Buying a refurbished phone

[Anonymous]

I've been thinking about getting the sony ericsson x10 on pay monthly, however it's a refurbished phone. So should i risk buying a refurbished phone that has a waranty of 3 months?

[Anonymous]

I didn't want to get a refurbished phone because thought they wouldn't be the same etc but.....it arrived and looked exactly like a new phone and worked excellent.
Refurbished phones are just like buying a new one, they get tested etc! I have had mine for over 1year and is still working to this day !!

[sheepdog Level 25: Hard Hitter]

If its an iphone, you'd be ok. Its a SE so be wary before taking it on given SE's reputation for quality as demonstrated on this forum. Personally, if you're signing up for more than 12 months don't bother with getting a refurb (unless its said iphone with the superb support) unless the tariff is worthwhile in comparison to a new phone.

[Anonymous]

What are wrong with refurbished SE phones? Like i said in my previous post i have a refurbished phone and mine is actually a sony ericsson Aino and works fine! No problems, works as good as a new one! Companies can't sell faulty phones.

[Anonymous]

o2's 'refurbished' handsets are normally phones that have been returned under the 14 day cooling off period. In many cases they've hardly been touched.
All phones are fully tested and checked before being put back on sale.
A refurbished phone should be no more likely to go faulty than a brand new one and is treated just the same by o2 if it was to break.

[Anonymous]

A refurbished phone should be no more likely to go faulty than a brand new one and is treated just the same by o2 if it was to break.

That's not quite true - they'll only fix the X10 Refurb for you if it breaks in the first 3 months, as it has a shortened warranty.
I wouldn't worry about getting a refurb phone though, they're just as reliable as a new one. You wont get all the accessories you get with a new one though - just the phone and charger, basically.
Terms and conditions for refurb phones are here:
http://www.o2.co.uk/termsandconditions/ ... singterms#

[Anonymous]

A refurbished phone should be no more likely to go faulty than a brand new one and is treated just the same by o2 if it was to break.

That's not quite true - they'll only fix the X10 Refurb for you if it breaks in the first 3 months, as it has a shortened warranty.
I wouldn't worry about getting a refurb phone though, they're just as reliable as a new one. You wont get all the accessories you get with a new one though - just the phone and charger, basically.
Terms and conditions for refurb phones are here:
http://www.o2.co.uk/termsandconditions/ ... singterms#

Actually it is true.
What you're thinking of is if a customer is given a refurbished handset as a replacement. The warranty length is 3 months OR to the end of the original handset's warranty - whichever is greater.
If you choose a refurbished handset as part of your contract then the warranty and support o2 provide is just the same as a new phone.

[Anonymous]

I know that's normally the case, however from the 'Phone information' section on the website, when you're buying the X10 refurb on a new contract:
"A reconditioned mobile phone is a used phone that has been restored to its original state, so it's as good as new. You will receive a fully functioning handset, battery and a UK mains charger. You'll have everything you need to start using your phone immediately. View our Refurbished phone terms and conditions. Comes with a 3 month warranty"
Not sure if this is a sneaky change that came in with the new tariffs, maybe?

[Anonymous]

I'm sure that must be a mistake by the person that's written that for the website.
The only time a refurb phone has a 3 month warranty is if it's been purchased as a sim free phone after a customer's original handset is beyond economical repair i.e. they broke it themselves, don't have insurance and have been offered the opportunity to buy a refurb at a knock down price. Or, if it's been given as a warranty replacement and 3 months is longer than the warranty of the handset it's replacing.

[Anonymous]

That wouldn't surprise me - the amount of mistakes on the website is spectacular. My particular favourite was when all the Sony Ericsson phones had '3.2mp radios'.
Or when they seemeed to accidentally give away the iPhone 4 for free on 900 and 1200 minute tariffs for 2 days the other week.
Going back to the topic, V-Dog, I think the general consensus is that it's fine to buy a refurbished phone, the only real difference is you lose the accessories. I certainly wouldn't have any problems buying one.