Customers claim Apple partner Phobio is stiffing them on trade-in values
Apple trade-in partner Phobio is allegedly giving lower-than-expected trade-in values to customers because of device defects that apparently only they can see.
Credit: Andrew O'Hara, AppleInsider
Phobio is a Georgia-based company that offers white label trade-in services to other companies, including Apple. However, an investigation by The Verge suggests that the company appears to have a questionable online reputation.
Several Apple trade-in customers that Phobio slashed the trade-in value of their Macs because of a display that has "3 or more white spots." Those customers said they did not notice the white spots themselves before sending their devices in, and said Phobio failed to provide any evidence that the defect existed.
The Verge reportedly inspected one of the supposedly defective devices and was unable to find any white spots on the display or other signs of damage. Although the publication personally heard from a handful of customers, it adds that there are "scores of other instances" of similar situations online. In addition to Mac trade-in values, there are also complaints about iPhones, iPads, and other devices.
In a statement, Phobio declined to directly comment on the story but said that it aims to give "full and fair value" to customers for their trade-ins.
"We carefully assess each device sent to us, and only change the initial quote if the device we receive or its condition differs from what was initially indicated by the customer. We document our findings at every step of the way with photos that are shared with the customers," the company said.
Phobio does allow customers to refuse revised trade-in offers and will ship the device back to them free of charge.
Although The Verge's sample size is small, there do appear to be a number of complaints about Phobio spread across the internet. The Better Business Bureau is also advising consumers that Phobio has "a pattern of complaints" against it. The company has a 3.1 rating on TrustPilot, and there does appear to be an uptick in complaints in recent months.
Apple ">switched to Phobio as a primary trade-in partner back in 2017 after dropping PowerOn. AppleInsider has attempted to get more details out of Phobio regarding its assessment policies for just over two years, with no success.
Credit: Andrew O'Hara, AppleInsider
Phobio is a Georgia-based company that offers white label trade-in services to other companies, including Apple. However, an investigation by The Verge suggests that the company appears to have a questionable online reputation.
Several Apple trade-in customers that Phobio slashed the trade-in value of their Macs because of a display that has "3 or more white spots." Those customers said they did not notice the white spots themselves before sending their devices in, and said Phobio failed to provide any evidence that the defect existed.
The Verge reportedly inspected one of the supposedly defective devices and was unable to find any white spots on the display or other signs of damage. Although the publication personally heard from a handful of customers, it adds that there are "scores of other instances" of similar situations online. In addition to Mac trade-in values, there are also complaints about iPhones, iPads, and other devices.
In a statement, Phobio declined to directly comment on the story but said that it aims to give "full and fair value" to customers for their trade-ins.
"We carefully assess each device sent to us, and only change the initial quote if the device we receive or its condition differs from what was initially indicated by the customer. We document our findings at every step of the way with photos that are shared with the customers," the company said.
Phobio does allow customers to refuse revised trade-in offers and will ship the device back to them free of charge.
Although The Verge's sample size is small, there do appear to be a number of complaints about Phobio spread across the internet. The Better Business Bureau is also advising consumers that Phobio has "a pattern of complaints" against it. The company has a 3.1 rating on TrustPilot, and there does appear to be an uptick in complaints in recent months.
Apple ">switched to Phobio as a primary trade-in partner back in 2017 after dropping PowerOn. AppleInsider has attempted to get more details out of Phobio regarding its assessment policies for just over two years, with no success.
Comments
Face to face + receipts.
Given the surge in demand for such devices in the last year I expect a higher quote this time. A friend has already said she will pay over the trade in quote, so we will see.
I eventually got it into the box, but Phobio claims that the pristine screen which the iMac had before shipping was damaged, lowering my offer to $130.
Because of the fit of the box I remain convinced that it was the poorly fitting box which damaged the screen, and getting the iMac back would do no good as that 5K screen is *very* expensive to replace.
Apple should just stop using Phobio - they do a terrible job and I would never use them again.
I just sold my 2019 16" MacBook Pro (core-i9, 32 GB RAM, Radeon Pro 5500M, 2 TB SSD) but went through BuyBacktronics rather than Phobio. Wanted to get the Intel MBP sold before things went to trash when the 16" Apple Silicon replacement was announced.
I'm retaining a couple of Intel Macs - a loaded 2017 iMac 5K used by the family (not really worth getting rid of) and an equally loaded 2020 iMac 5K (core-i9 3.6 ghz, 128 GB RAM, Radeon Pro 5700 XT 16 GB, 4 TB SSD, 10 gb ethernet) because it's still boot camp capable and handles my workflows just fine - looking forward to playing Mass Effect Legendary Edition next month with 4K assets and controller support when it's released on May 14th.
Apple DOES refurbish phones, and they sell them on Apple.com as refurbs, or send them back to the Service supply chain for whole-device replacements. Some are further taken apart, and individual non-consumable parts may end up back in the Service supply chain as well.
Some are fed to the recycling machines, yes. The vast majority are not.