks for posting this, appreciate it. My experience so far with two refurbisehed macbook pros has been okay, thought I just sent in my previous 10-month old refurbished 17" due to some screen issue. Fingers crossed, I hope my new 15" will not turn out to be a lemon.

 

[eric16]

then you are wrong,Apple will replace casing and battery with new ones and usually Apple standard is rather high and seldom you can tell it is not brandnew.

Probably you should read carefully what is written on Apple Singapore's website

What to expect of refurbished products: Apple Certified Refurbished Products - Apple Store (Singapore)

Refurbished iPad/iPod/iTouch/nano comes with new battery and outer shell
Discount Prices on Refurbished iPad and iPad Accessories - Apple Store (Singapore)
Refurbished iPod nano - Apple Store (Singapore)
Refurbished iPod touch - Apple Store (Singapore)

Refurbished Mac Air/Mac Pro/ iMac (no mention of new outershell or battery)
Refurbished MacBook Air - Apple Store (Singapore)
Refurbished MacBook Pro - Apple Store (Singapore)
Refurbished iMac - Apple Store (Singapore)

it is written clearly that only the iPad/iPod nano/iTouch comes with new battery and outershell.

And it is also written in the FAQ that:

(2) What should I expect when I purchase an Apple Certified Reconditioned Product?
Substantial savings
A fully functional unit with complete documentation
The assurance that the unit meets Apple's premiere quality standards, and that its defective components have been replaced by genuine Apple components
The risk that your unit may present minor cosmetic imperfection, such as scratches, marks, discolouration, etc.

Plus Rightclick has mentioned of a slight nick on this refurbished macbook pro. These are proves that refurbished macs do not automatically get a new outer shell.

But of course, I'm sure Apple should replace the outershell of those Macs with terrible outershell. But don't expect a new outershell for refurbished Macs.

I'm an apple fan, but I also want people to know what they r getting when they buy refurbished sets.

 

[skipper]

Probably you should read carefully what is written on Apple Singapore's website

What to expect of refurbished products: Apple Certified Refurbished Products - Apple Store (Singapore)

Refurbished iPad/iPod/iTouch/nano comes with new battery and outer shell
Discount Prices on Refurbished iPad and iPad Accessories - Apple Store (Singapore)
Refurbished iPod nano - Apple Store (Singapore)
Refurbished iPod touch - Apple Store (Singapore)

Refurbished Mac Air/Mac Pro/ iMac (no mention of new outershell or battery)
Refurbished MacBook Air - Apple Store (Singapore)
Refurbished MacBook Pro - Apple Store (Singapore)
Refurbished iMac - Apple Store (Singapore)

it is written clearly that only the iPad/iPod nano/iTouch comes with new battery and outershell.

And it is also written in the FAQ that:

(2) What should I expect when I purchase an Apple Certified Reconditioned Product?
Substantial savings
A fully functional unit with complete documentation
The assurance that the unit meets Apple's premiere quality standards, and that its defective components have been replaced by genuine Apple components
The risk that your unit may present minor cosmetic imperfection, such as scratches, marks, discolouration, etc.

Plus Rightclick has mentioned of a slight nick on this refurbished macbook pro. These are proves that refurbished macs do not automatically get a new outer shell.

But of course, I'm sure Apple should replace the outershell of those Macs with terrible outershell. But don't expect a new outershell for refurbished Macs.

I'm an apple fan, but I also want people to know what they r getting when they buy refurbished sets.

with such a bad condition outer case Apple will replace it unless they miss out that unit,that is all i can say.

 

[RightClick]

with such a bad condition outer case Apple will replace it unless they miss out that unit,that is all i can say.

Yeah agree, mine is a slight nick which I don't blame them for not replacing the entire case but TS's case is strange as he mentioned the computer looked like it was used for a few months. My refurbished sets looked almost brand new when they arrived.

 

[bluesubm6]

after reading this post, I decided anyway to go ahead and last Friday bought a refurbished MBP 15.4. It's the Feb 2011 2.0 i7 model.

I inspected the MBP carefully, and found a scratch mark at the bottom right edge, and some slight staining on the left speaker grill.

but these were so minor that you couldn't really see them unless you did an eyeball inspection.

Having used it for 5 days, I'd say I am very happy with the refurb purchase.

to me at least, Apple refurbs are a good choice when I compared to what was being offered in the resale market. based on this experience, I wouldn't hesitate to buy Apple Refurb again.

it was also good to note that Apple would take back lemons.

 

[mollys]

Thought i'd share an experience with you guys here.

Decided to buy a macbook pro 17".
Scanned through the refurbished deals and bingo found an early 2011 model going for $2618. Not too bad.

Having had good past experiences with refurbished apple items (ipods mainly), and tonnes of positive reviews online, i bought without hesitation.

Item arrived and i was sorely disappointed namely when it came to the cosmetic condition of the mac. Most would agree that refurb items arrive with almost zero defects and 99.99% like brand new.

My macbook arrived looking like someone had used it for a few months.

There were obvious scratches on the top lid. Nicks and chips on the edges.
The base when placed under sunlight had circular marks similar to that left behind on surfaces after you clean with soap and some solvent. Dust trapped in the ports. Consistency of casing between the top lid and the base was different. To top it off i could still find stains and dirt that were not properly cleaned.

Speakers were slightly louder on one side as well.

Apple does warn customers that their refurb items may arrive with defects but usually their QC is so stringent that the ones that arrive are almost brand new. Quite rare to find lemons.

Suffice to say, i thought i could live with it. It is refurbished after all. But after a few hours of browsing for similar experiences, which soon became futile, i called them up and asked for a return. thank god for 14 days return policy. Now its sitting in the box waiting for the DHL man to come and collect it. Once bitten twice shy. Gonna get brand new when it comes to big ticket items from now on. Not condemning Apple, but archiving this experience in case someone else comes in looking for info on refurbs.

Thanks for reading!

thanks for the heads up.

 

[blues7]

thanks for sharing

been considering getting macbook pro 17" refurbish but worry that i cannot accept any flaw after purchase

for now, decide to save and get new set when i can afford it

 

[erwinrommel]

So after getting your refund, you gotta buy a new MacBook Pro instead?

 

[melankholy]

thanks for sharing

been considering getting macbook pro 17" refurbish but worry that i cannot accept any flaw after purchase

for now, decide to save and get new set when i can afford it

yup. If apple could change the outer casing and use back the inner parts i dont think id mind.

 

[melankholy]

So after getting your refund, you gotta buy a new MacBook Pro instead?

yeah. 1 week later got my refund and bought a brand new 17inch. Ca,e wotj Feel much better now though im hearing an intermittent clicking noise from my hard drive.
but seems to be working.

not much luck on macs.

 

[debbdezine]

Hmm this is a helpful post. I am looking into saving some money by getting a refurbished iMac. I def don't want something that looks like it has taken a beating. I think their items are overpriced so I was thinking of refurbished as long it works as good. But now I have my reservations...Hmm.