Would you buy refurbished? [Archive] - RonFez.net Messageboard

View Full Version : Would you buy refurbished?

tbonesteak

10-31-2006, 05:49 AM

Here's the situation.  My Sony Network Walkman (20-gig mp3 player) died on me a couple of nights ago.  It was probably 2-3 years old and was the single best piece of electronics I owned.  It blew the Ipod away in terms of features and battery life.  Problem is, they discontinued the product last year, and it's no longer available for retail.I found a few sellers on Amazon.com that were selling a newer model, but the products are desribed as "refurbished" as opposed to "old" "used" or "new".  I've never bought a refurbished piece of electronics before and I'm not sure if I can trust it.  Does it mean previously broken and rebuilt?  Would I be better off trying to repair the unit I have?  Or finding something similar listed as "new" or "used"?Any advice would be much appreciated.

reeshy

10-31-2006, 05:53 AM

Check out tigerdirect.com....there pretty reliable and have a good return policy!!!! 

This message was edited by reeshy on 10-31-06 @ 9:54 AM

cupcakelove

10-31-2006, 05:55 AM

Yeah, refurbished means something on it was fixed, and now they're selling it.  You know when something you own is still under warranty, it breaks, and you send it in for a replacement?  They usually fix what you sent in, and try to sell it.  You can get some good deals sometimes, just find out what exactly was fixed on it.

Keotok

10-31-2006, 06:03 AM

I bought my Ipod refurbished through apple. Got a good deal on it, and wouldn't be able to have one otherwise. Anyway, I just made sure that I had the same warranty as if it were new. So far, so good.   

This message was edited by Keotok on 10-31-06 @ 10:04 AM

Tall_James

10-31-2006, 06:25 AM

Back in the day I bought a refurbished Sony CLie from sony.com. It worked out alright.

MadMatt

10-31-2006, 06:27 AM

Do you know what caused your current player to "die?"  Depending upon what happened to it, it may be easier and cheaper to fix.Also, when you buy refurbished models it is a good idea to get as much info as you can, such as: <ul><li><div>Was it repaired by the company that produced the player or "Jim in the back" who tinkers with electronics?</div></li><li><div>What was broken on the unit that needed to be fixed? (someone else mentioned this) - sometimes it's just an on/off switch or a bad scratch on the casing, other times the HD might have failed or their was a problem with the battery connection.  Also, the simple fact that the seller knows what was wrong with it originally can be a good sign; if there is no information you will have to rely on some of the other aspects more heavily.</div></li><li><div>Is there a warranty? (someone else mentioned this earlier too) - you can feel more confident if you have the same warranty as a new model.</div></li><li><div>What is the buzz on the seller? - if you ar on eBay (or something like that), check out their stats and reviews; do a search on "The Google" to see if anything positive or negative pops up. These are just a few "hot points," but the key is detective work.  Just like any major purchase, you need to do your homework if you are concerned about what you are buying.</div></li></ul>Also, computer/tech stores might still have some in stock - somebody mentioned tigerdirect.com, but you can also check out microcenter.com or any number of other retailers on the web.  I find it easier to find "out of date" stuff on sights for companies that have both physical stores and internet purchasing; they are more likely to pull the overstock items from regular inventory and offer them (often as clearance items) in their online store.Sorry that was so long, but hopefully it helps.  Good luck!

Death Metal Moe

10-31-2006, 06:28 AM

You know, I like getting used games and shit, but as far as my electronics, I try to only go new.  And it's because of my experiences with electronics.  I NEED that fucking warranty.I'm on my 3rd or 4th iPod, I lost count.  I've been having problems with my DS Lite and am returning it for the 2nd time.  If I had bought these things with the short refurbished warranty of like a couple months, I'd be fucked even though I got a great deal.I say save up for new.  It's worth the full warranty, and take out an extended one.  for the 20-50 bucks they usually are, yoI find it worth the investment.

furie

10-31-2006, 06:41 AM

It blew the Ipod away in terms of features and battery life.

what kind of features?

dotsncoms

10-31-2006, 06:45 AM

I bought a refurbished dell desktop for 249.00 free shipping. It's 2 years old and is great! i'm going to buy another one soon.

