Refurbished Computer – Never Again

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[Kathy Stevens]

Joy Systems has offered us a $30 gift card to review the remanufactured HP laptops we purchased from BestBuy in March, 2023.

Bottom line, we will never purchase another remanufactured computer.

The computers purchased from BestBuy were:

• A HP – ProBook 14″ Refurbished Laptop – Intel Core i5 – 8GB Memory – 480GB Solid State Drive – Black (Model:640 G2-31282 SKU:6297031) and
• A HP – ProBook 14″ Refurbished Laptop – Intel Core i5 – 8GB Memory – 256GB Solid State Drive – Black (Model:640 G2-31211, SKU:6297006).

On September 27, 2023 we advised Joy Systems (the remanufacturer) that one of the ProBooks had a recalled battery that needed to be replaced and the other laptop’s battery did not fully charge. In response, they shipped two replacement batteries.

On 10/4/2023 we notified them that:

• We had replaced both batteries as per their instructions,
• We were no longer getting the replace battery message on one of the ProBooks on startup or the restore battery message from HP Support Assistant on the other,
• However, now the battery in one of the PCs was at zero charge after several hours of being plugged in and was thus “nonfunctional”.

On 10/4/2023 we agreed to prepare and return the nonfunctional Probook to Joy Systems including:

• Uninstalling all applications that did not ship with the unit,
• Deleting all data files, and
• Wiping the C drive clean and reinstalling Windows 10 Pro.
• But apparently,
  • The unit Joy Systems refurbished was not reset to factory defaults.
  • While Windows was going through the setup process, we were prompted for a username and password, even though we did not set up an account when we originally started the system for the first time. And no username and password were delivered with the system.
  • It appeared that the PC’s former owner used Autopilot to assigns a GUID to the system’s motherboard and the ProBook was registered with Microsoft for Autopilot setup by the original owner.
  • When we tried to reinstall Windows 10: the motherboard woke up, connected to the Internet, phoned home to the deployment, and tried to re-enroll the motherboard and its hard drive with its former owner. Thus, we could not reinstall Windows.
• Therefore:
  • In addition to addressing the ProBook’s battery related issue,
  • The PC had to be “deregistered” before returning it to us so that we could do a fresh Windows 10 setup and recover the system from an Acronis backup.

On 10/24/2023 we returned the ProBook to Joy Systems.

On 10/26/2023 Joy Systems advised us that:

• They would replace not repair the defective PC.
• That they were “out of stock” of the computer we sent back for service,
• They offered to send us a computer that was similar in make, model, and specs as the one we sent back, and
• The replacement computer was an “840 G3 HP A Core i5-6300U 2.4GHz”

 

On 10/26/2023 we contacted Joy Systems and asked:

• For more details related to the replacement’s configuration and
• The replacement unit’s model number so that we could make an informed decision on the replacement. They refused and we had no option other than to have them ship the computer of their choice.

On 11/14/2023 the replacement computer was delivered – a HP EliteBook 840 G3 Notebook PC.

Then on 10/31/2023 it happened again – another battery failure. This time it was the second Joy Systems refurbished ProBook that we had purchased from BestBuy.

Thus, the replacement cycle stated again.

In the end, we have two replacement computers both HP EliteBook 840 G3 Notebook PCs – Product number: Y2Q29UP#ABA

Through the replacement cycle we:

• Exchanged more than 50 emails with Joy Systems,
• Opened both ProBooks and installed replacement batteries,
• Purchased two external drives to facilitate backing up the ProBook systems that were returned,
• Backed up both ProBook computers,
• Removed software and data files from both ProBook computers and wiped their SSD drives,
• Made six trips to pickup/deliver the computers/batteries to/from FedEx.
• Setup Windows 10 Pro on the two EliteBook replacement computers,
• Failed to recover Acronis backups on the two EliteBook replacement computers due driver incompatibility,
• Installed, software on the two new EliteBook computers, including contacting Microsoft in order to change the Office licenses from the ProBooks to the EliteBooks,
• Etc.

