How reliable are Sony Vaio Refurbs?

Just checking here to ask about any personal experiences with Sony's refurbs. Are they good, bad? Do edu discounts apply to refurb models too?

 

I was wondering the exact same thing. I couldn't find a general description of what constitutes a Sony refub anywhere on thier site. Some companies will specifically say that all cosmetic issues are fixed before being put out for sale etc..

 

I also wonder two more questions...

I see the Sony Outlet has 15% off automatically, and a 10% off additionally as an edu discount. Do both apply?

Also, the model I am looking at (FW) is out of stock in the outlet. Like Apple and Dell, do these update daily, or less frequent?

Thanks for the help.

 

They update sometimes hourly. I came very close to getting an aw with fantastic specs for under 1100 but went out of stock during checkout. I too was wondering about cosmetic issues but have decided to buy new for the free 1 yr limited.

 

I hope Sony checks all cosmetic issues to correct before selling...

 

Most of the time those refurb models are brand new units that have been discontinued (like FW100 series, got replaced with 200); I've bought a number of refurb notebooks and they were as brand new.

 

Hmm okay. I am buying an FW though, which is this generation notebook, I think. Here's the model:

VGN-FW390

Maybe summer refreshes are on the way, explaining its out of stock status?

Does the 10% edu discount apply on top of the 15% automatic discount on the Outlet notebooks?

 

Very reliable. My three Vaios are all refurbished laptops. All of them were like new cosmetically and functionally.

 

Just to let you know, FW is being refreshed at the moment with Ati 4650 GPU.

 

I have had a refurbished FZ15G for over 18 months now. When I bought it I got it for NZ$1700 instead of NZ$2200. I have however had a bit of trouble with it.

I had a faulty 8400GT, and I could tell that was the problem. I took into their service center and them that was the problem, they denied it and said it was my fault for not keeping it clean (which is a load of lies, they tell that to everyone who has a problem, even if the user had bothered to clean it out which I had). 2 Months later the laptop goes, and what a surprise the the 8400GT has fried itself. After telling them they should have listened and show some respect towards their customers 'knowledge' they gave me an extra years worth of warranty. I think it is also worth noting that Sony has still done nothing about faulty Nvidia GPUs, no driver update or even an acknowledgment that I am aware of.

So although I love the design and such of a Sony laptop I probably won't be buying another one, and certainly not a refurbishment.

 

Well maybe to change the focus, as I will be waiting for the FW refresh, and probably going to buy new...

How is Sony's customer service? Does it honor faults over time, or does it ridicule on a regular basis? How well does it compare to HP's service? Sorry to hear about the NVidia GPU... I hope things work out. I wonder what might happen with the ATI cards if something to that degree occurred...

 

Doesn't opening the notebook to "clean it out" void the warranty?

 

Wait, does opening the notebook on any Sony voids the warranty? Like upgrading hard drives and RAM?

 

I have been thinking about a Sony Z, until I read that upgrading the harddrive required opening the notebook (taking the keyboard off), and that it voids the warranty. So if that's true, then it's really hilarious for them to deny a warranty claim based on the fact that the user didn't open it up to clean it. And to my knowledge, nowhere does Sony state in it's documentation that the notebook needs to be sent to an authorized service center at predetermined intervals to be cleaned.

 

What about upgrading on the FW?

 

Apparently not, however I have heard through a NZ site that Sony blamed the 'damage' on his motherboard to him opening up the laptop, although he too had a fried GPU that they eventually admitted to.

 

Wow, is Sony really that strict on their policies? Something we all need to be aware of?