Refurbished phone from AT&T - General Topics

I am looking at getting a new phone for my AT&T Added line, since it's an added line I cannot get the better deals on new phones. I don't want to pay $300ish for a new Tilt 2. I discovered I can get a refurbished Tilt 2 through Amazon Wireless. My question is...
Is there any reason I should be worried about a refurbished phone? Any horror stories I should know about? I am feeling pretty good about the deal through Amazon since it should only be $50 for a refurb unit. Pretty freakin' cheap if you ask me.
Thanks ya'll.

doublen1 said:
I am looking at getting a new phone for my AT&T Added line, since it's an added line I cannot get the better deals on new phones. I don't want to pay $300ish for a new Tilt 2. I discovered I can get a refurbished Tilt 2 through Amazon Wireless. My question is...
Is there any reason I should be worried about a refurbished phone? Any horror stories I should know about? I am feeling pretty good about the deal through Amazon since it should only be $50 for a refurb unit. Pretty freakin' cheap if you ask me.
Thanks ya'll.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've purchased things marked as refurbished before. Usually there is nothing wrong, except for scratches and marks.

Thanks, I just pulled the trigger on a Tilt 2 so hopefully I'll get more active on these forums.

doublen1 said:
Thanks, I just pulled the trigger on a Tilt 2 so hopefully I'll get more active on these forums.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hope you like it. There's really no reason to buy anything brand new unless you keep it as a collector's item.

I got my first Tilt2 new through AT&T, but recently had to swap it out for a refurb unit through warranty exchange. The refurb unit I got in was in perfect physical condition. Also, from what the warranty claims representative told me, I didn't need to send back my old back plate, battery, stylus, charger, or anything that wasn't the core of the phone itself, as apparently they do not refurbish those parts - refurb phones come with those bits brand new. No clue whether amazon does the exact same thing, but if they do, then there's really no reason not to get one.

Related

Refurb ripped on ebay

Hey guys
So I ended up buying off of ebay, made the huge mistake of buying from a "newer" seller. It came in the mail, and a few things wrong with it
a) no car charger like the ad said (altho he said he'd put it in the mail asap)
b) it was in a tattered ATT box that was not like the new box from the ebay ad
c) black marker on the box tries to cover the fact that it says "refurbished kit" (I can luckily read through the marker)
So paypal has withdrawn the funds for now (on the circumstance that they actually double charged my credit card and withdrew both funds again until this is resolved). So hopefully this means I got some leverage here.
I basically told him:
"I will credit payment back, however would
like to receive the car charger as per the ebay ad, and at least have
you admit that you did not send me a new phone but rather a
refurbished one, in a box that was not as shown in the ad. We can
then either agree upon a new fair price, or I will delay the payment
until the dispute is resolved through paypal."
What would you guys think is a fair price for a refurbished one? I paid 375USD$ (355 + 20 shipping) or 410$CAN
He is said to now make it 340$?
is it worth it to still be dealing with this guy at all?
?
how much would a refurbished go for in comparison to a used att tilt?
Who was the seller? Do you have a link to the completed auction?
I sold a buddy's old Tilt for about $400 locally, so I think a $375 shipped price for a factory refurb is still a good deal. I still remember selling a brand new one only opened for unlock for $650, but that was awhile ago, haha.
~Cheers~
hi
what are some things i should be cautious of refurb?
i wanna check and make sure everything is working before i continue negotiating/paying him
it seems that sometimes it does not read the touch screen (or is slow to detect)
does this happen normally?
Go90go said:
Who was the seller? Do you have a link to the completed auction?
I sold a buddy's old Tilt for about $400 locally, so I think a $375 shipped price for a factory refurb is still a good deal. I still remember selling a brand new one only opened for unlock for $650, but that was awhile ago, haha.
~Cheers~
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't imagine why someone would pay $650 for a Tilt, even when they were brand new they were $549.99 without contract.
it would help if you told us what kind of device you've bought (i've read AT&T and refurb. but no device name)
Xtreme XL said:
it would help if you told us what kind of device you've bought (i've read AT&T and refurb. but no device name)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's a Tilt, he says it in 2nd post.
I'd go for between $320-$350 and no higher, non-negotiable! The ad is different from the actual product, your missing parts, and the other crap you have to deal with.
Refurbished should work just as well as a new device, sometimes a refurbished works better than a new. It's a gamble either way since you don't know what the seller has done with it. Pull up some system info on the device and see if it's stock info. Also, is there any physical damage?
TILT
yes its an HTC tilt
there is no physical damage and it looks good
"Pull up some system info on the device and see if it's stock info"
how is this done?
he also claims that their is still a one year warranty....if i send it back to ATT they will send me a new one. Is there a way to verify this?

