I purchased my Janome through a dealer. On the advice of a friend, I inquired of dealers if they had trade-ins that they recommended. By luck, a person had purchased the machine I now have and then decided to step up to an embroidery machine. She traded this one in with little use and I've been quite satisfied with it for a lot of years.
I assume your term 'refurbished' indicates that the machine has previously had problems and was serviced by the company. I'd want a good warranty, fantastic price and a reasonable time to test drive that one. It may be that you will have a gem but it may have been a lemon. Be sure the dealer will stand behind it. I doubt I'd want to buy directly from the company because of the distance between them and your machine. I'd want more direct contact with the seller.