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Ordering Refurb 2.4ghz MBP... Yay or Nay?

B

Burton8219

macrumors 6502
Original poster
May 12, 2007
437
15
I'm looking at a refurbished 2.4ghz SR MBP off of Apple.com for $2199. Pretty good deal I think. I just called to cancel my order with MacMall after reading some of the posts on this site. They were just too shady for my liking. Is the refurb from Apple reliable? Should I just fork up the extra money and get it new?

Also when I add it to my cart it has a ship date of 7-10 days. Why would it take so long to ship a refurb? It's a stock computer and its already fixed. The way I think they would just have to ship it out. I can understand maybe the new computers to have this delay but not a refurb. You are taking a broken computer, and fixing it. No need to purchase new parts or anything. So what's the deal?
Bottom Line: Is this a good purchase and whats up with the delay?
 
do it. I've gotten two refurbs (one for my wife, one for my parents) and they're both great, and both came with bonus RAM.

Last Christmas I was able to expedite the order. This past month, I was not. So they've changed there shipping policy... don't know why. Nevertheless I got it in 5 days time (ordered Tuesday... got it Saturday).

do it. save money. buy more ram (macsales.com)
 
I wouldn't want to cheat them out of the education discount... that's kinda (pardon my language) douschey, not to mention dishonest. Also why the 7-10 days shipping? I know it will come before then because Apple always ships fast form the many times I've dealt with them, but i just wanted to ask.
 
refurbs rock.

if anything, they've been inspected thoroughly, perhaps even better than a new, off-the-line MBP.
 
Refurb's The Only Way To Fly Unless...

Only if you want a new release is buying new understandable. But as soon as they reach the refurb page it's foolish to buy new unless you must have a certain customization that is usually possible after you get it anyway. Every refurb I've ever bought from Apple arrived like new OR if it had a problem, was fixed immediately by the local repair shop.

The new 17" 2.4GHz with 160GB 7200 rpm 1920x1200 is only $2,599 on the refurb store saving you more than $200 off the educational price.
 
Yay. I just got a 2.16 refurb and couldn't be happier. If it was used before I got it, I sure can't tell. I had not a single problem with my 6yr old TiBook, which was also a refurb. FWIW, my ship date was to be "3-5 days." I ordered late morning and it ended up shipping that same day. Underpromise, overdeliver. :)
 
Burton8219 said:
Also why the 7-10 days shipping?
Click to expand...

This isn't official word from Apple or anything, but I've heard that to save money (since they DO pay for shipping) they wait until several orders have been made, enough that they can FedEx them all out together and save money (since they are giving you free shipping and everything, and you can pay for expedited if you want).

Don't worry, though, because most of the time, they ship far faster than expected. My latest purchase had the same wait, I believe, but it shipped by the end of the day after I ordered it. A couple years ago my refurbished iMac G5 had a wait of 1-2 weeks or something absurd, but even it shipped within a few days.
 
Ahhh might be a deal breaker here... I am an aspiring film maker (I know I'm only 17 but its a passion) and I will be using FCS very often. The MBP that is the refurb has a glossy screen which doesnt really express the natural colors that I would want when editing a film.

If there is anyone that is a film maker as well and has a glossy screen that can tell me that the screen is fine for film editing please do so because this deal is VERY tempting.
 
Nay.

The few extra coins isnt worth the risk is it?
Dealing with out of the box cosmetic blemishes?
Cheaper yes, if thats what you need to get the ball rolling the go for it. I like that new new feeling the first time i use it.
 
Burton8219 said:
Ahhh might be a deal breaker here... I am an aspiring film maker (I know I'm only 17 but its a passion) and I will be using FCS very often. The MBP that is the refurb has a glossy screen which doesnt really express the natural colors that I would want when editing a film.

If there is anyone that is a film maker as well and has a glossy screen that can tell me that the screen is fine for film editing please do so because this deal is VERY tempting.
Click to expand...

Keep a close watch on the refurb site as the inventory changes quickly. I read in another post that it gets freshed around 2:00am PST. I have no idea if that is accurate or not. Keep a watch out, you'll find your Matt MBP out there, it may take a few days...:D
 
I have had a few refurbs, I got a imac 24" maxed out BUT it had so many problems, I got rid of it :(.

I live almost 2 hours from a Apples store, I buy new and check the book in store :)

I would buy a refurb again.....but new is still better for me ;)
 
anothermacaddic said:
The few extra coins isnt worth the risk is it?
Click to expand...

What risk? You're given a fully guaranteed machine. And the cosmetic blemishes are barely noticable in my experience, if at all.

