refurbished goods?

I'm really interested in purchasing a "refurbished" Onkyo tx-sr701. Once it says it's "refurbished" does it mean it has a shorter lifespan compared to the ones that are being sold at the current market rate? It has a one year warranty though. According to the seller it hasn't been used. I'm like a rookie and I really need your suggestions. Have you purchased some refurbished electrical equipment? Did it last long? Should I go for it or settle for the cheaper 601s?

Usually refurbished means "factory refurbished." Make sure the seller doesn't mean refurbished by some retail store that deals in used equipment. The lifespan of stereo receivers is often indefininte with very old receivers still working very well. Be sure to get all of the details and put the receiver through all of its paces before you accept it. Generally, refurbished equipment should be about equal to new but carry a significantly lower price tag. Find out not only the manufacturer's suggested retail price for new but what stores would typically discount it down to. If you aren't getting much of a discount off of that, it isn't worth it. Also be sure that the warrantee is Onkyo's warantee and is transferable to you. Don't take the seller's word for it, contact the manufacturer's service department to verify this. Whether the unit has actually been used or not since it was refurbished, the market considers it a used piece of equipment.

As skeptic recommended-----make sure it is a factory warranty/refurbished item.

I have owned several products that were factory refurbished. They have performed flawlessly for me.

-Chris

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by bngsdad

I'm really interested in purchasing a "refurbished" Onkyo tx-sr701. Once it says it's "refurbished" does it mean it has a shorter lifespan compared to the ones that are being sold at the current market rate? It has a one year warranty though. According to the seller it hasn't been used. I'm like a rookie and I really need your suggestions. Have you purchased some refurbished electrical equipment? Did it last long? Should I go for it or settle for the cheaper 601s?

---

Make sure you find out what the problem was with the item BEFORE you buy it. Many folks claim the problem was "cosmetic" even when it wasn't. Take this from someone who's been burned once like this. If it's on ebay see what the feedback has been if local, have an independent repair shop check it out.

Da Worfster

Usually, factory refurbished goods haven't had any problems at all. Sometimes they are just store demos. The units are returned to the factory where the are cleaned, adjusted, and checked for performance. If there is a technical problem, they are fixed and are inspected using the same criteria as brand new.

In 1968 (there I go revealing my age) I took a tour of the Westinghouse picture tube factory near Elmira New York. The guide who was a production manager mentioned in the tour that if a tube didn't pass final inspection, it was cut open and reworked. I asked him how you could tell afterwards which were the "good ones" and which were the reworked ones. That was the wrong question to ask. He got rather irate telling me that when they left the factory they were all the same. Maybe I hit a nerve. Maybe he was having problems and didn't want an outsider sticking a pin in it. I don't think it was very much longer before they closed up shop. (I have a hunch it was eventually bought out by Sony but I'm not sure. Trinitron tubes are a different animal.)

Thanks. I'm getting the 701 and yup, I'm getting it from ebay. The warranty is under the supplier's name and according to him, it's not transferable. He said that if there was something wrong with the product, I'll just send it back to him and he'll have it repaired since the warranty is under his name. This the bigger problem... I'm not from the US, my wife is there with my daughter cus it's her summer break. If something happens to the unit sending it all the way back to the US would cost a lot more. Any suggestions? You guys know a supplier in which the warranty of what they are selling is transferable?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by bngsdad

Thanks. I'm getting the 701 and yup, I'm getting it from ebay. The warranty is under the supplier's name and according to him, it's not transferable. He said that if there was something wrong with the product, I'll just send it back to him and he'll have it repaired since the warranty is under his name. This the bigger problem... I'm not from the US, my wife is there with my daughter cus it's her summer break. If something happens to the unit sending it all the way back to the US would cost a lot more. Any suggestions? You guys know a supplier in which the warranty of what they are selling is transferable?

---

The best way is to wait until you can find a supplier who is able to offer a transferable warranty. This deal almost sounds fishy to me. What guarantee do you have that this seller is going to honor any warranty to you? Add the problem of cross border shipping and customs and you're asking for more headaches than saving a couple $$ is likely worth.

I'm not saying refurbed or used is bad. These days I buy ALL of my audio equipment used. High end equipment like amplifiers are usually very well maintained. In addition to that, they have a very long average lifetime. You can get a 2-3 year old machine for 25% of the original retail cost and it will likely outperform what you can buy new for the same price.

The only problem with buying a used receiver is that you might not get all of the new fancy DSPs. Personally, I hate all of the DSPs including ProLogic II, but that is personal preference. For me, less DSPs would be awesome, but it's hard to say what's best for you.