MacMall for MBA... experiences?

[GreenFrog]

I purchased a MBA 13" Ultimate from MacMall. It was my first time purchasing anything from them. I took advantage of their $50 discount for Black Friday and ordered it on Thursday night. It was shipped the next day on Friday and I received my MBA on Monday. Granted, I paid for Standard Overnight shipping.

My overall experience was pleasant, smooth, and quick. I didn't run into any issues.

I also ended up getting an additional $51 discount after I had purchased my MBA and been charged already. I read on these forums that someone had purchased the same 13 ultimate from macmall and got them to price match Apple's Black Friday $101 discount. So I called MacMall's customer service and asked whether they could price match for me as well.

They refunded me $51.

 

[KPOM]

They refunded me $51.

Nice. MacMall has mediocre customer service, but if you are sure you want something then they usually have the best prices.

 

[KPOM]

yeah just imagine if apple didn't agree that your MBA was defective...you'd be stuck with a defective computer.

Believe me. There was no way I was leaving that Apple store that day without a replacement, or the "Geniuses" figuring out how to fix my computer. It was pretty obvious that it wasn't acting normally. You don't expect a computer to "wake" from sleep with a black screen.

 

[MacManTexas56]

I am not going to defend MacMall, I have personal issues with that company, but i think it fair to explain their policy.

Any company that buys product from Apple has a certain return allowance (<1%). Any product MacMall sends back to Apple, stock returns, defective product, etc, counts against that cap. If MacMall (or any vendor) accepted returns for DOAs, the would surpass that cap quickly. Any reigned beyond that ca would have to be repaired and sold at a loss as Open Box or Refurbished product. Why should the vendor accept a loss that was due to Apple's policy?

To be fair, most large vendors (IBM, HP, Lenovo) have similar policies.

ever heard of open boxes? charge a restocking fee and you will have less returns. of the people that do the restocking fee, it will pay the difference so you can sell it for less as an open box. best buy does this with the apple machines they sell in store. They either make them a demo or sell as an open box. if when you sell them as an open box, apple will reset the warranty for the new buyer so it's a win win.

 

[MacManTexas56]

This is why credit cards have buyer's protection for these sorts of things.

For what its worth though, I bought my new MBA from MacMall and i got it earlier than promised and in perfect working order. If you are willing to know that you can't return the item to them and you are OK with that, it's a great way to save money.

I got my 13.3" MBA with 4GB of RAM for $1308 delivered. It would have cost me ~$1550 to get it from apply. Well worth the savings to me, but then again I knew I wanted the machine and wouldn't need to return it.

my point is if something happens with the machine or they don't sell you what is promised....good luck getting your money back.

 

[bamf]

my point is if something happens with the machine or they don't sell you what is promised....good luck getting your money back.

I know, and my point was just that Apple covers the machine and your CC covers you getting what you ordered.

There is a risk of dealing with some hassle I agree, but if you know what you want it's a nice way to save money.

 

[Thunderbird1]

Thank goodness for Macmall

If we didn't have the competition of Macmall, we would be at the total mercy of Apple.

I purchased on black Friday a MacBook air sans the dreaded tax and am loving it. They phoned the day before my computer arrival to say it would arrive tomorrow. What great service and reps to deal with. Support them, because they give us great deals with very slim margins for them. Because of Apples very tight wholesale margins. They have put together a lean company that gives Apple a run for their extra store profits. So glad we have them to counter balance Apple store dominance of their own product.

No problem taking back to an Apple store, a defective Apple product purchased from Macmall.