sony outlet: a bunch of refurbished Z

from the lowest 540 to the highest 590. I can't believe how many Z's. They are NOT clearance but refurb ones. I am starting to wonder about the true reliability of the Z. And I also wonder what were the main problems for all these returns.

I also think the pricing is very wrong. $1540 for a refurb with 2gb and a 120GB HDD.

what do you guys think?

 

I'm thinking those were Z's sent back due to the various problems people aren't willing to put up with in a high-end laptop, like the squeaky keys, double typing and battery drain problems. I personally wouldn't risk buying those.

 

and now also pcnation has raised their prices. The lowest end Z is now at $1450. . Isn't the economy going down the drain and the prices are going up on Sony stuff.

 

They are also probably "returned" merchandise as well. I'm sure someone got a good deal on the pre-config i returned because i didn't notice that it didn't have built in WWAN. Sony has their 30 day return policy and they cannot resell an item that was already sold and opened/used "as new."

 

I think outlet merchandise also includes cancelled pre-config items... similar to Dell's outlet - although I guess Sony may not indicate whether it's refurb / cancelled order and just labelled them all as refurb?

 

I wonder why this makes you question the reliability of the Z.

They might just as well be returned for various other reasons. I know Geee returned one (or a couple ) while he was perfectly happy with it.

If a reseller has generous reurn policy's people are even going to return because they saw a cheaper deal somewhere else.

 

I bought a Z555 open box which turned out to have a dead pixel. I returned it. Also, I was sold a returned/re-formatted as 'brand new' at Sony Style store before I ended up with this Z which was purchased from a different retail chain. Long story....

 

Regarding the prices, I've seen "refurbished" SZ laptops on Sony's outlet for insane prices like $4000 (I got an identical model at the time for $1400), for no apparent reason at all. I think there's something really messed up with SonyStyle's managament, especially in less frequently used areas like the outlet area.

 

WOW. They raise the price? I got it for 1.4K then it went down to 1.3K then back up?

Maybe there are too many people buying the Z?

I can tell the Z is so much better than any other laptop out there. They are either too finger print city or too heavy and I am very disappointed in the Dell E4300.

 

A couple of those refurbs could be from me- I returned two Z 540's because they had stuck pixels, and a dead pixel. Hopefully you guys don't get unlucky and get those! I ordered the HP elitebook 2530 now, we'll see how it compares to the Z, which still is my favorite...

 

I honestly think they should say open box, or refurbished. It makes a BIG difference.

chong, I don't think THAT many people are buying it. But it is true that there are no 13" up to par as far as ratio weight/power. I was looking at the e4300 but read so many bad things about it. I don't like macs. But a few problems about the Z make me wonder.

 

I just looked over and honestly, if you guys compare the deal of these refurbished with new ones, they are not much of a difference after all the discount you will get.

 

that's what I am saying. Sony is starting to thick me off.