Question Refurbished / Graded T.V.'s

raydan

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Hi,

Is it wise / unwise to get a refurbished T.V.?

What are your thoughts?

Anybody had good experiences or horror stories?

Also any recommended sources for Samsung, Sony, Lg refurbed?

Cheers
 
Panasonic have a shop on ebay which gets good reviews if thats any help
 
I have used Panasonics Ebay store and Sony's Centre Direct for refurbished things and been pretty happy. Sometimes they appear like new with just an open box. Other times though it is obvious that it has been used and the packaging can either be badly damaged or completely gone and it just arrives in a brown box and bubble wrap.

I have never bought a TV from either of these though.

Before buying I would check what their return policy is if you are not happy.

Shipping a large size TV can be prohibitively expensive and lots of couriers refuse to carry them (or insure delivery against breakage) even if they will take another package of the same size and weight.

It all comes down to how fussy you are. I am more fussy about TVs than anything else and would be concerned why the TV was returned by the previous customer and if the customer regarded it as faulty did the manufacturer actually repair it or just decide that the issue was "within specifications"
 
It's an obvious thing to say, but always read the description as to WHY it's a refurbished or graded model.

Amazon, confusingly, describe things listed in their Warehouse as refurbished or graded when it's only the box that's damaged, the item may have never even been near a customer.

An ex-display TV can often be described as graded which, again, may never have left the shop floor and may have no discernible faults.

I'd be more circumspect regarding a customer return for anything very expensive i.e over £1000. I'd always contact the seller and ask lots of questions about condition, damage, faults, warranty and returns.

You can, potentially, save a lot of money on items this way, but it is more of a risk regarding condition and longevity. Sometimes it's worth just waiting and saving for a bit longer to get something new and all the consumer protection that comes with it.
 
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its a punt - normally you get less warranty and you hope that any fault was fixed rather than a symptom. For example I paid ~£700 for a ~£1200 TV some time ago and reasoned this was a gamble that may not pay off, and the £500 I saved may have to go towards its premature replacement!
 
I bought a Panasonic 55" refurbished OLED from their eBay store late last year. Happy with it so far (apart from the fact the price went even lower three weeks later!)
 
Got to say it but : New latest model with a proper guarantee are real cheap these days so why someone else's cast offs !!
 
Thanks for all the replies, yes I've seen the Panasonic Ebay shop, cheers.

Any Samsung?


Got to say it but : New latest model with a proper guarantee are real cheap these days so why someone else's cast offs !!

Lol, I was looking on Ebay I saw Samsung Q7's for £799, described as being in perfect condition. My son wants a tele for around £500 so I was going to add to it for him and maybe step up to a Q7. Not going to go to £1200....

I've bought returned open box stuff before, and it's been fine, but not at this level. More sub £50 so if it's a turkey it's just an annoyance no big deal.

I know this is the same principle just a bigger number and these sellers are shifting a lot of units.

Hence why i'm asking for any experiences and recommended sources.

Cheers,
 
I'm intrigued what did you do in the end?

I'm in a similar position at the moment, I was just about to pull the plug on a LG 55" OLED B8 for £1039, which comes with a 6-year warranty from a local store when I came across a Panasonic 55" FZ952B for £999.99 which is listed as Pristine condition via a store in London.

I'm waiting to hear back regarding the warranty but I reckon it'll just be a 12 month one.

I'm just not sure what to do now, save £600 for a so-called 'pristine' condition higher spec TV with less warranty and the store is miles away if it goes wrong, or just buy a decent TV still from a local store that has the peace of mind, 6-year warranty.
 
Well your timing is spot on lol.

Just took delivery this very day of a 55'' Panasonic T.V. (plus soundbar that arrived yesterday) from their Ebay outlet.

The tv was delivered by a 2 man team who unpacked and checked to make sure the screen wasn't damaged in transport.

It arrived in its original box that had been resealed with Panasonic tape. The T.V. looks brand new with no scratches, marks or dents etc. The remote, batteries and stand were unused and in sealed bags. It was minus any film or stickers covering the screen. For the little time it has been used (by me) it all seems ok and here's hoping it stays that way.

The soundbar looks brand new too. It arrived in its original box resealed with Panasonic tape. The remote and power cable look unused and there is a big'ish Panasonic sticker on the soundbar itself. The box did have two John Lewis markdown price tags on it though. So although it is still for sale in the store for £150 (I paid £49.99) this unit had been reduced to £79.95 then £64.99 before ending up in the outlet so I'm guessing it was on display. Again all seems ok and it is working fine.

As stated in earlier post this is my sons, so he has got £800 worth of goods at full price for his £500. It all has a 12 month warranty so just hoping its not needed and all works well going forward.

Although everyones experience will be different I hope this post is helpful to anyone thinking of going the refurb route. Good luck!
 
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P.S.

Maverick, the Panasonic outlet does the 55" FZ952B but for £1399.99, a lot more than you've seen it for.
 
