REFURBS

POSTED: October 16, 2010 1:00 a.m.

	Buy Refurbs and Save Refurbished items can be a bargain By Arthur Glazerarthur@glazerthepctech.com Everybody likes a bargain. But even as the cost of computers and other electronics have come down, there is still another way so save a few bucks on them. One word: Refurbs. No, don't stop reading. I know that many of you have this image of a refurbished item being something that a couple of children played dodgeball with, got it all sticky, broke some parts, lost some others and then had it returned by their parents. Well, that's just not the case. Refurbished electronics, or refurbs as they are called, can be a variety of things. They are items that were purchased new and for whatever reason returned, usually within 30 days. They could have been broken or just not liked. For whatever reason, they are inspected, reconditioned, repaired if necessary, repackaged and resold at a considerable discount. Some of these could have been store demos, others simply overstock items. Demos may have small scratches, but are otherwise fine. I always ask if there is scratch-and-dent room in a store or look for one on a web site. A scratch equals a discount. When a store has shelves full of last year's laptops and the new models come in, the old ones are considered discontinued or overstock items. What were new models now become obsolete with the new line coming in. They are now also considered refurbs, even though they are really new and never used. If you don't need state-of-the-art, you've got yourself a bargain. Open-box returns are simply that. Someone got a computer and it turned out to be the wrong model or perhaps a color they didn't like so they sent it back. Now it's a refurb. I recently bought a refurbished printer at a huge discount. When I opened the box, all of the protective tape was still on the device and it looked brand new. Then I realized why it was returned. This particular printer took some assembly to make it function. Not only did I have to install the cartridges, I had to install the print head, the paper loader, and the power supply, and then configure it. After 20 minutes or so, I could finally use it. For me it was no big deal. That's what I do. But for someone who is not technically inclined, to come upon something like that, it's back in the box and back to the store. Some consumers simply want an out-of-box experience. Open it and use it. So items like that become refurbs. Off-lease items are computers, printers or whatever that were leased to companies and then returned at the end of their contracts. They are reconditioned and then sold as refurbs. You may find computers that were ordered custom-made and never picked up by the consumer. Now they're refurbs. There are of course items that were broken and returned. But these go through a rigorous revamping. Whatever is found wrong is fixed. Only 10 percent of returned items are taken apart and resold for their parts. Everything else is reconditioned and sent back to the stores as refurbs. Just because thing are sold at a discount doesn't mean they are not covered under a warranty. Most items have the same coverage that a new item would. At the least, you'll have 30 days to return the item if you are not satisfied with it. Always ask about the coverage. Some companies will even sell you an extended warranty on a refurb. That is telling you they have faith in that item and are willing to back it. I have one that states if I return it three times for the same reason, it will be replaced. There are lots of websites that deal with refurbs. Dell computers have a ton of desktops and laptops on their site. They offer the same warranties on their refurbished computers as new computers. Overstock.com is another site to consider. Much of what they sell is refurbished items. Read the fine print and you'll see. Often they will tell you if it is new or was an open-box return of a demo. AT&T sells refurbished cell phones on its website. Refurbdepot.com sells a little bit of everything on theirs. There is tigerdirect.com and newegg.com that have the occasional refurbished item. Whatever store or site you go to, ask if they have refurbs and what type of warranties comes with them. Things to watch out for are crushed boxes or dented corners on them; they could have been dropped leading to further damage. If you get a computer delivered to you like that, tell the driver to note it on the invoice. You may open the box and find a computer D.O.A. By purchasing a refurbished device you can save anywhere from 20 percent to 80 percent. Often it is identical to the new item. Heed my advice and you may save a couple of bucks next time you're computer shopping. Should you forget, I'll write it again in another column in a few months - refurbished. Arthur Glazer is a freelance writer and computer technician in Gainesville. His column appears biweekly. Arthur welcomes your computer questions and ideas for future columns.

Banking Online

Computer Care: Online banking is great, if you take precautions

By Arthur Glazer

arthur@glazerthepctech.com

POSTED: October 2, 2010 1:00 a.m.

Online banking can take the stress out of transacting with your money. You can check your balances and pay your bills from home, but depending upon which type of online bank you use, it can have its pitfalls.

Banking online, no matter what type, is as secure as your password and your Internet connection. The majority of the risk is at your end. The bank secures their end.

Next time you buy something online, look at the address bar. It will have an "s" after the http://. The "s" is for secure. Often you'll also see an icon of a padlock. This is telling you the site you are paying through is encrypted, secure and unhackable.

If you use Internet banking or even just your credit card online, make certain you have a secured connection at your end, especially if it is wireless. It needs to encrypted in one of the methods Windows offers. You should also choose your password carefully and not use the same one for all of your accounts for obvious reasons.

Don't use your address, birthday, Social Security number or dog's name either. Be original and change it on a regular basis.

Don't write it on a sticky note fastened to your monitor or on your credit card. Use a password manager like RoboForm or memorize it.

There are online-only banks like Paypal (which technically is not even a bank) and there are brick-and-mortar institutions that offer online services. Both types make it easy work with your money online, but the former has its drawbacks.

Sure you can pay for anything 24/7 from your home or hotel, but try to get help should something go wrong. Most online financial institutions, Paypal especially, offer no customer service. You are on your own in cyberspace and it gets lonely when trying to track your money.

At least if you use the services of a local bank, you can go there or call them in the morning. I like the fact they know me at my bank. Online, you are a stranger.

The biggest fault of online banking is that sites go down - both theirs and yours.

Online there are no tellers and no ATMs. Then there is the trust thing. Did that transaction really go through? The page went blank after I clicked "pay."

But I am not trying to scare you away from banking online, just to be aware of whom you are dealing with.

Many banks will let you pay your bills, or anyone for that matter, for free. You can pay them electronically in most cases or with a printed check they mail out if electronic payments are not accepted.

You can check your investments, transfer money from one of your accounts to another and even pay your mortgage from your checking account and it shows instantly.

What I like is that you have until 4 p.m. to get to the bank, but until 6 p.m. to get to your computer. If you make a payment at 5:45 p.m., it still counts as that day's payment.

Anytime you transact online, you will receive a confirmation e-mail that day. The best thing to do is scrutinize your bank statement, whether on paper or online. If there is a discrepancy, you usually have 30 days to contest it with most banks.

You need to beware of e-mail scam artists that send announcements of pending doom if you don't click the link to fix errors in your account.

If you get one of those, click nothing. They want you to fill out forms, including your account number and password. The bank knows your account number and will never ask you for your password.

Either go to your account online securely or call them to see if there is anything wrong. Then report the e-mail.

So you need to watch for scammers; nothing new. If you are banking online, you are safe but need to take a few things into consideration. If bill-paying via the Internet, find out if your utility accepts electronic payments. If not, you need to allow for a check to be mailed, just as if you did it yourself.

Always save and print your receipts when you transact online.

Be cautious with your passwords and know that your connection is secure.

Paypal was originally fashioned as a way to pay for eBay auctions. Eventually eBay bought Paypal and now it has become a questionable e-commerce paying institution that favors the buyer, often freezing funds from seller's accounts.

If you want to pay for online auctions, it's fine. If you want a real bank, look elsewhere.
Banking with computers is easy and safe. All of your payees are on a list that you set up.

You set the dates and amount you want paid. They can be a one-time or recurring payment.

There is something to be said for the convenience of banking from the kitchen table at dinner time.

Arthur Glazer is a freelance writer and computer technician in Gainesville. His column appears biweekly. Arthur welcomes your computer questions and ideas for future columns.