How to know if you are buying a NEW or REFURBISHED unit

[ILikeHatchChili]

Does anyone know for sure what the "rules" are for sellers of scanners, or of anything else, for that matter, If the seller is the manufacturer or an authorized distributor.

If the item sold is not specified as "refurbished" ( i.e, returned or repaired), or "brand new", is it assumed by the buyer that it is "brand new", unopened, and in factory box?

Of course, I understand that if you, say, want your scanner preloaded for your area, it is no longer unopened; but in this case, can we still say that the scanner is "brand new" and not "refurbished", if not specified as either in the ad?

Thank you for a quick response. I am fixing to do one or the other (a factory- or an authorized distributor-purchase)

 

[BearMan54]

Refurb usually covered for only a 90 days....

 

[mike_s104]

Does anyone know for sure what the "rules" are for sellers of scanners, or of anything else, for that matter, If the seller is the manufacturer or an authorized distributor.

If the item sold is not specified as "refurbished" ( i.e, returned or repaired), or "brand new", is it assumed by the buyer that it is "brand new", unopened, and in factory box?

Of course, I understand that if you, say, want your scanner preloaded for your area, it is no longer unopened; but in this case, can we still say that the scanner is "brand new" and not "refurbished", if not specified as either in the ad?

Thank you for a quick response. I am fixing to do one or the other (a factory- or an authorized distributor-purchase)

Probably the same as any electronics. Buy from a reputable place and you should be fine.

 

[nd5y]

I worked for two electronics manufacturers. One made cheap cell phones and the other expensive avionics.

I can tell you that even if you buy a brand new unit it in a sealed box it could still be a piece of crap.

You could get a unit that was perfectly good when it left the factory but has bad components or solder joints that will only fail in the future. Especially with cheap consumer products that don't have 100% QC and environmental stess testing.

You could get a unit that was a production QC reject that had known easily repairable defects that was repaired by a competent tech that will last forever.

You could get a unit that was a production QC reject that has multiple problems that were not all detected and repaired properly or was attempted to be repaired by an incompetent tech and the unit will allways be a piece of crap.

On the other hand you could buy a refurb unit that could have either had a simple problem that was repaired or one with no problems at all that was returned by a customer that was too stupid to operated it and thought it was broken.

I don't think products that are returned to the manufacturer can be resold as new.

 

[Viper43]

With Uniden it's pretty easy to know the difference. On their site they specifically tell you. As for dealers, not sure Uniden dealers are allowed to sell refurbs but all Uniden refurbs have 90 day warranty. I bought a 396T Refurb and you couldn't tell it's a refurb unless you look at the sticker they place on all of them. Actually it had 2, one on the back and one in the battery compartment.

 

[n5ims]

A refurbished unit is one that has been found to have issues or otherwise returned (and the unit's condition isn't known to be good) and repaired to "like new" and distributed for resale at a reduced cost and with a limited warranty.

A new unit is one that is complete and expected to be in "factory fresh" condition. It comes with full factory warranty. However, "new" doesn't always indicate that the item has never been used. Items sold as "new" can be fresh stock from the distributor. "New" can also be an item that was returned to the store but has passed the store's checks to make sure that it isn't damaged and contains all factory shipped items. This return could be because the buyer purchased the wrong item and never even opened the box, found they didn't like it and used the store's "30 day no questions asked" return policy.

This is why it's important to make your purchases from reputable dealers since it's often the store's policy that covers what is called "new". The manufacturer may have a policy that states that all returns are to be sent back to be refurbished (with less than a full credit given to the store for the item), but if the store doesn't follow that policy you may end up with a "used" item and it's unlikely that the manufacturer will ever know that a store isn't following their stated policy.

 

[Rickgilliam]

I've never had a problem buying refurb, I would think that reburbished electronics would be checked out better than a new one, so far I'

 

[n1chu]

New or refreshed?

It's unlawful to sell a returned product as new. The advice about always dealing with reputable dealers is the soundest advice given. If you order a new product and ask that it be programmed they take a new scanner off the shelf and perform the optional programming service. This does not void the manufacturers warranty should it need to go back but the dealer you purchased it from might have a policy that instructs to return it to them for repair. They in turn might send it back to UNIDEN repair service under warranty, or it may just be that they tell you to send it directly into UNIDEN repair service. All of which I stated is an example and applies to other manufacturers too. The best way to buy is to talk to the seller first, ask them what their policy is and state any concerns you may have. Give them a chance to give you the straight poop on it. Do not rely on second hand info. When you tell the seller that you heard differently they are going to tell you sorry, you should have asked up front with us. And then they will remind you of their policy which they make available before or at the time of sale.