How long did it take LG to repair/replace your phone?

For those who sent your phone to LG directly (Stellar Wireless) for a repair/replace, how long did it take them to get a phone back to you?
andrewNY said:
For those who sent your phone to LG directly (Stellar Wireless) for a repair/replace, how long did it take them to get a phone back to you?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It took me about a week for them to repair it once they received it. I sent from NY to Texas Priority US Mail on Monday. They received by Wednesday. They fixed it by the following Wednesday and i received it back by that Saturday three days later. They are pretty speedy.
One thing I would stress though is that you do not want a refurbished phone. I have read somewhere on the internet that if LG sends you a refurbished phone that you cannot update it to Gingerbread for some reason. I cannot confirm that this is true but that's what I've heard.
I am kind of pissed off at them my self. They did send my original phone back to me but they said if worse case they can not fix it, they will send a refurbished one. I told them F no. I paid full price with tax $600 and I expect either my phone or a brand new one if the repair can't be made. I would have purchased a refurb off ebay for half that. They claim that refurb is just as good. I say bullshyt. A refurb is someone else's probem that they finally fixed but couldn't fix at the time of that persons mail in. And besides, if a refurb was the same, then LG or the Tmobile store that I have originally purchased the phone from would have given me a brand new one on the spot. Suck it. Don't accept a refurb. They did not budge though. They said repair or refurb. Good Luck with LG Scum. They did fix the restarting issue, but when I got it back I have a GPS Lock on issue.
Thanks! I sent my phone by Priority Mail last Monday and they got it Wednesday, so I guess I'm looking at getting it back by next weekend.
I sent mine to them on a Thursday they got it that Friday (one state away). Just got it back today (Thursday. There turn around time seemed very quick to me. It has the latest version and baseband on it. It however is not the phone I sent them.
I sent mine off July 22 via FedEx and just got it back today. Oddly enough, the repair ticket enclosed with my phone said they replaced the touch screen and the reason for the repair was a faulty touch button. The actual reason was because the LG Tool erased my baseband after it said I had a successful update so I couldn't use the T-Mo network, only wireless.
Not sure where the faulty Touch button information came from, but I guess it's good I got a new touchscreen if something showed up during their "quality" check. I checked the IMEI and Serial Numbers, and they match my original box, so it's the same phone repaired, not a refurb swap.
It seems to be working ok so far, so I'll know for sure in a few days.
LG employee here- Refurb is kind of a misleading term. I deal directly with Stellar and providing them parts, and when they say refurb, it might as well be a new phone. I mean, they replace a lot of stuff and run it through a gang of tests. Do things slip through the cracks? Absolutely. But, in all honesty, by the time they get done with refurbishing a phone, it is just as good as a new phone. Now, if you go through some further removed 3rd party refurb centers, you will see issues, but Stellar is in the same building as us, so we keep a pretty tight watch over their work.
affenzeit said:
LG employee here- Refurb is kind of a misleading term. I deal directly with Stellar and providing them parts, and when they say refurb, it might as well be a new phone. I mean, they replace a lot of stuff and run it through a gang of tests. Do things slip through the cracks? Absolutely. But, in all honesty, by the time they get done with refurbishing a phone, it is just as good as a new phone. Now, if you go through some further removed 3rd party refurb centers, you will see issues, but Stellar is in the same building as us, so we keep a pretty tight watch over their work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was fortunate enough to get mine fixed by the Stellar folks, and what great work they did. I thought I had a pretty decent phone before the fix, but now it is pure fantastic. So far no unexplained reboots or other oddities and I have really been putting it through its paces.
Please pass along my thanks to the "stellar" Stellar Wireless Technology techs.
octoplus is a nice solve tool for LG fault
Recently, i purchased an new Octoplus from china ,it is a nice experience, fast shipping and especially technical support, and i know they own a shop in amazon, as for the web, i should obey their's rule....

