Scratch and dent or refurbished

Greetings, I ordered a scratch and dent from Dell. It arrived with no visible marks, just a refurbished sticker on the bottom. I've had previous problems with their refurbished laptop so I wrote them about this and the response was "scratch and refurbished both are same and there is no any difference between both." I then called customer service and was told that it is new - it had been a cancelled order so they just put on a refurbished sticker.

Any suggestions? Thank you!

 

Take off the "refurbished" sticker and enjoy?

 

Thank you slimmolG, but with all due respect, my point is that I do not want a refurbished computer. I was hoping someone might have had previous experience with this issue, or insight about Dell's responses to me.

 

All computers from the Outlet come with refurbished stickers regardless of if they are "scratch and dent" or "certified refurbished." I've ordered countless of both and have never actually seen a scratch or dent in them. Typically the scratch and dent are returned or canceled orders, but that's what I was told by my old company's dell rep (we ordered millions of dollars in dell stuff through him each year).

 

Sorry, just going with the information I had.
If it was a cancelled order, and it wasn't sent out, and they say it is brand new, and all they did was put a sticker on it, I'd say you got a steal of a deal and saved some cash on a new laptop.

 

I've had "scratch and dent" which did have a hint of superficial damage but the hardware was 100% functional. I've also had "refurbished" which looked like new. It's sometimes possible to get an insight into the computer's history by putting the service tag into the support system as the system isn't always immediately updated once the computer (if previously sent to someone) is shipped to you.

John

 

Once that machine is "ordered"...It's technically NOT NEW. If that order is then cancelled, they have to sell it as "scratch and dent". It's been taken out of their inventory as new. Not a big deal for a small mom and pop shop, but for the volume dell moves out of their warehouses, then...this is what happens. YOU got a deal...ENJOY!

 

Thank you everyone. I am now rather confused about what to do. But Dell just made a decision.

Customer service responded to my email and wrote: " scratch and refurbished both are same and there is no any difference between both."

Me: I need more explanation since "scratch and dent" and "refurbished" have different definitions. In the business world, "scratch and dent" refers to a new product that has never been used but has cosmetic defects such as scratches and/or dents. The definition of "refurbished" is a product that has been used, returned, and has had some type of technical change so that it's supposedly fixed.

Customer service: " I do not wish you to trouble, Since you are our valuable customer I will process a replacement."

After reading replies from kojack and John, I sure hope things work out for my next computer. Thanks again, everyone.

 

My own interpretation of the definitions is that "refurbished" might be new cancelled orders or something returned because the purchaser changed their mind or something returned because it was defective. Anything which has been returned should have been checked (including replacement components if needed) and restored to factory settings. It may be decided that very minor cosmetic damage does not merit parts replacement and is sold as "scratch and dent". Either way, the Outlet products come with the same warranty as brand new from the factory.

However, I would note that the system in Europe might be slightly different to US as the Dell UK Outlet handles all returned European Dell notebooks (so they all get given UK keyboards) although I don't know what they do with cancelled orders.

John

 

Thanks, John. I found a very helpful Dell employee. She looked up the laptop history and said it was previously used, and that almost all scratch and dents are previously used (refurbished) computers. I cancelled the replacement, sent this one back, and will purchase a new computer, but not a Dell.

 

I guess I'm confused about your issue here.

1. Refurbished typically means they had to replace components. Dictionary.com defines it as "to make neat, clean, or complete, as by renovating, re-equipping, or restoring." Out side of restoring the operating system it is likely the same components.
2. You ordered a scratch and dent computer which is a previously used or canceled order. Were you expecting it to be a factory blemish? I don't think any company sells factory blemishes when you can replace a cover for 50 cents.
3. You likely saved a significant amount of money ordering scratch and dent, didn't it seem like there was some "catch" to that?

Good luck with your new system

 

+1

 

It used to be that "scratch and dent" referred to new products that had never been used, only physically marred. Home Depot, for example, sold new appliances at a deep discount if they had scratches or dents. I mistakenly thought that Dell used the same definition. My mistake.

Background: In 2015 I bought a new Inspiron which lasted 18 months. After 5 motherboards were replaced, I insisted on another laptop. They sent me a refurbished Inspiron which has had a series of problems and is no longer functioning. But I like Dell's laptops, and unfortunately thinking scratch and dent was new, I ordered a latitude which I learned is another refurbished. This has been a learning curve for me. I hope I explained this okay.

 

No your reasoning makes sense, but I don't know when scratch and dent has ever been a term for factory blemish in the computer world. I've been ordering scratch and dent computers for many years and most of them were customer returns according to my IBM/Lenovo/Dell reps.

 

I'm not familiar with the computer world. I'm just passing through on my way to purchasing a piece of equipment necessary in my line of work. I'm a retired bakery owner, writer, and teach baking, and the business of baking. (So if you have any bakery/business questions, I may have some answers.)

Thank you everyone, for your help.