If your phone is broken and irreparable, has been lost or stolen, or you just fancy something new and you can’t wait for one via your contract, why not opt for a refurbished phone rather than a brand new one?
A refurbished phone has been pre-owned, so the previous owner has either chosen to sell it while it’s still intact, or it has been damaged, sold and repaired.
While many may be wary of buying a refurbished phone, there are actually plenty of benefits so long as you’re buying the phone for a reliable and trustworthy place. Here are just a few benefits of buying a refurbished phone.
Get cheaper, high-end smartphones
It goes without saying that buying a new smartphone isn’t cheap. Despite the majority of us all owning a smartphone and using them every day, new releases or brand new ones can be extremely expensive to buy outright – especially the top brands which most of us would prefer.
The benefit of buying a refurbished phone is that you can get a high end phone from a top brand at a much lower price, meaning you could get last season’s iPhone at a massively discounted rate. In other words, you can get top quality tech at an appealingly low price.
Refurbished phones are more Environmentally Friendly
Most of us get a new smartphone every year or two, which means there is a massive amount of waste involved as people throw their old phones away to buy a brand new one. By opting for a refurbished phone you’ll be making both a financially and environmentally responsible choice, as by reusing an older, refurbished phone you delay it ending up at the landfill.
Then, when it’s time to move on, you can recycle your phone and buy another refurbished one!
Fully Inspected, serviced and tested
Many people avoid refurbished phones because they automatically assume they must be damaged or faulty in some way. In fact, a refurbished phone is likely to be in just as good of a condition as a new phone. Every phone that’s sold and refurbished, whether its intact or damaged, has to go through extensive inspections and tests.
It is then serviced and fixed if need be – so whereas brand new phones may have a defect, with refurbished phones there’s actually a lower risk of any tech issues as it will have been recently serviced.
While some refurbished phones may have signs of wear and tear (there are different scales ranging from low to high wear and tear which you can choose from), in terms of the actual tech your phone will have been fully serviced before the store could even put it on sale.
Even so, make sure you get a warranty so if any problems do arise, you’re covered. Most places will offer a 90 day or 12 month warranty with any refurbished phone purchase, but make sure you’re buying from a tried and trusted seller.
In Summary
While there may be some downsides to buying a refurbished phone, such as not getting it in the original box and not being guaranteed to have headphones included, the benefits outweigh the negatives considering the quality and cost of the phone you’ll be getting.
The main thing to remember when buying a refurbished phone is to go through a trustworthy, dependable seller and to make sure you have a good warranty, so you can trust that the phone has been fully inspected by experts who will help you out if anything goes wrong (which means go into a store rather than buying off an anonymous seller on eBay…)
If you’re interested in buying a refurbished phone, take a look at The Exchange’s website or come see us at our store in East Finchley where we can run you through the whole process and help get you a great quality smartphone at fantastic prices!