New Phone - Insurance replacement = Ripoff

Hey guys,
I currently have a Moto D3. I like it, but I have oil under the screen, leaving a huge black spot on my screen. It's transparent, but it makes things pretty difficult to view... And insurance replacement is apparently $100 US... (this is BS)...
So for a few hundred more I'm considering just paying full retail for a better phone.
I love my physical KB but I think it's about time to let it go, lol.
My question to you guys, as I've been in and out of things in the Android community lately, where should I look towards for my new replacement?
Anything in the near future I should just wait a month or two for?
Thanks guys!
Seirÿu
Razr HD, SIII should be landing relatively soon.
Sent from my SCH-I510 using Tapatalk 2
Seirÿu said:
And insurance replacement is apparently $100 US... (this is BS)...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You didn't know that? Read your contract before signing up for ANY insurance. Verizon insurance is $7 a month and depending on the plan you have a $99 deductible. For long time good customers att lets you upgrade your phone before 24 months. So really unless you are in the habit of destroying phones on a regular basis if you damage your phone it makes sense to forgo the insurance and limp along with a damaged phone for a few months and then upgrade as usual. I have never irreparably damaged a phone. So $7 month for five years is $420 saved. Add $100 for the deductible and now you are talking $520. I can get a pretty nice brand new phone for that much.
If you must get a warranty check out Squaretrade.
When I originally signed up it was only $50.
I replaced my D1 for $50... but yeah, you're right, I didn't really think twice about it when I upgraded.
ive had to use the insurance a few times (once stolen, once screen just went dead, once phone would not boot anymore). its more than paid itself off for me over the years.
Friend of mine bought his epic 4g touch from best buy and got their insurace. Months later he cracked the screen so he went back to the store and had another shipped to him for free. Apparently best buy's insurance program doesnt have a $100 deductible like Sprint does.
look at your contract
I'm located in Ireland, and for €35 per year extra on our home insurance we have 3 mobile phones insured. My service provider wanted €9 per month. So it was a bit of a no brainer
Insurance sucks!
I never ever purchase insurance contact , but when I updating new phone contact. they always suggested me to get insurance
Seirÿu said:
Hey guys,
I currently have a Moto D3. I like it, but I have oil under the screen, leaving a huge black spot on my screen. It's transparent, but it makes things pretty difficult to view... And insurance replacement is apparently $100 US... (this is BS)...
So for a few hundred more I'm considering just paying full retail for a better phone.
I love my physical KB but I think it's about time to let it go, lol.
My question to you guys, as I've been in and out of things in the Android community lately, where should I look towards for my new replacement?
Anything in the near future I should just wait a month or two for?
Thanks guys!
Seirÿu
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When you get a new phone go with a authorized retailer. I went to go wireless went I got my dx2 cause Verizon's main store could not figure out how to separate my line from my mothers family plan into my own line. But I got the go wireless very of insurance and it costs me $6 a month and its only $50 if I need to use it.
Sent from my DROID X2 using XDA
Verizons insurance sucks! I have mine through best buy when i bought my razr there. I haven't used it yet but they replaced my X for free.
Sent from my DROID RAZR using xda premium

