Refurb Deopt

[atmosphotography]

Anyone have any experience with www.refurbdepot.com ? I don't mind factory refurbished equipment. Heck, I'd rather have that than used and not refurbished. but I've never heard of these guys before.
Additionally, does anyone know if Canon or other manufacturers can be contacted to by factory refurbs directly? It's about the only way I'm going to be able to afford to upgrade to a 20D before Nellis this year.
College is expensive, and unfortunately, so are all my hobbies!
Thanks!

[Bernardo Malfitano]

College is expensive, and unfortunately, so are all my hobbies!

I remember that feeling! (But thanks to my expensive college degree, I now have a job that allows me to pay for my expensive hobbies!)

I don't have any experience with this Refurb Depot, but you know, it's not that hard to buy a good used camera on eBay. If you only buy from someone who has good feedback, and who is clearly the owner and user of the equipment (i.e. the auction says "I am finally parting with my trusty 20D since I have upgraded to the 40D" rather than "The camera turns on and clicks when you press the button, but we don't know enough about cameras to test it any further. No returns"), then you should be ok. I got my 10D (my first SLR, later sold) and 1Dmk2 (current "front-line" camera) used on eBay. And KEH.com is another easy trustworthy way of getting good-quality used stuff.

I hope that helps, in case you don't hear anyone praise this Refurb Depot place. But I agree that a refurbished camera can be a great deal, with prices almost as low as a used one, and reliability and warranties comparable to a new one.

[GeoffS]

Their rating at http://www.resellerratings.com/store/refurbdepot isn't horrible (certainly above the ~0.2 for most obvious scam operations), but it's a notch below places like Adorama and B&H.