Ron Schenone

Dell & Wal-Mart Rumor – Dell Selling Refurbished Units As New?

Posted by on Oct 26, 2007 | 6 Comments

It didn’t make any sense to me when I first read it, but one blogger has posted that Wal-Mart would be selling refurbished Dell units as new.  This was supposed to me some type of hot insider information the blogger received.  RichardatDell left a comment to the brief article which stated:

Mark
I read your post this morning and have followed up and checked on your story. I want you to know that 100% of the shipments from Dell’s North Carolina WS1 are newly-built products, including for Wal Mart customers. Dell does not ship refurbished PCs as part of our retail sales program.

I hope that sets the record straight.

The last time I recall any company doing this was Packard Bell many years ago. They were taking return computers and throw thme back out the door as new. Seems that some folks were buying systems marked as new which contained love letters already on the hard disk. Whatever happened to Packard Bell?

I would find it hard to believe that either Wal-Mart nor Dell would try and pull a quickie on the public. The odds of them getting caught are extremely high.  The ramifications would be unsurmountable for both companies  and would far out weigh any financial gain for either of them.

So we could look at this two ways. First if there was a plan to sell refurbished computers as new, the plan is now busted. OR, this is exactly what it appears to be. Just a rumor without merit.

You decide what to believe.

Comments welcome.

Post can be found here.

[tags]wal-mart, dell, computers, refurbished, new, sell, [/tags]

  • http://www.goretsky.com/ Aryeh Goretsky

    Hello,

    Packard Bell was acquired by NEC in 1996, if memory serves. They are still sold in Europe, Latin America and parts of China, the Middle East and Africa. Earlier this month, Gateway announced they intend to acquire a controlling stake in the company.

    Regards,

    Aryeh Goretsky

  • http://web.me.com/shervieux Scott

    Had the same problem with RadioShack and IBM. Radio Shack (back in 1998) ordered a laptop for me. I paid $3000. When it broke within the warrenty period, I was told by the store that all new machines must go through the manufacturer. When I contacted IBM, I was told that this specific laptop was a year old refurbed unit that a Radioshack VP returned, and therefore did not qualify for the full warrenty. Luckily IBM asked for my sales receipt and honored that I bought it, thinking it was a newly ordered machine – IBM then told me that the specific laptop listed on my receipt and the order RadioShack placed ended up going to one of their VP’s. IBM repaired the laptop as a warrenty issue, but then told me the price for that specific model was only $1100 when it was new. Radio never rectified their end and I have fought them through the BBB, only to have them return a lettter with failsified information obtained directly from that store owner. RS headquarters told me that that particular store was a franchise and not owned by Radio Shack, so they could not intervien. Dispute was never settled. my account went to collections and I paid them on settlement only for the price of the machine that IBM said it was worth.

    I found out later that the store owner was my manager’s brother. My manager informed me that he had called and tried to get me fired saying that I bought the system for the company and I was representing the company with falsified information. My manager knew better and told everyone that his brother is a crook and that is why they do not speak.

    lessoned learned, I never bought anything from any Radio Shack after that. And after the Customer Service I received lately with Dell, they lost my sales also – and I used to repair PC’s for people for free (well, they paid for the parts; not the labor and I did all the leg work).

  • Myself

    yep, they sell refurbished goods as new! I work for a steel mill & ordered a “new” latitude xt for one of our purchasing agents(I think that was his title) Anyway, the tablet was supposed to be new as stated above but while he was away on a business trip, he called us @ the help desk saying, “Who had this laptop before me?” We told him just the IT dept to load the necessary software. & he responded saying there are over 800 mp3s under 2 users on the tablet.

    so you be the judge :)

  • Rawr

    I guess it doesn’t help anyone if I add to this claim but might as well. I was actually talking to my friend last night about his PC as he’s saying its has gotten sluggish and reckons he needs a new processor. In the process of figuring out the current specs of his PC he ended up taking off the side panel and one of the chipboards had a ‘Reman’ sticker on it. Turns out he’d bought it from Wal Mart ‘as new’ 2 years ago.

    So yeah even if they aren’t doing this now looks like they definitely were around 2008

  • Melz

    Currently I am arguing with Walmart regarding false advertising for an HP Touchsmart 300-1223. Their advertisement doesnt match the unit’s box. The box does not match the unit inside. Walmart tells me based on serial number this unit was sold in November. Contacted HP who states this unit was registered for HP support in July of 2010. I say WTF! Is this selling a refurb as new? Is HP and\or Walmart simply ripping off the public?? We went into the store and checked the Dell unit-components missing here as well which Dell states would not ship without. Something shady is going here….and I’m pissed!

  • cl morrow

    Well, I can tell you one thing my husband bought me an emachines computer from walmart for my birthday in may 2010 and I didnt actually set the computer up until Feb 2011. I had to call tech support because it would not boot up correctly and I found out that the computer was a refurbished unit….. Talk about being mad…. it is still under warranty, but I have to send the piece of crap to temple texas to have the hard drive replaced….. Walmart sucks