Refurbished Cellphones

Just about a year ago, my mother-in-law bought from a store selling refurbished cellphones. She got a Samsung which looked so beautiful, it looked like it was still brand new. On top of that, since it was already a used cellphone, she got it at a very low price. She was very delighted with her purchase, until several weeks later when problems started to happen one after another...

First, her battery died on her. So we had to buy a brand new battery for it. Then, just after a short time, her refurbished cellphone just wont turn on. We brought to the repair shop to have it fixed. It turns out that the problem was the actual motherboard, where all the electronic components are attached. The cost of the parts and repairs, combined with the new battery and the cost of the intial phone purchase, was actually close to the cost of just buying the same model but as brand new.

We learned a big lesson that day. We decided not to have it repaired anymore. What we actually thought was a good deal at first, was actually too good to be true. Refurbished cellphones don't have the warranty and the seal of quality from the original manufacturers. So that means you can get lucky, but you probably won't.

How about you? Have you ever bought refurbished cellphones? Did you have the same experience? Drop me a line.

photo credit, Oracio Alvarado