When it comes to buying a laptop, people want quality and reliability. That’s often why many shy away from getting refurbished laptops; they associate them with something used and of lesser quality. This couldn’t be further from the truth, though. While you do need to be vigilant when buying used laptops, there are some gems out there that you can get at a steal because they’re refurbished. Today, we’re going to specifically look at getting Dell laptops that have been refurbished.
We’ll show you how to properly check a refurbished laptop so you get your money’s worth.
What is a refurbished laptop?
Before we get started, what exactly is a refurbished laptop? Refurbished laptops are pre-owned laptops that have been assessed, cleaned up, repaired, or upgraded by a tech company and then resold. In essence, you’re getting a secondhand laptop, but the parameters of the sale are different. In a typical second hand private sale, you get what the other person has with no improvements or assurances.
When you purchase a refurbished laptop from a store, you’re guaranteed that it’s been inspected and any issues with it resolved. There’s also the benefit of it coming with a warranty and a return policy.
What to Check Before Buying a Refurbished Laptop
Dell has been a respected laptop provider worldwide for some time now, and their laptops range from entry-level to beast-mode gaming laptops. What’s great is that you can also get your hands on some pretty decent Dell laptops that have been refurbished for affordable prices. But just be sure to thoroughly inspect them before purchasing them. Here’s what to look for:
What’s the warranty?
Purchasing a refurbished laptop that comes with a warranty should be non-negotiable for you. Warranties protect you in case the laptop is at fault. In this case, you could take it back to the shop you bought it from, and they’d either fix it or replace it for you. But not all warranties are the same, so it would be helpful to get familiar with the warranty you should look for:
- Most places will give you a 1-year warranty that covers return and repair
- Top suppliers will offer up to a 5-year warranty
- The ideal warranty will cover everything in the laptop, from a cracked screen to faulty RAM. Avoid warranties that only cover specifics
- In the event that the laptop sold to you is faulty and irreparable, it will be replaced by a device equal to its specification
Check the return policy
The return policy is also an important factor to consider and will often coincide with the warranty. Some suppliers can get sneaky with the wording on their return policies, making them ambiguous in the event of a return. Ideally, you want to buy from a shop that has a 30-day money-back guarantee on their products. This shows you that their serious about customer satisfaction and that they trust the quality of their refurbished laptops.
Check the refurbishment process
How do they refurbish the laptop? Do they use genuine or aftermarket parts, or what performance tests do they use to ensure the laptops run properly? This is important because smaller PC shops will use cheaper parts to save themselves money. The disadvantage of these parts is that they won’t last as long as genuine ones. This means your laptop’s performance might be compromised after a few months.
Inspect the cosmetics
When we refer to cosmetics, we’re talking about the laptop body, screen, keyboard, or trackpad. You want to look for signs that the supplier has made cosmetic improvements to issues. These issues show signs of how the laptop was previously damaged and the quality of the repairs. Here’s what we’d suggest you watch out for:
- Some refurbished laptops have scratches or dents on them that are painted over to cover or make them look better. While repainting a laptop isn’t an issue when done properly, you don’t know if the supplier repainted the laptops correctly. This means the paint could fade sooner and not be as effective
- Another issue to look out for is plastic repairs on cracks. If a supplier has taken it upon themselves to plastic weld or glue a crack, this isn’t a good sign. For one, the laptop was most likely dropped
- Lastly, if a laptop has bad cosmetic damage, this is a sign that it’s been well used and not looked after too well
Final Thoughts
Dell makes reliable laptops, so there’s nothing to say that buying a refurbished Dell laptop wouldn’t be just as reliable. But some people simply don’t look after their laptops. So, when you buy a refurbished Dell laptop, be sure to run it through the checks above first so that you make the right choice.
