I’ve always found that selling on Kijiji/Facebook marketplace gets more more cash than a trade in. A bit more hassle but usually worth it.
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Apple's Trade-In Partner Phobio Has Reportedly Faced an 'Alarming Uptick' in Complaints
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I filed two complaints, my 2017 iMac (allegedly had a dark spot) and my fiancée's 2nd Gen 12.9 iPP (again, alleged uneven display). Neither had display issues, we rejected the new offers.
I recently did several trade-ins (including a 2017 MBP) with them, and they gave me the amount that was originally quoted. Either I was lucky, or the inspectors that received my item did a good job.
Gah, I hope the MacBook Pro I sent goes through with no issue. It's still in 'inspection'. Maybe these news articles mean they'll do things properly while the attention is on them.
After accounting for ebay/paypal's fees the trade in value seemed okay.
After accounting for ebay/paypal's fees the trade in value seemed okay.
I was quoted $140 for my phone. After 1 month passes and I can't return my NEW upgraded phone, I get a notice from them stating its valued at $35.
I also sent in a phone valued at $400 give or take and after 1 month passes and the new phone can't be returned, I get a notice stating they will give it for $140.
This is a scam. They wait until your return window on the upgraded item is gone so you are screwed and you take their lower deal. I called Apple and they advised me they do not deal with the company and I need to contact them directly.
I also sent in a phone valued at $400 give or take and after 1 month passes and the new phone can't be returned, I get a notice stating they will give it for $140.
This is a scam. They wait until your return window on the upgraded item is gone so you are screwed and you take their lower deal. I called Apple and they advised me they do not deal with the company and I need to contact them directly.
Same here. Never had issues with any trade in in the past....this one....never got completed. Frustrating.
I had a similar experience with a iPhone X. Phobio offered $350 and then dropped to $75 because of minor scratches on the screen. You had to look at the phone from an oblique angle in order to see the scratches. I refused the offer and now my sisters step daughter has an iPhone X for $80. iPhone X was 3 years old, battery was at 80% did not want to sell to anyone on locally or on eBay. Not sure if in store trade in is even an option here in Canada.
I am assuming, maybe I'm wrong, that most people do this because of convenience? Why not sell it on your own? One always gets more money that way. Trade in values are a joke. Whether it is a MAC or a car.
Reposting my experience from one year ago this week:
Phobio is THE WORST.
Sent in a very mint iPhone SE (2016). The Apple site doesn't let you designate GB or carrier, mine is a 32GB unlocked model.
Trade in was revised from $30 to $0.00. After "inspection" they found the model didn't match (pre-loaded model designator on Phobio was 16GB, I sent 32GB) and "could not ensure secure erasure of your device" WTF.
I called them, and the rep said issue #1 was "known", and issue #2 was because their wiping software couldn't not guarantee that all my data could be erased. WTF? I told them it was erased, and Find My iPhone was turned off. They didn't seem to dispute that, and before the conversation could go any further, their line was dropped or hung up on me.
I'm not bothering calling them back and I requested they return the device to me. Such a sham. I've traded in an iPhone in-person at the Apple store and had zero issues. Normally I sell on Swappa, but for this little amount of money, I was just hoping for a hassle-free experience. Phobio has wasted my time and either are dishonest, or don't know what the hell they're doing.
Phobio is THE WORST.
Sent in a very mint iPhone SE (2016). The Apple site doesn't let you designate GB or carrier, mine is a 32GB unlocked model.
Trade in was revised from $30 to $0.00. After "inspection" they found the model didn't match (pre-loaded model designator on Phobio was 16GB, I sent 32GB) and "could not ensure secure erasure of your device" WTF.
I called them, and the rep said issue #1 was "known", and issue #2 was because their wiping software couldn't not guarantee that all my data could be erased. WTF? I told them it was erased, and Find My iPhone was turned off. They didn't seem to dispute that, and before the conversation could go any further, their line was dropped or hung up on me.
I'm not bothering calling them back and I requested they return the device to me. Such a sham. I've traded in an iPhone in-person at the Apple store and had zero issues. Normally I sell on Swappa, but for this little amount of money, I was just hoping for a hassle-free experience. Phobio has wasted my time and either are dishonest, or don't know what the hell they're doing.
I wonder if the iPhone Upgrade Program is also using a third party. I've been swapping for a new iPhone every year for the past few years; for the first time this year I got a message saying my iPhone wasn't in good working condition; I knew it was for sure when I sent them. So I complained and asked to see pictures of the problem or to get my old phone back. And miraculously the next day I received a message saying that my Trade-in was complete and they didn't ask me to pay a fee anymore. I always thought Apple Customer Service was top notch but this incident really bothered me a lot and I will think twice before trading my phone again.
The bloggers on this site are the worst! They write an entire blog post about one person’s experience and claim it’s indicative of a giant problem without evidence. Macrumors should stick to announcing sales of refurbished devices and leave journalism to educated journalists who perform research.
