Refurbished IPods--what does that mean?

[cjackearl]

Ok, a little clueless here. My DD, who will be 11 in Oct., would like an IPod for Christmas. I looked at the Apple site and while $200 probably won't happen, $149 for a refurbished model would probably fit our budget, maybe even for her birthday. What do they do to an IPod to refurbish it? Are these models that were broken? Do they look new when you receive them? For a savings of $50 I would really like to go this route if possible. Any experience? TIA!

 

[My2BabiesLexis&Dill]

I can't comment on what they do to refurbish them but I bought both of my kids the Ipod shuffle for Christmas. Both were refurbished and you can't tell it. They have held up. If you do have this option, I would seriously buy a refurb. Also, they do come with a one year warranty.

Oh FYI...I bought my co-worker one and his didn't work. I had to call Apple to get it replaced. They were great. It didn't take long to recieve it. No hassles.

 

[Feeln'Froggy]

From the apple website:

Apple Certified Refurbished Products are pre-owned Apple products that undergo Apple's stringent refurbishment process prior to being offered for sale. These products have been returned under Apple's Return and Refund Policies. While only some units are returned due to technical issues, all units undergo Apple's stringent quality refurbishment process.

Each Apple Certified Refurbished Product:
is fully tested (including full burn-in testing).
is refurbished with replacement parts for any defective modules identified in testing.
is put through a thorough cleaning process and inspection.
is repackaged (including appropriate manuals, cables, new boxes, etc.).
includes the operating software originally shipped with the unit and the custom software offered with that system. See each products "Learn More" for more details.
is given a new refurbished part number and serial number.
is placed into a Final QA inspection prior to being added to sellable refurbished stock.
Refurbishment procedures follow the same basic technical guidelines as Apple's Finished Goods testing procedures.

Hope this helps.

 

[cjackearl]

Thank you! I kept reading on the website that products go through Apples "stringent refurbishment process" but couldn't find info on what that process was. Now I know and will definitely go this route!

 

[S. C.]

I bought 2 refurbished ipod shuffles almost 2 yrs ago. They both work great have never had a bit of trouble out of either one. Both looked brand new and came with full one year warrenties. The boxes did say refurbished on them.

 

[dakcp2001]

Apple buys back old versions of the ipods for a somewhat decent price. I sold back my old one which was in near perfect condition, that they will re sell as refurbished. It looked brand new & worked great. I bet they also sell returns as refurbs.

 

[mamalle]

we bought one for dd for her bday in Feb thanks to this board. It will all packaged up and looked brand new. No problems with it whatsoever.. I would buy one again if need be..

 

[sueh]

I bought my ipod that was refurbished over a year ago and I have never had any problem with it.

For Christmas I will be buying my dd1 a shuffle from the ipod site.

 

[delmar411]

we also bought a refub'd shuffle for my oldest DD almost 2yrs ago. It still works perfectly and was well worth the $25-$30 we spent on it.