Be Careful When Purchasing Second-hand Phones

[gemz4the1]

I just thought I'd let people know to be wary about purchasing phones, particularly iPhones, from certain websites.

It's common for people to sell phones on websites or trade them in to certain stores, and then report them missing and having the phone blocked.  If the phone has been blocked and you are not the person who blocked it then you cannot unblock it.

I have also known people to buy phones on certain well-known websites and the phone looked genuine, but when there was an issue with setting it up, it was taken to the Apple store and they opened it up and said that the official Apple components had been replaced by cheap components.  As well as this voiding any warranty for a free service, it also meant that Apple would not touch it even if the service was paid for.

Some people think that they are getting a great bargain by purchasing second-hand/used items online but sometimes the deal is too good to be true.

There are several things that you can do to check the authenticity of the phone that you purchase:

-Does the seller have a receipt?

-Is the plug and USB cable genuine?

-If it is an iPhone, check the serial number online on the Apple website.

-Is the phone setting up correctly? Is the computer/laptop not recognising the phone? The slightest problem when connecting to computer/laptop may indicate an issue with its authenticity.

-Find the IMEI number (*#06#) - there are some websites that you can use to check if the IMEI number is a stolen phone (sometimes you have to pay a fee to check this). http://www.checkmend.com/uk/

Please note: when I say 'certain well-known websites' I do not mean official retailers, such as O2, Carphone Warehouse, Phones 4 U, etc.

[Anonymous]

Not buying off those sites in the first place is the only way of not getting scammed.

Prevention is better than cure.

Their are high street shops that sell traded in phones and offer levels of protection.

[anticpated]

Rodders...who dare wins, who dare wins?

[gemz4the1]

The saying 'if it sounds too good to be true then it probably is' comes to mind.....

I would never buy a second-hand iPhone.  Not just because of the possible issues with software/hardware or the phone being blocked.

My mum got one from eBay a few years ago and it was a Samsung and it was supposed to be in a used but good condition - it arrived and it was horrible.  I think I've thrown better away! Apart from the scratches it was dusty and had crumbs between keys - I couldn't even imagine the amount of germs on it! Obviously she sent it back for a refund.

There's more guarantee when it's from an official retailer - for instance it'll be either new or used, but obviously in a good condition.  There's a guarantee that it'll work, or if it doesn't then it'll be fixed/replaced/refunded.

I'd rather spend more getting a new phone than spend less and have risks.

However, for people who cannot afford the brand new phones, official retailers also sell refurbished phones and they are safe as they are checked prior to re-selling.