Refurbished Store Experiences???

Pulse8

Hey guys, thinking of taking the plunge & buying my my first Mac this week....looking at a 2.4ghz Macbook & have myself in knots tryin to decide what way to go about it

apple.ie want €1640 for one with 4GB of ram & I had toyed with the idea of going to Belfast on Saturday to pick one up with the same spec for closer to €1400 (although they told me to ring Friday to see if they'd have enough hands on deck to be able to do it for me same day instore)
Now Ive just clicked on the apple.ie refurbished store & see theyre doin the base 2.4ghz model with 2GB of ram for €1300

Was just wondering what anyones experiences were with the refurb store & what kind of condition your purchase arrived in??
I'd rather save myself a drive to Belfast at the weekend but at the same time am a little apprehensive about buying one of the refurb'd models.

Biggest fear is that there might be dodgy dead pixels (read a report of this online from someone who purchased from them), internal problems down the road a bit or another major one that the casing might be scratched a bit....when spending that kinda cash I'd at leat expect it to look half decent - although have heard of 2 other positive sources today from here in Ireland who swear by the refurb store

Would appreciate your thoughts - thanks!

whiterebel

I used to work in Apple, and swear by refurbs. They can be either:
Someone has changed their mind and doesn't want it, under the 14 day return
or there is a problem such as Optical drive failing and replaced. Either way, they are taken apart, cleaned, inspected and tested, probably more than new machines, as they would only be tested off the line per 100/1000 or whatever.
You are as likely to get dead pixels with a refurb as a new one. HOWEVER people can return it to the AppleStore under the 14 day with no explanation, which may mean there was dead pixels.

Iomega Man

Hey pulse8,

I bought my MBP from the refurb store just over two years ago.
Not a problem with it since.
It came in a plain brown cardboard box and needed a good clean when I got it(just fingerprint smudges etc..) but I saved €700..!!
No scratches or anything,maybe I was just lucky!!
Will say one thing,I remember seeing on another site that refurb stuff is tested to death.Having worked in the computer industry for many years,thats what we would do as well.
Would I buy from the refurb store..Hell yes.

Hope this helps..

IM

Pulse8

Thanks for the replies lads....is there any kind of 14 day return policy on refurb macbooks for whatever reason or are you just stuck with it as is seen as its a refurb?

unclebill98

I bought a refurb'd powerbook about 5 years ago. It was my 6th laptop and I'd never buy another new one again.

It comes as brand new as a new one, I swear you'd be hard pressed to tell any difference.

thecommander

unclebill98 wrote: »

I bought a refurb'd powerbook about 5 years ago. It was my 6th laptop and I'd never buy another new one again.

It comes as brand new as a new one, I swear you'd be hard pressed to tell any difference.

Do they come boxed up in Apple box, or do they just come in a brown box with cables etc thrown in?

Iomega Man

I think all refurb stuff ships in a brown box.However all the accessories/Disks were new and unopened.

babypink

well I bought a refurb MacBook Air 2 weeks ago and unfortunately the thing was DOA..... I did get an immediate refund however.

Cosmetically the machine was absolutely perfect and pristine. It was suffering from the kernel_task / overheating issue and a silly keyboard problem! I guess some do slip through the net!!

Overall though, I would buy refurb again at the drop of a hat.

grumpypaddy

typing to you on a 2.4 macbook, bought two weeks ago on teh refurb store for 1305 euros.. happy out, got the ilfe disc for a tenner afterwards as i had ordered a few days before it shipped.... saved 200 euros of new price... if you want extra ram go to crucial, way cheaper than official apple store...
ps computer came in brown box, documentation all new, perfect otherwise, not even a fingerprint or anything on the computer,
its my third refurb, best way to go, was going to go to belfast but with refurb price it was only about 50 euro of difference... you get same warranty as new machine

J-blk

Another +1 on the refurbs - I got a previous gen. MBP for quite a discount, about a year ago. Other than the fact that it came boxed in a brown box, there was no difference at all from a brand spanking new one (plus I got an Apple remote which they had already removed by then from the equivalent new models ).

