Purchasing refurbished items

[NancyAnne]

I just purchased a refurbished cell phone for my daughter and it looks brand new. She is obviously happy with the phone. Has anyone else purchased refurbished products? If so, please share your story.

[freein05]

I have purchased refurbished computers from Dell without any problems and they do look brand now. I buy business models that come with a three year warranty. A couple of weeks ago I spilled some coffee on the keyboard and two keys quit working. I called Dell tech support and they said I have depot warranty service and it could take two weeks to get my computer back. Than he said a key board is easy to put in and it will come with instructions. So I said it was ok to send me a new keyboard. I got the keyboard the next day and put it in in about 15 min.

I told him it was my fault for the keyboard not working and he said that made no difference. Now that is great service.

I have also purchased refurbished cell phones without any problems.

[Rosemary]

We've purchased many refurbed items, among them a Dell laptop, a digital camera, a few other gadgets. Never had problems with any of them. All of them looked brand new on receipt.

[fidgiegirl]

I got a digital camera four years ago. Still happy with it!

[H-work]

I purposely look for refurbished products. I figure they have been checked out, vs. the new ones in the box. (I've found too many things "dead in the box" buying brand new.)

I've bought a printer, iPods, digital cameras and currently typing on a MacBook. I had a problem with one iPod, one of the buttons didn't work. I went thru apple's website and they sent me a box to return it. A few days later I got a brand new iPod in the mail, pretty good for the price of a refurb and a bit of hassle returning the broken one. I had a lot of confidence buying the MacBook. It is shiny and brand new condition, came with all the items (power cords, cd's ect) that the retail version does, and also has a 1 year warranty. I saved $150 of the retail price.

[DuraMater]

I too have done quite well with refurbished items! Had a portable Toshiba DVD player that was fantastic, grabbed a refurbed ipod as a gift and all reports are that it is fab years later, and my main refurbished 32" flat screen from about 3 years ago (newegg.com) is plugging along quite well. If refurbished items are available, I usually give a close look to consider the warranty-length/cost-savings/likelihood-to-have-problems trade-offs. Hope it works out for you!

[Kat]

I love refurbished items! Our desktop (Dell) was refurbished. It has been a great computer. This past Christmas, I bought my Dad a refurbished KitchenAid stand mixer. It was $178 instead of $369, and it looked brand new when we got it. It works great, and he loves it!

[Jemima]

Once upon a time in the early 1990's, I owned an Iomega-Bernoulli tape backup for my computer. It went bad during the warranty period and the techie I spoke with said it would be replaced with a refurb. He explained that refurbs are actually better than new because each and every one is tested, whereas new items are subject only to random checks.

I've been buying refurbs ever since then whenever they are available. I'm typing on a refurbished Dell Latitude laptop which I've had for five years and with which I'm quite satisfied.

[terrica]

When my computer died last year, I went with a refurbished desktop instead of a brand new one. I was happy to get a computer that was cheaper than the base model but with bigger hard drive and more ram. So far, so good.

[Bootsie]

My cellphone is refurbished and I love it. It is a model I wouldn't have been able to afford otherwise. Next time I need a camera, I will definitely get a refurbished one.

[Mrs-M]

Refurbished goods IMO are a great thing. :+1: Way to go on choosing such an option/alternative.

[bicyclist]

I have been quite happy with a refurbished computer which I bought from a seller onEbay
for $130 or so. It has worked fine for four years. ( I have no need to replace things every year or two). I found a flat panel monitor at a community recycling event for free and have kept using an old keyboard and printer. Why upgrade?

Sincerely, Bicyclist

[Nella]

... bought my Dad a refurbished KitchenAid stand mixer. It was $178 instead of $369, and it looked brand new when we got it. It works great, and he loves it!I too bought a refurbished KitchenAid mixer - only I kept it! It's worked great for many years now. Saved a considerable amount of money.

[Amator]

When I assembled my frugal home theater setup a couple of years ago I got a refurbished receiver from the official Harmon Kardon eBay outlet. Around 60% of the price of a new receiver, and it's been wonderful so far.