Seems like the actual issue is confusion over which device is which. Most of the complaints center around Phobio rejecting/revising a trade in based on a completely different device than what they were sent.
That's pretty unlikely to be a scam.
That's pretty unlikely to be a scam.
You need to read the original cited article by The Verge. It’s a well-researched article with attempts to get Phobio and Apple on the record. The original source material is mentioned in the second sentence of the MacRumors entry, which is merely a summary of The Verge article.
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But in many cases the owners are sent back their own devices with no visible damage. So Phobio is mixing up devices but somehow sending the right ones back? I doubt it.
I just went through the same thing. I traded in a late model MacBook Pro with a value over $1000. I got an email when Phobio received it saying the computer did not power on. I went through customer service and was able to request a contusion of the evaluation. Phobio came back and said the same thing, so I rejected the trade in and had it mailed back. My computer was sent back in the same box with the bubble envelope sliced open so there was no protection for shipping. The MacBook was loose in the box. Luckily it only had a few minor cosmetic scuffs. The kicker of it all is that I was able to power it on right out of the box. No issues with booting or powering, which was the opposite of what Phobio told me TWICE. I was fortunate enough to be able to get into an Apple Store in time to have the trade in done in person by an actual Apple specialist, and I received the full value I was quote. If you can get in to a store to do you trade in, I would 100% recommend that over Phobio any day of the week.
I got what I was quoted, however my problem was that it took them over a week from receipt of my device to confirm it and then it was nearly another two weeks to get paid.
Seeing you post this story, I'm loathe to use them for an online trade in again. The PITA was that I did it based on wanting to buy an M1 MacBook Air refurbished - and that's inventory which ebbs and flows. Thankfully the day I finally got my gift card amount they were in stock, but it was a most un-Apple-like experience.
Seeing you post this story, I'm loathe to use them for an online trade in again. The PITA was that I did it based on wanting to buy an M1 MacBook Air refurbished - and that's inventory which ebbs and flows. Thankfully the day I finally got my gift card amount they were in stock, but it was a most un-Apple-like experience.
Hey this happened to me too! I had a 2013 15" MBP that was quoted for $350 and got an email with the exact same "display has 3 or more white spots" which cut the value in half. Asked for it to be sent back and sold it on CL for $550. Not too bad end result for me, but I'd rather have had the quick cash and convenience of not having to sell it on CL.
I used to sell privately but stopped after some bad experiences. On one occasion, I sold a MBP on on Swappa. After several months, the purchaser claimed the fans were running a lot. I accepted it back because I was afraid I’d be out the MBP and the money if the buyer opened a case with PayPal. I paid for shipping both ways, which was not an insignificant amount. I sold it without issue to Apple.
On another occasion I was selling an iPhone. I met the ”buyer” in a public place, and he tried to rob me. In the scuffle the iPhone fell on the sidewalk and sustained damage.
Once on eBay many months after I sold an iPhone the buyer messaged me saying it was prompting him for an Apple ID that was neither his nor mine. (I had completely reset the iPhone.) What I think happened was someone installed music or apps associated with someone else’s Apple ID. I became his tech support. Nothing ended up happening, but I was afraid he’d try to open a case with PayPal.
So, yeah, even though I could get more money selling privately, it’s not worth it to me.
Yep, been there done that. Sent in a 27” iMac that had a quote of 650, they came back with less than a 100 bucks estimate claiming damage that was not real. I made them ship it back. The Mac was in great shape, I just wanted to upgrade, so I sold it on my own. Lesson learned. SMH
Yep. Sent them a perfectly working iPad Pro. Offer was $250. They inspected it. Price was reduced to $45. Their comment in the email after inspection said, “Your trade quote has been revised due to LCD damage. This includes dead pixels, bruising/burn in, no response on digitizer or any other damage that could be related to the LCD.”
There is nothing wrong with the display from what I can see. I didn’t accept the offer.
The problem isn’t the ability to decline the new offer. The problem is the expectation and the dishonesty to get someone to take a lower price. I can only imagine the number of people that just take whatever they are offered because they took it for face value and they don’t want to deal with it now that it’s not in their hands any longer. Personally I’d rather it sit in a closet than let someone play that game with me. So that’s where it now sits... in a closet not being used.
There is nothing wrong with the display from what I can see. I didn’t accept the offer.
The problem isn’t the ability to decline the new offer. The problem is the expectation and the dishonesty to get someone to take a lower price. I can only imagine the number of people that just take whatever they are offered because they took it for face value and they don’t want to deal with it now that it’s not in their hands any longer. Personally I’d rather it sit in a closet than let someone play that game with me. So that’s where it now sits... in a closet not being used.
Iphone 8 Plus was discontinued in April of 2020, before the 12 came out. So doubtful it was worth 800 USD. And AT&T does not set trade in prices for Apple or any other company. If ATT was gonna take in trade, should have sold it to them. And an Iphone 12 could be had for 799.How can you blame Apple for that problem? Seriously!