Upgrade Your Cell Phone For Less With a Refurbished Cell Phone By David Kraft At Isnare.com Ezine Articles

Most of us are probably locked in to a normal contract with our cellular service provider - typically a two year deal. Companies get customers to agree to these contracts by offering them good deals on new phones. The cell phone company then keeps the old phones that customers turn in and refurbishes them to like new condition. These refurbished cell phones are then sold again back to customers at discounted prices through a number of sources. However, refurbished cell phones

are not always older models - any phone that is returned to a dealer - even one that is 2 days old, cannot be resold as "new" so they are resold as "refurbished" models. This means that most of us can always find the phone that we want for much cheaper without having to agree to a 2 year contract.

Refurbished cell phones have many advantages over brand new (full retail price) phones. Here are a few:

1. Price - purchasing a used cell phone that has been refurbished is almost always cheaper than buying the same phone brand new. You can get current technology without paying the high prices - why not?
2. Environment - Each time a cell phone is put back in circulation by being resold as used or refurbished, that becomes one less phone that enters landfills. With the big recent focus on "going green," why not do so with your cell phone as well?
3. No contracts - Not having to sign a contract is a huge benefit. In the next 2 years, you could have to move - perhaps to an area where you current provider has poor service. Wouldn't it be great to be able to switch when you move without having to pay a big early-cancellation fee?

Refurbished cell phones are available from both cellular service providers and third party vendors. If you buy a refurbished phone, check for the following from your vendor:

1. That the phone has been completely reconditioned to original factory settings/standards
2. That the phone has been fully tested for functionality
3. A warranty on the phone. These warranties will not be as long as a warranty on a new phone, but generally 30-90 days should be expected and will be plenty of time to learn if the phone has problems resulting from previous abuse or improper refurbishing.

Be aware that there are some potential downsides to purchasing a refurbished cell phone. When you buy a refurbished phone directly from a cellular carrier, that phone will be locked to their network, which often makes it preferable to look for an unlocked cell phone when you are shopping around. A phone that is locked to a network will not be able to work on another network if/when you switch without first getting the phone unlocked. Finally, keep in mind that you are buying a used product, which does have some inherent risks.

In conclusion, no matter if you use it for a prepaid account of an affordable way to upgrade your existing phone without renewing your contract, refurbished cell phones are great options. Be an informed customers and you'll get a great deal on a great phone.

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