My wife thinks I’m cheap for her birthday gift – people are really torn, but who wouldn’t take the chance to save £315?
A MAN has been labelled “cheap” after buying his wife a used laptop for her birthday.
He explained that his 35-year-old wife had a MacBook which broke a week before her big day.
So, for her birthday, he decided to buy her a replacement, as well as “some jewellery she likes”.
“When I was ordering the Mac, I was on BestBuy, looking for new ones, but then I saw refurbs for like 400 ish cheaper,” he wrote in a post on Reddit’s Am I the A**hole forum.
“So of course I ordered one.
“When I gave her her gift, she asked if it was used/refurb because the serial number started with F.
“When I told her yes, she just said ‘Really?’ and left it at that.”
He went on to admit he “feels bad” about the present, as his wife didn’t seem “to be too satisfied” with the gift.
However, he also added that “money wasn’t really the issue” when it came to choosing a laptop – he just wanted to “save money”.
“Now I kind of feel bad, and my wife doesn’t seem to be too satisfied with the gift, so I’m asking if I’m the a**hole,” he continued.
“My friends made jokes about me being ‘cheap’.”
The post divided debate in the comments section, with one writing: “My Mac was factory refurbished and I couldn’t tell the difference from new.
“This isn’t the same as getting clothes from Goodwill.”
“An Apple certified refurbished Mac is functionally identical to a new one, including the full warranty,” another added.
“As long as it wasn’t an older model than would be useful for her, I can’t imagine being upset about it.”
“I always buy refurbished or open box stuff if it’s available and have never had an issue with any of it,” someone else said.
“But I usually stick to BestBuy or direct from the manufacturer.”
“Honestly, I had a refurbished Dell Inspiron computer that lasted me for almost 15 years,” another wrote.
“So not all refurbished products are bad!”
But others disagreed.
“I’m super frugal but am wary of refurbished products,” one person insisted.
“I’d rather wait for a sale on a new Macbook than buy a refurbished one.”
“Look, if she seems upset, it’s better you start a conversation,” another urged.
“Ask her to talk freely, explain your thought process, and if she doesn’t get it, offer to replace the laptop.
“This kind of situations tends to fester, both of you need to get better at communicating with each other if the want marriage to succeed.”