Apple Trade-in Program with Phobio - WARNING **** UPDATED RESOLUTION READ ALL POSTS ****

[melted3]

########################################
########## ADDED AFTER ORIGINAL POST ##########
########################################

**** IMPORTANT **** I don't want to remove my original post, since someone responded to it, and I think it is important to document the situation, but please see my follow up post regarding Phobio's unsolicited customer support call I received!

########################################
########################################
########################################

I will NEVER use this service again.They lure you in with a decent offer to buy your used equipment and then nitpick some sort of "flaw" and revise their offer down to next to nothing. I sent them a MacBook Pro (mid-2012, i7 2.9GHz, with a 750GB drive - I actually think I put a 1TB drive in and more memory myself, but I don't remember). That said, these people offered me $170 sight unseen to get me to sent it to them. I just received a counter offer for...$30! Why? Because they say there was a dent on the case. There was no dent on the case when I sent it and this is the picture evidence they provided. You decide. I've owned 6-7 macbooks, and 3-4 desktop macs and I baby my technology. Cases, neoprene sleeves, and I've only damaged one, which my daughter is using for college right now (5/2020) (small dent on the corner of the lid because it fell and it was in a neoprene case [I don't use that brand anymore btw]). This is on Apple too, since it is their program. Take a look at that picture and comment on the "damage." I would love to hear your opinion.

 

[chabig]

I don't even see a dent in the photo. Just tell them to send it back to you and be done with them.

 

[melted3]

EXACTLY! So here is an update to my situation. Based on other reviews I found online, their reputation for customer service was not great and I saw other incidences similar to mine. I didn't want the machine back as I wanted it recycled or whatever they wanted to do with it. Shipping it would put it at risk and I might end up with a lump of aluminum. So, I posted my review on Trustpilot, here, and Site Jabber and followed it up with a quick note to their support@phobio.com address expressing my irritation and actions. About two hours later I get a mysterious 800 number call on my phone and it is Phobio support! To say the least the call started out a little cold from my end, but I quickly realized they were calling to apologize for a mistake. The support guy, Greg I believe, told me he and his manager looked at the picture as well and they didn't see anything either. They apologized and said, unfortunately, mistakes are made but they were going to make things right for me and had already adjusted my quote back to the original value of $170. That was great news, of course, but what really impressed me was them taking the effort to call me. I don't know if it was because of my online posting (they said it wasn't so I'll take that at face value - with a grain or two of salt), but caring enough to reach out to one customer out of 1000's and 1000's they deal with is a big deal to me. I would be updating my online reviews even had he called to tell me he had better pictures showing damage and that the adjusted offer had to stand. My point was, floating what they floated to me originally reeked of dishonesty. Now, I have a different view of them. Next time if something like this happens, I will have faith in the support@phobio.com email route and try to reach out before I flame away! So my advice now is, try it, but be ready. If you don't like what you get, reach out before you accept the revised offer. However, you will have to do that via a new contact because the revised offer email provides no way to start that conversation directly.