Dell Refurbished Computer Info?

[kbheap]

Anyone out there ever buy a refurbished computer from Dell? I see quite a few good deals on the site but I have never bought from the outlet before and just am trying to get some info on whether any of you have any experience with it being a bad offer or not? Any info is appreciated.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

I bought a refurbed Dell laptop from their online outlet a few years ago. It's worked fine. I think buying refurbs is a hit or miss proposition. I bought a refurbed digital camera for my daughter (not from Dell) that I had to send back because it wouldn't work 1/2 the time.

 

[Brynne]

I've purchased 2 of the Mini 10 through the Dell Outlet earlier this year. Both looked new when I got them, and both work great! HTH.

 

[foltzy]

I bought my Dell refurbished desktop about 2 years ago and have had no problems with it.

 

[Madi100]

I bought a refurbished netbook on the advice of a DISer. He said that when it's refurbished someone looks over it 100% and probably sees a little more human contact than a brand new one. Made sense to me!

 

[bumbershoot]

DH's refurbed Dell laptop has worked just fine. He did need to call their support people when he very first got it, they had him tweak it (after making them send an email that he was being told to do it by Dell people and it would not void any warranty), he did so, it worked.

 

[BellePrincessBelle]

Well I'll be the voice of disent here. Don't do it. I bought a refurbished mini and it locked up on us requiring a password. Well I never put a password on it. After hours on the phone with Dell support they came to the conclusion that it was a password from the previous owner and couldn't help me. They said & I quote" well it's your fault for buying a refurbished one. If you didn't want problems you should have bought new." Eventually I figured out on my own how to bypass the password and added my own so that when it locks up I can unlock it.

 

[kbheap]

I bought a refurbished netbook on the advice of a DISer. He said that when it's refurbished someone looks over it 100% and probably sees a little more human contact than a brand new one. Made sense to me!

It does make sense. I am going to have to compare apples for apples and see which way I come out better.

Well I'll be the voice of disent here. Don't do it. I bought a refurbished mini and it locked up on us requiring a password. Well I never put a password on it. After hours on the phone with Dell support they came to the conclusion that it was a password from the previous owner and couldn't help me. They said & I quote" well it's your fault for buying a refurbished one. If you didn't want problems you should have bought new." Eventually I figured out on my own how to bypass the password and added my own so that when it locks up I can unlock it.

Wow. That is a little harsh. You would think they would give you some sort of technical support since they sold it to you in the first place.

 

[Chaoster]

I bought a refurbished Dell laptop and it worked great. Lasted over 5 years. When it was time to replace bought another refurb (different brand). A friend who works in IT said refurbs are a great buy. Most are never used. Some company's by too many or need different specs and return and order new ones.
They would purge the system and reinstall software. So it's odd that you will be locked out with the previous owners password.

 

[DalGal]

I've bought 2 refurbished systems. One was a desktop 3 years ago (still working great) and a laptop 2 years ago. Only issue was the laptop was missing the hard drive when it arrived. They overnighted the drive, I popped it in and works great!

 

[Madi100]

Well I'll be the voice of disent here. Don't do it. I bought a refurbished mini and it locked up on us requiring a password. Well I never put a password on it. After hours on the phone with Dell support they came to the conclusion that it was a password from the previous owner and couldn't help me. They said & I quote" well it's your fault for buying a refurbished one. If you didn't want problems you should have bought new." Eventually I figured out on my own how to bypass the password and added my own so that when it locks up I can unlock it.

That's crazy. They come with the same warranty as a brand new one. So far, so good. Ours looks perfect and it's performing wonderfully.

 

[sabrinadv1]

Me and my husband both have one. They work great. The only problem we had was they didn't hook up the speakers. They sent someone to our house to fix it even though that is not the type of warranty we bought. We will buy from them again when these need to be replaced.

 

[kbheap]

I love hearing all of the good about the refurbs. I am definitely going to check to see if any match what specs we are looking for. I think for a cost effective solution a refurb might be a better option for us. Thanks so much for all of your info.

 

[leagirl12]

I would buy one from Dell without hesitation. I know that sometimes it can be listed as refurbished and actually be brand new. An example would be like with the company I work for....Dell mistakenly shipped out 90 laptops to us and we of course shipped them back. They had never been opened but according to Dell they will now have to be put out as refurbished because they had left their facility.

 

[henri + katie's mum]

In the past Dell has run specials where you get an extra 15% off the refurbs. You have to keep an eye out and get one quick.

They say refurbs can be better than buying new because all refurbs have to be 100% tested. With new computers only a percentage are spot tested. But I have no personal experience. However, when I'm ready to buy, I am going to look at Dell outlet first.

 

[kristenrice]

In the past Dell has run specials where you get an extra 15% off the refurbs. You have to keep an eye out and get one quick.

They say refurbs can be better than buying new because all refurbs have to be 100% tested. With new computers only a percentage are spot tested. But I have no personal experience. However, when I'm ready to buy, I am going to look at Dell outlet first.

When I started looking for a new laptop, my dad sent me a coupon code for 20% off any refurbished Dell. That's what led me to their site. I was pleasantly surprised to see that they actually have a substantial markdown on their refurbs. So many sites knock only 5-10% off and that is just not worth it to me. I'd rather pay full price for a new one.

I had to rush my decision a bit because the coupon my dad had sent expired within 2 days of when he sent it. I found a system I liked (retail price of around $650) and it was priced at $500. I used the coupon and paid only $400 for it. I am using it now! I have had it for about a year and I love it. The only complaint I have (and it has nothing to do with it being a refurb) is that the battery has deteriorated quickly. On a full charge, it lasts about an hour, less if I am watching a video. I blame myself because I am almost always leaving it plugged in and I did not fully discharge it on a regular basis. Also, I got a pink one (didn't want DH borrowing it!) and the pink has turned into a weird black color in places. It looks like it was stored with newsprint that rubbed off on it, but it wasn't. It wasn't even stored in a black case so I have no idea why it is changing colors. But, that is just a cosmetic issue. I don't care too much about how good it looks, but rather how good it works.