Only because I see this come up every once in a while...
FWIW, refurbished is not the same thing as used. Yes, a refurbished unit *can* be previously owned, but that is not necessarily the case. US law dictates that if a unit is taken off the shelf for an order, even if the order is cancelled, that unit needs to be labelled as a refurb.
via wikipedia:
Quote:
"Refurbished", in reference to computers or laptops, means that the equipment was returned to the manufacturer either because the customer simply didn't want it or a minor problem was found. Before re-selling the equipment, manufacturers fix and certify the unit and sell it at a discount.
Refurbished products cannot be sold as new products in the US, which is why they are relabeled as refurbished or refreshed units even if they are good-as-new (if, for example, the unit was returned for some reason unrelated to the product itself, i.e., the customer changed their mind about the color). Refurbished items may have scratches, dents or other forms of cosmetic damage which do not affect the performance of the unit.
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I worked at Dell support for a while and ran into this complaint a lot. My understanding from head office was that if the order was cancelled after the part serial numbers had been tagged as belonging to a specific order it was immediately a refurb. Unsurprisingly, Dell -- working almost exclusively over the internet -- has a lot of refurb parts.