Question:
"Refurbished" laptops?
Hi All,
My first posting.....here goes!
I'm looking for a new laptop and am noticing a number of good deals for 'refurbished' Dell notebooks (E1705 series and others) that are relatively loaded for the prices being asked. (Intel Core 2 Duo (2GHz) processors, 120G HD, 2GB SDRAM, DVD+/- DL etc etc).
I understand that 'refurbished' can refer to anything between a laptop having had major problems thereby having to be rebuilt, through to a customer having changed their mind and returned the laptop within the 14 day allowed return period.
The laptops for sale come with the usual 1yr warrenty and are 'factory-sealed'.
Anyone have any experience with refurbished laptops? Is the potential risk worth the savings? Are they any more prone to system-failure issues than a brand new system?
Thanks in advance,
Andy.
:confused:
Answer:
Re: "Refurbished" laptops?
I havent ever had a refurbished laptop but based on expierence I would not take the risk. I once bought a refubished ipod and it was nothing but trouble, I also know from friends that have also had refurbished stuff that half the time the problem the item may have been sent back etc. is probably still there.
I personally would not take the risk. And when they say the items have had thorough checks etc. its probably more like a once over to see if it has any major cosmetic faults.
Answer:
Re: "Refurbished" laptops?
search this forum for "dell outlet" and you'll see quite a lot of praise for this service, some people are on their 5th computer from dell's outlet
www.dell.com/outlet
It would also be great if you read from the website itself since they have 3 different "used" types of outlet notebooks
Previously Ordered New - it was purchased but not used, always the most expensive choice
Certified Refurbished - has been used previously
Scratch and Dent - has been used previously but has minor cosemetic issues (really really inexpensive)
Dell tests all of these systems just like the would for a new system. These refurbished systems all come with the same warranty as you'd get with a new system. You also get the same 21 return day policy.
On occasion people have reported that their scratch and dent system had no blemishes. Which means they paid for a non-scratched/dented system at a scratched and dented price. There are a few reported cases where the "dent" is too much to be considered a minor blemish (one guy had a small piece of his plastic chassis broken off). But you can return it with the 21 return day policy. And most scratches are so minor you can't really see them unless your viewing it at the proper angle.
There is very little risk when buying from the outlet. You can save hundreds of dollars there compared to configuring the same new system on dell's site. You can even save more money than when you use a coupon on newly purchased systems. Sadly though the outlet doesn't have many coupon offers, sometimes they offer free shipping though. Also you can get great deals on XPS systems (dell doesn't offer many coupons for their XPS line).
Not to mention it usually ships the same day you order, so you don't have to wait 2-3 weeks for dell to build your system.
The only drawback is that the whole outlet system is a first come first serve process. You make see something you like, only to find out the next second that someone bought it before you could. You can reserve items in your cart for 15 minutes, and if you don't buy it in 15 minutes it goes back for sale to everyone. You can keep bringing the same item back to your cart though. Also these systems are pre-configured, so you can't ask dell to change stuff. So it may take you days/weeks to find yout ideal system. And you have to really know what you want since you only have 15 minutes to purchase.
It's a really sweet deal and you shouldn't let the words refurbish and Dell scare you away.
Answer:
Re: "Refurbished" laptops?
I don't see the point in buying refurb when the new prices are not a drastic difference to the discounted price. If I'm going to spend several hundred dollars anyway, I'd rather spend a couple extra hundred to get a new one.
I especially wouldn't buy a refurb from Dell as their products aren't reliable to begin with much less being refurbished. Plus, Dell has the worst tech support you'll ever get.
Answer:
Re: "Refurbished" laptops?
Here's my .02:
I've bot several laptops and axims from the Dell Outlet. All were refurbs and I saved a lot of money. For instance, I just bot a Latitude D820 and paid abt $700 less than I would have to buy a comparably equipped New one ... WITH the EPP discount (I believe that the discount I was offered on the new one was 25% or 30% off of retail.) In other words, I probably saved over a thousand $ buying a Refurb.
I have never had a problem with a refurb. I'm typing this on my "old" laptop: a Dell Inspiron 6000 refurb that I bot about 3 years ago (I think).
I hope this helps!
Answer:
Re: "Refurbished" laptops?
I don't see the point in buying refurb when the new prices are not a drastic difference to the discounted price. If I'm going to spend several hundred dollars anyway, I'd rather spend a couple extra hundred to get a new one.
I especially wouldn't buy a refurb from Dell as their products aren't reliable to begin with much less being refurbished. Plus, Dell has the worst tech support you'll ever get.
you're pretty missinformed
you can save up to $1000 depending on the model and configuration when compared to buying it straight up new
even if you compare it to new notebooks with coupons you can still save $200-400
that's still a pretty big savings and you get a faster shipping time AND it comes with the same warranty as new systems
if you have beef with dell's products and support based on personal experience then i would be inclined to share your negative sentiment, but if you haven't had any dealings with dell then you should try the outlet out, it's a really good deal, and don't forget that if you're don't like what you got there's the 21 return day policy
Answer:
Re: "Refurbished" laptops?
if you find a nice coupon, it would be cheaper new anyway...
Answer:
Re: "Refurbished" laptops?
I know that a lot of people trust Apple's refurbs so much, that they will only buy their refurb units.
Answer:
Re: "Refurbished" laptops?
you're pretty missinformed
you can save up to $1000 depending on the model and configuration when compared to buying it straight up new
even if you compare it to new notebooks with coupons you can still save $200-400
that's still a pretty big savings and you get a faster shipping time AND it comes with the same warranty as new systems
if you have beef with dell's products and support based on personal experience then i would be inclined to share your negative sentiment, but if you haven't had any dealings with dell then you should try the outlet out, it's a really good deal, and don't forget that if you're don't like what you got there's the 21 return day policy
I was talking about what I've seen of Apple's refurbs and to me, around $500 isn't enough to make me want to buy it refurb over new.
Yes, I speak of Dell from personal experience. The computer company I work for uses mostly Dell for our hardware sales so I've seen a lot of computers come through here, a lot come back and a lot that I've had to take up with their support. In general, their laptops are less reliable than their desktops, but neither are exeptional in my opinion and the support unless you get complete care is going to be hours talking to an Indian dude.