With the advent of technology, it has become extremely simplified to just shop for products online. With newer products being launched every day, individuals are being drawn to the idea of finding cheaper alternatives on sites like Kijiji, Facebook Marketplace, and Best Buy.
These platforms promise that their refurbished products are “just as good as new” and most people take these claims at face value. However, CBC Marketplace conducted an investigation where the findings were quite the polar opposite.
After having received repeated complaints from viewers, CBC Marketplace conducted an investigation by ordering 12 “Grade A” refurbished devices on Best Buy’s third-party sellers. These devices were then inspected by industry leaders and experts including ASK Computers
CBC Marketplace purchased 4 laptops, 4 smartphones, and 4 tablets from third-party sellers. The tablets and smartphones were analyzed by Alex Sebastian, co-founder of Toronto’s Refurbished company Orchard, who found that two tablets and two smartphones were not up to his company’s standards. He would not consider these products as genuinely refurbished products as they did not meet the standards of refurbished products. You can find the entire investigation caught on camera.
The laptops on the other hand were analyzed by Ask Computer’s very own Maaz Kamani. Of the four laptops that were purchased, he found that the Asus Chromebook C223NA had heavy cosmetic damage in the form of heavy scratches. He classified this laptop as “Grade B” under cosmetic conditions. The seller was contacted regarding this who agreed to a refund with free shipping or a 10% refund for the item.
According to Kamani, the laptops worked fine but showed signs of modification. According to him the RAM and hard drive had been changed on the HP EliteBook 830. The Chromebook’s motherboard showed signs of laptop repair.
All refurbished products have a 90-day replacement warranty however if the product stops working outside this window, nothing can be done to help the customers out.
The Best Buy store employees themselves are critical of the third-party sellers listed on their site. In light of this investigation, Best Buy issued an email stating that there will be further scrutiny of the sellers, and a more enhanced product description will be presented to customers so they know what they’re buying.
ASK Computers was proud to be part of the CBC investigation to help bring to the forefront the real scenario of refurbished products. If you’ve purchased refurbished products, bring them over to ASK Computers where our experts can look into them and help repair them. Contact us at (416) 862-9595 or walk-in for a free diagnostic test.
