White box/Refurbs

[kylegod]

Just so everyone knows, if you do need to get your phone replaced, a small white box does NOT mean its a refurb. Tonight when I got my phone replaced, i specifically requested a NEW phone and not a refurb. And the man at the store said that it was a new phone and said he would have to tell me if it was a refurb by policy. Apple simply sends stores new phones in these white boxes specifically for replacements and warrant issues. They do this to skip costs on all the fancy packaging with the other black box, the cord, the dock, etc. Just thoght id let everyone know since ive been reading on here that white boxes = refurbed phones.

[jjvaldez]

yea i went to the store in sac and that dude wouldnt tell me if it was new or refurbished, i asked him 3 times to tell me and when he wouldnt i just told him that i was leaving.....
i just want mine replaced but dont want a refurb, actualy, id like to update to a 8 gig if that is possible

[ballsonface12]

I'm not saying you're wrong but people that work in customer service or sales will sometimes lie or not know everything that they say to you.

[jjvaldez]

yea that is true, i can see that dude telling me, yea its new get the heck out of here now....

but back to the question that i had, can i update through apple??

[acosmichippo]

it's one thing to lead a customer to believe a phone is new when it isn't... quite another to outright lie to them when they specifically ask... I'm not saying there aren't people that would do that, though.

[kylegod]

jjvaldez im not sure if you can do that or not. It would probably cost you something. What did the 4 gigs cost when they first came out by the way. And i dont think he lied. I had it out with this guy on the phone. they story is in another thread called "white spot." but basically he said they cant replace phones with dead pixels until there are so many of them. i called applecare and they said one pixel is enough for a new phone. so after multpile trips to the store and being lied to about the pixel thing i demanded a new phone. and he said that it was in fact a new phone and that he is required to tell me if it is not. and what he said did make sense about the packaging and what not.

[gcvt]

What did the 4 gigs cost when they first came out by the way.

Upon release, the 4GB iPhone cost $499 and the 8GB was $599.

[Eragon]

Other than packaging, is there no other feature that distinguishes a refurb iPhone from a new one?

When an iPhone is refurbed, does its serial number change?

[kylegod]

Other than packaging, is there no other feature that distinguishes a refurb iPhone from a new one?

When an iPhone is refurbed, does its serial number change?
I know with other apple refurb stuff the number changes. I think a rm is put in front of the number if it is refurbished. For remanufactured. I dont know if this is the case with iPhones though.

[KNK]

Also the 4th & 5th digit of the serial number would say what week it was manufactured.

Personally I have to agree with Dbl J on this.

[Hawk]

My 4th iPhone (3rd replacement) was made the 14th week. I got it about 2 weeks after 1.1.2 came out.

[KNK]

My 4th iPhone (3rd replacement) was made the 14th week. I got it about 2 weeks after 1.1.2 came out.


BINGO..................thanks:gasp:

[katra]

just so everyone knows....:gasp:

the iphone in the white boxes are refurbished because when they take them out of the white box, they have a little blue round sticker in the film that covers the LCD. the sticker means that it passed inspection when it got tested after it got refurbished. also if refurbished the serial # will start with a 5K....

by the way, i just got a refurbished iphone 2 days ago...:smile:

[phillyphill39]

just so everyone knows....:gasp:

the iphone in the white boxes are refurbished because when they take them out of the white box, they have a little blue round sticker in the film that covers the LCD. the sticker means that it passed inspection when it got tested after it got refurbished. also if refurbished the serial # will start with a 5K....

by the way, i just got a refurbished iphone 2 days ago...:smile:


5k where???

[katra]

5k where???



The serial # in the back of the iphone.....begins with 5K

[KNK]

The serial # in the back of the iphone.....begins with 5K
Mine begins with 7U726

Which means mine was made the 26 week.

[phillyphill39]

mine says 32751?? what does that mean?