Ugh. Best Buy

So Thursday I went up to best buy to get me an ATT S4. I have the s3 and had an upgrade available and best buy has the trade in program. Says that they'll give $250 for an s3 in good condition which mine is in. So I go thru the upgrade process, have the sim card put in my new beautiful s4, start updating my apps, set up, etc.
The best buy rep now says 'let me have your s3 and so i can do the credit.' He looks at it and there is a tiny, miniscule little chip on the cheap back battery cover, so small that you can barely see it. He then tells me that he can only take the phone trade in value of $112! My jaw dropped and I pleaded with him to no avail. He wouldn't budge. Frustrated, I told him to reverse the upgrade and to give me my s3 back and I left.
I went to amazon and ordered a replacement back cover and it will be here monday. Im gonna go back and hopefully upgrade to the s4 then.
Anyone else have an issue like that?
twostep665 said:
So Thursday I went up to best buy to get me an ATT S4. I have the s3 and had an upgrade available and best buy has the trade in program. Says that they'll give $250 for an s3 in good condition which mine is in. So I go thru the upgrade process, have the sim card put in my new beautiful s4, start updating my apps, set up, etc.
The best buy rep now says 'let me have your s3 and so i can do the credit.' He looks at it and there is a tiny, miniscule little chip on the cheap back battery cover, so small that you can barely see it. He then tells me that he can only take the phone trade in value of $112! My jaw dropped and I pleaded with him to no avail. He wouldn't budge. Frustrated, I told him to reverse the upgrade and to give me my s3 back and I left.
I went to amazon and ordered a replacement back cover and it will be here monday. Im gonna go back and hopefully upgrade to the s4 then.
Anyone else have an issue like that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Next time, just sell it. I sold mine for 350$
In my opinion.
I refuse to go to Best Buy for anything. I've never seen a good deal there and their warranties and support is not good in my opinion. The only good thing about Best Buy is I make money off of fixing Geek Squad mistakes.
Yes I do walk in from time to time to see if anything has changed.
Sent from my awesome AT&T SAMSUNG GALAXY S4 SGH-I337 using xda developers app.
polish_pat said:
Next time, just sell it. I sold mine for 350$
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep.
Sold mine two weeks ago on Craigslist for the same.
It was only advertised for two hours when the buyer offered to meet me at the local Ikea parking lot that same day and buy it.
Selling first is a good idea except I don't have a backup phone to use until I get the new one. Ive never sold on craigslist before. Success stories? Tips?
I'm not surprised at all. Just sell it on CL.
twostep665 said:
Selling first is a good idea except I don't have a backup phone to use until I get the new one. Ive never sold on craigslist before. Success stories? Tips?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You could always make arrangements to sell it the same day you could goto the store to get your new phone.. Or you could always just have them meet you at the nearest best buy or att or whoever your carrier is and do the sale right there and go in and buy your new phone..
Always meet in person and never ship it somewhere.. Most of the people you get wanting to pay you more than your asking price and want you to ship it are a scam.. Craigslist is more local deals.. You meet up check out the item and go.. Its not like eBay where people all over the world are looking at your item
Sent from my WICKED AT&T S4
twostep665 said:
Selling first is a good idea except I don't have a backup phone to use until I get the new one. Ive never sold on craigslist before. Success stories? Tips?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Then go get the S4 first. You aint have to pay for it until your first bill anyways.
polish_pat said:
Then go get the S4 first. You aint have to pay for it until your first bill anyways.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's not true on all carriers.. AT&T you pay up front for your phone.. There is no bill me later option with them.. Unless your talking about putting it on a credit card
Sent from my WICKED AT&T S4
