What Have You Consider When Buying a Refurbished Phone?

Probably, many of you have more than once met in electronics stores some equipment marked “refurbished“. Unfortunately, not everyone knows what this term means and try to avoid such products. In this article, you will learn about whether to be afraid of refurbished phones and what to look for when buying them.

What does it mean if the phone is refurbished?

The easiest way to explain refurbished phones, is to use Apple devices.

As you know, the company loves its customers, and if the iPhone, bought in the US and some other countries, fails during the period when it is under official warranty, Apple replaces it with a new one.

Thus, the customer receives a brand-new smartphone of the same model and he or she does not need to solve the problem with the old one. All smartphones that Apple has accepted from the customers for exchange are sent to the factory for testing. At the factory, these “iPhones” are restored, packed in the original packaging, and re-launched for sale marked “refurbished”.

Smartphones receive Refurbished status in the following cases:

• If they were returned for any reason after purchase.
• If the smartphone is returned within the warranty period.
• If the smartphone is returned due to any damage during delivery.
• If the manufacturer has recalled a batch of smartphones to eliminate the mass defect.
• If the manufacturer has recalled the smartphones for the upgrade.
• As the status changes from “New” to “Refurbished”, the price of the smartphone also changes. Discounts on new models of refurbished smartphones can reach 25-35%, and on new ones – about 10-15%.

What is changing in smartphones marked “refurbished”? For a new buyer, absolutely nothing, except that, as a rule, the manufacturer changes the packaging a bit (for example, refurbished “iPhones” come in a simple white box).

Two main types of refurbishments

Manufacturer refurbishment and seller refurbishment.

Probably each of you will agree that the degree of responsibility for their products from the manufacturer and the seller are different. In addition, the resources and opportunities for quality recovery from the seller and the manufacturer are radically different.

Whether to buy such smartphones is up to you but remember that you do it at your own risk. At the same time, when buying a smartphone marked “Manufacturer Refurbishment”, you may not worry, because such devices are carefully tested and almost no different from new ones. Manufacturers such as Samsung and Apple use only new spare parts to restore smartphones and provide a warranty on such smartphones.

What do you need to pay attention to when getting the refurbished phone?

Of course, all manufacturers label refurbished devices differently, but we will try to answer this question on the example of the iPhone.

The smartphone must look new. When it comes to Apple devices, pay attention to the labeling on their packaging. First of all, pay attention to the serial number of the smartphone indicated on the package. Compare it with the number on the smartphone itself. They must match. If Apple’s support site can’t recognize your device’s serial number or IMEI, it’s also a cause for concern. Most likely, you have a fake, with numbers posted on the box.

In this article, we have outlined the basic nuances you need to know if you are buying a refurbished smartphone. Except for Apple, refurbished appliances are sold by almost all electronics manufacturers. It can be found both on the official websites of companies and in many online stores. To ease your attempts to find the website with original refurbished phones we recommend visiting Mobile Phones Direct.

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