We are wearily familiar with our readers being given the runaround from companies but even we were left exhausted by Donna’s attempt to buy a refurbished phone which lasted more than six months, involved cross-border communications, misdirected mails and – ultimately – no phone.
She ordered an iPhone 13 Pro last March on the refurbed.ie website and has had an endless stream of problems since then with the palaver starting before the new (to her) €708 phone even arrived at the doorstep when she wasn’t home.
The dodgy delivery was only the starting point but before we share her story we should tell you what Refurbed is, or at least allow Refurbed tell you what it is. This is what its website says: “We are the leading marketplace for refurbished electronics in Ireland. Our products are up to 40 per cent cheaper than new, and more sustainable. They are restored using up to 40 separate steps, after which they function, look and feel brand-new.”
The site goes on to say that it aims to “provide a better alternative to new and used products. Better still: thanks to our refurbed carefree package, our customers enjoy a risk-free experience. Our vision is to establish the idea of refurbed across all of Europe and do our part for a more sustainable world.”
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Cheaper and better for the planet? It is hard to fault that as an aim but Donna’s experience would suggest there is work to be done and while refurbed.ie cannot be blamed for everything that happened – given that it serves as a marketplace to link sellers with buyers so doesn’t actually stock and sell the products on its platform but – based on what Donna says – it has not covered itself in glory either.
None of those involved in the sale have, to be honest.
A couple of months after her refurbished phone arrived, a green line and other marks appeared on the screen’s display so she “got on to Refurbed/the seller on June 17th and [the seller] said they would take it for repair”, she says. The date for collection was set at July 5th.
“At this point I had changed address and had sent them the new address and also sent photos of the phone. I was going out of the country and given all the delays I decided to wait until I was back to send it off.” She was told she could drop it off at an access point where it would be picked up when she got back to Ireland.
“While I was away the screen’s display broke completely. It went white and the phone was not usable for the whole trip.”
At this point she asked for a refund. “I was told a refund was not possible after the first month, only a repair, or where that’s not possible a replacement or where that’s not possible a refund.”
The broken phone was eventually shipped by Donna to the seller on August 14th.
“I was told once the device reached them it would take 24-48 hours to repair and it would be shipped back. On August 26th I called for an update and a day later heard from the seller who said it was in their technical lab and they would have a response in 48 hours. I called Refurbed again and asked for a refund or compensation or a replacement as I had been so long without a phone.
“They didn’t respond to any of these requests. They just sent a UPS tracking link on August 28th and another one on August 29th. I called Refurbed and they put their special support on the case. All special support said was ‘I’m sorry on behalf of the team and here’s your tracking link from the seller’. I asked if he needed me to explain what happened as there had been so many issues.”
He said no as he had all the details.
It was now September and Donna’s phone was still in Italy according to the tracking link.
The man from Refurbed apologised again and the expected delivery date came and went and still no phone. Then she heard from the delivery company to say the phone was being delivered to her old address. There were more over and backs but at this stage [Donna] was so fed up “I just collected the device”.
Sadly the story doesn’t end there.
“When I opened the package, it was not my repaired device in the box. It was an iPhone 13 Pro but in a very damaged condition compared with the one I sent back, and also a different colour. I paid extra at the time of purchase for the condition to be the best condition and also for the colour. I couldn’t even be sure if they had sent me the correct 256G storage [which] I also paid extra for, as this would have required me to turn on and set up the phone with my details. I sent photos of the device I returned for repair and the one I received back. I explained how they sent me a device of lesser value.”
She was told by Refurbed to turn the device on and check if it was the correct storage. If it was, they would ask the seller for compensation if I chose to keep the device.
“I explained regardless of this I would not be keeping the device as they gave me a replacement of lesser value,” she says.
Donna sent Refurbed a copy of its warranty conditions which make it clear that “a replacement will be of equal or higher value”. Again there was back and forth for days, they explained my original phone could not be fixed due to a motherboard issue and offered me a gesture of €25 to keep the device.
