Buying an LCD from Techforless - safe?

D

DarkScythe

Limp Gawd
Joined
Mar 7, 2008
Messages
367
Hello,

I recall several people recommending (or at least buying from) techforless around here, but I'm not sure how safe it would be. Not 'safe' as in how secure they are (although this matters too) but rather, how safe it is to buy a refurb LCD from them.

I'm trying to find their LCD/pixel policy, but there's no mention of it anywhere. I checked the 30-day guarantee but there's no specifics about this mentioned, only a restocking fee for non-defective items. I'm looking at a "factory refurbished" LCD, so I'm not sure if it will have any problems or dead pixels. The other problem I have with it is that it says it only has 90 days of warranty.. versus 4 years for a new one, so I'm also concerned about the unit suddenly dying after those 90 days. Also, if it's refurbished, does that also mean the backlight will have a number of hours on them or do they replace the backlight as part of the refurbishing process?

Thanks.
 
The backlight will have hours on it. I got my 2490 factory refurb from them in January. If you want a warranty you can also get a third-party warranty at checkout, but it might be a carry-in warranty in which case you will want to check out the warranty company and their service center locations.

I wouldn't buy any LCD that isn't new or factory refurbished from a quality manufacturer. In my book, those manufacturers are Dell, NEC, and Eizo.
 
Heh, I just wrote a post on this general topic last night.

http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1442782

I will repeat the highlights. LCDs, like most electronics, tend to fail early. That works in your favor in two ways: first, the refurbished monitor probably has not been used for very long; second, if the monitor lives through the short warranty period, it will likely work perfectly for a long time.

The refurb process only replaces what is broken, so unless the monitor was returned due to a defective backlight, I don't think they would replace it. That said, IIRC, CCFL is usually rated for at least 20000 hours (almost 7 years if you use it for 8 hours every day), so I wouldn't worry about it.

If you want full warranty, pay for it. If you have zero tolerance for bad pixels, pay for it (buy a Dell with premium panel guarantee, or buy B&M that allow returns with no restocking fee). Whether it is worth it depends on how much risk you are willing to take for the discount, but bear in mind that even buying new may not guarantee perfection (many manufacturers & retailers do not guarantee zero bad pixels).

I have dealt with Tech4Less customer service once; they responded quickly and to my satisfaction. I have no problem with ordering from them again.
 
I had a few stuck pixels on a 20WMGX2, and they shipped an exchange immediately after I e-mailed them, and gave me a UPS label to print out for the return.
 
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