Digital cameras forum: Refurbished Cameras Question

There have been several people who frequent this forum who have bought factory refurbished cameras.
I don't remember anyone regretting their purchase.

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One thing you may want to consider before buying a refurbished camera is to inquire about an extended warranty. Many refurb cameras only come with a sixty day limited warranty, but you should try to get at least a 1 year or more. The model will most likely be discontinued and will be difficult to simply exchange for another one if anything happens to go wrong and the cost to repair it may not be worth it.

Bottom line:If you get a good warranty you don't have to role the dice.

Good luck, I hope you find a camera you like!

If your going to purchase an extended warranty/service contract, on top of the price of the referb camera, why not just buy a new one and be done with it? Can't be that much more $, can it? No.

I buy refurbs and have always been satisfied. One thing I would strongly advise though, buy only from the manufacturers, not from a second party. The warranty, original or extended, is more dependable. The last camera I purchased was an Olympus, love using it, great detail and capabilities. Good luck.

I bought an Olympus C 720 refurbished 2 years ago and have not had any problems with it. It had a 90 day warranty VS 1 year for new cameras, but I have purchased other refurbished items in the past with zero defects. Some refurbished items are such because they were returned to the dealer and sent back to the vendor. Others are actually defective or recalled. In both cases, IMO, you usually get an item less likely to give you trouble.

Jolli:

I purchase refurbs when I can. Usually, the refurb offers plenty of bang for the buck. But, I always make sure I purchase a factory direct refurb. That way you are assured a manufacturer's warranty and that the unit has been restored to original factory specs. This past year I purchased a Minolta Z1. Great camera for the money. Other items I have purchased as refurbs are: HP Pavilion laptop, Buffalo Tech Wi-Fi router, Canon scaner. All came with great warranties and I have never had a problem.

=CDW=

Generally refurb repair is no way up to individual repair standards as the techs are rushed with quotas to contain costs. The standard is called "plug and play." Self explanatory; they may let it run, subject to occasional visual check, but no careful bench test. They find some adjustment or fix to do, do something - then if product functions pretty much at all momentarily, that's that. They plugged it in and it played. No further assurances.
So people can, and sometimes do, get "burned." I have taken the chance, and it has gone either way. Your risk - your call. My decision would involve no shorty warranty - full warranty with possibility of a "real" extended warranty which I would probably pursue. There is a real value issue. There is a reason for longer term satisfaction usually trumping initial cost. However the immediately preceding sentence doesn't explain the unwashed masses making Wal-Marts parking lots to overflow. People like the low prices on stuff, increasingly from good old China. Balance of payments? Outsourced jobs? We don't make anything anymore but return on capital investment is the only reasonable conclusion. I guess the actual rich investors/ownership class will survive fine as China winds up buying a big chunk of America. But don't ever criticize Cheney/Bush as that would be "disloyal." Didn't we hear that before? Doesn't history teach anything about future avoidance? We know who the ruling class is now, but that's due to their successful strategy of lies playing on fear; but mostly that national level Dems. have been such a pitiful walkover.
If trends don't swing, will 2029 be a rerun of 1929? The Great Depression did solve the supply of willing servants problem.
My apologies for getting wound up.

I am with you and wound up.
As far as referbished goes;if it was broke once before why would I want it?
I can buy something new that I can afford and hope I don't break it!

a low opinion of refurbed items.

That's information a guy can use, and from the looks of your profile you very well may know what your talking about. The line you have there, "I bought a refurb monitor once and I got burned. A friend of mine bought a refurb TV and made out like a bandit.", pretty much sums it up, doesn't it; when talking about referb ... OR new purchases.

My Refurb Fuji S602 worked great until the short warranty expired. On day it just wouldn't turn on anymore !? Paid to have it checked out. Something about needing a new board. Imagine that. Would cost as much as the refurb did in the first place. Took one chance and lost. No second chance. Anyone need a lens cap, strap, 16mb card, 500mb card, etc cheap ? Roll the dice, it's a crap shoot.

I purchased a refurbished Nikon Coolpix 5900 through Ubid, a CNet partner. The camera listed at the time for about 400. and was going for up to 600. due to high demand. I paid 200. and took a chance. I'm NOT a gambler, but I hoped that being a CNet partner meant something. The camera came looking like new- in the original box with everything that was supposed to be there. I have been very happy with it. It works exactly the way it should. It does have all the drawbacks I read about the model having before I bought it, but that's not a refurb problem. I think it's a great little camera. I would buy refurb again if there was a good warranty or it came from a recommended source. Ubid did not offer an extended warranty with it, so I traded on their good name with CNet. So far, so good!

Thanks everyone for your feedback, I appreciate it a lot. I took the warranty into consideration, and got an extended warranty (besides the manufacturers) and also got it factory refurb from canon. All in all the camera is doing great. Thanks again!

And if you use your AMEX card the warranty is doubled (not to exceed one additional year). May vary with type of AMEX card so check with your specific one.

I an a big camera buff, and have a number of different digital cameras. what I have learned is that companies like Hewlett Packard, and Cannon to mention several have great referbished products AS LONG AS YOU BUY for an authorized dealer. The warrantys included just in case you have an issue are only good if bought from a valid supplier.