Is Certified Refurbished as Good as New?

A vehicle that’s certified as a refurbished model might be exactly what you need when its time for a drive.  Compare certified refurbished with new or used.

In a difficult economic climate, most people will look for as many ways to save money as they can find. Clipping coupons? Let’s do it. Reward programs that offer cashback for your purchases or provide points toward further purchases? Absolutely! However, when it comes to some things that could save huge amounts of money people shy away or reject them entirely. This is the case against certified refurbished products, but it may be getting a bad rap.

There are, of course, people in the world for whom anything used just won’t do. They buy only brand new vehicles, they’ve never accepted a hand-me-down, and a pre-owned piece of furniture isn’t good enough. That’s simply human nature; we prefer the shiny and new. However, when the purse strings are tightened, many people are forced to consider things they wouldn’t normally.

It is for this reason that certified refurbished products, open box deals, and store model sales have become quite popular in recent years. There are some people who look to save money wherever they can and some who would prefer to pay full price for new stuff.

The Reasoning

The people who prefer to purchase only brand new items do so for several reasons. The first is that they believe them to be better than the other options. Newer translates to better for a lot of people. The second reason is that they believe a product straight from the manufacturer to the store automatically means that it will work perfectly. Finally, there’s usually a pretty good warranty included when you buy new; at least a year.

So, let’s tackle the reasoning piece by piece. Newer isn’t always better. How many of us have purchased new items and immediately missed the older one, for whatever reason? Maybe it was less complicated or maybe it was less bulky. All too often, we want shiny and new and when we have it, we don’t like it. Therefore, you’ve dropped a bunch of money on something with which you’re not really satisfied.

Unfortunately, straight from the manufacturer doesn’t mean anything anymore. It doesn’t guarantee that the product is going to work any better. Sometimes a product out of the box can be a complete dud, and all you can do is exchange it and hope the next one doesn’t suffer the same fate.

Finally, a warranty doesn’t always guarantee great service. Sometimes, a warranty simply means they’ll repair your product for the first year. Maybe they’ll replace it with a new one, or maybe they’ll send a new one. However, is that warranty really enough to justify paying a lot more money for something than you have to? In some cases, yes, but more often than not, it isn’t.

Why Certified Refurbished May Be Better

Despite all of the potential flaws with brand new products, people still think that new is automatically favorable to a certified product. This isn’t always the case. Most of the time, a certified refurbished product goes through a rigorous inspection to obtain that status. Much like a pre-owned vehicle, there is often a several checkpoint system in order to re-package and sell the device.

You would think that brand new products go through the same type of system, but it isn’t the case. Many times, the new product is simply assembled and packaged without any additional inspections. It’s simply expected to work. A refurbished product is carefully looked at to ensure maximum operability and there is usually a small guarantee included with the product for additional peace of mind.

As we’ve all learned once or twice, new doesn’t always mean better. Whether it’s a new brand name, a favorite device, or a new-to-you vehicle sometimes new stuff is worse than what we were dealing with previously. When you’re making your next purchase, don’t automatically discount the idea of going with a certified pre-owned product. Your wallet may thank you for it.