Handtec - Returns Rip Off!

mobymisery

Hello all.

So essentially I had an iPhone I was looking to "recycle", so cam across a comparison site that reccomended a company called Handtec. They quoted me £190 and sent out a parcel for me to send the item. The phone I should say is in what I would consider A+ working order and condition. Not even a mark on it.

They email me a few days later saying that the engineer had found:

"Screen coming away from phone" - rubbish
"Battery faulty" - rubbish
"scratches all over" rubbish

Then the said they will give me £60! Of which I had 5 days to consider. I of course, said no thanks sensing the scam going on and asked them to return it.

Well, now they want ME to pay £30 to return my own phone!? This cannot be right can it? I mean, even to send insured it would cost a fiver at most. What are my rights here? I feel like i've had my phone stolen.

soolin

mobymisery wrote: »

Hello all.

So essentially I had an iPhone I was looking to "recycle", so cam across a comparison site that reccomended a company called Handtec. They quoted me £190 and sent out a parcel for me to send the item. The phone I should say is in what I would consider A+ working order and condition. Not even a mark on it.

They email me a few days later saying that the engineer had found:

"Screen coming away from phone" - rubbish
"Battery faulty" - rubbish
"scratches all over" rubbish

Then the said they will give me £60! Of which I had 5 days to consider. I of course, said no thanks sensing the scam going on and asked them to return it.

Well, now they want ME to pay £30 to return my own phone!? This cannot be right can it? I mean, even to send insured it would cost a fiver at most. What are my rights here? I feel like i've had my phone stolen.

What were the terms and conditions stated about returns?

Those reviews though would be enough to have put me off using them

https://www.reviews.co.uk/company-reviews/store/www-handtec-co-uk

Edit; the £30 charge for just about everything, including returns is one click away from the initial page. I've never seen so many ways quoted for owing them £30!

mobymisery

More fool me for not reading those reviews.

Well i'm not familiar with any returns info, it didn't mention any in the info they sent. I just want my phone returned to me!

Aylesbury_Duck

Their terms and conditions are pretty clear, including the £30 fee you mention.

Edited to add: I just went to the terms and conditions section on their website.

mobymisery

So I've clearly been scammed them. I don't even have £30 to get this back.

Aylesbury_Duck

mobymisery wrote: »

So I've clearly been scammed them. I don't even have £30 to get this back.

If you are short of money to the extent you can't get hold of £30 to get the phone back, I suggest you accept their offer of £60. If you have no money, £60 today is better than paying £30 and hoping to sell it for say, £100 in a week's time.

What sort of price would a reputable company offer? If it's around £60, you're no worse off than if you'd done more research before using Handtec.

mobymisery

I mean the quotes were around the 180 range. Just to be clear, the phone is in perfect condition. The "faults" they have found are totally made up from their side. Very disappointing this.

Mr_Singleton

Sounds like an interesting business model.

spadoosh

Please learn from this. Put more research in to companies you do business with. Actually read the terms and conditions of which you are signing up for and treat transactions with a little more scepticism. I appreciate its in hindsight but you couldve avoided all of this had you dont the smallest amount of consumer research before hand instead of looking at the shiny things.

If someone is showing you something shiny, its usually to detract from something else.

pinkshoes

Although their T&Cs say what the return charge is, they clearly have a business plan in mind e.g. once they have the phone, they claim it is damaged etc... so at the very least they make £25 per handset.

I believe this is not classified as FAIR trading.

I would be telling them that the phone was sent in pristine condition and you can verify this, so if it is in such a poor condition now then it can only be them or their courier at fault, so you would like your full price as agreed of £180 and they can claim any damages from their courier. As it was their courier, then it is up to them to claim.

Tell them you look forward to receiving your £180 in 14 days or your pristine condition phone back as you sent it.

I would be reporting them to trading standards...

Aylesbury_Duck

mobymisery wrote: »

I mean the quotes were around the 180 range. Just to be clear, the phone is in perfect condition. The "faults" they have found are totally made up from their side. Very disappointing this.

You got quotes from elsewhere around the £180 mark?

Did you take photos of the phone before you sent it, to show the condition it was in at the time?