The aim of this article is to dispel any myths surrounding reconditioned and refurbished laptops.
Firstly, it should be made clear that reconditioned laptops are never used. If they ARE then they should be labelled clearly as such by the seller.
Secondly, let’s admit that there are a few different definitions of refurbished, but they all basically mean the same thing: “made to be as good as if it were new”.
When stock comes in to be refurbished, each netbook is opened and examined to see if anything needs to happen to make it ‘as good as new’. This might be replacing a screen or anything else.
All replacement parts are of the highest quality to ensure your satisfaction.
Refurbished stock sometimes comes direct from the manufacturer to the consumer as refurbished, or sometimes to an outfit specialising in refurbishment if the manufacturer does not refurb in-house. The refurbishment company then offer the item to the the public.
There are pros and cons to buying refurbished computers:
PRO
• Immediate savings
• Speed – items normally dispatched from stock instead of built-to-order
• Support – refurbishment companies are often easier to contact and speak to a real person or even visit than the larger manufacturers.
• Often refurbished items are upgraded to a higher spec than the original item, such as more memory/ram or a larger hard drive.
• Items come with warranty offered by refurbisher.
CONS
• People sometimes worry that refurbs are inferior.
In summary; you have nothing to fear in buying refurb equipment, except there may be occasional blemishes, marks or scratches on the item. The Seller should state this in their description.
It is worth making clear, however, that many refurbished items are absolutely cosmetically fine, as the reason it was rejected in the first place may have been a technical issue.
