What does "refurbished" actually mean?
On our bench it means the machine has been opened, cleaned out and checked over, with worn or failing parts replaced, the drive wiped properly and the operating system put on fresh. If the storage was slow or small, or the memory was tight, that gets fixed before it goes out. Then the whole machine is tested and carries 90 days warranty. It does not mean a machine that was switched on once and resold.
How long is the warranty?
90 days on every refurbished computer we sell, and 90 days on hardware repairs and any parts we fit. If a hardware fault turns up inside that window, bring the machine back and we deal with it.
Is a refurbished laptop a good idea?
For most people, yes. Business laptops are specified to run for years and built to be serviced, so a three or four year old one has plenty of life left. The saving against new is real. The thing to check is not the word "refurbished" but who stands behind it — a workshop with a bench and a warranty, or a listing with neither.
What do you have in stock?
It changes every week, which is why there is no list on this site. Ring us and we will tell you what is on the bench today and what suits what you are doing.
What does it cost?
That depends on the machine and on what you need it to do, and stock moves too quickly for a published price to stay true. You will have a firm quote within 24 hours of telling us what you are after, and nothing starts until you agree it.
How long does it take?
Most jobs are done in two to three days. If a machine needs an upgrade before it goes out, that is quoted at the same time and included in those days rather than added on afterwards.
Can I trade in my old machine?
Yes. Bring it in and it can go toward what you are buying. Working or not, it is usually worth something, because the parts that fail on a laptop are rarely the whole laptop. We look at it and give you a real figure rather than a guess over the phone.
What happens to the data on the machine I trade in?
It is wiped properly before the machine goes anywhere. Tell us first if there is anything on it you still need — photos, documents, anything — and we will sort that out before the drive is touched. Once it is wiped it is gone, which is the point.
Do you have a shop in the Perth CBD?
No. The workshop is in Bayswater, a short run from the city, and there is no showroom in Perth itself. Ring us and we will work out the practical side of getting the machine to you.
My computer is slow. Do I need a new one?
Often not. If a machine is only a few years old and has simply got slow, that is usually storage or memory rather than the machine being finished, and both can be changed for far less than a replacement costs. We will tell you if that is what we think.
Can you build a gaming PC instead?
Yes. You tell us what you play, what screen you run it on and what you want to spend, and we build to that. Sometimes a refurbished desktop with a graphics card is the better value answer, and we will say so.
What are your hours?
Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm. We do not trade after hours or on weekends.