“I refused this. The offer then was to either keep the device and take the €25, or send the device back and wait for them to have the correct one back, or send it back and take a partial refund. I refused again, explaining each time why this was unacceptable. I then mentioned the European Small Claims Procedure [but] Refurbed ‘kindly reminded me’ my contract was with the seller and Refurbed was just a marketplace.”
In the middle of September the seller contacted Donna offering to collect the incorrect device sent and send one that was identical to the one she had purchased.
“I confirmed all the specifications of the device that would be sent, when it would be shipped and the new warranty. I was informed the incorrect device being sent back would have to go through checks in their lab before the new replacement was sent, and the warranty would be six months from receipt of the device. I informed them I hadn’t turned on the incorrect device and asked them to please ensure it was sent to the correct address.”
There were more over and backs and then on September 24th she received a scheduled collection date for the device. It was collected on September 26th.
More time passed and Refurbed told Donna it was still waiting for an update from the merchant who then sent a tracking link and said the device was sent on October 4th and I was informed delivery was expected on October 11th.
“On October 10th I received an email from the delivery company saying the package was again being delivered to the old address for the second time and, just like the first time, was left on the doorstep with no signature.”
Are you weary yet? We are.
On October 22nd Donna heard from the seller who sent a photo of the incorrect replacement device saying she had not removed her Apple ID even though she had already explained she didn’t even turn this device on. “It was also very clear from the photo sent that it was not my email address attached to the phone. It was a completely different email address,” she says.
“Refurbed has now set a deadline with the seller for a solution and if none is forthcoming they will ‘fully take over the case’. I now have the delivery company e-mailing me asking me questions about the delivery as well, and everyone is waiting for outcomes from other companies before a decision is made. Their priority is the phone, when I have been without one since August 14th. I need to purchase a new one asap from a trusted source. However, because Refurbed actually took my money, but my actual invoice is with the seller I’m not really sure what way to go. It has been an absolute nightmare, and just brick walls at every turn.”
We contacted Refurbed and a spokeswoman said the company was “deeply concerned by the prolonged issues faced by [Donna]”.
The company reassured both her and us that it was “taking prompt, decisive action to resolve this issue. Consumer satisfaction and product quality are our top priorities at Refurbed.”
The statement said that Refurbed “connects customers with a curated network of trusted refurbishers, and we rely on these partners to uphold the highest standards of quality and service. In order to understand the cause of these problems and guarantee a thorough resolution, our team has been collaborating closely with the vendor involved.”
It went on to say that it “fully acknowledges that this customer’s experience has been entirely unsatisfactory and understands the frustration that can arise in rare cases of defects”.
It said that although this was “an isolated incident” – a claim its Trustpilot reviews do support – it has implemented a range of measures to “ensure that such occurrences are prevented in the future”.
It conducted “a full review of this vendor’s handling of this customer experience to ensure it does not happen again [and have] taken the necessary internal steps to ensure that the vendor in question fully understands our quality and service criteria, and implements them in the future. We have made it clear that such poor service will not be tolerated on our platform.
“Additionally, we have reached out directly to the customer affected to offer dedicated support and address their concerns in full. We are happy to report that our outreach was well received by the customer, and we have reached a mutual resolution.
“At Refurbed, all devices are reset to factory settings during the rigorous, up to 40-step refurbishment process. In this process components are repaired or replaced as needed. When you receive your device, it should meet or exceed your expectations. On the rare occasion it does not, we are committed to working with our vendor partners to ensure that any concerns are addressed quickly and fairly.”
The statement concluded by pointing out that it is a marketplace and “while Refurbed does not directly handle product sales, it is of utmost importance that our products meet the highest standards. We value our customers’ trust above all else, and we are committed to upholding it by ensuring that every purchase reflects our dedication to reliability, quality and customer satisfaction.”