Well your timing is spot on lol.

Just took delivery this very day of a 55'' Panasonic T.V. (plus soundbar that arrived yesterday) from their Ebay outlet.

The tv was delivered by a 2 man team who unpacked and checked to make sure the screen wasn't damaged in transport.

It arrived in its original box that had been resealed with Panasonic tape. The T.V. looks brand new with no scratches, marks or dents etc. The remote, batteries and stand were unused and in sealed bags. It was minus any film or stickers covering the screen. For the little time it has been used (by me) it all seems ok and here's hoping it stays that way.

The soundbar looks brand new too. It arrived in its original box resealed with Panasonic tape. The remote and power cable look unused and there is a big'ish Panasonic sticker on the soundbar itself. The box did have two John Lewis markdown price tags on it though. So although it is still for sale in the store for £150 (I paid £49.99) this unit had been reduced to £79.95 then £64.99 before ending up in the outlet so I'm guessing it was on display. Again all seems ok and it is working fine.

As stated in earlier post this is my sons, so he has got £800 worth of goods at full price for his £500. It all has a 12 month warranty so just hoping its not needed and all works well going forward.

Although everyones experience will be different I hope this post is helpful to anyone thinking of going the refurb route. Good luck!

Thanks for responding.

Can I ask which model did you purchase and did you get it from Panasonic eBay?

I was looking at forgetting about getting a refurbished model after I spoke to the store that had the one I wash looking at, they want ridiculous amount for delivery plus want an extortion amount if I was to return it.

I've now seen the TX-55FZ802 for £999 on Panasonic eBay store and £100 cheaper via another company, Avensys, which both offer 12 months warranty and both are Manufactured refurbished models. Even at £999 it's £400 cheaper than a brand new model.

Not sure what to do.
 
I got the 55'' FX700B at £449.00 from the Panasonic Ebay outlet shop.

I was the same as you, unsure whether to purchase from there or get one from JL etc thats why I sat on the fence for ages.

I read as much as I could about them and most seemed to have a positive experience so I went for it.

On Ebay they have sold 40 0f these T.V's so far and their general feedback this month is 461 positive, 2 neutral, 1 negative. There is not much feedback regarding the t.v. I bought though so I guess most people don't bother with feedback anymore.

They have a 14 day return policy if you don't like it, but returning a massive tele is going to be a bit of a headache I should imagine.

Many people would prefer to pay a bit more from the shop for total peace of mind. Each to their own. I look at it that as soon as you open the box it's used and in 12 months it's just your old tele. I have had lengthy guarantees from RS & JL in the past that were never used.

These sellers are shifting hundreds of these units and Panasonic outlet 'seem' bona fide. £999 is not small money but people are buying even more expensive ones, it is a hard decision.
It just depends on your tolerance to risk because at the end of the day every sale will be different.

Whatever you choose to do good luck!
 
I got the 55'' FX700B at £449.00 from the Panasonic Ebay outlet shop.

I was the same as you, unsure whether to purchase from there or get one from JL etc thats why I sat on the fence for ages.

I read as much as I could about them and most seemed to have a positive experience so I went for it.

On Ebay they have sold 40 0f these T.V's so far and their general feedback this month is 461 positive, 2 neutral, 1 negative. There is not much feedback regarding the t.v. I bought though so I guess most people don't bother with feedback anymore.

They have a 14 day return policy if you don't like it, but returning a massive tele is going to be a bit of a headache I should imagine.

Many people would prefer to pay a bit more from the shop for total peace of mind. Each to their own. I look at it that as soon as you open the box it's used and in 12 months it's just your old tele. I have had lengthy guarantees from RS & JL in the past that were never used.

These sellers are shifting hundreds of these units and Panasonic outlet 'seem' bona fide. £999 is not small money but people are buying even more expensive ones, it is a hard decision.
It just depends on your tolerance to risk because at the end of the day every sale will be different.

Whatever you choose to do good luck!

Thanks for your response.

It is a risk and one that I'm willing to take to try and get a bit of a deal, the warranty does help but it's something I need to way up really.

I've spoken to Avensys today and the lady who deals with the eBay shop side of things and she's put my mind at rest now. I explained that I was looking at the TX-55FZ802B and she gave me an insight, she said that they are an official Panasonic reseller and they had 19 refurbished models in just over a week ago and now have 3 left, she purchased one as well as one of her colleagues. She stated that most are customer returns because they've changed there mind within the 28 days and are sent back to Panasonic who complete tests and change parts if needed, she said her TV had the plastic still on it and looked brand new.

I've purchased one now and best of it she told me she'd accept £850 for it, which is crazy as Panasonic eBay want £999 for it for the same TV, a brand new one costs £1399; I think I've got a bargain.

Fingers crossed when I get it I don't have an issues!
 
Ok, nice one!

That's definitely a bargain you got there!

Be sure to update the thread when you've got it up and running.

Good Luck!
 

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