Like Babypink said, you could get a dud, but hey, that could happen with a retail one as well - remember, you're covered by the same one year warranty as the "new" systems anyway, so worst case scenario, you just get it replaced...

Pulse8

Thanks for all the experiences people,much appreciated

As positive as theyve been though something inside me just feels a bit off about paying that much money still for a refurbished product.
Have found this on Pixmania:
http://www.pixmania.ie/ie/uk/1835618/art/apple/macbook-mb467b-a.html

Which is €100 cheaper than apple.ie + I can just get an extra 2GB of Ram from crucial.com for €75 delivered so all in all including shipping I'd be getting a 4GB machine for the same price as a 2GB rom apple.ie.
Have used Pixmania in the numerous times in the past for cameras & have never head any problems + they offer a 2 year warranty it says & a 15 day moneyback guarantee on it.....almost sounds a little too good to be true.
A friend purchased a MBP from them last week & its all been plain sailing

dubmick

save yourself another €300 and just get the mid range model

http://www.pixmania.ie/ie/uk/1835619/art/apple/macbook-mb466b-a.html

Pulse8

Had thought about that alright mate but aswell as just using it for general internet & email, Im a club DJ & am thinking about making the switch to Traktor Pro so want to be safe in the knowledge that Ive a pretty powerful machine running it for me

J-blk

dubmick wrote: »

save yourself another €300 and just get the mid range model

http://www.pixmania.ie/ie/uk/1835619/art/apple/macbook-mb466b-a.html

Yep, I have that model and there's very little difference in performance with a 2.4Ghz Core 2 Duo (I have a previous gen. MBP @ 2.4Ghz to compare...). Besides the 0.4Ghz, the only other difference is that the 2.0Ghz model does not have the backlit keyboard. Hardly worth €300, especially as I never look at my keyboard . I upgraded the HDD to a 320GB 7200RPM and 4GB RAM myself afterwards...

malcolmplex

Got a mbp last may refurbished for 200 euro off.2.4intel 2 gig ram which i upgraded to 3gig.no problems running logic and ableton together with lots of plugins.

silvine

I bought a refurbished iMac. The only problem I had was they didn't give me the spec I selected.

Instead of a dual core with 350GB hard drive I got a dual core extreme with 500GB hard-drive for EUR1200. Sweet!

Would definately recommend the refurb store.

fbradyirl

Same thing happened me. They gave me a much better machine than I had ordered!

TheGap

J-blk wrote: »

Yep, I have that model and there's very little difference in performance with a 2.4Ghz Core 2 Duo (I have a previous gen. MBP @ 2.4Ghz to compare...). Besides the 0.4Ghz, the only other difference is that the 2.0Ghz model does not have the backlit keyboard. Hardly worth €300, especially as I never look at my keyboard . I upgraded the HDD to a 320GB 7200RPM and 4GB RAM myself afterwards...

Hey J-blk can I ask you where you upgraded your harddrive to 7200RPM 320GB RAM? I am also thining of buying a refurb and the points in this post are helpful! Thanks!

J-blk

TheGap wrote: »

Hey J-blk can I ask you where you upgraded your harddrive to 7200RPM 320GB RAM? I am also thining of buying a refurb and the points in this post are helpful! Thanks!

I bought this HDD from [url]www.dabs.ie:[/url]

http://www.dabs.ie/productview.aspx?Quicklinx=56MX&SearchType=1&SearchTerms=scorpio+black&PageMode=3&SearchKey=All&SearchMode=All&NavigationKey=0

Shipping from Dabs costs around €12 - I try to get a few items at a time rather than the one thing, since unless you get something very heavy, the shipping will be the same...

If you get a WD HDD, make sure you get the one I linked to - the WD3200BEKT. There's another 320GB 7200RPM from WD, the WD3200BJKT and it is known to have serious issues with the MacBook's built-in antishock systems.

I installed it myself, it is very easy though I was caught off guard with one tool required: a Torx T6 screwdriver, which you'll need for the 4 mounting screws that are on the HDD in the MacBook. You'll also need a Philips #00 (you'll also need that one if you want to upgrade the RAM). I already had the Philips and got a set of T6, T7 and T8 heads from Maplins for about €10 which I could then use with other ratchet screwdrivers I have.

