Update: My MacBook Pro was either lost or stolen in the mail or they never sent it. However, Apple ended up giving me the full amount they had originally quoted me. It took a lot of phone calls though.
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Apple's Trade-In Partner Phobio Has Reportedly Faced an 'Alarming Uptick' in Complaints
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One thing I will say. Whoever Google uses for their store promised me $127 trade-in value for an old iPhone 7 Plus I had lying around, and when they got it, they gave me $127.
I see this was from a few months ago but just got boned on trading in my immaculate iPhone 12 Pro Max. They claim the following: "Display is not functional/not responsive to touch". This is absolute BS! So now, less than a year old, and somehow it has magically depreciated from $1100 to $310. Riigggghhhhhtttt. This company needs to be investigated.
They just sent me back a macbook air they said it didn't power on.. I think that I left it on when I put it in the box and killed the battery. I got it back plugged it in and it worked fine.... and it holds a charge. I think they are just lazy!!!
Just got an email from Phobio saying the backlight on the pristine 27" iMac I sent them doesn't work and they won't give me anything for the trade-in. Pure rubbish. That iMac was perfect when I shipped it.
Apparently they aren't answering calls on Sundays so I haven't been able to talk to them about it yet.
-kp
Apparently they aren't answering calls on Sundays so I haven't been able to talk to them about it yet.
-kp
I've been waiting for them to inspect my MacBook for over a week now. It says on the status "Inspecting your device, can take up to 3 business days". Its been more than 3 business days and yes I excluded Veterans Day and the weekend.
Sorry to tell you this but they won’t be any help on Monday, or any other day, either.
They seem to have shut down all phone support. Regardless of the time or day of the week, when you call you get a recorded message to email them. I emailed them two days ago and have heard nothing back.
-kp
Short of engaging a lawyer, perhaps complaining to the Better Business Bureau is an option? It has helped me a few times. However, if the company doesn't care it won't accomplish much. Also, the Attorney General in your state. I guess you could name Apple, as they're the one who makes the offer.They seem to have shut down all phone support. Regardless of the time or day of the week, when you call you get a recorded message to email them. I emailed them two days ago and have heard nothing back.
-kp
You are welcome to try the BBB and AG, but they will just forward the complaint back to Phobio, and that's about it. I gave up on the BBB when I reported that a company blatantly stole from me (not Mac related), and they did nothing and gave the company an "A minus."
It's always good to work out a settlement, but it's really not that hard to go to small claims court if you need to.
It has been suggested elsewhere I give a lawyer a shot. Specifically, to contact a class action law firm and see if they would be interested. I may indeed try that but I am going to give them a bit more time for an email response.
-kp
I had to ask Apple to help last night cause my trade-in was stuck on inspecting for over a week. Today I got notice it is done and my credit is coming. Wonder how long it would've taken if I didn't ask
Class action is a waste of time for us peons though, only lawyers get rich off it. So we do that and we each get $1.50, wow great
Phobio finally returned my emails. Even though Apple told me they were the ones that were handling the trade-in, Phobio stated they don't have anything under my order number and that someone else must be handling the trade-in.
So I contacted Apple again and explained the situation. After a brief discussion and a little time on hold, I was told they would investigate the trade-in, confirm its condition and try to determine if it might have been damaged in shipment. They said it could be up to 48 hours before this could be completed.
About 6 hours later I get an email from them saying that…"It has been determined that no damage occurred to the device during shipment to Apple, or during its return shipment to you. Therefore, we cannot accept liability where condition of delivery has been confirmed." Absolute BS. That iMac was perfect when I packed it up.
So they pick the shipper, they pay for shipping, they provide the packing material yet the customer is responsible when the product is damaged in shipment.
At this point it is hard to say which company is f@cking me over, Apple or Phobio, but the end result to me is the same. My only hope now is that when my iMac is returned to me I find out that it is actually still working as well as when I sent it and I can just sell it myself. Although I can't imagine that will be the case.
-kp
So I contacted Apple again and explained the situation. After a brief discussion and a little time on hold, I was told they would investigate the trade-in, confirm its condition and try to determine if it might have been damaged in shipment. They said it could be up to 48 hours before this could be completed.
About 6 hours later I get an email from them saying that…"It has been determined that no damage occurred to the device during shipment to Apple, or during its return shipment to you. Therefore, we cannot accept liability where condition of delivery has been confirmed." Absolute BS. That iMac was perfect when I packed it up.
So they pick the shipper, they pay for shipping, they provide the packing material yet the customer is responsible when the product is damaged in shipment.
At this point it is hard to say which company is f@cking me over, Apple or Phobio, but the end result to me is the same. My only hope now is that when my iMac is returned to me I find out that it is actually still working as well as when I sent it and I can just sell it myself. Although I can't imagine that will be the case.
-kp
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I placed an order at B&H for a new 16" M1 MacBook Pro to replace my pristine 2015 15" MacBook Pro the day after they were announced. In the past I have always sold my Macs on eBay with good luck, but a hassle. When I placed my order at B&H I saw the "Trade-In" program via Phobio. They made an offer of $535 for my machine immediately and gave me 21 days to send it in at that quoted figure. I was pretty sure I could get a bit more via eBay, but decided to was worth the difference if it went smoothly. I also assumed if B&H recommended them, it would be like all my previous stellar transactions with B&H for the past 20 years.
I did not want to give up my 2015 MacBook until I received my new replacement. It took right at 20 days for me to receive the new MacBook as it was a new release (expected); however, that just left me maybe one-day to transfer/prep/ship the trade-in to Phobio. I called Phobio and explained my deadline concerns vs the quote amount and got right through to Shanika (sp?) and she said "No Problem if I went ahead and shipped it by the next day".
