# Refurbishes stuff **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 5, 2001, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/refurbishes-stuff/97084 "2001-12-05T19:50:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![galen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecc23a/32.png) [@galen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/galen)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2001, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/refurbishes-stuff/97084/1 "2001-12-05T19:50:04Z")
What do you think of buying “refurbished” merchandise. I have bought stuff from major manufacturers and have had no problems and saved a lot of money. Items always come with the same warranty as a new product. ---
**Author:** ![Spritle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Spritle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spritle)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2001, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/refurbishes-stuff/97084/2 "2001-12-05T21:04:36Z")
I work on British sports cars (Triumphs). There is very little NOS and nobody manufactures new stock so pretty much all engine/motor parts are refurbished. No problem here. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2001, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/refurbishes-stuff/97084/3 "2001-12-05T21:45:57Z")
It depends upon what it is and if the company selling backs it with a warranty. I worked for one company that sold refurbished equipment, and about a third of the things acted “flaky,” but the company wouldn’t repair or replace them, saying that “the problems were within acceptable parameters.” Or to quote the fictional Micro$oft tech support guy, “Its not a problem, its a feature!” So if the company suppling the refurbished items stands behind it, you’ve got no worries, if not, you may be stuck with a dud.