O2 Recycle Rip Off and Damaged my Phone

[MickyWeirUK]

Hi all!
I have recently fallen victim to O2s shocking recycling scheme where you are quoted a decent £250 to recycle your phone and then this changes to a pathetic £47 after sending it to them, for a definitely fabricated fault. (Screen Burn)... It's a Galaxy S8 by the way...

Of course, I refused the offer and had them send my phone back, which is only going to cost me a few days of my busy week... Unfortunately on my phone has been received with a damaged/stuck power button!!!

Does anybody know a way I can complain and get this issue sorted, as I'm now left with a damaged phone I can't redeem any value from?

Regards,
Micky

[Cleoriff · Accepted solution]

Hi @MickyWeirUK

O2 recycle are notorious for this sort of underhand tactic .

You could make a complaint, though if you have only your word the power button wasn't stuck before you sent it off then you may be out of luck https://www.o2.co.uk/how-to-complain

If you  are able to get the power button fixed via a mobile repair shop, you will get a better price if you take it to CEX

Best of luck and welcome to the forum

[MI5]

Did you get the same phone back? Check the IMEI numbers match yours first.

[dgilbert2]

Although is does not help you now, I have always found flee bay good for selling decent phones

Good luck with O2 though.

[MickyWeirUK]

Hi Cleoriff, thanks for your reply. I have since emailed O2 and they are going to investigate. Starting by sending me a pack to once again send my device to them... Fingers crossed the situation does not get worse from here.

[MickyWeirUK]

I did check and the number was the same apart from the very last digit after the / had gone up by 1...

/12 --> /13

I'm not sure if that means anything, but it's a little strange.

[MickyWeirUK]

Thank you, I'll check it out.

[MI5]

---

@MickyWeirUK wrote:
I did check and the number was the same apart from the very last digit after the / had gone up by 1...

/12 --> /13

I'm not sure if that means anything, but it's a little strange.

---

IMEI numbers cannot be changed so you have a different phone .

[Cleoriff]

What an underhand trick!!

So the phone you sent for recycle is NOT the one you got back.

As @MI5 says, the IMEI number can not be changed so you have been sent a different phone!!

[MickyWeirUK]

***UPDATE***

So I have sent my phone back off to O2 to be investigated as to why the button on my phone has been broken...

Today I received an email with them simply offering me even less money (£38) than previous, and nothing to do with the actual issue!..

Each day my phone losses value, and this is certainly prolonging on the quick sale and upgrade. That of which I wouldn't have done in the first place if it wasn't for O2s baiting offer of £250.

Absolute disgrace. I'm a student and used some of my student loan to upgrade, with the hope of getting a decent price for my upgrade. I'm now very much out of pocket because of this scam... Yes, I would even say SCAM!

For anyone wanting to upgrade, please learn from this and go elsewhere.