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    Cheapest Retailer Outside California for 2011 MBA 13'' with Full Return Policy?

    Discussion in 'Apple and Mac OS X' started by calidist, Oct 28, 2011.

  1. calidist

    calidist Notebook Enthusiast

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    I am finally ready to buy a 2011 MBA 13'' i5/128gb. I am trying to find the best deal possible on it. I am located in California, so MacMall is not an option since I would have to pay tax. Does anybody have any advice how to get this as cheap as possible from an online retainer outside of CA? I would ideally like to get it from somewhere that offers a full refund policy without a restocking fee just in case I do not like the machine or don't win the panel lottery. It looks like Amazon's and MacConnection's refund policy is not great for that. Is B&H the best route to go? It'd be $1,235.00 and they seem to have an unconditional 30 day money back return policy. Thanks for your help!
     
  2. SP Forsythe

    SP Forsythe Notebook Evangelist

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    I live in California also. But I consider very carefully my purchase beforehand, so "return-ability" is less of a consideration. I know that if anything is faulty, Apple will take care of me, and they have.

    I also understand that a liberal return policy costs the vendor, which they logically have to pass onto their customers with a price premium. The old adage, "price, service, quality, you can pick only two" is an undeniable fact of a business that is going to be around for the long haul.

    My last 4 Macs I have purchased from MacConnection, because for me they were the least expensive route to take. So far, it has worked well for me. I have had prior experience with B&H that was not positive, but they have a pretty good pricing, if you can get it for that. Prepare yourself for what may be a frustrating experience, because for me they really push up-selling, to the point of delaying orders while they pursue their profit on add-on items. Yeah, I pay a little more from MacConnection, but I am never disappointed with their ship dates. Going back to the adage I mentioned, I'm paying a slight premium for hassle-free service.

    If you do opt for B&H, let us know how the order went. Many will have interest in the experience. I do admit, it's been a while since I have bought anything from them, maybe 4 years.