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Looking for a decent refurbished IT equipment provider...

AlexM

By AlexM
in Hardware

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AlexM

AlexM

Posted
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I've had a few schools buying various refurbished equipment from numerous companies and in setting these things up I've found some are good and some are not so good but consistantly I have found at leat one or two 'items' have needed to go back due to faults.

 

I do want to give schools good advice and have a fighting chance that if they have to buy refurbished that they get half decent kit so I'm after recommendations :-)

 

Refurbished laptops are especially a big concern as batteries are either going to be original and potentially near end of life or aftermartket rip-offs that won't last long at all.

 

Really would love to hear your thoughts, experiences and a few names of good and bad refurb resellers; I'll no doubt share some of my own experiences too.

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ICTDirect_Dave

ICTDirect_Dave

Posted
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ICT Direct has an outstanding reputation on here and @ICTDirect_Dave posts regularly. I am a happy customer of theirs.

Thanks @elsiegee40, aren't you supposed to be on holiday right now? ;)

That's a top tip - thank you very much; I'll take a look...

Hi @AlexM I'd be happy to try and help you out. We strive to be the most consistent refurbisher, quality and price-wise. Drop me a PM if you'd like to chat about how we can help?

How about IDNS? Not been terribly impressed so far... Anyone had experience?

IDNS are hit and miss in my experience. They will quote out stock and then go to market to find the refurb kit from other suppliers. They often call me asking for certain lines. This can result in a good deal, but if there's a shortage it can also result in poor quality kit from unknown suppliers.

ICT Direct, BIST and Insight have all been good for us.

Glad to be of service :)

 

As for BIST and Insight. BIST actually buy a lot from our trade department, so in essence you're often getting my kit by way of another company :)

Insight seem to be reselling T1A machines. T1A are admittedly a big player in the refurb market and their stuff tends to be good. Like for like I reckon we've got them beat however.

ICTDirect_Dave

ICTDirect_Dave

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Another +1 for @ICTDirect_Dave

As well as quality products, the service is top notch.

We've got two trolley's full of Lenovo Thinkpad T410s from them which are pushing 10 years old and still working well.

 

You bought those beauties way back in 2014! Glad they're still going strong!

hallb15

hallb15

Posted
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You bought those beauties way back in 2014! Glad they're still going strong!

 

It's getting more difficult to find spare parts for them now - particularly keyboards - but I keep patching them up and they're still performing well. Going to try Windows 10 on them next - that could seal their fate...

PotNoodleTech

PotNoodleTech

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Well it appears as if you are expecting second hand 3+ year old laptops to be brand new? Not going to happen!

 

That being said, in terms of the quality of the kit (it works, does not have too many scratches, packed well, etc) ICT Direct and Hardware Associates are my favourites.

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CyBeRkId2002

CyBeRkId2002

Posted
Posted

I would add that we pay the little extra for laptops and go new. As AButters says you are never going to get something as highly mobile and user facing as a laptop that is 3 yrs old and as new. Couple in the battery issue as you have mentioned and it seems like a false economy to me but each to their own.

 

Desktops, however, have the power button pressed once a day and then quite often sit happily under someones desk. Would probably consider one of their servers too should the need arise.

ICTDirect_Dave

ICTDirect_Dave

Posted
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I would add that we pay the little extra for laptops and go new. As AButters says you are never going to get something as highly mobile and user facing as a laptop that is 3 yrs old and as new. Couple in the battery issue as you have mentioned and it seems like a false economy to me but each to their own.

At this point it might be worth my mentioning that we do a couple of lines of Remanufactured laptops, that are physically in an 'As New' condition. They were a great hit at Bett!

They have been fully re-worked, and have new coats of paint to the exterior, a reprinted keyboard and a perfect screen.

Battery life is also excellent as we test all laptop batteries and only sell those that can cope with regular use. I've run comparisons with our used batteries against new compatibles and found that the lifetimes slightly favour the used batteries.

synaesthesia

synaesthesia

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ICT Direct are fantastic as above. We do use our local supplier too, although they tend to source from "the channel" - exactly the same kit supplied by iDNS and others at very similar prices so the only real difference comes from after-sales service.
john

john

Posted
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ICT Direct has an outstanding reputation on here and @ICTDirect_Dave posts regularly. I am a happy customer of theirs.

 

Another vote for ICT Direct used them for many many years for all-sorts and always been super happy with them and the service provided by them so no complaints here with them and very happy to use and recommend :)

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ICTDirect_Dave

ICTDirect_Dave

Posted
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I have used for years Pure it refurbished/ good stock, they source equipment themselves, good support and so far cheapest. They even offer us 5yrs warranty. IDNS was quite more expensive for same items. Bought only desktops so far. @ICTDirect_Dave do you sell refurbished chromebooks?

 

We don't do refurb chromebooks I'm afraid. Primarily because chromebooks are already £200 laptops with all the longevity issues you'd associate with that price tag. By the time they reach us, they've taken a proper kicking and aren't viable any more.

However, we do offer 5 year warranties, just like Pure, AND we will always try to be cheaper than them like for like. :)

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