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

[MI5]

That's just ridiculous!

[Anonymous]

Does seem rather unfair

[MI5]

There's no wonder it's so common if the police can't do anything about it.

[Anonymous]

Can't or can't be bothered that is the question

[Anonymous]

Police rarely get involved in civil matters these days. They believe in self help for those matters.

Tis poor though as it is still potentially a crime.

[Cleoriff]

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@jonsie wrote:

I can't understand why something like this hasn't been implemented a long time ago. It should be treated exactly like selling a car.

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I support this petition and agree the law is moving far too slowly to keep up with fraud that can be perpetrated with re-sale of mobile phones.

I don't agree with the idea that 'mobile phone sales should be banned from some auction sites' as personally I have bought some damn good mobiles through this route. I agree that there should be legislation in place to stop unscrupulous sellers ripping people off though.

[ewanrw]

Same post on the Voda forum, and funny how the responses differ - O2 users seem to be in favour, Voda not so much.

ewan

[Anonymous]

I support a practice that would both support the seller and buyer.

What are the reasons some on Voda not supporting it ?

[Anonymous]

a reputable store is teh only answer so "IF" a phone is blocked you can take the phone back providing you still have teh recipt showing the IMEI a shop such as CEX will allow you to do this as they use check mend service wich is a payed service and allows them to check the phone, weather its in contract or not etc. They take teh risk and if the phone does get blocked they will give you a refund or exchange then they will contact the relevent auth's as it would then be fraud! 

so in answer use a reputable re seller not ebay or gumtree of facebook selling sites! 

[ewanrw]

I get the impression they just feel it would be impractical/unenforcible.

I think essentially what is needed is an HPi style check for mobile phones. An HPi check makes sure cars aren't still being paid for on finance, as regardless of who holds the V5, the finance company own the car, and verifies thing like mileage, crash damage etc. 

I guess a scenario would be a phone being taken out on Refresh and being sold before the plan has been paid off - O2 finance, or whoever arrange it, own the phone and can quite rightfully block it if the original purchaser fails to keep up the payments.

ewan