[Hawk]

DOH!! I read the 5th and 6th numbers, so it's not week 14, it's week 41.... which doesn't make a lot of sense, going by when I got it...
KNK, is it possible that it's the 5th and 6th digits?
My first 7 characters are 327414Y... and since release it's only been 27 weeks THIS week ( yeah I know I could probably add roughly 4-8 weeks on there, but still, it doesn't add up.)

[KNK]

DOH!! I read the 5th and 6th numbers, so it's not week 14, it's week 41.... which doesn't make a lot of sense, going by when I got it...
KNK, is it possible that it's the 5th and 6th digits?
My first 7 characters are 327414Y... and since release it's only been 27 weeks THIS week ( yeah I know I could probably add roughly 4-8 weeks on there, but still, it doesn't add up.)


It is the 4th & 5th digit for sure. Mine is week 26 which is june

My info for the digits comes from meiphones_Brill who is a very smart cookie.

[greenjbhsd]

If my phone went back I would almost rather a refurbed unit. The basic reason that that I am willing to bet you that the QC on that device will differ from a new one and actually be more "complete". It is similar to returned goods in pharmaceuticals. Companies that actually do this QC the hell out of those. So I am hoping the same applies here.

[chavezr6]

Mine refurbished too. Replaced cause battery was getting HOT!!!

Green, I see your reasoning but I feel kind of jipped that I wasn't told it was getting a refurbished phone. KWIM?

[kylegod]

just so everyone knows....:gasp:

the iphone in the white boxes are refurbished because when they take them out of the white box, they have a little blue round sticker in the film that covers the LCD. the sticker means that it passed inspection when it got tested after it got refurbished. also if refurbished the serial # will start with a 5K....

by the way, i just got a refurbished iphone 2 days ago...:smile:

those son of a *****es. Haha. Mine starts with the 5k. I can't believe they'd lie right to my face like that. What do they do when they refurb a phone?
How do you know that the refurbs start with 5k?

[katra]

those son of a *****es. Haha. Mine starts with the 5k. I can't believe they'd lie right to my face like that. What do they do when they refurb a phone?
How do you know that the refurbs start with 5k?


when they refurb a phone, they pretty much replace the outer shell of the iphone with original apple parts (including LCD and battery) and install new firmware with a new serial #. they put serial #'s that begin with 5K so they can tell them apart from the rest (brand-new ones) .

then they get tested, they make sure it meets apple requirements and they place a sticker over the phones lcd film cover for all the ones that pass.

then they get put in a white box (because they dont want to package it up as a new one)...

and then they sit in a apple store untill someone needs a replacement phone.:smile:

[kylegod]

I wish they'd replace the battery becuase who knows how old it is.

[Eragon]

when they refurb a phone, they pretty much replace the outer shell of the iphone with original apple parts (including LCD) and install new firmware with a new serial #. they put serial #'s that begin with 5K so they can tell them apart from the rest (brand-new ones) .

then they get tested, they make sure it meets apple requirements and they place a sticker over the phones lcd film cover for all the ones that pass.

then they get put in a white box (because they dont want to package it up as a new one)...

and then they sit in a apple store untill someone needs a replacement phone.:smile:

Then where is the risk associated with a refurbished iPhone? If it has almost all new parts, then a refurbished iPhone is essentially new.

[katra]

I wish they'd replace the battery becuase who knows how old it is.


edit:

i forgot to mention the battery...:tounge:

yes it gets replaced.:wink:

[kylegod]

awesome glad to hear that. That was my biggest worry with my refurb

[katra]

awesome glad to hear that. That was my biggest worry with my refurb


now that i got my refurb everything works better than ever !! :smile:

i even got a longer battery life....:laugh2:

you cant go wrong with that..:smile:

[dturner]

those son of a *****es. Haha. Mine starts with the 5k. I can't believe they'd lie right to my face like that. What do they do when they refurb a phone?
How do you know that the refurbs start with 5k?


I agree that a refurb is as good and sometimes better than new, but I would go back and rip someone's a** for lying to me. Then I would let the manager of the store know.

[Lincoln]

Those little white boxes annoy me. There very un-iPhone-ish.

- John