Apple refurb products?? good quality??

Im looking at buying an apple refurb, is their quality good?? and can i trust im getting a product without scratches and scuffs and worn trackpads?

 

Moved to apple forum. You should get more responses here...

 

In short, yes.


Apple is among the best when it comes to refurbished products. You're not going to receive a product with any scratches or blemishes, and everything is restored to factory condition. You also get the standard 1-year warranty and you can buy Applecare if you want.

 

I know it's always YMMV and I'm in the minority, but:

I just got a macbook pro refurbished.

Screen has a dirt smudge underneath the screen
Scratches on casing, you can tell it's been used
touchpad is used and worn down, prob about 2 months' worth
Magsafe poweradapter is clearly corroded, either from heat or some type of coffee liquid. (In fact, coffee had probably been spilled on the unit b/c I saw traces of crusty crap and the keyboard is like brand new with that very "new sensation" that you get when you know a touchpad hasn't been used.
Touchpad button is unstable. From time to time clicking on it produces a slight hitch and click, or double click. Lid is also flimsy b/c a new macbook pro or an relatively lightly used one will have a stiff lid hinge, and mine will not stand up unless it's fairly upright.

I wanted a return for my money back but Apple wouldn't let me without a restocking fee. So once you buy something from apple, there is no moneyback guarantee EVEN if something is defective. They will say it's within spec, which I can't argue b/c it works .But it's clearly used off of ebay quality, and not refurbished, b/c in my book it goes new --> refurbished --> ebay.

So it could happen to you. I'm a principled person when it comes to these things and honestly don't even care about the money that much. I can't make apple forget the restocking fee. And if it comes down to it I'd pay it just to get this apple product out of my hands and never buy one again. I'm that stubborn about it, and I know somehow I think apple is going to be just fine without my business.

But I would like to take my parting shot that Apple is not any better than any other company out there, and I am now of the opinion that they have good marketing with a touch of arrogance. In fact,buying a quality notebook is always a bit of a crapshoot b/c LCD displays and the entire chassis are all contracted out, so it varies on a model by model basis. So some Dell models are made well, others are not. But apples are no different. That is why when you get a screen made by Samsung, it's generally met with "what are you talking about? Macbook pro screens are awesome." Whereas deeper research shows that in general those who complain about banding problems (of which I have) show that the screens are 09c60 screens made by AUO or even CMO (Ching Mei). So there is luck of the draw involved here. Yes, I also know that we're not talking about life and death and there are plenty of people in the world who'd love to even be able to afford a laptop. But it can be frustrating to the more discerning customer (read: picky). Say what you want about Dell, but last time I checked there is no restocking fee and if you're not happy, you can return it. Perception is reality, and I'm just trying to show that Apple is perceived well, but that may not be the case. They brought higher expectations upon themselves by basically saying their products are a cut above the rest and having matching prices to boot. I'm here to say that these days with notebooks being made in the cheapest place available, brand name doesn't mean as much anymore.

One last call to apple. If they don't give me what I want, off to ebay with a firm committment to never buy an apple laptop ever again.

 

I got a macbook refurbished. Other then FedEx losing my package and it taking forever. I love it

 

fedex sucks don't it?

 

I bought a MacBook Pro from Apple Refurb about two months ago and I've been completely satisfied. I saved $400 and got a fantastic machine that looks great and works just as well as any I've seen in the store.

 

I bought a "refreshed" model direct at an Apple store, got to see it in person before pulling the trigger and saved $250, plus the rebate offers for final cut and a new printer, $550 savings. Mine is nearly flawless aside from slightly dark bottom corners (maybe 9 pixels each roll off), week 48.

 

I think overall the Apple refurbs are a great deal. I have heard very fews bad stories when it comes to refurbs. But as pufftissue pointed out, you never know what you will get. Believe me I know!