buying refurbished?

[pinkytoe]

Do you think it's OK to buy refurbished phones, tablets, computers etc? The price of new phones seems unreasonable for my budget so lconsidering alternatives.

[rodeosweetheart]

I've had great success with refurbished Apple products-- ipad and a computer.

[iris lilies]

Do you think it's OK to buy refurbished phones, tablets, computers etc? The price of new phones seems unreasonable for my budget so considering alternatives.

probably, as long as its not purchased from the guy at the corner. Like the guy who used to steal garden hoses from my neighbors and then sell them to me.

Its the software that become outdated quickly and is no longer supported, so you have to plan for that. If one really needs to buy a new-to-me phone sure, it doesn't have to be the most current release.

[ToomuchStuff]

I have bought computers that way, normally in part, because I am not going to use the OS that comes with them and it was cheaper then building my own.
Only bought one cell phone and it was around $20 new (six years ago). But family has bought last years models, sometimes due to features/size, other times do to price/value.

[SteveinMN]

Yes ... and no.

I've bought lots of refurbished products at all price points -- computers, tablets, DSLRs, large and small appliances, mobile phones, .... The key is for it to be manufacturer-refurbished if possible. Next best is a refurbish by a company that does a lot of business in that particular product. Look for a warranty identical to that of the sealed-box first-run product. I have never been "burned" by buying a manufacturer-refurbished product.

The 'no' part lies in being judicious about exactly what product you're buying and what it costs. Example: we just bought a TV (to replace a used one we bought that didn't live very long with us). I shopped refurbished a lot and came to the conclusion that 1) non-name-brand TVs essentially are disposable and, therefore, a risk even when new; and 2) the price of refurbished TVs isn't far enough behind that of brand-new ones to justify their status. We ended up with an open-box Samsung TV from Best Buy that was about 1/3 off the regular price and came with the Samsung factory warranty.

Similarly, my iPhone 6 is an AT&T refurb. I looked at the previous two models in refurbs, but, without knowing what parts may have been replaced, realized I could be buying a phone that 1) had a shorter lifespan than a new one because of OS and application updates; 2) soon may have needed a battery replacement I could not do myself ($$). Again, the price difference (plus benefits of the newer model) made it easy to justify buying the 6 as a refurb. But I likely would not have purchased a 5 or 5s as a refurb unless I knew the battery was new, the moisture indicator was clean, and the price was below that of the original.

[Teacher Terry]

I lost my phone a year ago when on vacation. So I went to the At&T store and they knew we were from out of town. They sold me an expensive phone with really old technology. 1 year later the phone couldn't handle updates, etc and quit working over & over and they would reset it but basically I needed an old phone. I raised a fuss in the local store, on the phone with customer service and the store by phone that sold it to me. Basically it was tough luck and it was not refurbished so I probably would be worried about the technology being old.

[razz]

I couldn't justify the cost of a new phone either but wanted an Apple to work with my iMac computer.

I bought a refurb 5S IPhone from a local store that has been in business for years. I have no regrets as I have gone there with questions and they have been resolved each time. EG - my pictures were becoming kind of iffy so when they checked, it turned out that the original safety film on the outside eye had never been removed and was breaking down a little.

[freshstart]

I have bought refurbed Apple products directly from the Apple website and have had no issues, they come with the one year warranty. I have bought refurbed electronics and appliances over the years, never a problem but I always check the warranty