Introduction
I had written back in September 2016 of why you should never buy used phones on Ebay. And like a moth to a flame… I couldn’t resist buying another used phone on Ebay. It was from a seller with 1000 feedback and 100%. The phone was on the cheap side and when I got it in, it looked fine. I then traded it in for the Tmo iPhone 7 promo. I had ordered the 7 online and mailed the 6 back to Tmo. I thought I was golden.
Four months of calls later
For four months, I wasn’t seeing the credit. I eventually found out the phone had water damage and it disqualified me for the promo. FACEPALM! I found out I couldn’t get the phone back once mailed in. DOUBLE FACEPALM! I did receive a tradein credit but still lost ~$150. UGH. That’s it. Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me twice, fuck my life. I WILL NEVER EVER BUY ANOTHER PHONE ON EBAY.
Why you should do Tmo promos in store
Also, when the rep told me about the water phone, he told me that if I had traded it in store, the check would have been done in store and they would have either given me full credit or told me the phone would be rejected. I could have then returned the phone back on eBay and gotten my money back. DOUGH!
Secondly, I had issues with the recent free 2 phone line promo. I think it was due to the sim cards being backordered. It eventually got resolved, but if I had done the promo in store, I would not have had that issue. This is why for future Tmo promos, I’m doing everything in store.
How do I get tested for water damage? If I go to Tmo store, they do it for free?
Well, just remove SIM and if there is color red, water damage for models greater than 5 google search says…..
Thanks for the education…I am going to check used phones for water damage from now on….I thought any working phone can be traded-in…I gotta be careful.
I have a water damaged phone that works perfectly. I even paid to get it checked out and cleaned up at a repair place. I was super frustrated when TMobile wouldn’t accept it in store. If the phone works perfectly, what does it matter that it got wet one time?! Likewise, you bought a perfectly working phone. There’s no way the seller knew that you planned to trade it in to a place that wouldn’t accept it because a sticker changed color.
A car that has been in a flood doesn’t sell for a car that hasn’t been in a flood even if it’s been totally fixed right? Same concept.
hahaaa…I bet you would do it again!
HAHAHAHA of course I will. You know I’m a glutton for punishment.
The problem with trade in in store is that, when a new phone comes out, there is NEVER any in stock in store. And by the time there is stock, guess what the promo is over!
Or maybe you can trade in store and order online? NOPE! Can’t do it. If you order online and trade in in store all they are really doing is mailing the phone for you. You are still subject to this wait and anxiety.
This is why I hate T-Mobile promos. As generous as it seems, there is always a catch.
I believe you can preorder in store and so when you pick it up, do the swap.
In the past promo for 7, you could only pre-order online, which would require you to send the phone in. It will be shipped to you, not the store.
At least that’s what I remember. I tried everything to unload my wife’s water damaged phone (it can fool my local T-mobile people, but not a serious test), but couldn’t because I couldn’t get around the obstacle of having to mail it in.
Did you contact the ebay seller at all or give him some negative feedback at least?
No too much time has passed. I sent him a nasty note but he didn’t respond.
Honestly, he might not have even known it had water damage. I once had an iphone that worked perfectly but when I had it checked out by someone they said it had water damage. It had never been dropped in water, he said it could’ve been from something as simple as leaving it in the bathroom with me while I took a shower.