Buyers often get tips on purchasing refurbished Apple products and other brands of electronics. In this regard, they are interested in what a refurbished iPhone means, is it safe to buy, for example, a refurbished TV or just located in an opened box from another source? The desire to save money is combined with the fear of becoming a victim of fraud.
And this can be understood. In the minds of some people, reconditioned goods are defective or defective products that they want to quickly sell to the next consumer. But in many cases, such electronics is a very profitable acquisition - “almost new” computers, televisions, music centers, mobile devices, etc. are much cheaper, and work no less than their new counterparts. The secret to buying restored equipment, which will not cause problems in the future, is to know the places where it should be looked for and conduct a preliminary consumer investigation. Let's see what refurbished means. Is it worth it to purchase products with such a sticker, and if so, where?
What does refurbished mean?
Although the word refurbished, which in English means “refurbished” or “refurbished,” may conjure up not-so-encouraging pictures of retailers and manufacturers resurrecting defective products, this term covers many products. Sometimes a customer submits a purchase in order to receive money without even opening the box or never using the purchase. Although nothing bad happened with the equipment, it can no longer be sold as new and should be offered as repaired, often at a great discount (from 15% or more).
Other reasons goods get a refurbished tag include:
- Damage to the delivery or external defects: minor scratches or dents in the delivery will force you to return the purchase to the manufacturer.
- Demo samples. Demonstration goods used at trade shows, retail stores, or reviewers may be re-packaged as remanufactured.
- Open box. Opened packaging can mean anything. From a technical point of view, this should not be a problem, and the product is no different from the new one, just the box was opened.
- Manufacturing defects. If a defect was discovered, the manufacturer could replace the defective parts and sell the device or send it to retail as a repaired one.
What is meant by refurbished on a product is in most cases unknown. If the buyer just changed his mind and returned it, then in fact he is new and will allow the new owner to save a significant amount. But in the case of open packaging, the employee of the return department could simply stick such markings on the equipment that was returned for the reason that it did not work or had a large defect. And then the new buyer was very unlucky.
So what to do to someone who wants to save money but is scared of repaired products? It is best to purchase goods from a reputable retailer that provides a generous warranty.
Where to buy refurbished electronics?
According to customer reviews, it is advisable to purchase such goods directly from the manufacturer (manufacturer refurbished), thus insuring himself that he carefully tested and tuned the device, or from an authorized dealer who receives the products directly from the factory, for example, from Amazon or Newegg (seller refurbished) , which means "restored by the seller").
Apple Policy
What is a refurbished iPhone? According to customer reviews, Apple has created an excellent system and policy for the sale of returned goods, which means that the refurbished devices are delivered in a new case, with a new battery and the same one-year warranty with which new products are sold. Therefore, there can be no loss.
And the savings in the purchase of reconditioned goods are significant. A refurbished 13-inch Macbook Air, for example, costs $ 899, which is 300 less than the new one. Buyers of the updated 15-inch Macbook Pro say it saved $ 540. That's what refurbished Apple means.
However, the buyer must sacrifice something. According to Apple owners of refurbished technology, the only thing they had to sacrifice was packaging. Reconditioned devices are packed in plain cardboard boxes. Compared to other manufacturers, this is not so much. For example, the purchase of refurbished personal computers usually reduces the warranty to 90 days - this is not quite enough not to miss hidden defects.
Apple's policy and system means that those who want to watch out for the best deals on their iPhone, iPad, and other devices must deal with the manufacturer.
Other manufacturers policy
Of course, the buyer is not limited only to Apple. Dell Outlet, for example, also offers excellent options - there may be completely new devices (canceled orders) and refurbished ones, but Dell confirms that the product is as good as the new one, and with scratches and dents that are cosmetic defects that do not affect on performance. Buyers confirm that the warranty and support for the restored equipment is the same as if they bought a new product, similar to Apple policy.
What does factory refurbished mean at other major manufacturers? According to customer reviews, they also offer big discounts on returned goods. Hewlett-Packard has the same warranty and support for them as it does for new technology. At Sony, this period is limited to 90 days. Epson also offers discounts, but goods are sold without a guarantee - it will no longer be possible to return what was purchased, so you need to think carefully before buying anything. Before making a seemingly profitable purchase, you should visit the manufacturer’s website to make sure they have a return shipping department.
Why caution?
Others also offer restored equipment, but in this case, great care must be taken. Buyers share their sad personal experiences with refurbished gadgets. For example, a phone from an “open box”, bought in a discount store of household appliances, could never receive a signal. The naive buyer was convinced by the seller that the device was only opened to look at and immediately returned. When turned on in the store, the phone worked, but after transportation it stopped functioning. This is what a refurbished telephone purchased with the “no quality guarantee” clause means.
In another case, a repaired laptop was purchased from a reputable seller on the Internet. After a few months, the computer began to randomly turn off during the day. It turned out that this is a hardware problem with the connectors. Unfortunately, by the time the buyer understood what the problem was, the warranty period was over. Is it a worthless thing, a bad seller or a wrong model? Each of these reasons could lead to a similar result. This is part of the risk of buying refurbished things. It can be minimized by dealing with a trusted seller - directly with the manufacturer or a trustworthy reseller, and by following some more recommendations.
What to look for when buying returned equipment?
Not all refurbished products are the same. There is a sale of equipment restored by third parties, but you should look for electronics, the repair of which was carried out by the manufacturer itself (manufacturer refurbished), which means extending the manufacturer's warranty to it. The equipment is carefully checked and brought to original standards.
Warranty
Many retailers and manufacturers of remanufactured products offer a 90-day warranty. As mentioned earlier, for peace of mind it is better to look for the full (for example, for a period of one year), if, of course, you can find one. Unfortunately, the extension of the guarantee for such goods is usually not applicable, but it is necessary to ask the seller whether it is possible to increase its duration, not in order to buy it, but for the reason that this is a sure sign of the seller’s confidence in the quality of the technology he is selling. .
Return policy
According to customer reviews, the seller’s support for a liberal return policy is very lucky, which means that the refurbished technology can be returned if the latent defects are detected early (stress testing of the device is necessary if possible) or if the buyer is dissatisfied with her work or appearance . For example, Target provides an opportunity to return the equipment within 90 days, Amazon and Sony - within a month, and Apple gives everything about everything for two weeks. Before buying, you should definitely make sure that there is at least some opportunity to return the goods.
Accessories and other accessories
You must make sure that you have all the chargers, cables, cords, manuals, software, drivers, and everything else that is included with your device. You should also check the full description and list of specifications of the purchased equipment and make sure that this is exactly the thing that the buyer is counting on - a simple substitution of the model number, for example, may mean that he is facing a completely different product.
Refurbished products: is it worth it to buy?
Although the purchase of remanufactured electronics carries a lot of risks, according to happy owners, there is no reason to refuse it only because there is a refurbished sticker. Buying such equipment opens up incredible opportunities. You just need to limit yourself to the options offered by manufacturers and reputable dealers with a long warranty covering any malfunctions, and ultimately enjoy the money saved.