Your rights when buying refurbished in Colombia

In Colombia, Ley 1480 de 2011, the Consumer Statute, protects you. It sets no fixed warranty term for electronics. Article 8 says the term is the one the producer or seller announces, and one year for new products if none is stated. A used product whose legal warranty has expired can be sold without warranty only if you accept that in writing, and otherwise it is understood to carry three months. The law does not use the word "reacondicionado" (refurbished), so ask for the shop's warranty in writing. The warranty each shop states is shown on every offer in Reacondi. For a distance purchase you have five business days from delivery to withdraw, and you can complain to the Superintendencia de Industria y Comercio (SIC).

The legal quotes below are in Spanish, as they appear in the law, with an English reading after each one.

The legal warranty has no fixed term (articles 5 to 11)

Article 5 defines the warranty as a temporary, joint obligation of the producer and the seller, at no extra cost on top of the price. Article 10 says both answer to the consumer, so you can claim from the shop that sold to you.

Article 8 sets the term: "El término de la garantía legal será el dispuesto por la ley o por la autoridad competente. A falta de disposición de obligatorio cumplimiento, será el anunciado por el productor y/o proveedor" (the legal warranty term is the one set by law or by the competent authority, and failing a binding rule, the one the producer or seller announces). It adds: "De no indicarse el término de garantía, el término será de un año para productos nuevos" (if no term is stated, it is one year for new products). It runs from delivery.

Some press articles say the warranty cannot be shorter than 90 days by law. That text is not in the law we read. The only thing the law says about three months is the rule for used products, explained below.

Within the term, article 11 provides as the general rule a completely free repair of the defect, including transport if needed, and timely supply of parts. If the item cannot be repaired, the remedy is replacement or a refund. Article 9 says the term is suspended while you are without the product because of a warranty claim, and starts again in full if the whole product is replaced.

Article 16 lists four grounds that release the producer or seller: force majeure, the act of a third party, misuse by the consumer, and not following the installation, use or maintenance instructions.

Used and refurbished products (articles 8 and 15)

For used goods, article 8 says that products "en los que haya expirado el término de la garantía legal podrán ser vendidos sin garantía, circunstancia que debe ser informada y aceptada por escrito claramente por el consumidor. En caso contrario se entenderá que el producto tiene garantía de tres (3) meses" (whose legal warranty term has expired may be sold without warranty, which must be clearly stated and accepted in writing by the consumer, and otherwise the product is understood to carry a three-month warranty).

Article 15 covers products offered as imperfect, used, repaired, remanufactured, repowered or discontinued. It requires "indicar dicha circunstancia en forma precisa y notoria, de acuerdo con las instrucciones que señale la Superintendencia de Industria y Comercio" (to state that circumstance precisely and prominently, following the instructions of the SIC). Its paragraph adds that if the invoice states the imperfections or deterioration, the legal warranty cannot be demanded for that imperfection.

The word "reacondicionado" does not appear in the law. We cannot tell you whether a refurbished phone counts as used for article 8, or how it is classified under article 15, because the text does not say. If a lot of money is at stake, ask a Colombian lawyer. Meanwhile, ask in writing before you pay:

Whether the device is sold as used, refurbished or "seminuevo", and what that word means to the shop.
Whether the shop accepts that the device carries the legal warranty, or sells it without one and asks you to accept that in writing.
How many months its warranty lasts, from what date it runs and what it covers.
Which imperfections or deterioration are written on the invoice.

Keep the answers. If the shop asks you to sign or accept that the device is sold without warranty, read what you are accepting, because that acceptance is what the law requires.

The shop's own warranty (articles 13 and 14)

Article 13 lets producers and sellers give supplementary warranties that extend the legal cover, free or for a fee. Article 14 requires them to be in writing, easy to understand and legible at a glance.

This is what each site stated on 1 October 2026.

Refurbi. 14 months of hardware repair cover, through a limited warranty.
Celucambio. 12 months on phones, tablets, watches and computers. Outlet devices have no warranty.
Clevercel. 12 months in the Como Nuevo, Semi Nuevo and Outlet categories, and 6 months in Saldos.
QuieroMac. Its page says six months. Outlet devices have no warranty.
RenoPC. 2 years on every device.
iDroid. 1 year on every device, according to its site banner, which does not separate display units from new ones.
Green Electronics. 6 months.
Alkosto and Ktronix. 12 months on the product pages we read. Alkosto says its used and refurbished phones carry "la misma garantía de un celular nuevo" (the same warranty as a new phone).
Éxito, Olímpica and Falabella. Each seller sets it on each offer, and we saw from 2 to 14 months depending on the seller.
Mercado Libre. It requires every refurbished listing to carry a warranty. We could not read the minimum, and each seller sets its own.

Terms change by shop and by offer. Confirm the term on the offer directly with the seller, including QuieroMac's. A shop's "no warranty" label for Outlet does not by itself remove legal rights: for a used item whose legal warranty has expired, article 8 requires your clear written acceptance of a sale without warranty.

Withdrawal on distance purchases (articles 46 and 47)

For a purchase made online, by phone or by another distance method, if no legal exception applies, article 47 sets a maximum of five business days counted from delivery of the item to withdraw. If you do, the contract is cancelled and your money is returned.

You send the product back by the same means and in the same condition you received it, and you pay the return transport.
In e-commerce, the refund cannot take longer than fifteen calendar days from when you exercised the right and met your obligations (Ley 2439 de 2024). You must give the correct data the shop asks for and return the product on the terms of the article.
The shop must tell you about the right of withdrawal and the deadline before you buy (article 46) and explain how to use it on its site (article 50).

Article 47 leaves out, among others, goods that by their nature cannot be returned and goods for personal use. The law does not say whether a refurbished phone or laptop falls under those exceptions. In practice, Refurbi states it extended the period to 30 calendar days, but only for purchases made directly from Refurbi; for its products bought through other channels it refers to that channel's policy. Celucambio repeats the law's five business days in its terms. Ask before paying and test the device as soon as it arrives, as explained in what to check when your refurbished phone arrives.

If you paid by card or electronic payment (article 51)

If you bought online and paid with a credit card, debit card or another electronic payment instrument, article 51 provides for reversal of the payment when there was fraud, an unrequested transaction, the product did not arrive, does not match what you ordered or arrived defective. To qualify, within five business days of the date you learned of the problem or should have received the product, you must complain to the seller, return the product when that applies and notify the payment issuer of the claim. Do not wait for the last day.

If something fails, the SIC

First make a direct claim to the shop, in writing, and keep the reply. Article 58 says the seller must answer within fifteen business days of receiving the claim, and that a complaint to the authority is filed together with that direct claim. The SIC has competence across the whole country. Its consumer protection page has the "Demande aquí" and "Denuncias consumidor" entries, and its free national line is 01 8000 910165 (in Bogotá, +57 601 592 0400). Claims to enforce a warranty must be filed no later than one year after the warranty expires. Online shops must show a visible link to the SIC page.

What to ask the shop for in writing

That the device is sold as used or refurbished, and the grade with the shop's definition.
How long the warranty lasts, from what date it runs and what it covers.
The legal name and NIT of the seller.
The battery health percentage.
The IMEI and model number of the device they will send you.
The withdrawal period and conditions, and who pays the return shipping.

Sources

Each shop's warranty comes from its own pages, read on 1 October 2026, and may change. The law was quoted from the Senate Secretariat version, updated on 15 September 2026. None of this replaces advice from a lawyer.