Tip #4456 - Buying Refurbished Products
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Q:
Is there anything you can tell me about refurbished computers? Should
I stay away from them completely or are there just certain things
I should look out for? Please explain!
A:
Ah, very good question! When people think about
refurbished items, they often write them off right away, because they
think they're poor quality, etc. And that's just not always the case!
Refurbished products are sometimes the best you can find. If you're
looking to buy a refurbished computer or a piece of computer hardware,
I say more power to you! Of course, there are some things you should
ask before you finalize your purchase, but nothing real major. Let's
take a look, shall we?!
First
of all, just to make sure we're all on the same page, refurbished
means that the product has already been opened and/or previously used.
A referb may be something that is a little on the older side, but
it has been examined and restored to work like new. With that said,
the first thing you'll want to consider is how to tell if an item
is actually refurbished or not. Some manufacturers mark their computers
and parts as refurbished, but not all of them. The best way to tell
is to examine the product yourself. In the U.S., it's required that
manufacturers and retailers mark their items as refurbished in some
way, so you should be able to tell just by looking it over.
If
you can't tell, most manufacturers do keep a record of their referbs
by a model number and/or serial number, so you can always call them
and find out for sure. Just give them the numbers they ask for and
they should be able to look it right up for you.
The
next thing you'll want to think about is what advantages you'll get
from using a refurbished product. The biggest advantage is the price.
Most refurbed computers and parts are cheaper than regular models.
Also, referbs are usually retested to make sure they're in proper
condition. They're usually repaired and updated to make sure they
won't fail. That helps to give you a little peace of mind when buying
a new computer product!
As
with everything else, there are some disadvantages of referbs as well.
First of all, most refurbished products are not covered under the
same warranty as a brand new item. They sometimes don't even have
a warranty at all. You should always check with the manufacturer to
make sure you are getting some kind of warranty with your product.
That's just something you need to do to protect yourself in the long
run. Another disadvantage is that some referbs may have missing parts.
For example, they may not come with a user manual, documentation,
installation CDs and so on. You have to remember that refurbished
items have been used before, so all of their parts may not be intact.
The
last disadvantage I can think of is possible failure. You can never
know for sure how much a refurbished item has been tested and if some
parts weren't fixed properly, they could end up failing on you. Of
course, there's always that possibility with everything you buy, but
it's going to be a little higher with refurbished products. Just make
sure you look over all the details of any referb you purchase and
be sure it's going to work out for you. If you have any doubts, look
elsewhere. There will always be referbs available and if you're truly
in the market for one, you'll be able to find something that works
perfectly for you. I hope you have found this tip to be helpful!
~
Erin
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