As a seller of MFG refurbished products for over 8 years we have come across sellers who are trying to deceive buyers with a new scam called Platinum Grade refurbished goods. There is no such thing and every MFG will tell you they offer no such thing. The Platinum Grade scam is simply this. A seller advertises their goods as Platinum Grade refurbished and tells you that their products are better than new. Common sense tells you that nothing can be better than new? To help clarify what a refurbished product is here is a simple list of what to expect.

Q: What is considered factory refurbished?
A: There are lots of things that can label items factory refurbished. Some are so frivolous, it’s laughable. But because consumer laws prevent manufacturers from selling anything considered factory refurbished as "new", the second consumer gets the best deal.

Here are a few examples:

1)Most major retail superstores offer a 30-day money back guarantee on their products and there are those consumers that just simply take advantage of that. These items are returned to the manufacturer, inspected and repackaged like new.
2)Items where the box or casing was damaged in shipment which are returned to the manufacturer.
3)The item was returned to the manufacturer because of a slight defect. The part that was defective was replaced by the manufacturer, tested and then repackaged.
4)The item was returned because of a minor cosmetic blemish on the casing that was corrected.
5)Demonstration units are also considered factory refurbished. These units are inspected, tested and repackaged.

It is impossible to know the history of each item, but for whatever reason the unit gets labeled factory refurbished it is inspected & serviced by the manufacturer then tested and repackaged to meet original product specifications. All merchandise is warranted by the original manufacturer unless otherwise specified.

Q: Why should I buy refurbished equipment?
A: Refurbs save cash! Why hesitate getting the best value by getting the exact same equipment, with original manufacturers warranty at a much lower price:

If you couldn’t afford that expensive item till now – NOW you can with a factory refurb! And still get the same performance & warranty.

Refurbished items have a much lower defect rate. From 10 units that come back for repair only 1 is usually a factory refurb, because refurbished units are tested before they are sold.

Now that you have the facts as to what and were refurbished goods come from beware the next time you come across a seller advertising the Platinum Grade scam.