Comments on: One tale of woe: Apple, HP laptop 'refurbs'

Refurbished laptops are cheap and virtually new. But it all depends how you define "new."

[dlowe402]

I am typing this on a refurb'd MBP and have never had a single issue. I saved about 42% and the Apple Care was the same as a new one. This is the 2nd refurbished Apple laptop I have had. The first was a 12" Powerbook that performed flawlessly as well. I am one of the seemingly very few people that was able to score a refurb'd 1st Gen iPhone only 4 months after they were introduced. It was 50 bucks off plus we had the $100 rebate from buying my wife's when they first came out. I am still using the same iPhone about a year and a half later and have never had a single issue with it. We also had an iMac (back when the Ruby came out) that we purchased new and it had screen problems that were never really fixed as Apple had a known "bad batch" with that model, so I agree that buying refurbished, at least from Apple, is just as good as buying new. They stand behind their products and have a pretty good warranty. I would not hesitate to buy refurb'd from Apple in the future.

[El_Gringo_Guapo]

Brooke: I think the looming threat of poor customer service is far more damaging than refurbs. I've bought more than a few new (non-refurb) computers (PC and Mac) that have been defective out of the box and had to be returned. I just recently returned a PC notebook to Costco (HP) because it decided it didn't want to turn on every time.

[InklingBooks]

I agree with other posters. I have three Apple refurbs: an iMac, a MacBook and an iPod mini. All three have given flawless service and together they saved me perhaps $500 over buying new. The MacBook apparently runs cooler than most (I can use it in my lap) and the iPod mini, some four years old, is still using the original battery.

Apple refurbs are often priced better than used ones on Craigslist. They come with the standard 1-year guarantee, and, if you buy shortly after an OS upgrade, they ship with the new OS.

[Gabey8]

So far, I have had the refurb Toshiba Tecra that I'm currently working on since 2007. I've had no problems with it.

Ditto for the refurb Eee PC 701 I picked up last year, and the refurb Fujitsu U810 I got in March and have used extensively since.

My husband just picked up a refurbished HP a couple months ago. He's very pleased with it.

My recommendation is for a person to know what the warranty is for the refurb they're considering purchasing, and if they find the terms are acceptable, they should go for it. It's well worth the savings to get a device that's good-as-new.

[umbrae]

Refurb is Russian roulette: plain and simple. Personally, I have never considered the saving between new and refurb to be worth the risk. Since I have a degree in Electronics and built my own PCs, I have a little insight into what is done to "refurbish" PCs and Laptops and it is just not worth the risk. They could have top notch practices, but these still involve China and "cost-effective" policies.

If it is money you were going to gamble away anyway then maybe; otherwise it is not worth the risk.

[concern37]

I Received a HP laptop as a gift from non computer user/ the gift was purchase from conns a retail store in texas/the laptop was sold as a new hp laptop full price/but in fact the said hp laptop was a refurbish machine/the sale and the problems there were never resolved/the sale of refurbish machines must state used..the person who bought machine feels as a victim to retail scam...

[JP-Peterson]

I bought a refurb 15" 2.4Ghz MacBook Pro in October '08. Double whammy savings, I waited for the unibody release, then bought the early '08 model. I had gone to the Apple Store and "shopped", playing with one for quite a while to make sure it was what I wanted.

The computer has functioned as a perfectly new machine should. I'm completely happy with it. The only difference I could see was the box. They come in pretty packages at the Apple Store. Mine arrived in a plain brown box that said "Apple Reconditioned Product" on it.

I've since bought a refurb AirPort Extreme from Apple, mainly because I was so happy with the Mac. I'll definitely by my next computer the same way.

The warranties are the same as on new products.

I helped my sister buy a reconditioned XPS 1530 from Dell. Her optical drive died. They sent someone to her house to fix it.

[fondy]

I can't comment on laptops specifically, but every refurbished electronic gadget I've owned has been nothing but trouble.