Is a 90-day Adorama warranty enough?

[Sleepy_Sentry]

I am looking into buying a refurbished Canon Rebel XTI from Adorama for $350.
1236B014AA Canon Digital Rebel XTi SLR Camera Body, 10.1 Megapixels, Black Finish - Recertified

However, I am a little concerned because the camera only has a 90-day Adorama warranty.

Is this something to be concerned about, or is it worth taking the risk? What are the chances of my camera failing 1-2 years from now? Most importantly, should I pass this deal up?

 

[photograham]

I think its decent..... I usually am too lazy to use warranties anyway.

 

[KmH]

As long as you understand that a recertified camera has been sold before, had a mechanical or electronic problem, was returned under the original warranty, repaired, and is being sold again.

There is no way to tell what your chances are over the next couple of years. That's why warranties are offered in the first place. To mitigate that risk.

In compensation, you will pay a reduced price for the camera.

 

[HelenOster]

I am looking into buying a refurbished Canon Rebel XTI from Adorama for $350.
1236B014AA Canon Digital Rebel XTi SLR Camera Body, 10.1 Megapixels, Black Finish - Recertified

However, I am a little concerned because the camera only has a 90-day Adorama warranty.

Is this something to be concerned about, or is it worth taking the risk? What are the chances of my camera failing 1-2 years from now? Most importantly, should I pass this deal up?

Until recently, all refurbished / recertified products from Adorama came with a 90 day return-to-Adorama warranty; 14 days from date of receipt for a full refund, and the balance for repair or replacement. We have now extended this to one year on many of the refurbished / recertified by Canon.

They may be ex-store demos, possibly used in field tests or sales displays, or are items that have been ordered in error and returned to the retailer (who can't then sell them as 'new' so they have to be sent back to the manufacturer for refurbishment / recertification). They can also have simply been pulled from the production line if something appears faulty, or which haven't passed the final inspection.
Most of the time it is a very minor issue that needs correcting, nevertheless, once they are pulled from the normal flow of production, they get flagged as a refurbished / recertified model, so you may actually get a model straight from the factory that really has never been used!

A refurbished / recertified item will have been checked over by the manufacturer by hand, inspected very thoroughly, diagnosed, and calibrated by experienced technicians, and could therefore turn out to be more dependable than a new item - which will only have been checked by a process of systematic quality control protocol (ie by random sampling as they come off the conveyor belt).

As to the individual history of a single item, the honest answer is we have no way of knowing. Refurbished / recertified equipment is not like new inventory; the manufacturers contact us when they have a batch to sell, and the availability is unpredictable. However, if you were to ask my personal opinion on whether the equipment that Adorama offers as refurbished is typically less than a year old, based on the regularity with which we receive batches, I'd be inclined to think it is all relatively new.

I hope this helps.

Sincerely

Helen Oster
Adorama Camera Customer Service Ambassador

[email protected]
www.adorama.com

 

[Munky]

My SLR is Refurbished And i Saved OVER $300 and had no Problems Whatsoever!

 

[KmH]

Helen does a great job as Adorama Camera Customer Service Ambassador and is clearly an asset to Adorama.

However, the key line in her post is, and I quote:

"As to the individual history of a single item, the honest answer is we have no way of knowing."

And unfortunately, Munky's experience is only 1 instance and is statisticly irrelevant.

As with any purchase of a mass produced item there is a statistical chance the product will fail in some manner during ownership.

The longer the warranty the longer your protection in that case.

Take a good look at Adorama's warranty so you're fully informed what you are intitled to should there be a problem.

Certainly, many people think the reduced cost of a certified camera is worth the increased exposure of having to pay in full for a repair should there subsequently be a problem.

 

[wiredhernandez]

Its worth it if the device doesnt break within a year I guess. I have purchased 2 refurb/used Cameras from Adorama and have had zero issues ... I think they offer their own extended warranty..

 

[Sleepy_Sentry]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I actually ended up buying a Rebel XSI used from Adorama for only $499. It includes a one-year Canon warranty and is in mint condition so I'm all set.