I had a One X. Tried a few times to trade it for a S3 on online classifieds. I didn't want to add cash so I stuck it out with the One X. Got a renewal and picked up a Note II, gave the One X to my wife and sold her iPhone 4. When she was ready for an upgrade she wanted a Note II like me. We tried to sell her One X for $200, no bites after a week. It was in good shape, no scratches, no cracks, no water damage etc. I was going to sell it on eBay, but after shipping and fees it was going to net me like $160. Best Buy said they would give me $150 if I brought the charger. I couldn't find the charger so I brought an old Kodak charger that was micro USB. All they did was power it on, set it aside and gave me the $150. The guy said earlier that day he gave someone $275 for an S3. Just like at&t customer service, it's all the luck of the draw. If you go back I wouldn't be surprised if the next person doesn't even look the phone over.
Sent from my Galaxy S4 (I337)
twostep665 said:
So Thursday I went up to best buy to get me an ATT S4. I have the s3 and had an upgrade available and best buy has the trade in program. Says that they'll give $250 for an s3 in good condition which mine is in. So I go thru the upgrade process, have the sim card put in my new beautiful s4, start updating my apps, set up, etc.
The best buy rep now says 'let me have your s3 and so i can do the credit.' He looks at it and there is a tiny, miniscule little chip on the cheap back battery cover, so small that you can barely see it. He then tells me that he can only take the phone trade in value of $112! My jaw dropped and I pleaded with him to no avail. He wouldn't budge. Frustrated, I told him to reverse the upgrade and to give me my s3 back and I left.
I went to amazon and ordered a replacement back cover and it will be here monday. Im gonna go back and hopefully upgrade to the s4 then.
Anyone else have an issue like that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All hell..go to another store..and do it around lunch or closing..they won't inspect it long...my friend got $200 from worst buy..had a small scratch on the screen too. it differs everywhere.
It's best buy we are talking about here, they should go out of business asap.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337
I sold my note 2 for $350 on kijiji no problems. Look for people buying used smartphones instead of just putting your phone up. The guy who bought my phone ships them overseas to his uncles cell phone store. They refurbish and box the phone then sell it like new....
Sent from my TW Stock Galaxy S4
Hmmm. I should have thought about this when i went up there. I also have one of those flip covers. What are the chances i throw that thing on there instead of the regular back and they take it for the $250?
twostep665 said:
Hmmm. I should have thought about this when i went up there. I also have one of those flip covers. What are the chances i throw that thing on there instead of the regular back and they take it for the $250?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Might take not. I'm not 100% sure but they probably send the phones they buy to their centers for rapid exchange like they do with the busted phones they do exchanges on. MFG will give them credit for the phones.
lol AT&T gave my folks each $100 for their iPhone 3Gs, both with cables, labels, stickers, chargers etc. funny thing is they were beat/scratched to hell and back.
Hell, even at gazelle.com you sell it for $165
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using xda premium
Once you get the new cover just sell it on swappa.com..you can use your xda login.
You can check out current pricing and it works great...and only $10 fee.
Don't do ebay..you pay 10% fee based on selling price.
On Amazon, about a week or two after I bought the S4 on launch I sold my i777 S2 for $199 and my S3 for $369. Best Buy's trade in program is pathetic. Its fairly easy to unlock Samsung devices. Do that before you sell them and you're guaranteed an increase in value.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using xda app-developers app
Sheer evidence that Best Buy is an awful company.
I just got my S4 on ATT as well. I heard they started the trade in deal so I went to find the nearest store. Luckily it was a stand alone authorized dealer (not an actual ATT retail store) that I called ahead of time to make sure everything would run smoothly. They accepted my iPhone 4S even though the lock button was completely unusable. They were very nice and made sure I was comfortable with my new phone, they even called back a few days later to make sure the phone was still working properly.
Something that's NOT going to happen at Best Buy.
Good luck!

