Complaints

Cash4Phones Complaints

45 Comments

If you’ve ever wanted to recycle your mobile phone, the chances are you’ll have come across a website called Cash4Phones. When you use those phone recycle comparison websites, looking for the best price for your phone, they’re the ones who usually come out on top as offering the most money.

However, before you leap straight into accepting their offer you should read what really happens, or at least what really happened to me and a friend of mine when we both sent our phones off to Cash4Phones at the exact same time. I’m not suggesting this is how Cash4Phones deals with every customer but, according to the reviews I have read online and the identical way both myself and my friend were treated, it’s a fair assumption.

I entered the details of my iPhone 4 on their website, to be presented with the offer of £131.02. This was higher than any other mobile phone recycling website was offering, so I accepted their offer and waited for their stamped addressed envelope to appear through my door. Sure enough, this came within a couple of days. I must confess, I was a little surprised to see the envelope being so thin (just a piece of plastic really) and offering no protection for a phone whatsoever.

Still, I sent my phone off (recorded, as they suggested, so I paid to send it) and waited for the money to land in my bank account.

I didn’t have to wait long before I received an email from Cash4Phones stating my handset was damaged, and they were now only offering me £45.85 – a fraction of the original offer.

cash4phones

Their email also contains the line:

If you feel that there has been a mistake with your Order, please do give us a call.

Of course there has been a mistake! However, there is no phone number in the email, and no phone number on the website. Alarm bells were ringing, and I felt pretty stupid for not Googling Cash4Phones before accepting their offer. Their website still doesn’t have a phone number on today, which is a clear sign they’re not to be trusted. Luckily by Googling I was able to track down a number on various other websites, where stories of their business practices were ringing in my ears. Their number, should you need it (and I suspect you do) is 0845 4601064.

I telephoned them immediately (recording the call, obviously) and this is what happened.

So, Cash4Phones offers the highest amount for a phone, then makes up ‘damages’ to your phone and reduces their offer, which you can either accept or refuse – paying them £10 to get your phone back. Was this a one off? No, because my friend had the exact same reduced offer for fictitious damages. Funny that eh?

Esther, from Cash4Phones, did indeed call me back about my phone. This is what happened.

Naturally I didn’t take that increased offer either. I’m not being ripped off by these crooks (and yes, I’m using the word ‘crooks’ because that’s what they are). It’s funny how they had made a ‘mistake’ with my phone and, strangely enough, the exact same thing happened with my friend’s phone too. Another mistake, and their offer was increased as well. The bloody crooks.

What’s even worse, and I’ve seen online this has happened to a number of their victims (sorry, customers) – when I logged into their website to ‘decline’ the offer I found it had been approved. Not by me it bloody hadn’t. That’s right, they automatically accept the offer on your behalf, before the deadline, and keep your phone anyway. The bloody crooks.

I phoned them back fuelled with a renewed anger and was amazed, and perhaps slightly disappointed, to find they caved and offered me the full amount for my phone.

It seems if you record your calls and broadcast them on YouTube, you’ll get results. Don’t use Cash4Phones, they’ll rip you off. If you have made the mistake of using them, call them and record it. Keep at them and don’t let go. They will cave.

Tell them Mr Daz sent you.

I’ve heard too that Cash4Phones is on BBC Watchdog tonight. That should be interesting, and it’s about time too. If you’ve come here after using Cash4Phones, or after watching Watchdog, tell me about your experiences. What happened? Did you get your full amount or your phone back?

Darren Jamieson

Darren Jamieson, aka MrDaz, is the Technical Director and co-founder of Engage Web and has been working online in a career spanning two decades. His first website was built in 1998 and is still live today.

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45 thoughts on “Cash4Phones Complaints”

  1. i posted my sony xperia arc to cash4phones on the 18th sept, they reduced my offer form £70 down to £53 due to excessive wear and tear and phone not working, when i challenged this by email they changed it to just wear and tear but didnt change the offer. i didnt accept there offer but they emailed me saying that i had and i would receive my £53.00 within 10 working days. Im still waiting, they no longer respond to my emails and i have now found a 0845 number which i have been on hold for 1 1/2 hours.

  3. So I have tried sending emails to the address on the website…they won’t send. Been on hold for hours to their 0845 number and when trying to log in to my account, my pack barcode is no longer recognised??

  4. I have the same problems as Beckey, nov 13 10.31am…I have not been paid since June,,price was reduced due to wear and tear,,,now my email address is not accepted,,,ID ref number is not recognised and my password is invalid,,,can you help me please?????

  5. Hi can anyone help.. I sent iPhone 4S to “cash4phones” they received my phone on 29th November, took them a long time to say they had received my phone to which I emailed them..(which they have never replied too) I have checked my account with with them again and says on the 9th December my phone passed the checks and my payment is pending… It is now 16th December and I have still not heard a think or had any money. I have tried to email them again but when I put my barcode/packcode number it says they already have a email from me and will get in touch!!! So I can not email them again.. I have found an 0845 number which I am calling in a que and just get a repeated message saying “all representatives are busy please hold and calls will be answered on order it was received” I not actually holding out hope that I will ever get my money back or anyone will actually answer the phone.
    Please can anyone help

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