The HDD is the easiest thing to replace on the unibody MacBooks - the RAM requires the bottom panel to be removed, but it is not by any means difficult (8 screws in total).

You can also buy the RAM from Dabs (I bought mine from Komplett but they sell the same part) - I always recommend Crucial but if you are buying the HDD anyway, you could buy the RAM at the same time and save a bit on the shipping, since you'll pay around the €12 mark for everything. To go to 4GB, you need to buy 2 of these 2GB modules:

http://www.dabs.ie/productview.aspx?Quicklinx=58BL&SearchType=1&SearchTerms=DDR3&PageMode=3&SearchKey=All&SearchMode=All&NavigationKey=50090,384730000,4294959239

If you have any questions, let me know .

TheGap

J-blk wrote: »

If you have any questions, let me know .

Thanks kindly, above and beyond helpful

mikemac

another thumps up for the refurb store

Bought an imac, 3.06hz
It was supposed to have a 500gb hard drive, it got an 750gb. Supposed to have 2gb ram, got 4gb.
Now this was a once off and I got somebodies upgraded imac (these parts were standard back then ) so it wouldn't always happen but I'm more then happy!

J-blk

mikemac wrote: »

It was supposed to have a 500gb hard drive, it got an 750gb. Supposed to have 2gb ram, got 4gb.

I wish I had your "problems" ! I think you're the third or fourth person here who has reported something similar - unfortunately, I got exactly what I ordered when I bought from the refurb store .

electrogrimey

I'm thinking of going refurb too, does anyone know if you can get the education discount on a refurbished machine?

BFassassin

No unfortunately you cant.
Well that was the case when I bought my refurb imac last year.

electrogrimey

I couldn't find a way to on the site alright, but is there actually a rule, or is the site just made so you can't? Like if you go to an apple store or phone could you do it? Cos that'd be like half price with both...

Jev/N

Nope you definitely can't - spoke to an Apple rep before who confirmed this. TBH it wouldn't be very fair as the refurb discounts are always very generous

I bought my MBP 2 years ago for €1700, it was the top of the range one at the time and retailed for €2400, bargain!

electrogrimey

I suppose that's fair enough, although I'm sure there's a few lefty students out there who would consider it a violation of their rights...:rolleyes:

gorevs

have bought 4 machines off the refurb shop over the years, 2 had higher specs than advertised, no problems whatsoever

luckat

When I next upgrade I'll be in a pickle. I'd like to get a MacBook Pro - love the MacBook, but would like the extra quality - but as far as I know, the Pro doesn't have Firewire, so I'd have to replace the external cases for both of my 2.5" backup hard drives, one SATA, one IDE, both Firewire.

And do the MacBook Pros have the same nasty (and un-region-free-able, as far as I know) DVD drive?

I had the one on my MacBook replaced recently, and the replacement has the same fault - halfway through watching a DVD it decides that it has "damaged areas", and only a reboot of the computer after a half-hour turn-off for it to cool allows it to change its mind and show the rest of the DVD. This happens with VLC and DVD Player, so it's a fault in the DVD-R rather than the computer or the software.

gorevs

all the macbook pros have firewire 800 port . you can get an adapter for 400 to 800.. the new 13 macbook pros announced last week
now have it as well

J-blk

luckat wrote: »

And do the MacBook Pros have the same nasty (and un-region-free-able, as far as I know) DVD drive?

This should resolve the region problems for you:

http://www.metakine.com/products/fairmount/

And as far the drive been physically faulty on you, I'd put it down to bad luck - my last 3 Macs have had no issues at all and AFAIK, they all used the same DVD drive...

luckat

gorevs wrote: »

all the macbook pros have firewire 800 port . you can get an adapter for 400 to 800.. the new 13 macbook pros announced last week
now have it as well

Oh, really? In that case!

Is it possible to replace the nasty Combo Drive?

gorevs

dont think that any of the aluminium macbook/pros have a combo drive. go to apple.com/ie and check it out, you will get all the answers there re specs.