iPhone X UK buying someone elses unopened phone

[Abiyork]

Hi all,

Been on the lookout for a mint conditioned Iphone X on the used market and have found someone who is selling their contract upgrade as they've decided to keep their 8+.

Its a very good price £630 for an unopened 64GB, locked to EE.

My worry is could this phone be locked by her contract supplier once I have bought it if she fails to meet payments within the first few months etc? I'm finding conflicting information.

 

[littlemidge]

If you buy this phone and it hasn’t been paid for, or the original seller stops paying for it, it can be blacklisted I believe.

 

[Abiyork]

If you buy this phone and it hasn’t been paid for, or the original seller stops paying for it, it can be blacklisted I believe.

Thanks for your reply.

Some sites I have found state that it will only block the users sim and effect their credit rating.

Another site states it is not the owners phone to sell until it has been paid for 6 months.

 

[Sparkymoto]

In my country, they block the phone if the customer stops paying their bill. I’d stay away from it unless it’s someone you can trust.

 

[littlemidge]

Thanks for your reply.

Some sites I have found state that it will only block the users sim and effect their credit rating.

Another site states it is not the owners phone to sell until it has been paid for 6 months.

I mean, I may be wrong and things may have changed. But I don’t think I’d personally want to take the risk for so much money, even if you are saving quite a sum of money.

It might be worth phoning one of the providers and asking?

 

[maka344]

In addition, all EE contract phones are not allowed to be sold within the first 6 months. EE will legally owns the device for this period.

 

[Abiyork]

Cheers everyone. She tried saying if the phone every got bricked then to contact her for a refund, all very messy so I have left it.

Ultimately its made me ensure any phone I buy is either bought outright or more than 6 months old.

 

[Sparkymoto]

Also, there are some really good clones out there. I’ve seen on Craigslist where people have been fooled.

 

[Ffosse]

I wouldn't take the risk.

Some years ago I bought an iPhone 5 from a second-hand electronics store. Got home and found that it wouldn't work with any of my SIMs. Turned out to be blocked. The store were very good, though, providing a refund and £10 store credit for my inconvenience.

 

[Newjackboy]

Firstly, I don't think £630 for a sealed X, locked to EE is such a great deal.

EE do clearly state they continue to own the phones for the first 6 months - and that it cannot be sold/modified in anyway during this time. In practice, I know of no action they have ever taken...

If the contract holder stopped paying the bill, their sim card would be blocked, they would be pursued for payment etc and they would eventually take a hit on their credit file.

The phone itself would only be blocked if reported lost or stolen by the original contract holder. The driver behind them making this false claim is to then claim on insurance for a replacement. In practice this DOES happen- however it would be slightly risky as you (the new buyer) would have some proof of purchase (evidence of the ebay/gumtree ad, chat logs etc, as well as the original box). If you took this up, you could hit back at the orgiginal seller by informing the relevant authorties. However its likely your iphone would remain permanently blocked in the UK!

If it does get blocked, your options are to either sell for parts or send abroad, where they may still work in certain countries.

It is a risk you have to consider. They are many genuine sellers who need cash and sell their upgrades - but of course many dodgy characters as well

 

[Abiyork]

Firstly, I don't think £630 for a sealed X, locked to EE is such a great deal.

EE do clearly state they continue to own the phones for the first 6 months - and that it cannot be sold/modified in anyway during this time. In practice, I know of no action they have ever taken...

If the contract holder stopped paying the bill, their sim card would be blocked, they would be pursued for payment etc and they would eventually take a hit on their credit file.

The phone itself would only be blocked if reported lost or stolen by the original contract holder. The driver behind them making this false claim is to then claim on insurance for a replacement. In practice this DOES happen- however it would be slightly risky as you (the new buyer) would have some proof of purchase (evidence of the ebay/gumtree ad, chat logs etc, as well as the original box). If you took this up, you could hit back at the orgiginal seller by informing the relevant authorties. However its likely your iphone would remain permanently blocked in the UK!

If it does get blocked, your options are to either sell for parts or send abroad, where they may still work in certain countries.

It is a risk you have to consider. They are many genuine sellers who need cash and sell their upgrades - but of course many dodgy characters as well

Thanks for your response.

Can I ask why a brand new Iphone X with obviously 12 month warranty is not good value at £630? I'm on EE anyway so perfect for me but only £8.99 to unlock through them anyway.

 

[Newjackboy]

Thanks for your response.

Can I ask why a brand new Iphone X with obviously 12 month warranty is not good value at £630? I'm on EE anyway so perfect for me but only £8.99 to unlock through them anyway.

yes, u would be able to unlock after 6 months only.

Did u go for it?

 

[MacRazySwe]

I'm in the exact same boat. Looking for a deal on an iPhone X.

Apparently, many people with bad credit who are usually denied loans from their bank, extend their phone contracts to get new phones which they can then sell unopened for cash in their pocket. While background checks are usually performed when applying for loans, the same is not the case when extending contracts.

If these people with apparently already bad credit can no longer keep up with their payments, you risk ending up with a bricked phone.

Personally I have decided to not take the risk. Or the risk of potentially being scammed with a re-sealed unit.

I think I will just spend the extra cash and buy the X from an Apple authorized store, or the XS directly from Apple.

 

[Sparkymoto]

There might be people who bought the phone outright from Apple and are selling it on CL so they can upgrade to the xs or max. They would then have a receipt. I would trust this, but you need to see the receipt. I only buy my phones outright and sell them on CL. I always provide ID and the receipt. If someone refuses, don’t trust them