larryepage Loc: North Texas area

There has been quite a bit of discussion here around what is and what is not done to refurbished products. Lots of people have made lots of guesses, but my recent experience tells me that most of those guesses are really wrong.

I just bought a Nikkor lens through a recent refurb sale. I'm preparing to pursue a warranty correction for a problem that is gradually becoming apparent...a small but obvious amount of looseness and slack in several of the lens's mechanisms. The lens is in excellent cosmetic condition. A careful inspection would have caught the problems. A cursory one would not.

By the way...there was a notice included in the box indicating that the first thing that should be done is to visit the NikonUSA to check whether a firmware update is needed. Not needed for a lens, but it was interesting to learn that refurbished priducts are not guaranteed to have most current firmware.

So the big question...will I buy a refurbished Nikon product again? I don't know right now. It's going to depend on how it goes in resolving this situation. Can't trust a zoom with a wiggly lens barrel.

I'm optimistic as I begin this process and will keep us posted.

BebuLamar

I think you're telling what I am thinking about refurbished all along. Most the the refurbished were returned by people simply buying them then return because they don't have a store near by to check out the camera so they buy the camera check it out if they like it. If they don't they return it. Also Nikon like others lend their cameras to various people for review, testing etc.. and all these are returned and refurbished. These don't have problems. Now some of the returned cameras were bought and the buyer found out something is wrong but you have to be picky to find it out. They returned it and it was refurbished as it was. So I think you got one of those lenses.
I do not believe the refurbished went thru a throrough inspection. I also don't believe that they are inspected by experience technicians (the kind they have in their service dept) but rather lower paid less knowledgeable inspectors.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

You've certainly heard from my repeatedly: there's no economic reason to make more than a cursory visual review of equipment and assuring all the packing materials are present before listing a refurbished item for a reduced price as compared to the new-item price. If there's a problem, let the next customer find it, not an expensive payroll-based employee.

All modern camera equipment are designed and built to standards expected to last through extensive use, especially higher-end equipment. Someone returning a virtually unused item that is then run through the 'refurbish process' doesn't need a re-inspection beyond a visual-only checklist. Broken returns are not going to be repaired and sold at a discount. No one runs a business like that.

Buying refurbished is buying used, but with a limited warranty that never exists from a private sale of used equipment. Most refurbished items seem new, behave new, and last as long as new. But, 'most' is not 'all', much the same as actual new items.

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

When I worked in a shop that was an authorized repair station for GE small appliances, we sold refurbished products. These were items like coffee percolators, electric skillets, hand and stand mixers, toaster ovens, and the like. None of these came close to approaching the purchase price of middle and high- tier cameras and lenses being sold at the time. Most were products that had been returned for some reason. Some had been repaired. All had been meticulously inspected and certified as ready for service. All were sold at prices significantly lower than their original retail prices.

I still have three of those...an electric skillet, a coffee maker, and a T94 toaster oven. They all work just like when they were new. So I know that refurbished items can be managed and sold effectively and profitably...and in a way that brings positive credit to the company.

As I said already...we'll see how this plays out. I'm maintaining an optimistic outlook until there is a reason to think otherwise.

BebuLamar

If you can still return the lens I think you should. I think they would be more happy to accept the return than fixing your lens. You can always buy another. It's today's world when people buy knowing they can return easily. But can't blame them either as they have to buy stuff sight unseen.

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

I'm past the initial return period, but am very willing to let Nikon have opportunity to repair or exchange the lens. Pricing was extremely favorable ($495 vs. about $1100), so I am quite motivated to work out a solution.

KindaSpikey Loc: English living in San Diego

HI guys, just wanted to pass on a quick addition to this post that some of you may find interesting and helpful.
There is a company that I have been using for quite a while now, which has not yet let me down, and I've used it for all kinds of refurbished products. They sell all kinds of electronics, from food processors to flat screen tvs and everything in between. The purpose here is to let you know that they sell all brands of cameras and lenses. Everything they sell is covered by a complete 12 month warranty, as well as a return policy. Their stock changes almost daily, and if you can't find what you're looking for today, they may have it tomorrow. So far I've bought 2 phones, ear-buds a tablet and a TV. Everything was "as new", with quick shipping, and no problems at all.
The company is called "Backmarket", (not BLackmarket), the spelling cought me out to begin with! Anyway, maybe this will be of some interest to some of you, and perhaps save you some money. If nothing else, it's fun to "window shop"!
Hope you all have a great day guys,
Ray.

mvetrano2 Loc: Commack, NY

Paul,
Yoo appear to be the expert Canon Guy. I am looking to purchase a Canon R6, as you know, Canon has a refurbished R6 for $2249 with a one year warrantee. New from Canon, Adorama, B&H, etc. would be $2499 with a one year warrantee. When Canon says refurbished, does that mean that there was damage that was repaired on the camera and may come to me with thousands of shutter coun? Or, will I get a decent camera with low, or no, shutter count that will last me years?

mikeroetex Loc: Lafayette, LA

. For only $200 more you can get a brand new one and not have to worry about it. Spread that out over the rest of your life and it would seem worth $200. Why risk being dissatisfied?

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Nothing is wrong and repaired and then sold for $300 less than new, and backed by a 1-year warranty. Yahoos everyday buy $2500 cameras, take it out of the box, decide they don't like it, and send it back. That's a great source for refurbished inventory. There are no people, parts and processes that can repair a broken camera and make it economically viable (aka profitable) to resell the camera for less than new.

A new camera should come out of the box at shutter count 0. Refurbushed, especially from the manufacturer, could be anything from 0 to 1000, but there's no 'rule'. It could be more. If a mechanical shutter is rated to 200,000, what is 1000, even 5000? The 1-year full warranty and a return option make refurbished really the same as buying new, except for the price.

BebuLamar

No if a new camera is defective and the customer returns it. It's a loss to the manufacturer but a loss they must take because they made the few defective cameras. So repair them and resell as a loss is OK because they just try to recoup some money. Keeping that defective camera does no good to them.
But with all that said I think there are some intermittent and hard to find problem that I think the refurbished didn't get fixed when resold.

mvetrano2 Loc: Commack, NY

Thank you Paul.

ronpier Loc: Poland Ohio

Best of luck. They should work things out if it can be repaired.

bikerguy

A few years ago I purchased a refurbished camera from Canon, it was perfect and still works properly. In my opinion there is no reason not to buy a refurbished body or lens from Canon. The refurbished item has the same warrantee as the new item. Most other manufacturers only have a 90 day warrantee on refurbished items. In those cases I would prefer to either buy new or used with a non-manufacturer 6 month warrantee.

Bikerguy

LFingar Loc: Claverack, NY

The whole world runs on refurbished/rebuilt parts and the vast majority of those parts perform exactly as required whether it's a camera or that jet engine you hope doesn't explode when you are cruising at 38,000'. No process is perfect and an occasional defect will always slip through but the odds are overwhelmingly in the purchaser's favor.