How to make sure you exchange a defective phone for a new unit, not a refurbished one | Image by PhoneArena
Have you ever purchased a new phone and almost immediately after coming home from the store discovered that it was a defective unit? Did you know that in this scenario as long as you returned the device within that carrier's "Buyer's Remorse" return window (14 days for T-Mobile and AT&T, and 30 days for Verizon), you'd be entitled to a brand-new phone, not a refurbished model?
Why carriers prefer to give you a refurbished phone instead of a new one
Carriers are quick to give you a refurbished model for financial reasons, of course. The wireless firms know that it is cheaper for them to repair and re-certify a used phone than it is to give you a brand-new unit. Also, boxed phones are generally reserved for sales while refurbished models are kept for replacements.
This is the most important paragraph in this article
Some wireless customers end up hurting themselves by marching into the store they bought the defective phone from and demanding to file a warranty claim. If you are within the aforementioned "Buyer's Remorse" return window and a phone you purchased is defective, you should be able to do an exchange and get a brand-new phone.
When you return the phone, do so with it in the original box with all of the accessories such as the charger, cables, etc. Be prepared to pay a restocking fee in the range of $50 to $75, although you can ask for it to be waived if you are returning a defective phone.
Verizon store inside San Antonio mall. | Image by Verizon
If you go to the store with your mouth foaming, ranting and raving about the device being under warranty, you will be shipped a refurbished unit. And once you are past your carrier's 14-30 day return window, all you will get is a refurbished model no matter what you do or say.
This is important. If you want to get a new phone back in exchange for your newly purchased defective one, you must do it as an exchange within the 14-30 day window. Check with your carrier to see exactly how long this window is and don't let it expire without you turning in your defective unit. Do not let the reps talk you into filing a warranty claim.
A Verizon customer says that he was lied to by an agent
to a new iPhone and it was defective. When he called Verizon to complain, he allegedly was told that his wife would receive a new unit. However, when that unit arrived, it was a refurbished iPhone.
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The subscriber called to complain about receiving the refurbished unit and was told that this is Verizon's policy. But the agent on the phone said that he could activate a line for the subscriber, keep it inactive, and get a new iPhone for him that way. The agent even told the Verizon subscriber that he could still keep the refurbished model.
The customer got trapped into keeping and paying for an unnecessary extra line
The customer, worried that the agent was pulling the wool over his eyes, asked five times whether his bill would change if he agreed to the agent's suggestion, and each time he was assured that it wouldn't. And when the monthly bills started coming in, they showed that the agent was wrong. Not only was the customer paying $40/$50 a month for a line he didn't need, he also was paying device payments for the new iPhone.
When the subscriber called Verizon, the carrier admitted that the agent was incorrect. Despite that admission, the customer was stuck with the extra line because it had the device payment tied to it. After paying the bill for a year, he switched to T-Mobile and said, "Network is way faster, and my bill is a third of what it was. They even paid off my remaining device balance."
Don't get stuck paying full price for a refurbished phone that was once someone else's problem. If you bought a defective phone, follow the recommendations in this article to make sure you get what you paid for.
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Alan, an ardent smartphone enthusiast and a veteran writer at PhoneArena since 2009, has witnessed and chronicled the transformative years of mobile technology. Owning iconic phones from the original iPhone to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, he has seen smartphones evolve into a global phenomenon. Beyond smartphones, Alan has covered the emergence of tablets, smartwatches, and smart speakers.
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