Dell Outlet - worth looking through? (plus warranty question)

Is dell outlet worth looking through for a good deal, i've seen some nice stuff there for cheap, but im worried I might end up with something that will need repairs a lot, does anyone have experience with dell outlet and refurbished dell laptops?

also if a dell warranty expires can you buy an extended warranty or your basically stuck with the warranty plan you picked when you first ordered the system?

 

That is a tough decision. With aggressive pricing and coupons, the prices for something new rivals that of the refurbished machines that have been sent back. My impression of those machines is that they are 'guaranteed to work' and have had testing and preparation to be 'trouble free'. Even some of the newer computers like the Dell Latitude D620 and D820s are in the outlet. I would seriously compare the costs of similarly priced machines to see what works for you.

Some companies like American Express that 'extends your warranty' do not cover refurbished machines.

I bought the D620 that already has a 3 year warranty and AMEX will add another year of coverage so purchasing a plan was not an issue. I believe you get the full manufacturers warranty if you purchase from Dell if you buy from the outlet.

Yet?

 

I'm a mere sample of 1, but I can tell you that I bought an XPS M140 from Dell Outlet about 3 weeks ago. Centrino 1.73 mhz, DVD+RW, 1 GB RAM, XP Professional. It was "refurbished". It arrived with all CD's (including XP Pro install CD) and manuals in sealed packaging and original boxes. If not for the small "refurbished" sticker on the bottom of the notebook, it could have passed as new. There was not a scuff or mark on it. It also has a full 1 year warranty, just as a new M140 had at the time.

I think there are three types of notebooks sold by Dell Outlet. "Customer Ordered New", which I believe means it was shipped to a customer but never booted beyond the EULA, "Refurbished", which means it was booted up and used by a customer but returned for some reason (which may or may not have been a hardware defect), and "scratch and dent" which means that there is some cosmetic flaw which does not affect the operation of the notebook. So long as you stay clear of the scratch and dent, I expect you'd receive a notebook that appears for all intents and purposes as new. Like I did.

Granted, the savings may or may not be enough to justify going that route. You'd just have to compare costs at the time. But so far as worrying about the quality of what you'd receive, I can only say that I was very pleased with the notebook that I got.