Refurbished Moniters, Good Deals or Gambles?

[Zerohm]

I'm trying to find a cheap 21" moniter and I've found that refurbished moniters are very tempting due to there cheapness. What good or bad experiences have you had with buying a refurbshed moniter.

Thanks
zerohm

 

[rickn]

Never buy a refurb. Not unless you like receiving a monitor fit for a scratch n' dent sale

 

[Crankydog]

It really depends from whom you buy it from.

Good refurbishers will mention the original defect of the monitors or the category of defect (i.e. scratched screen, cracked casing, changed fuse, etc...).

As you say, it's a gamble and it's also a good idea to check out what kind of guarantee there is on the monitor. Is it 30 days or 3 months and such.

Personnaly, I own a refurbished HP monitor and the only defect is some sort of barely noticable scratch mark in the center as if it rubbed on something (more like a permanent smudge). I could probably fix it with some compound but it never bothered me.

The only thing that bothered me was the shipping. Ok, so it wasn't the shipping by itself but the duties to get the monitor from the US to Canada. UPS is f***ing expensive with respect to duties.

 

[sc0tty8]

I say don't do it. I bought a brand new kds 3yrs ago-not a refurb.

It took a crap, I got a new one, a refurb, issues out of the box, got another one by the end of the week, and it still had issues. I say stay away from all refurbs. I would pry jump on a sony/viewsonice refurb though....

 

[woodie1]

I've had good luck with refurbs. Bought a 19" CRT three years ago and it still has a great picture. Just got a LCD refurb that has a 3 year mfrs warranty for 40% off without hesitation.

 

[sechs]

Refurbs are a great way to save money, but you do have to watch yourself. Check into what a company calls "refurbishing" and make sure that it isn't just cleaning and boxing.

I've bought to refurbished monitors, and the only issue I've had is when they sent the wrong monitor!

 

[tenoc]

I have two 21" refubs, a Viewsonic P220f and a Dell P1110.
Zero problems with either one, both bought from reputable companies that knew what they were doing.

 

[WaTaGuMp]

Mine has been PERFECT from day one and still is. I say yes mine was only $550.00 for a 21" trinitron when I got it over 2 years ago.

 

[Deskstar]

I bought a pair of 19" CRT Iiyama Vision Master Pro 450s two years ago as refurbs direct from Iiyama. They were cheap, superb picture quality, not a dent or scratch on either one. I did have to adjust the focus on one of the two after it arrived (probably occurred during shipping); the Iiyama folks walked me through it easily on the phone. I passed up a recent refurb LCD offered on ebay, however. You have to have confidence in the seller to buy a refurb. Otherwise, the money you save is worth it. You must also be certain that the monitor that you are buying is the one that you want. No returns sometimes just because you changed your mind.

 

[easystreet]

Check this site. They buy off-lease computer equipment by the truck load. The best thing to do is call and talk to them to see what is in stock. I have bought a ton of stuff from these guys and they will do a good job for you. They don't kill you with shipping costs and they really do a great job packing. If I ever had a problem when I got something from them they made it right with no hastle. My theory is that since the monitors they have come out of big offices, they are good quality since the people are in front of them a lot of hours so they leased quality stuff to start.

 

I got my G500 for $250 last April and its GREAT! It has a year warranty from the place i got it and the monitor was and is in mint condition.

 

[DonaldC]

I bought a referb 19" crt and have been very pleased with it.