Why is there so much hate towards the Shield ?

Why is there so much hate towards the Nvidia Shield ? I went to gamestop and see if they have any accessories and the rep replied, why would want to buy accessories ? The Shield is a piece of crap. It's not just the rep but other people have said the same thing. I bought my Shield two days ago and love it.
dia_naji said:
Why is there so much hate towards the Nvidia Shield ? I went to gamestop and see if they have any accessories and the rep replied, why would want to buy accessories ? The Shield is a piece of crap. It's not just the rep but other people have said the same thing. I bought my Shield two days ago and love it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It does have issue. Wait till the flex cables starts getting bad in another few months. The you can only use it while connected to HDMI. The flex cable is part of the LCD. So when the parts do become available they will be pricey.
So i bought a device for $200 just so it doesn't work in a few months ?
dia_naji said:
So i bought a device for $200 just so it doesn't work in a few months ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Some have been lucky and have not seen the issue. But others like myself, not so..
Here is a thread on the issue.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2511870
And another as well.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2620432
You might be one of the lucky ones. Seems to be split about 30% bad and 70% ok.
Why so much hate towards the iPhone when it first got out? Because it is a new, largely misunderstood product and those who call it crap typically never touched it.
The relevant thing about the SHIELD is that the vast majority of its owners seem to love it. The opinion of uninformed people doesn't matter.
Think also that Gamestop might not be very happy at the idea of a device for which you cannot come and buy games at their stores.
Solarenemy68 said:
You might be one of the lucky ones. Seems to be split about 30% bad and 70% ok.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How do you come with that estimate?
If you have a problem with the flexi-cable, this is clearly a hardware defect and you should have your unit RMA'd. The feedback on NVIDIA's service has been very good so far.
Gnurou said:
Why so much hate towards the iPhone when it first got out? Because it is a new, largely misunderstood product and those who call it crap typically never touched it.
The relevant thing about the SHIELD is that the vast majority of its owners seem to love it. The opinion of uninformed people doesn't matter.
Think also that Gamestop might not be very happy at the idea of a device for which you cannot come and buy games at their stores.
How do you come with that estimate?
If you have a problem with the flexi-cable, this is clearly a hardware defect and you should have your unit RMA'd. The feedback on NVIDIA's service has been very good so far.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you not even read any of the post I quoted? Based on the ones saying they have issue and the ones saying they do not it is about the split that I said it was. Also if you had read any of the post you would have seen that I bought the unit on Ebay under the impression it had a power problem which would be an easy fix. it however is not a power problem but a flex cable issue.
So since I bought used on ebay for 40 bucks, sending it in for repair or RMA is not an option. I will just wait till parts become available. Or throw it away and count a 40 dollar lose. No big deal for me unlike those who did spend 200+ on it.
Solarenemy68 said:
Did you not even read any of the post I quoted? Based on the ones saying they have issue and the ones saying they do not it is about the split that I said it was. Also if you had read any of the post you would have seen that I bought the unit on Ebay under the impression it had a power problem which would be an easy fix. it however is not a power problem but a flex cable issue.
So since I bought used on ebay for 40 bucks, sending it in for repair or RMA is not an option. I will just wait till parts become available. Or throw it away and count a 40 dollar lose. No big deal for me unlike those who did spend 200+ on it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I have read the posts and my answer was not specifically targeted at you, but first and foremost to the people who spent 200+ on it and specifically to the OP who was worried his unit could stop working after a few months.
It is possible that your unit is a pre-production one that was handed to developers. These are known to be of lesser build quality and had flexi-cable issues. The production units I own since launch do not show this issue so far and I am a quite heavy user.
Just wanted to point out that your estimate of failing units is anything but reliable, so hopefully people won't start making ideas based on it.
What's about those from Europe who get the white screen of death and try to RMA it, will Nvidia accept and repair it on warrenty?
I'd also have to go with the whole "The only people who hate on it are the ones who have never touched it" reason. I bought my Shield to replace my PSP and my HP Touchpad as an emulation/Android gaming device ~couple months ago and I've yet to regret the purchase. The main reason I didn't buy it when it was announced was because I thought the price was a bit too steep, but now that it's (still) $200 I think it's definitely worth it.
nex86 said:
What's about those from Europe who get the white screen of death and try to RMA it, will Nvidia accept and repair it on warrenty?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As long as you have proof of purchase from the US or Canada then they must honor the warranty regardless of where you live. What they will do is stick you with shipping cost most likely both ways.
I unfortunately do not.
I bought it off a german seller, but maybe I can ask there.

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