The Phobio prep instructions were a bit out of date for my unit, but I finally figured everything out, reinstalled a clean OS and quit the installer before entering my personal info - ready for a new owner. Packaging instructions were straight forward. I took several photos of my unit next to their packaging just in case (but never used them). Dropped off at FedEx knowing it may be 3 weeks as stated before I would get a final confirmed offer.
They replied with a $535 confirmation value offer within about 48 hours after receipt and 24 hours after that I received a Virtual VISA Debit Card instruction email to redeem. So about 9 days after shipping to redemption (vs 3 weeks).
I followed the instructions to activate the $535 Virtual VISA Card based on the email they sent me. The only hiccup was I could not get the website to accept the Activation Code they sent, so I sent them an email. While waiting for a response I kept trying to activate and finally figured out that it would not accept the code via "cut-n-paste"? Once I manually typed in the code everything activated fine. Within 5 minutes I received a response from Phobio, but I had already resolved the issue.
So, all-in-all I would have to say in my case, I had a total positive experience (assuming the VISA Card works!)
I did not want to give up my 2015 MacBook until I received my new replacement. It took right at 20 days for me to receive the new MacBook as it was a new release (expected); however, that just left me maybe one-day to transfer/prep/ship the trade-in to Phobio. I called Phobio and explained my deadline concerns vs the quote amount and got right through to Shanika (sp?) and she said "No Problem if I went ahead and shipped it by the next day".
The Phobio prep instructions were a bit out of date for my unit, but I finally figured everything out, reinstalled a clean OS and quit the installer before entering my personal info - ready for a new owner. Packaging instructions were straight forward. I took several photos of my unit next to their packaging just in case (but never used them). Dropped off at FedEx knowing it may be 3 weeks as stated before I would get a final confirmed offer.
They replied with a $535 confirmation value offer within about 48 hours after receipt and 24 hours after that I received a Virtual VISA Debit Card instruction email to redeem. So about 9 days after shipping to redemption (vs 3 weeks).
I followed the instructions to activate the $535 Virtual VISA Card based on the email they sent me. The only hiccup was I could not get the website to accept the Activation Code they sent, so I sent them an email. While waiting for a response I kept trying to activate and finally figured out that it would not accept the code via "cut-n-paste"? Once I manually typed in the code everything activated fine. Within 5 minutes I received a response from Phobio, but I had already resolved the issue.
So, all-in-all I would have to say in my case, I had a total positive experience (assuming the VISA Card works!)
An update…
I received another email from Phobio, it does appear that Apple themselves handled my trade-in. It shipped to Apple's facility in Elk Grove, California and when they shipped it back to me it came from there as well.
I received my iMac back today and it works perfectly. Apple's assessment that the backlight doesn't work was total garbage.
-kp
I received another email from Phobio, it does appear that Apple themselves handled my trade-in. It shipped to Apple's facility in Elk Grove, California and when they shipped it back to me it came from there as well.
I received my iMac back today and it works perfectly. Apple's assessment that the backlight doesn't work was total garbage.
-kp
I promise this will be my last post on the subject in this thread. If someone has a question for me, send me a private message. That being said…
I had responded to a post with my trade-in experience in the official Apple support communities where someone specifically asked about Apple trade-ins and problems with Phobio. Others in the thread has also posted about their trade-in problems although one person did post about a positive experience.
I went to update my post with my latest information this morning but the entire thread has been removed.
I think that speaks for itself.
-kp
I had responded to a post with my trade-in experience in the official Apple support communities where someone specifically asked about Apple trade-ins and problems with Phobio. Others in the thread has also posted about their trade-in problems although one person did post about a positive experience.
I went to update my post with my latest information this morning but the entire thread has been removed.
I think that speaks for itself.
-kp
I feel your pain. My father now wants to trade in his iPhone 8 and asks for my advice. Unfortunate that this Apple program is FUBAR.
Does he have a local Apple Store? Trade in process as the Apple Store is so painless. I traded in my MacBook there last week - was in and out in under 5 minutes.
Another Phobio victim here. I sent in a nine month old 2020 MacBook Air Intel to use as a trade in for the new M1 model. It was in pristine condition when sent in. They returned it with greasy prints all over the screen and the keyboard covered with hair, dust and other debris. Phobio indicated that they could not erase all the files and so reduced its value to $0. I thoroughly cleaned and sterilized the surface of the machine and gave it to my daughter. It works flawlessly.
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Thanks, that's helpful. I could take it in to one locally. I didn't realize it was different in person.
Here to report a similar poor experience. Sent in my 2017 MacBook Pro i5 2.3GHz 13" (Mid 2017) 128GB SSD with a promised trade in value of $340.
I received a revised estimate of $0.00 after they received it due to "missing TouchID'.
This model does not even HAVE TouchID! Also, it's not like an accessory I didn't include, how might one remove the touchID? A cursory check of Apple's own technical details of the model (https://support.apple.com/kb/SP754?locale=en_US) confirms no touchID with this computer.
Anyway, called Apple right away and have been promised a return email by tomorrow. I'm expecting that I'll have to continue to fight. It's ridiculous.
I received a revised estimate of $0.00 after they received it due to "missing TouchID'.
This model does not even HAVE TouchID! Also, it's not like an accessory I didn't include, how might one remove the touchID? A cursory check of Apple's own technical details of the model (https://support.apple.com/kb/SP754?locale=en_US) confirms no touchID with this computer.
Anyway, called Apple right away and have been promised a return email by tomorrow. I'm expecting that I'll have to continue to fight. It's ridiculous.
What a bunch of scammers. It’s pretty self evident they’re taking a slice of the pie for themselves in an unofficial capacity.
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