LIVE AGAIN - Refurb Dell Ultrasharp 2408WFP $180 + tax + shipping (AC)

you should update your title to reflect the refurb condition. might be helpful to others.

showing out of stock for me

Dead Now

It should be noted that stock at DFS is constantly replenished and there's really not much of a pattern to when it happens. If you want it, you just have to refresh the page and hope you get lucky.

That being said, I've had great experiences with DFS. I've gotten a few 2408WFPs over the years and they'll all arrived in conditions that I'd personally grade as excellent/like new.

Quote from huevos : That being said, I've had great experiences with DFS. I've gotten a few 2408WFPs over the years and they'll all arrived in conditions that I'd personally grade as excellent/like new.

Not for me, unfortunately. The 2408 I got was in pretty bad shape. YMMV with refurb stuff obviously, but I purchased based on comments like yours and my experience was not so positive. In other words, BUYER BEWARE

Quote from allenwr1505 : Note that these only come with a 90 day warranty. I've bought 5 monitors from these guys and only one had a problem.

80% problem-free is supposed to be good? You're lucky if you have a problem within 90 days because these components may be ~4 years old, which is pretty much the backlight MTBF. You may get a newish one with lighter use, or may get one that was switched on and off constantly for years til the power supply died and was replaced, but not before the CCFL was thrashed to within 6 months of following suit. I will say that if you feel like playing refurb roulette, you could do lots worse than this deal

Quote from bsg75 : 80% problem-free is supposed to be good? You're lucky if you have a problem within 90 days because these components may be ~4 years old, which is pretty much the backlight MTBF. You may get a newish one with lighter use, or may get one that was switched on and off constantly for years til the power supply died and was replaced, but not before the CCFL was thrashed to within 6 months of following suit. I will say that if you feel like playing refurb roulette, you could do lots worse than this deal

Well, I've had one of my monitors for quite a while now and it's still going strong. As for the one that had the problem, it was a U2410 that kept on flickering on and off which is a well-known issue with RevA01 of the U2410's. I had to send it back and unfortunately they couldn't give me a new one and only gave me my refund. The U2410's are so hard to find so it was quite disappointing.

Quote from ctlaltl33t : Not for me, unfortunately. The 2408 I got was in pretty bad shape. YMMV with refurb stuff obviously, but I purchased based on comments like yours and my experience was not so positive. In other words, BUYER BEWARE

This is correct. Definitely YMMV. I have purchased two 2408WFPs from DFS and one of the stands is jacked up. I don't care as I'm saving it for when my primary dies and will swap stands, but it wouldn't be usable otherwise.

The good news is that Dell does a good job honoring their warranty [dfsdirectsales.com], and any problems will most likely show up right away, let alone within the 100-day warranty.

I wouldn't hesitate to buy from DFS.

The ones sold in the Dell outlet usually are in good condition. DFS probably is more hit or miss. Also, these could be old junkers they're just trying to get rid of that they through in the DFS just to get them out of there. Normally they just keep cycling the crappy ones as replacements for people who have problems with theirs, hoping people won't notice. This esp. becomes a problem they older monitor you have since there usually aren't any new replacements.

Quote from ctlaltl33t : Not for me, unfortunately. The 2408 I got was in pretty bad shape. YMMV with refurb stuff obviously, but I purchased based on comments like yours and my experience was not so positive. In other words, BUYER BEWARE

Refurb stuff is YMMV, of course. But DFS pays for return shipping and you can schedule a UPS pick up from wherever you are. You're not really out anything at all. Combine it with a card like Amex for 200 days of warranty coverage. Not too bad in my book.

Quote from Reid : This is correct. Definitely YMMV. I have purchased two 2408WFPs from DFS and one of the stands is jacked up. I don't care as I'm saving it for when my primary dies and will swap stands, but it wouldn't be usable otherwise. The good news is that Dell does a good job honoring their warranty [dfsdirectsales.com], and any problems will most likely show up right away, let alone within the 100-day warranty. I wouldn't hesitate to buy from DFS.

You should have called them. Like I mentioned in the OP when my stand had a problem they gave me a $55 refund.

DFS handles off lease Dell equipment. A lot of big companies do not buy their PC equipment, they lease it. DFS is a reputable refurbishing branch. They will honor the warranty and the items should be in good working condition as described. But there should be no misunderstanding, most of these items have been used in a business environment for their multi-year lease term. They are not promised to be in the like new condition most items from Dell outlet are. In reality they have probably had higher use then most privately owned equipment.

So going into this deal one should understand that this is not nearly the same thing as Dell outlet which, unless they are classified as scratch and dent, are basically new items that were returned due to some early problem, or new items that were cancelled before they even shipped.

Think of DFS like a used craigslist or eBay item with a real warranty. If the price is good enough for that thinking, then buy. If not, look elsewhere.

Having said that the OP's deal is a pretty decent one. You pay a pretty penny for high quality IPS 1920x1200 monitors new, it's hard to justify the cost with all the dirt cheap 24" 1920x1080 TN monitors out there, but to some, it is worth it.

Having said that, CFL backlit monitors are about one of the least attractive things I'd buy from DFS. The vast majority of them have seen daily office hour use through their existence. One could argue that a 3 year old used daily 2408 is still more reliable than a brand new bargain TN panel unit, but it's a tough sell. A monitor would have to be pretty cheap for me to consider it. Maybe $150 shipped for this deal would make it pretty nice.

Quote from huevos : Refurb stuff is YMMV, of course. But DFS pays for return shipping and you can schedule a UPS pick up from wherever you are. You're not really out anything at all. Combine it with a card like Amex for 200 days of warranty coverage. Not too bad in my book.

Amex extends on refurb?