The term refurbished has been used in the electronics industry for quite some time but only recently has it started to gain some traction.
In the context of electronics, it simply means the item has previously been returned to the manufacturer for whatever reason and then re-sold after a series of tests, upgrades or fixes. There can be many reasons where the item is returned with nothing wrong with it; buyer regret, not as expected, not needed, too big, too small, too heavy, didn't arrive in time e.t.c. and of course in a small number of cases the buyer may have encountered a problem with the device. However even still, specific buyer circumstances may raise an issue as a fault when in reality it wouldn't affect others.
Refurbished is not the only term used in the industry to describe this process. Other examples include :
- Renewed Laptops
- Refreshed Laptops
- Reconditioned Laptops
They all more or less mean the same thing, however it's important to lookout for keywords such as Certified, meaning the manufacturer has been involved in the refurbishment.
Certified Refurbished Laptops
If a laptop is described as certified refurbished, it means explicitly that the laptop has been tested and or repaired by the manufacturer. The added benefits of this usually involve the device in question coming with a multi-year onsite or next business day warranty. Whilst not always strictly necessary, it really does give consumers peace of mind when opting for a refurbished model, knowing that an engineer from the manufacturer will look at the problem within a very short period of time.
The other added benefit is that only manufacturer certified parts should be used in any repair, if required. This keeps your warranty period valid and the peace of mind continues.
Open Box Laptops
Another term used in the computer industry is Open Box. This is used to describe the situation where the original seal on the product's packaging at the time of manufacturer has been broken, however the contents of the box should be brand new and unused. This doesn't quite marry with the refurbished keyword described above, but it is another great way to make some big savings versus brand new with next to no difference.
What does Refurbished mean for Laptops?
Specifically for laptops, assuming the item hasn't been returned un-used, the typical improvements you may find with a refurbished laptop is more RAM, more hard drive capacity. In the rare case something was faulty with the original product, then you may find the manufacturer has replaced the screen, keyboard, trackpad, webcam or network options. If anything is replaced, rigorous testing is carried out to confirm any raised faults have been rectified.
What to buy?
Quite often we are asked what is the best refurbished laptop to buy, and the answer is quite simple once the perception of refurbished laptops being old and broken is de-mystified. Refurbished laptops are just as good as the laptop would have been brand new, but in many cases they can be better than the original spec. Quite often this is the case on some of the older models, where the manufacturer has opted to add more RAM and/or a bigger hard drive in order to improve the appeal and longevity of these units. When combined with the lower price points they make very compelling offers.
So, which is the best to buy, the answer is the laptop with the spec most suited to your needs and of course, looking out for that Certified option would be the icing on the cake.
Environmental Benefits
So much onus is put on the savings to be made when buying refurbished that it sometimes makes it easy to overlook the positive environmental benefits. When buying refurbished, you are buying something that could effectively be destined for the rubbish tip. By running a refurbished program, e-waste is prevented and device re-use is increased, extending the overall life time of a product and consequently reducing demand on the worlds natural resources. This may be seem like a stretch but the impact should not be underestimated.
So in summary, there is nothing wrong with refurbished laptops, in fact there is plenty right.
EuroPC
At EuroPC we have been selling refurbished laptops for over 20 years. We are recognised as one of the biggest refurbished laptop suppliers in the UK. We pride ourselves on our quality goods and our excellent customer service rating. To find out more about who we are read our about us page About Us and for more information about refurb and why you should buy from us, see Refurbished Specialists