Based upon the time/value of our:

• Time spent working under the hoods of the two ProBooks,
• Time delivering and receiving packages from FedEx, and
• Our time spent setting up two EliteBooks.
• We would have been better of purchasing two new $400 laptops from HP.

Never again. Based upon our experience it is less expensive to purchase new vs refurbished.

• This topic was modified 1 year, 5 months ago by Kathy Stevens.
• This topic was modified 1 year, 5 months ago by Kathy Stevens.

8 users thanked author for this post.

wavy, TechTango, windbg, AusJohn, Cybertooth, SueW, WSbobby-p, Fred

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I have had good experiences with refurbished Dell computers purchased from the Dell Outlet (essentially like new or tiny scratches), and great experiences with used (not in any way refurbished) Thinkpads.

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Kathy Stevens

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A short footnote.

Despite the problems we had with Joy Systems overall, they did offer excellent customer service:

• Their customer service department responded promptly to our e-mail correspondence,
• They provided shipping containers for the return the computers, and
• They paid FedEx shipping in both directions.

Unfortunately, their “tech” department produced and shipped defective equipment and were less than candid relating to the replacement computers that were going to be shipped.

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I have never had a bad experience with refurbished computers like yours using a known reputable vendor like Dell ore HP. And I’ve bought several in the past.

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Kathy Stevens

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Thread title should read Refurbished Laptop Never Again.  Why on earth would anyone buy something that comes with a battery second hand?  Laptop batteries live a max 4 years and the non oem china ones are no good / fire hazard.

I bought a desktop from joy systems refurb maybe ten years ago, the computer was four years old at that time.  I got it for $100 and still using it works perfectly always has.

Refurb laptop, tablet, phone, is a fools errand.  Desktop, stereo, things that don’t have a battery, they are fine.

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windbg, Cybertooth, Kathy Stevens

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When buying two refurbished laptops from BestBuy we assumed that we would receive reliable computers – not machines that would die within six-months of purchase.

By definition refurbish means, to rebuild or replenish; to restore to original (or better) working order and appearance.

Joy Systems represents that it is the largest Microsoft Authorized Refurbisher in the world.

They go on to represent that as a HP Business Partner and Microsoft authorized refurbisher, that all their products are pre-vetted, de-bugged, and custom programmed to meet the new owner’s needs.

As part of the refurbishment program, they represent that:

• Individual computers are given an hour-long burn-in test to ensure proper functionality of hardware, battery, memory, and HDD/SSD using programs like PassMark.
• OS systems are individually installed on each device and a battery of tests are run to ensure all components function properly.

What they missed was the fact that HP has an ongoing worldwide safety recall and replacement program for ProBook 640 G2 Notebook batteries that was announced in January 2018 and expanded during 2019. HP represents that the recalled batteries have the potential to overheat, posing a fire and burn hazard to customers.

As part of their hour-long burn-in test and as a “HP Business Partner” they should have identified and addressed the battery issue during the refurbishment process.

However, it was during a monthly HP and Windows 10  update that the ProBook battery issue was identified.

In addition, during the operating system installation process they should have recognized that the PC had to be “de registered” prior to shipping it.

One of the two refurbished ProBooks we purchased was not “de-registered” prior to release from the factory.

The de-registration requirement is applicable to both laptop and desktop computers.

5 users thanked author for this post.

SueW, TechTango, Sueska, Cybertooth, windbg

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Thank you for the warning about this company, and being honest and forthright. Hope you left them the unexpected review they wanted.

Joy Systems has offered us a $30 gift card to review…

Some companies do this manipulation to gain unjust favor, it has happened frequently on Amazon from certain disreputable sellers from China.

For everybody, if you get offer a gift card in exchange for a review, just walk away. Also if a company aggressively asks you too much to leave a review on social media (without compensation) so far has also been a bad sign, your mileage may vary though.

