Refurbished Computers

Chet

Chet

Well-known Member
Location
PA, USA
Since my Windows 8.1 laptop won't be supported in January, I've been Googling around looking for a replacement. I just came across refurbished computers on the Walmart website, and being a sucker for a good deal, found it interesting. They are used computers from businesses who upgraded their PCs and were bought and refurbished for resale at a much reduced price from the original. Hard drives were wiped and Windows 10 installed although I found one with Windows 11. I'm a sucker for a good deal but sometimes I've just been a sucker.
https://www.walmart.com/browse/shop...hed-desktops/3944_3951_132982_1231068_1230174
 

Last edited:
Our recent computer purchases have been refurbished ones. I but them fom a local company that comes in and also transfers all my files to the new one.
 
Chet said:
Since my Windows 8.1 laptop won't be supported in January, I've been Googling around looking for a replacement. I just came across refurbished computers on the Walmart website, and being a sucker for a good deal, found it interesting. They are used computers from businesses who upgraded their PCs and were bought and refurbished for resale at a much reduced price from the original. Hard drives were wiped and Windows 10 installed although I found one with Windows 11. I'm a sucker fro a good deal but sometimes I've just been a sucker.
https://www.walmart.com/browse/shop...hed-desktops/3944_3951_132982_1231068_1230174
Click to expand...
I bought two from Walmart, at different times.
The first one was super, no problems at all, the only reason I figured I should replace it was it was running on 'Very Low Battery' and I didn't know what to do about it.
The second was a dud from the beginning- speakers quit the second day I used it, and the entire computer konked out entirely in four months. Unfortunately, I hadn't taken it out of the box til I was ready to use it, and the warranty expired.
Never again will I buy a computer without input from my tech-savvy kid.
 
Refurbished is generally considered to be "like new," although there are no exact standards. Mostly this has been my experience with refurbished gear, except my last purchase from ebay. I bought a back pack leaf blower to be used for trail maintenance (long story), but right out of the box, it would not start, not a cough or a sputter. I sent it back and everything including shipping both ways was refunded.

That being said, at this time I wouldn't balk at buying refurbished, unless it's from some fly by night outfit, but then how do you know?
 
The problem with refurbished products is they are sometimes returns from purchasers that encountered actual hardware faults that instead of going through a tedious warranty process merely returned a product to the purchased store. The returnee may or may not have explained to a store why they had done so. Many people of course regularly buy products especial tech products just to check them out and then return them. A policy stores have come to accept I don't approve of. That is why one sees so many product boxes that have apparently been opened. In fact it is so bad that some manufacturers today won't seal such boxes so a buyer won't know. Further, many stores also don't want to be going through their own warranty processes with suppliers as at a minimum that requires shipping and paperwork processing expenses so will instead put such items back on store shelves, often with a "sale" discounted price, hoping some unfortunate consumer will buy whatever and not get them involved when it doesn't work.

Last year I bought a portable vacuum on sale for $120 from Walmart I was suspicious of. And indeed it has a battery issue that I should have returned quickly but instead tried to deal with it. With any low voltage battery powered devices, it is critical that contacts for internal connectors have low resistance. Robust consistent contact resistance on connectors depends on the choice of metal plating with cheaper products using metals that are likely to develop oxides or contaminants versus say silver or gold. As an electronic debugger, I came to understand the battery was fine while there was something inside the unit that cannot be opened that is erratic much like that $2.99 flashlight you once bought with light output varying as one shakes it.

So with returned refurbished computers, if one buys one and it has problems, understand what return policies are and quickly return such if necessary.
 
I have bought refurbished computers several times over
the years, I use desktops.

I would have to think twice about buying a refurbished
Tablet, Laptop or Smartphone, on these machines the
camera may have been used excessively, especially on
a phone, they are more used as a camera.

Mike.
 
Nearly all computer devices have used parts in them, and some are almost all used parts. There's a code sticker on them that tells you if it contains used parts, and about how many it has in it. I think it's A, B, C, etc. And they all come with a warranty.

Reusing parts and refurbishing used, returned, and discarded electronic devices is earth-friendly, and the devices work just fine. I've never had a problem with any of mine.
 
Chet said:
Since my Windows 8.1 laptop won't be supported in January, I've been Googling around looking for a replacement. I just came across refurbished computers on the Walmart website, and being a sucker for a good deal, found it interesting. They are used computers from businesses who upgraded their PCs and were bought and refurbished for resale at a much reduced price from the original. Hard drives were wiped and Windows 10 installed although I found one with Windows 11. I'm a sucker for a good deal but sometimes I've just been a sucker.
https://www.walmart.com/browse/shop...hed-desktops/3944_3951_132982_1231068_1230174
Click to expand...
If the laptop's hardware is still in good shape you can upgrade Windows 8.1 to Windows 10: zdnet.com/free-windows-10-upgrade

Personally I would recommend Linux, if your inclined to roll up your sleeves and try something new.

However, if you want to buy another used computer I would be cautious about what's on the hard-drive. You can always download a copy of Windows 10 and burn it to a USB drive for installation.
 
D
Chet said:
Since my Windows 8.1 laptop won't be supported in January, I've been Googling around looking for a replacement. I just came across refurbished computers on the Walmart website, and being a sucker for a good deal, found it interesting. They are used computers from businesses who upgraded their PCs and were bought and refurbished for resale at a much reduced price from the original. Hard drives were wiped and Windows 10 installed although I found one with Windows 11. I'm a sucker for a good deal but sometimes I've just been a sucker.
https://www.walmart.com/browse/shop...hed-desktops/3944_3951_132982_1231068_1230174
Click to expand...
Do you have Best Buy in your area? They have refurbished and Geek Squad. I would trust them over Walmart!
 
shedevil7953 said:
D

Do you have Best Buy in your area? They have refurbished and Geek Squad. I would trust them over Walmart!
Click to expand...
Not me. Daughter worked first at Best Buy, and then for the Geek squad and her stories were enough for me. Plus, they have a lot of markup because usually they are over staffed. (with not very knowledgeable people). And... how about 30 dollars for a 6 foot usb cord? Got it online, came direct from China and surprise, surprise, same exact model and package.
Typing this on a re-furbished Dell desktop. Have 3 of them. One wife uses, one I use, and one hooked to a big screen tv so I can enjoy movies. :)
 

Back
Top