Unfair condition of second hand mobile phone sales

[Anonymous]

Mobile phone sales

Responsible department: Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Right now there is no option with the mobile phone operators to transfer ownership of a mobile phone, therefore a second hand phone can be blocked by the original owner simply by quoting the IMEI number and having that phone reported lost or stolen.

I call that the mobile operators make a change in the industry to allow us to buy second hand phone so that they truly would be ours.

It should be a criminal offence to block some one else's phone.

Please vote for this change so that your second hand phone is more secure, and not open to someone else blocking it.

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/67125

[Anonymous]

I also choose to buy from CEX jay.

As they only buy from registered members they typically pursue the member, and with a view to banning them.

[Anonymous]

Hi evanrw

Very true.

Part of the Refresh Terms are a customer may not dispose of the hardware until it's paid off ,but obviously we all know people upgrade to sell it on.

What is needed I think is some kind of Shake up regarding insurance on these phones ,so the process of claiming for a 'lost' phone , after it's been sold on to gain a new one is harder or more expensive to complete ?

[ewanrw]

I think that's called insurance fraud 😉

[Anonymous]

It certainly is mate but we know this happens due to the circumstances people find themselves in when their second hand phone is blocked.

Unless it's been stolen then sold on and the original owner has gone into have it blocked.

[Anonymous]

hi Ewan 

Check mend is a sort of HPI Check for mobile phones, checks who the phone is registered to, weather its lost/stolen, network barred etc 

[Anonymous]

http://www.checkmend.com/uk/

[ewanrw]

Problem solved... unless the unscrupulous original owner reports lost/stolen some time after the sale.

Prosecute and throw them all in jail 

[MI5]

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@ewanrw wrote:

Prosecute and throw them all in jail 

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and that is the way to stop it.

Fraud is not a civil matter and the police should get involved!

[Anonymous]

SmartfoneStore do the same as CEX, if a device you purchase from them is ever blocked they will refund the cost to you, they also use CheckMend.

I agree with the OP poster though, this is something that needs to be sorted out to the benefit of all the honest sellers out there.