 The Scoop About Refurbished Hardware

What is refurbished hardware?

"Refurbished" literally means redecorated or renovated. This description might seem harmless at first, but beware! When it comes to hardware, refurbished means repaired, re-dealt, and re-stupefied.

A refurbished hardware component is one that was previously defective or damaged and is returned to the company which then fixes it (or at least tries to fix it). They then resell that refurbished component to another retailer.

As always, I will give the advantages and disadvantages of a Refurbished component.

The Advantage of a Refurbished Component

- It is usually much cheaper than a new item

The Disadvantages of a Refurbished Component

- You don't know why the item was returned in the first place.
- The warranty is usually less than a regular warranty on a new item.
- You don't know whether the item has been completely retested.
- You don't know whether the item was fully fixed or if could be fixed in the first place.
- There are usually no return policies (just like OEM products), so if it breaks (again), you might as well throw it in the hamper! (No, don't actually throw it in the hamper).

So, the final story is (which is same situation with car salesman trying to sell you a used car): don't buy a refurbished item unless you know everything about it beforehand and the dealer is trustworthy.