Professional refurbished equipment for businesses: warranties, grades and trust criteria

Refurbished is no longer a compromise, it is a deliberate choice

For a long time, refurbished equipment suffered from a second-best image. That is no longer the case: companies now include professional refurbished equipment in their equipment strategy, for economic as much as environmental reasons. You still need to know how to tell reliable refurbished equipment from equipment that is simply put back on sale without any real checks.

What sets serious professional refurbishment apart?

A few criteria help assess the reliability of a refurbished equipment offer for businesses:

• Documented grades: a serious refurbisher classifies its equipment according to precise criteria (cosmetic condition, performance, battery life), not according to a simple overall assessment
• Systematic functional tests: every device must be tested before being put back into circulation, not just visually inspected
• A real warranty: ideally at least 12 months, with accessible after-sales service
• Certified data erasure: essential when the equipment comes from corporate fleets

What type of supplier should you choose?

Beyond quality criteria, the type of supplier also shapes the experience and the warranties you get:

• Specialist companies, dedicated exclusively to refurbishment, generally offer better-controlled quality processes and deep expertise in this single business.
• Major brands, which sometimes refurbish their own range, may offer additional warranties, to be weighed against any extra cost compared with an independent specialist.
• Charities and non-profit organisations, which refurbish with a social or environmental purpose, make it possible to combine procurement with support for philanthropic initiatives.

How Leasetic organises professional refurbishment

At Leasetic, the physical refurbishment of equipment is carried out by two specialist partners depending on the type of equipment: Idem for computers, and Seensys for smartphones and tablets. In addition, as a reseller, we also offer Foxway remanufacturing solutions, classified into three grades, with a 3-year warranty that can be extended to 4 years.

This approach makes it possible to offer refurbished equipment suited to each type of device, with a partner specialised in each category rather than a one-size-fits-all process.

Why choose refurbished equipment for your business?

• Lower cost than new, with equivalent performance for most office uses
• Lower environmental impact: remanufacturing through Foxway avoids on average 192 kg of CO2e per device compared with new equipment
• A documented CSR argument: a criterion increasingly examined in assessments such as EcoVadis
• Availability: refurbished equipment is generally available faster than some new models facing supply shortages

A concrete example

Driven by the French AGEC law, which requires public bodies to have at least 20% refurbished equipment in their IT fleet by 2025, the Occitanie Regional Council went from less than 4% to more than 10% refurbished equipment in its fleet in under three years, with carbon footprint tracking through Colibris. Read the full case study.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between refurbished and remanufactured?
Refurbishment focuses on restoring the equipment to working order (cleaning, testing, occasional repairs). Remanufacturing goes further, with complete disassembly, systematic replacement of wear parts and end-of-line testing, aiming for performance equivalent to new. This difference is explained in detail in our article on remanufactured equipment.

How is data erased on refurbished equipment?
Certified data erasure is an industry standard for all refurbished professional equipment, generally aligned with recognised standards such as NIST 800-88, before any return to circulation.

Does refurbished equipment really cost less than new?
Yes, the price difference is generally between 30 and 50% compared with equivalent new equipment, a standard positioning in the professional refurbished market.

Want to discover our range of refurbished equipment? Visit our Store, or talk to our experts to bring refurbished equipment into your fleet.

Further reading: discover how we handle asset recovery and reverse logistics at the end of the contract, our Device as a Service (DaaS) offer including refurbished equipment, how to lease rather than buy this type of equipment, the different business IT leasing options including refurbished equipment, our approach to the IT circular economy in business, and our detailed checklist for selecting a supplier.