Safe to buy refurbished hardware?

[clicknext]

I want to get a certain digital camera, but the only big store in Canada I can find it in only has it refurb. How safe is it? It's futureshop, so no chance it's a scam, but still, refurb seems like it has a better chance of breaking down... what exactly is refurb anyway?

 

[weqo]

refurbished = someone else has used it before but the company checked/performed tests on it and has verified that it works fine...u should b okay if ur buying a digital camera

 

[clicknext]

So does that mean used(pre-owned) ones can be counted as refurbished too? Or only ones that were returned?

 

[Sid59]

i bought a refurb 4x USB sony drive and still works. Bought it in 1999.

 

[ed21x]

what's their return policy on it?

 

[Zim Hosein]

Originally posted by: ed21x
what's their return policy on it?

ed21x hit the nail on the head, if they have a good return policy, then refurbished merchandise is a good deal IMO, hope this helps clicknext

 

[jackschmittusa]

Over the years I've found that there is a big difference between "factory refurb" and "Fred's refurb". Many companies refurbish electronic components and a lot of them do a poor job. The factory job may be better for some of the following reasons: techs trained on one brand and work with the same stuff every day, well defined test proceedures, availability of factory parts, specialized test equipment, a reputation to protect. Theoretically, a factory refurb has undergone much more through testing than units that come off the assembly line. Factory refurbs also often carry the same warranty as new products.
Used product returns are seldom tested by anybody.

 

[Viperoni]

Originally posted by: jackschmittusa
Over the years I've found that there is a big difference between "factory refurb" and "Fred's refurb". Many companies refurbish electronic components and a lot of them do a poor job. The factory job may be better for some of the following reasons: techs trained on one brand and work with the same stuff every day, well defined test proceedures, availability of factory parts, specialized test equipment, a reputation to protect. Theoretically, a factory refurb has undergone much more through testing than units that come off the assembly line. Factory refurbs also often carry the same warranty as new products.
Used product returns are seldom tested by anybody.

truth++

Stuff I'd buy refurb: stuff that's very little mechanical, like MB's, video cards, etc. More mechanical devices like HD's, burner's, camera's, etc, I'd kinda shy away from. Used is a different story though

 

[RickH]

Don't buy it!! Factory refurbished items from the manufacture are probably OK. "Fred's Refurbished" means they stick it in a static bag and resell it to you. They don't test or fix anything. All it takes is a little scoot across the carpet and a little static zap. The MB or video card may work fine--most of the time, or you may spend hours trying to trouble shoot a problem that is really a defective product. R

 

[BurnItDwn]

I've bought Loads of refurb stuff with only one problem so far (RMA was no problem though)

 

[DaveSimmons]

Before buying refurb also look at the warranty -- something brand new with 1 year warranty for $100 might be a better deal than a refurb with a 30-day warranty for $80.

 

[Amun]

I'm with DaveSimmons.

Usually, equipment has a warranty for a slightly shorter period than they expect the equipment to last. For example, typical life expectancy on a hard drive is a little over three years. Consequently, you see a lot of hard drives / computers with three year warranties.



Hope it helps.