few questions about dell outlet

ok im quite new to the whole dell outlet business but ive noticed some amazing deals on some of the systems.
how safe is it to go for refurbished dell systems?
would there be ANY marks or scratches on their systems? will it look EXACTLY like a new one or there will be some difference/marks.
if i pick up an xps m1530 from dell outlet for around 649$, will i get all the accessories as well? like the nylon xps bag etc
im get quite paranoid if there is even a small scratch... refurbished systems remove them all?
thanks!

 

Supposedly, unless they specifically say it is a "Scratch & Dent" system, it should look as new. However, I have never ordered from them so I cannot tell you of my own experience.

 

My notebook looked brand spankin new aside from the hunter green REFURBISHED sticker on the bottom. For the other question, I'm pretty sure I read that all systems come with whatever they come with brand new unless otherwise stated, but don't quote me on that.

 

There are lot's of forum members that have purchased from the Outlet and have had great experience with ordering, and their actual purchase!

If you order a *Previously Ordered New* you should be fine, even with the Certified Refurbs...you should be good. Scratch and Dent, you know what you may bet getting!

As with the 1530...you may or may not get the extra accessories. That promo, ended a long time ago!

Here see this thread about the Outlet:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=341198

Cin

 

I buy pretty much exclusively from the Outlet. All of the computers I have bought look brand new and they come with everything that you would get with a new computer. You also get the same warranty.

 

thanks a lot for all the help! some of the prices at the outlet are really awesome!
the only reason i was a lil scared is cuz im from india and would get the laptop from the outlet through a friend... so if i recieved a dead laptop here, there is nothing much i can do with it... but as u guys say, outlet is the way to go

 

You should have your friend power on the laptop and check it out before he sends it along. The one Studio I bought had a bad screen, but the next one I received was fine.

 

I just got my Dell Outlet Latitude E6500 today. I was also skittish about ordering a refurbished product, but decided to do so b/c of the positive posts on these boards and the prices were so good.

Here's what I have seen in my few hours of examining the computer. Overall, it looks great. It had a very minor (i.e. hardly visible) scratch on the top, but nothing that wouldn't have been there within a week of me using it anyhow. No big deal. The two pieces that do appear to be damaged are a) a piece of plastic broke off of the optical drive (DVD-RW). it's part of the drive eject button (not to put in a DVD but to remove the entire optical drive. There is no screw on the bottom to secure it, I noticed, so my guess is that this switch popped out and then snapped off in transit (the piece was in the plastic wrap containing the computer within the box, so that's my guess.

2) There is missing metal piece when I look at the heat vent on the side. This is probably no big deal, but I paid for a "like new" computer, and I expect to have it as such. That piece is also in the plastic wrap, so perhaps it also broke off during shipping (or perhaps it had broken off prior but was missed in the inspection--I don't know).

Other than that, the computer seems to work and look great. I'll probably call Dell and see how we can get those two pieces fixed. I want a like new computer, so I will ensure this gets taken care of. So all-in-all, I'm a bit disappointed in teh Outlet, but the jury is clearly still out. If this computer turns out to work great for me for several years, I will be a VERY happy outlet customer. It also depends how they fix these two physical defects mentioned above. Will keep the group posted.

 

I purchase 2 laptops from the Dell outlet (E6400 and M2400). Both had minor issues, but at the end they solved every issue and I was very satisfied.

The E6400 came with a wobbly battery and missing a restore disk; Dell overnighted me a new battery and the disk free of charge despite having only the standard warranty.
The M2400 came with a permanent marker stain on the screen cover; the Dell rep offered me a brand new unit and also a personal suggestion of using rubbing alcohol to rid the stain (which came right off effortlessly).

I have to give high credibility to Dell's CS and wouldn't hesitate ordering from the outlet again.

 

Mine was at an amazing price and looked brand new! I pealed the refurb sticker off and then it would have fooled anyone

 

Ive had my 6400 for about 2 years now and havnet had a single problem with it. I just got a refub one with the year warranty but atleast when I got mine you could get all of their warranty.

Ive also had a friend order 2 others and she's very happy with them.

I think they did change how they reword "refub" it can have "some minor defects" like miss print of graphics etc.

I would use Dell Outlet again if that help

 

I've been a Dell Outlet customer for several years with only a few minor issues. One problem was a Latitude D630 that I ordered for my employer (at the time) and was listed as having 3GB of RAM. It arrived with only 1GB. Dell went above-and-beyond by overnighting me 4GB to install (2x2GB) insted of just a single 2GB to add to the 1GB already installed.

The most recent purchase I made from them was a Latitude E6500 shows as "Certified Refurbished". It arrived two days ago and all seemed well, but I didn't inspect it as thoroughly as I usually do. Last night, when using it in a different room than my office (living room), I noticed that the display bezel is broken. Held at certain angles, I can also make out what seems to be a point of impact in the bottom left corner of the display bezel and minor cracks starting to form.

I called immediately after I'd thoroughly re-checked every inch of it. The rep volunteered to overnight me a new bezel (which I'm pretty sure I could install myself) or to even send a tech over to fix it (and I don't have NBD On-Site service, just the basic mail-in warranty). I told her how much I appreciated her offers to quickly repair the damage, but the only thing I needed at that point was a Return Authorization. It was handled in five minutes and emailed to me this morning. They send you a pre-paid UPS return label, all you have to do is pack it up and drop it off at any UPS drop!

I've ordered at least 20 systems from the Outlet and this is the only one that has arrived damaged. Even the scratch/dent units are usually such minor blemishes that I can cover them up. So one return out of 20+ does nothing to dimish my enthusiam for the Dell Outlet!

The 20% off deal has expired now, but the rep was kind enough to offer me the discount to use for the next two weeks if/when I choose a replacement system for the one I'm sending back.