PapaBear

10-31-2006, 12:30 PM

My refurbished Toshiba VCR/DVD combo has been going strong for almost two years. Just make sure it has a warranty.

ChimneyFish

10-31-2006, 12:37 PM

I can only go with my experiance. I bught a refurbished X-Box. Piece of shit didn't even last a year before it started to freeze up on me.

pete_in_NJ

10-31-2006, 12:45 PM

My first iPod <img width="623" height="830" border="0" src="http://www.smec-inc.com/images/Equipment/Chip%20Taping%20Machine.jpg" />

Gaia

10-31-2006, 12:58 PM

dotsncoms wrote: I bought a refurbished dell desktop for 249.00 free shipping. It's 2 years old and is great! i'm going to buy another one soon. Did you get it directly from dell?

dotsncoms

10-31-2006, 01:30 PM

Yes dell has an outlet store for scratch and dent, previously ordered,and refurbished. Dell.com

Tenbatsuzen

10-31-2006, 02:27 PM

Thanks, Dotsncoms.  I've been in the market for a laptop to use when I (rarely) travel. As for refurbished - as long as you get a decent warranty, you can't go wrong.

lleeder

10-31-2006, 03:21 PM

I wouldn't buy this product again. If its discontinued then your not really buying a proven commodity. Yours was good it lasted for two or three years. All the ones that are out there might have the same life span sorry but get something else.

Hottub

10-31-2006, 03:49 PM

I have 2 refurbished Philips Flat screen  HD TV's. Going strong for almost 2 years now. I got them factory direct with warranties. Also a JVC 5:1 receiver. about 4 years old. Also factory direct. I saved a bunch of money. I have been quite happy with my experiences. If you are dealing with the manufacturer, they still back their products. Beware of the on-line I fixed it myself places.

tbonesteak

11-01-2006, 07:10 AM

Thanks for the help.  I looked on tigerdirect.com and microcenter.com but couldn't find what I was looking for.  I saw a few on ebay and a few on amazon.com and I've narrowed the selection down to 2 choices: Choice 1: factory refurbished, for $199, from 2 different buyers with ratings of 99% (over 10,000 feedback responses)Choice 2: brand new, for $229, from a buyer with 0 responses (it looks like they've only beena member since October 2006).I'm leaning toward choice 1 because I've never bought something this big from ebay and I'm skeptical about a buyer with no history.  Am I making the right decision.Also, to answer the question about what makes this better than the ipod, it's best feature is that it has a 40 hour battery life and uses Sony's patented ATRAC compression format which is a million times better than MP3 format.  The sound is truly phenomenal, CD quality almost.  It's also smaller and lighter than the ipod, it holds almost 3 times the number of songs because of the format it uses, and it has a graphic equilizer and bass boost.

PapaBear

11-01-2006, 11:08 AM

Definitely go for choice 1.

Wrecked

11-01-2006, 11:44 AM

refurbished can be the best way for some stuff...and the other guy is right--tigerdirect has a great rep.just make sure you save enough to make the risk worth it. i bought a refurb pc and saved almost 700 dollars. so far no problems(over a year now).

PaulF

11-01-2006, 05:25 PM

With electronics, the first 24 hours is usually the make or break period - cold solder joints give out under intial use, components not seated properly, etc. So a lot of the refurb stuff are items that were barely used, if at all. This may not be as true for an item that has been discontinued for a while. As long as it has manufacturer's warranty, you're ok.

TheRealEddie

11-01-2006, 06:02 PM

Hmm, may sound gross but I bought a refurbished electric razor after the animals at the TSA stole mine from my luggage. Came basically like new in package and was $100 cheaper than new. Works great!