What makes a product or laptops re-certified for consumer use? We’ve realized that not many consumers are really aware of what these terms really mean and trust us as Nigerians to freely use words that we do not understand.
When a laptop is said to be re-certified it simply means the process of quality checks and assurances that laptop has been subjected to all over again to ensure all the components work as they should. During the manufacturing stage of the product, maybe something went wrong or a step was missed resulting in one or more faulty parts in the product which is noticed in the process of quality checks and assurances. As a result, that faulty part is identified, maybe a faulty screen, hard drive or keyboard and subsequently replaced. But because these particular products had to go back into the factory to get re-certified they are not regarded as brand new but rather re-certified.
Now the essential difference between a re-certified product is the warranty period. Warranty differs from manufacturer to manufacturer but mostly re-certified products are given between 30 to 60 days warranty. Recertified products usually do not come with warranty but are bought ‘as is’.
Note that the product is still brand new as it has not yet been used by any consumer. But because of that one part that was replaced, it can’t be said to be 100% brand new hence the name re-certified. This is what re-certified means and it is not to be confused with used products or renovated products. The essential point that we should remember is that re certifications are done by the manufacturers themselves from their factories and not by retailers.
A HP re-certified laptop must be re-certified by HP. Dell by Dell and so on. Anything other than this is simply a used product and as we have identified earlier is very different from a re-certified product.
Advantages of re-certified laptops
The advantages of re-certified laptops can be seen from several angles such as price, genuineness and warranty.
First off is Price
We can all agree price is king. This is the most important because all the other reasons to buy a re-certified laptop comes from the reduced price tag. Money talks and because re-certified products are way cheaper than the brand new ones it makes some sense to acquire them. This means that you can buy a laptop originally valued at almost half a million Naira for about 20% to 30% less the price. Great bargain eh?
Genuine Products
This is so important and, in my opinion, the most important of all. Money is not everything guys! The fact that you can have a genuine product recertified by the original manufacturers gives a sense of confidence in buying that product. You get all the original packaging and software that is associated with the device and believe it or not this gives a security that should anything go wrong, you are covered by the manufacturers. So if you can look past a few scratches and some aesthetics that are usually associated with the brand new products then you are good to go.
Warranty
A warranty is good security when purchasing a recertified product. Make sure you ask if the product you are purchasing has a warranty and if so, what kind and how long is it good for. If anybody is selling you a ‘recertified’ product without any warranty, then chances are that the product is refurbished and not re certified. A recertified product usually comes with at least 3 months warranty depending on the product.
Also see if you can purchase an extended warranty for the product. The warranty can be a deciding factor when deciding to go re-certified or refurbished.