Iiyama 455/454 Pro and swap-out warranty issues

I'm considering buying an Iiyama 455 Pro (MM904UT) monitor for photo
work because of its superb vivid colours. I phoned Iiyama's customer
services to ask if their swap-out warranty monitors were *new* and
they wouldn't give me a straight answer! They said "their NOT new but
NOT refubished", what does this mean??

I ask this because my experience is that buying a monitor can be a
mine-field of problems because of quality control issues. If there is
a fault on delivery I don't want to end with a refurbished model,
especially since most mailorder shops now (except DABS) tell you to go
directly to the manufacturer.

Also, has anyone actually compared the 454 and 455 Pro's side by side?
I know the 454 has the newer tube design how much difference does this
really make? There is a considerable price difference!

Thanks,
Chris.