I saved $1000 by purchasing my Core Duo MBP refurbished after the Core 2 Duo machines were released. Yes, it was certainly worth the "risk". ;)
 
Burton8219 said:
Ahhh might be a deal breaker here... I am an aspiring film maker (I know I'm only 17 but its a passion) and I will be using FCS very often. The MBP that is the refurb has a glossy screen which doesnt really express the natural colors that I would want when editing a film.

If there is anyone that is a film maker as well and has a glossy screen that can tell me that the screen is fine for film editing please do so because this deal is VERY tempting.
Click to expand...

To the OP... if you're an aspiring film-maker, why not go with the 17" high-res matte MBP that is being offered right now in the refurb store? It's probably the best deal on there. But, if you really care about image quality, won't you be buying an external monitor down the line anyway?

Also, as far as the education discount goes, can you wait until you get admitted to college? Whatever you end up doing, I'm sure you'll be happy with your purchase.
 
aquajet said:
What risk? You're given a fully guaranteed machine. And the cosmetic blemishes are barely noticable in my experience, if at all.
Click to expand...

True. You get the same warranty, and the option for Applecare, you don't have any first round defects because the machine has been tested more carefully than a new machine, and there's always the chance that you get a new machine that was returned without use. It could have been the wrong model or buyer's remorse but it can't be sold as new, so it's tested and sold as refurbished.

The only thing you don't get is the original box. But is that really worth 100's (or 1000's) of dollars? The refurb I want (17" HR /7200RPM) is 450 cheaper than buying it new. That's extra RAM, software & peripherals.
 
I've always strayed away from buying refurb computers (as well as any other electronic device exceeding $200) because I personally feel that if you're are going to pay big bucks for whatever it is, a computer in this case, you might as well spend the little extra money (relatively speaking) to get something brand new, than to try to save a few bucks and get something that's [possibly] already been used, or has been defective in the past. I can't imagine opening a box and seeing a laptop I had just bought for over $2000 have a scratch, or a dent on it.

As stupid as it may sound, there's something about knowing your computer is brand new for me at least.
 
nay!
if u r particular about not havin scratches and stuff u can go for it. else , dont even think about them .Since u r spending such a huge amount i'd prefer u go for a new 2.2 or else wait for a while save up for a NEW 2.4 .. i m eagerly waitin for mine!! so excited !!
 
MacPossum said:
I've always strayed away from buying refurb computers (as well as any other electronic device exceeding $200) because I personally feel that if you're are going to pay big bucks for whatever it is, a computer in this case, you might as well spend the little extra money (relatively speaking) to get something brand new, than to try to save a few bucks and get something that's [possibly] already been used, or has been defective in the past. I can't imagine opening a box and seeing a laptop I had just bought for over $2000 have a scratch, or a dent on it.

As stupid as it may sound, there's something about knowing your computer is brand new for me at least.
Click to expand...

I think that sounds less "stupid" only if you're rich. I admit that it's a nice feeling, if not a bull-headed masculine feeling, to know that you are the first one to touch a machine. I get it, you want a virgin. But, for a lot of people, saving 450 smackers is not a little extra money (relatively or not). And you're new "refurb" MBP just has a little more experience than a brand new one. And she's been tested clean. She's not a whore.

I have bought refurbs before and have been surprised at their high-level of quality.
 
s
aquajet said:
What risk? You're given a fully guaranteed machine. And the cosmetic blemishes are barely noticable in my experience, if at all.

I saved $1000 by purchasing my Core Duo MBP refurbished after the Core 2 Duo machines were released. Yes, it was certainly worth the "risk". ;)
Click to expand...



The risk is getting a particularly beat up laptop thats been circling in and out of the refurb warehouse that more than just the original owner has returned. Another risk is that when the original owner had it and say the hard drive went bad in a month, they just replaced the hard drive and left the underlying problem of a faulty power supply or logic board. A risk would be that you would have to spend hours on tech support and play the shipping game with applecare. When you assess the worst possible situation its much riskier than being able to just run to the store and be done with it all by returning. Its about the same risk you take when you buy a new one, however this ones been already declared unfit once for someone. Id prefer to risk my luck on an unused one than an already fixed one. Same with cars. But it all boils down to what you can afford. If you take that 450 and divide out your hours of (potential) hassle hopefully you can still justify your purchase. Not me my time is more valueable to me.
 
Yay. Purchased a refurb 2.4ghz MBP from MacMall last week and had it the next day. Works perfectly and has no cosmetic blemishes. Best of all it was only $1910 (even cheaper than from Apple)!! Also had the 200gb HD and not the 160gb.
 
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