Sprint to offer refurbished devices for cheap

Sprint started its own "certified pre-owned" device program, not unlikely car manufacturers, which inspect used vehicles, and offer them back on the market.

The customers get piece of mind that noone will try to sell them a lemon that will start showing temperament shortly after leaving the lot, and the manufacturers can charge a small premium for the inspection services, and the additional warranty.

Verizon is offering a similar deal, and Sprint now follows in its footsteps with a 30-day money back guarantee, the same as for new devices. The phones are tested, examined for cosmetic blemishes, returned to factory specs, and updated with the newest firmware, if one is available.

Currently the carrier offers the BlackBerry Tour at $79.99, and for $49.99 you can grab the Samsung Reclaim in green, or the Sanyo 2700 in pink and blue. If you are a new customer, your signature under a two-year contract will allow you to get the Samsung Reclaim, and the Sanyo 2700 for free. Or, alternatively, newcomers to Sprint can get the refurbished HTC Hero, or the aforementioned BlackBerry Tour for the low $29.99.

With phones like the Epic 4G selling for $149 new on Amazon, we doubt the refurbished program will be extremely successful, but still, there might be some gems there from time to time, so it is worth hitting that refresh button.

source: Sprint

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