Re: [AV Media Matters] Refurbished CD-R Drives

[joe salerno <salernoj@swbell.net>]

My thoughts on refurbed equipment.

Get a warranty, yes. Then find out who actually will service the warranty.
Is there a local facility or would you have to ship off the unit? Is the
service provider any good?

I have bought refurb units, some seem OK and some, in this case 2 UPS (from
Sam's Club, were not advertised as refurbs) both were non-functional so I
took them back no problem. Ask about return policy from whoever you buy it
from.

Know the rules and read the fine print walking in, not later.

Joe Salerno
Video Works! Is it working for you?
PO Box 273405 - Houston TX 77277-3405
http://joe.salerno.com
joe@salerno.com
Fax: 603-415-7616
----- Original Message -----
From: <sgreen@westernfolklife.org>
To: "AV Media Matters" <AV-Media-Matters@topica.com>
Sent: Wednesday, February 28, 2001 11:15 AM
Subject: [AV Media Matters] Refurbished CD-R Drives

Greetings all,

Various online auction sites (eBay for instance) feature numerous sellers
who appear to be buying up lots of "refurbished" computer equipment and
unloading them to bidders.  In recent days I've been perusing the CD-R
drives being offered and almost every Yamaha drive on eBay fits this
description.  Often the seller will have elabaorate lists of features and
even diagrams or pictures of the units, and I assume most of this
information is cribbed from the Yamaha website or some other retailer's
site.  But in fine print, units that appear to be new are invariably labeled
"this is a refurbished product."

My question to the list is: what can anyone say about the advisability of
investing in such equipment?  My own inclination is to steer clear, but I'm
hard pressed to give an explanation of why buying a factory reburbished unit
that carries a warranty is inadvisable.  I thought perhaps someone out there
would be familiar with with where these units come from, how they make their
way on to the market, and what the advantages and disadvantages might be of
picking up something like a CD-R drive that's been refurbished.

About a year ago I bought a Yamaha CD-R drive on eBay that was new and still
in the original packaging.  It has performed beautifully so of course I was
a happy camper about it.  In looking for a similar deal nowadays, eBay is
flooded with these refurbished units and I see almost no new units in
original packaging.  There are some that appear to come in Yamaha packaging
and others that come in a plain brown box.

Any comments, cautions, etc. from the List, aside from advising against
dealing with less than reputable sellers?

Thanks.

Steve Green, Archivist
Western Folklife Center

sgreen@westernfolklife.org