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Question: Can i trust a refurbished laptop?

(Posted by: Daniel on 2009-10-29 05:47:56)

I need a new laptop and I've found some amazing deals on some laptops. yet they all seem to be refurbs, can I trust a refurb or will it just break as soon as the warranty runs out??

Posted by: Pantokrator on 2009-10-29, 05:51:10

It really depends on how much the dealer is asking. Nowadays you can buy brand new laptops for less than you thought

Posted by: Gabriel on 2009-10-29, 05:52:59

Refurbs are not problem laptops, they are just ones that have been used as demo machines or ones that have been returned without being used, they just cant be sold as new, so if you find one at a good price go for it as it still has the same warranty and chances of going wrong as a completely new one anyway.

Posted by: (*.*) sehana on 2009-10-29, 05:54:22

U can still get an extended warranty with a refurb. We had our first one which was a refurb for 4 years then bought a new one.

Posted by: Rydia on 2009-10-29, 05:57:24

I used to work for one of the largest laptop repair and refurbishing companies in the world. We repaired and refurbished Gateway, Dell, Acer, HP, Apple, Cisco, equipment with our primary focus on laptops. We also built new systems for Gateway and HP. Now, please keep this in mind. When you are buying a new system there is no guarantee that it won't break the day after you warranty expires. Heck there is a chance it will break the first time you turn it on. I was a shift manager, I know the types of people who build these. It's a combination of machine line assembly and human hands. New systems come to the depot in pieces and humans slam the parts together, refurbished systems come in and the defective parts are replaced. Either way the majority of the people we hired are non-skilled entry level minimum wage workers, and they are overworked, underpaid and treated like crap. As such, they don't really care when they refreshed or build units, none the less there are people who care about their work, and they do have polices into place to try to prevent defective units from leaving the building. But defective units still slip through the cracks. Would I suggesting buying a new or used laptop without at least a 90 day warranty? No way. But if you are getting a respectable brand name system and the refurbished unit has a warranty, I'd say your chances are the same as getting a new laptop.

Posted by: z☺☺mjet►►► on 2009-10-29, 05:57:50

Depends WHERE you buy and what kind of refurbishment it is. If it is a "manufacturer refurbished " laptop with a warranty then YES you can pretty much trust it. I am using a refurbished Toshiba laptop to write this and it was as good as new when I received it. If it has just been refurbished by the shop you are buying it from then you are reliant on their good name and reputation only. I got stung by an outfit called computerbargains - NEVER AGAIN. Here are the online retailers I trust - I've bought refurbished pcs from all of them buyit247.com/ morgancomputers.co.uk/ default.asp sterlingxs.co.uk/ index.html bigpockets.co.uk/ cat.php?search= Refurb+ Laptops &nav= 227 Just be careful where you buy - google the name of the retailer and look for any feedback.

Posted by: pmc123 on 2009-10-29, 06:00:22

Who did the refurb - the original vendor or a third party? Does it still carry the brand - or has it been "debranded " by the manufacturer, If the machine is a fairly new model - and has been remanufactured by the original vendor, then it is probably a repaired warranty return (and a good value). If it is an older model or has been unbranded, it is a pig-in-a-poke. Refurbs often come without doc or original software disks. A low purchase price may be a bad deal if you can't recover or rebuild the machine.

Posted by: mommyoftwo53 on 2009-10-29, 06:06:37

I would only buy a refurbished laptop from the actual company who makes it. This way you know they have certified it and it may not last as long as a brand new laptop will last but it will still last a long time. I bought a refurbished Macbook Air last year and I have yet to have any problems with it.

Posted by: philipscown on 2009-10-29, 11:21:21

Depends on the brand. Apple do refurbs at a discount (see the site, bottom right corner) that are fully warranted and tested. I wouldn't consider refurbs from another brand. The Apple stock tends to change mid week.