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Kathy Stevens

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The Joy Systems $30 gift card application dissipated from their web site while I was posting this topic and before I could complete the application.

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During November 2023 Joy Systems shipped two computers to replace defective HP – ProBook 14″ Refurbished Laptops that we had purchased at BestBuy.

The replacement units were HP EliteBook 840 G# Notebook PCs.

Now, in just over a year in service and nominal use, the battery in one of the EliteBooks will no longer charge.

As a result, we just ordered a HP Pavilion 16t-af000 Laptop (SKU: 94G34AV_1) to replace the failed unit.

Think about it. The $329.99 refurbished HP – ProBook 14″ Laptop had:

• Windows 10 Pro,
• Intel Core i5,
• 8GB Memory,
• 480GB Solid State Drive, and
• Will not support Windows 11.

While the new $551.19 HP Pavilion Laptop 16t-af000 has:

• 512 GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD,
• Windows 11 Pro, and
• Intel Core i5-1334U + Intel Iris Xe Graphics.

While the new HP laptop is $221 more expensive than its refurbished predecessor – the time value of my effort two setup two refurbished laptops as well as the time and effort to deal with Joy Systems customer service department (including 65 emails exchanged during the replacement process) makes the new HP machine look cheap in comparison.

The conclusion – Refurbished Computer – Never Again

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SueW, TechTango, satrow

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Kathy, you started this thread on November 21, 2023 and I’ve been following it ever since. You’re a good writer with clearly written detail. It’s been very helpful. Thank you.

Desktop Asus TUF X299 Mark 1, CPU: Intel Core i7-7820X Skylake-X 8-Core 3.6 GHz, RAM: 32GB, GPU: Nvidia GTX 1050 Ti 4GB. Display: Four 27" 1080p screens 2 over 2 quad.

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Kathy Stevens

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TechTango

Thank you for the complement.

I am afraid that I contribute to AskWoody out of frustration and in the hope of helping others avoid the pitfalls I stumbled into while upgrading our computer fleet and moving to Windows 11.

Case in point was the purchase of reconfigured computers that:

• Needed battery replacements,
• Total replacement with different laptops,
• Were not Windows 11 compatible, and
• Were not restored to their factory default settings prior to shipment and the computers were delivered while still registered with Microsoft using Autopilot setup by the original owner.

Then there was the purchase of new Windows 11 Pro workstations from HP.

From a mechanical standpoint the HP workstations were fine. But making the transition to Windows 11 was a steep hill to clime including:

• Configuring Windows 11 Pro without an account;
• Installing driver and software updates from HP’s site;
• Cleaning out the bloatware that came with each machine using Revo Pro;
• Configuring Windows 11 to mirror Windows 10;
• Migrating applications and data from old to new PCs using Laplink Pcmover;
• Finding software product keys and recovering the use of Microsoft Office Home and Business, etc.;
• Having to periodically use Revo Pro to find and remove constantly reappearing applications such as Edge and Xbox from the systems; and then
• Having to replace hardware such as scanners and printers that were not supported by Windows 11 and learn how to use them.

I hope that by sharing our experience, others can spend more time pursing their primary responsibilities vs having to do battle with Microsoft and other software developers’ intrusion into our systems.

Moving forward I plan on spending less time contributing to the AskWoody site.

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wavy, Andy M, satrow

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Kathy Stevens wrote:

Case in point was the purchase of reconfigured computers that:

You covered a lot of territory in your “case in point” outline.  I’ve never had a “refurbished” machine. I was surprised how many hidden pitfalls can pop up. Again very helpful stuff.

Desktop Asus TUF X299 Mark 1, CPU: Intel Core i7-7820X Skylake-X 8-Core 3.6 GHz, RAM: 32GB, GPU: Nvidia GTX 1050 Ti 4GB. Display: Four 27" 1080p screens 2 over 2 quad.

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Kathy Stevens

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Better for a home techy than a business for sure. Thanks for all the updates.

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

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