I don't know the site, but refurbished anything is a gamble. These are usually items returned to the factory, and can not be resold as new. Could be there was nothing wrong with the item, the package was ripped open by a consumer, who later returned it to the store for a refund. Could have been something simple, that slipped past quality control, repaired, repackaged. My Element 32" TV is refurbished, got horrible reviews, lots of scary comments for the new, but at $289 shipped to my door, and tired of a 17" computer monitor I'd been using in place of my fried rear-projection, took a chance. TV works great, had it about a year now, not a glitch. You usually get a warranty, but sometimes only a few months. I've never had a problem buying refurbished stuff I was pretty sure I could repair if need, and seldom need to. Just make sure it wasn't junk to begin with.