Laptop came well packed and worked great out of the box. Not sure what "refurbished" means but I don't think it includes the exterior of the unit. If they made pics of the blemishes and scratches available for viewing so you choose your unit that would be a plus. If you just want a functional unit no prob. If you're looking for pristine quality....get a new one or buy locally so you can view before you buy....for this reason 3 stars