Buying a refurbished phone

20122013

I am looking at buying a refurbished phone listed as 'very good condition' (This product is in very good cosmetic condition with only light signs of use. It has been fully tested and works perfectly.)

I have read the guide about buying refurbished phones and would like to know, what to look for regarding warranty, etc ? as it the length and also what it covers?  I might not get support like if it is a brand new phone.

Also,  I have read that some refurbished phones cannot be repaired in the UK as they are not a UK model. . I am thinking what else to look out for? I will be using my credit card to pay so does it matter if the seller's warranty is not great.

marcia_

20122013 said:

I am looking at buying a refurbished phone listed as 'very good condition' (This product is in very good cosmetic condition with only light signs of use. It has been fully tested and works perfectly.)

I have read the guide about buying refurbished phones and would like to know, what to look for regarding warranty, etc ? as it the length and also what it covers?  I might not get support like if it is a brand new phone.

Also,  I have read that some refurbished phones cannot be repaired in the UK as they are not a UK model. . I am thinking what else to look out for? I will be using my credit card to pay so does it matter if the seller's warranty is not great.

 Who is the seller? 

Emmia

marcia_ said:

20122013 said:

I am looking at buying a refurbished phone listed as 'very good condition' (This product is in very good cosmetic condition with only light signs of use. It has been fully tested and works perfectly.)

I have read the guide about buying refurbished phones and would like to know, what to look for regarding warranty, etc ? as it the length and also what it covers?  I might not get support like if it is a brand new phone.

Also,  I have read that some refurbished phones cannot be repaired in the UK as they are not a UK model. . I am thinking what else to look out for? I will be using my credit card to pay so does it matter if the seller's warranty is not great.

 Who is the seller? 

This is absolutely crucial, you could end up with a bricked phone if someone gets a handset on a contract, sells it e.g. to CEX / on eBay and then reports it as stolen for insurance purposes. 

Personally, I would never buy a secondhand/refurbished phone for this reason.

sammyjammy

I have a refurbished phone purchased from giffgaff, it was like new, I have never had any issues or needed any support, can't speak for warranty or issues as I have never had any problem with either new or refurbished phones.

Looks like giffgaff provided 12 month warranty
Buy Refurbished Phones | Used Second Hand Phones | giffgaff

ididgetwhereiamtoday

Emmia said:

marcia_ said:

20122013 said:

I am looking at buying a refurbished phone listed as 'very good condition' (This product is in very good cosmetic condition with only light signs of use. It has been fully tested and works perfectly.)

I have read the guide about buying refurbished phones and would like to know, what to look for regarding warranty, etc ? as it the length and also what it covers?  I might not get support like if it is a brand new phone.

Also,  I have read that some refurbished phones cannot be repaired in the UK as they are not a UK model. . I am thinking what else to look out for? I will be using my credit card to pay so does it matter if the seller's warranty is not great.

 Who is the seller? 

This is absolutely crucial, you could end up with a bricked phone if someone gets a handset on a contract, sells it e.g. to CEX / on eBay and then reports it as stolen for insurance purposes. 

Personally, I would never buy a secondhand/refurbished phone for this reason.

I have been buying refurbished phones from CEX for years without issue.  Would only buy from them though as they have physical shops and a 5 year warranty. Their warranty really is good too. 

It’s like saying I won’t buy a used car because it may have been stolen. This philosophy will cost you thousands of pounds over time. 

brewerdave

I've bought 3 refurbs from Amazon since ~2020 - big discounts from listed prices - and all still working fine !

ButterCheese

My last 3 phones were bought used (refurbished) off eBay.  They never lasted more than 2 years; problems with battery draining very quickly towards the end, screen not swiping properly, back and home buttons not doing their job all the time.  Turns out I was actually lucky because the last two when they started to fail, I dropped them and cracked the screens!  But from now on I'm buying new - you can never really tell how old a used one is, how it was taken care of, and for the fairly low discount you get (40% odd on a £300 phone) I don't think it's worth it.  A 5 year warranty sounds great, I have no experience of CEX but would be dubious about a 5 year warranty and what they would accept as "faulty".  If it completely fails then fair enough, but when it starts draining battery twice as fast, will they accept that as a fault or would they say it's normal for a used/older phone?

Emmia

ididgetwhereiamtoday said:

Emmia said:

marcia_ said:

20122013 said:

I am looking at buying a refurbished phone listed as 'very good condition' (This product is in very good cosmetic condition with only light signs of use. It has been fully tested and works perfectly.)

I have read the guide about buying refurbished phones and would like to know, what to look for regarding warranty, etc ? as it the length and also what it covers?  I might not get support like if it is a brand new phone.

Also,  I have read that some refurbished phones cannot be repaired in the UK as they are not a UK model. . I am thinking what else to look out for? I will be using my credit card to pay so does it matter if the seller's warranty is not great.

 Who is the seller? 

This is absolutely crucial, you could end up with a bricked phone if someone gets a handset on a contract, sells it e.g. to CEX / on eBay and then reports it as stolen for insurance purposes. 

Personally, I would never buy a secondhand/refurbished phone for this reason.

I have been buying refurbished phones from CEX for years without issue.  Would only buy from them though as they have physical shops and a 5 year warranty. Their warranty really is good too. 

It’s like saying I won’t buy a used car because it may have been stolen. This philosophy will cost you thousands of pounds over time. 

That's ok of you want to do that. I buy new, and keep them for several years until they've essentially worn out. 

I had my last phone (a Samsung Galaxy) from 2017 - 2023. I've had my current phone (a pixel) since 2023 and my intention is to replace it in 2029 or 2030.

oldernonethewiser

I haven't bought a new phone for years.  I buy the second hand/refurbished ones from places that have a good returns policy. 

Bought an iPhone from GiffGaff but as the battery health wasn't great I was able to return it will no issue.

My current phone was bought used 3 years ago and have no plans to change it. 

20122013

I have been using Pixel 4A but due to overheating I had moved to Samsung (similar range) and I have had 2 phones since, as they tend to get accidentally damaged and they tend to lasts 2 years, as finding phone calls difficult.

Hence I am thinking of getting a refurbished phone. I have tried to have a basic phone just for calls but then have to move the SIM card and almost everything is going online and will need apps so may not work with a basic phone.  The phone I am looking at is a Pixel 8 and I brand new ones I can find are overpriced. 

With the refurbished phone, unless I know what I am looking at it is not easy to know unless I have bought it. 

oldernonethewiser

20122013 said:

I have been using Pixel 4A but due to overheating I had moved to Samsung (similar range) and I have had 2 phones since, as they tend to get accidentally damaged and they tend to lasts 2 years, as finding phone calls difficult.

Hence I am thinking of getting a refurbished phone. I have tried to have a basic phone just for calls but then have to move the SIM card and almost everything is going online and will need apps so may not work with a basic phone.  The phone I am looking at is a Pixel 8 and I brand new ones I can find are overpriced. 

With the refurbished phone, unless I know what I am looking at it is not easy to know unless I have bought it. 

Tell them not to get accidentally damaged then.

Phones should last a lot longer than 2 years.

If you buy from a reputable seller then you shouldn't have any issues with a refurbished phone.  Plenty of online reviews, including videos, to show you everything about any phone you may be intersted in.   If you have a CEX near you they do let you handle the phone and have a good look at it prior to buying.