Refurbished is a term used for computers that were intended for or used for something and then were cleaned up, reset to factory specifications and resold to a different user. Depending on the company supplying these units, you can get very good deals or you can get a real lemon.
My favorite refurb company is Dell. They only consider new or very briefly used computers for their program. Their new computers in this program may have very slight cosmetic blemishes (scratch and dent) or they may have been ordered, configured and prepared for shipping or actually shipped to a customer only to have the order cancelled or not paid for and returned. Rather than take it all apart or try to wait for someone to order that exact configuration, they place it in the refurb department for sale at a good discount. The other computers in this program are ones which were sent to a customer and had some type of problem, either with the machine or with the customer's satisfaction with the machine. They are returned to Dell and replaced. The returned unit is checked extensively for any problems (which are corrected) and the software and operating system are reset to factory specifications. All of these units carry a full new one year computer warranty just like any other new computer. The nice part is that you can save up to $100 or more on the price of the same computer ordered through the regular system. I have purchased dozens of these for my customers and have only had two fail in any way (one was just a fan that was noisy). Dell promptly replaced both units - in one case sending me one even better than the one I originally ordered.
Other companies that have a refurb program occasionally offer computers similar to Dell's program, but usually they are actually used and/or off-lease computers that have been in use for several months or even a year or two. (Dell also has an off-lease program, but it is separate from the refurb program.) They are also reset to factory specifications and reset to the original operating system and software. Any obvious problems are taken care of and they typically offer a three month warranty with additional warranty time available for added cost. You can find good deals of this type from Hewlett Packard, Gateway and a few others, usually through outlets like Staples, Best Buy, Tiger Direct and other mass market sellers. I don't like these programs as well as the Dell system, but if you are careful, there are good deals to be had.
Another type of refurbished computer is the type you get from a repair shop. Technicians like me often end up with trade-in or discarded computers and computer parts. We can repair and improve some of those computers and set them up with Operating Systems and software. Then we test them for reliability and usability and sell them or give them away to needy people or organizations. The cost is much less than a comparable new computer and can even be free for older, less powerful systems. If you need help with this, give me a call and I can steer you in the right direction.
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