"PROS:
Good prices
Phone arrived in expected condition (but they sent the wrong phone)
Customer support via their non-live chat responded quickly
Ordering is easy
Website is well organized

CONS:
They sent me the wrong phone
The vendor applied a 'discount' code to an agreed upon refund and knocked the agreed refund of $82 down to 79.69 (really? Originally, I gave them 3 stars--I knocked it down to 2 for this one.)
No way to contact a live customer support representative via a phone number or live chat
Return process prolonged
Return process not up to industry standards (see below)

I would NOT purchase from Backmarket again. I suppose if you receive the correct item in good working condition, the Backmarket experience is okay. However, the real test of a company is how they handle a transaction when there is a problem and, unfortunately, I do not think Backmarket is ready for prime time on that. To add salt to the wound, we agreed upon a solid figure of $82 as a refund, as I ordered a Pixel 7A and they sent me a Pixel 6A and they 'discounted' the refund as the original purchase was made with a discount code, so they 'discounted' the refund. (Really???)


I ordered an unlocked Google Pixel 7A for my daughter and received a Google Pixel 6A. When the phone arrived, it was not clear to me that it was a 6A but once this was clear, I contacted customer support. The only way to do this is via non-live chat. There is NO live phone support or live chat option. They answered within 24 hours, which is quite good for this kind of support. They apologized for the error and stated that they would agree to a return and replacement. However, they would not send out a replacement until they received the returned PIxel 6A. Once received, they would then send out the replacement phone. In the meantime, I would need to port back everything to another phone (or my daughter would be phoneless). They agreed that it was their mistake, but tat didn't matter. They suggested that I back up the old phone in the interim, but as far as having a phone during the exchange time, we would be on our own.


My daughter opted to keep the 6A--it is working well for her. The initial cost of the phone was $334.34. In lieu of an exchange, they agreed to refund me $82, making the final purchase price for this 6A in good condition $252.34. The most expensive 6A on their site right now is $240.69--so they basically charged me $12.15 for their mistake--but I was tired with dealing with their support, so I agreed to the refund.


But the plot thickens. We agreed on $82 but refund posted via PayPal was only (drum roll, please) $79.69. Well, they did post a refund, but the stiffed me $2.31. Why? Per their customer support, they reduced the agreed upon refund by $2.31, as I initially bought the phone with a discount code so they 'discounted' the $82. Imagine you paid for dinner and after using a discount voucher, the final price for the meal was $164. Your friend agreed to split the bill 50-50, but instead of giving you $82 they gave you $79.69 because you 'paid with a discount code.' That would be insane. I agreed to $82 in full faith not some fraction of that. There is also no mention of 'discounting agreed upon refunds' in their FAQ section.


On the positive side, Backmarket is a real company. Prices seem fair and you will receive an item. The 6A was the wrong phone but came in good to excellent condition. Shipping was okay and arrived within the specified time window. TCustomer support is not live, but answers.

On the VERY negative side for me, Backmarket sent me the wrong item. They were unable to implement the exchange properly and then stiffed me on the refund. Most companies (for example Amazon), will send out the exchange item, charge your account for the replacement, and refund the cost of the original item once it is received. This way you have your replacement in hand before you need to return the old item. With items like a phone--that you need for everyday life--this is critical.


I suppose I could have ordered a 7A from them and simply opted to return the 6A. But what would I do if they, again, sent me the wrong phone? Or have to go through if there was a problem with the next item sent? Why would I want the hassle?


As it turns out, Backmarket is not actually a company that sells items. It is a marketplace broker for vendors. Buying on consignment is very different from buying directly from a single company. It means that Backmarket a mediator between you and a seller, making it more like eBay or Etsy than buying directly from BestBuy or Amazon. This partially explains why things are so messed up.

If all goes well, Backmarket might work well for you. However, if there are problems--you are sent the wrong item or an item that needs repair--you are on your own. I would not shop here ever again.



"

"My daughter ordered a phone from back market order number 33727493 that didn't work after 2 days, was returned on the 25th of October 2023 and initially back market stated that they had received the phone back and stated they would repair, replace or refund, replied again on the 31st and stated there was nothing in the package, they then asked us to send in a police report and stated when they receive that we would get a refund after 2 days ( another lie ) they have sent another message again today 30/11/23 stating they want a police report ( already sent ) proof of handover, id, and statement of payment, it's just one thing after another and 5 weeks later, I think they drag it on so you get fed up and give in, I the parent bought the phone for my daughter for £210.09, so have lost my money and still don't have a phone, the company is probably ok unless you have a problem, can't call them can't do a live chat just have to wait for days on end for a reply.

12/12/2023 update today
Not refunding the lost phone and have suspended my account so unable to speak to them anymore stating there's fraudulent activity on my account the only fraudulent activity is the company BACK MARKET so if your stupid enough to purchase from them hope you dont have any problems.

"

"I submitted my Macbook for warranty claim because the screen developed vertical lines, after buying the laptop from BackMarket 2 months prior. It was still functional except for the screen's far right. After sending it in, my claim was denied because they determined I had put "pressure" on the screen. I disagreed and explained I never did such a thing and that the vertical lines suddenly appeared in the middle of using it. So after I got my laptop back in the mail, I turn it on and now the hard disk is apparently damaged and the "Disk Utility" won't make it better. I contacted BackMarket about this new problem but they refused to help, claiming that it was related to the original screen problem. I initially submitted pictures of my laptop working with the vertical lines showing but this did not matter. I had planned to use my laptop with an external monitor, but now I can't do that after they messed it up further. Lessons learned: 1. a product could have internal problems and will get triggered with a little more usage. 2. When they work on a broken product, they may damage it even further and will take no responsibility."

"AVOID BackMarket. They sent me a phone that’s not even inspected, much less refurbished. I got a phone with a camera that doesn’t work at all. Zero focus, no matter what. When I FINALLY got a reply via email from their “team”, they wanted me to take pics of the return box to send send it back. Um. . .with what? Then they offered me a 10% off promo code to buy another phone from them to use while they “process” my return. No thanks. Stay away. Far, far away from Backmarket."

"If I had to write a book detailing my experience with this company in buying a refurbished iPhone 11 128gb it would be on the shelf titled NON-FICTION under the genre of HORROR.

I paid a three figure sum for a refurbished iPhone that has not been delivered by the company DHL who are just as bad.
The price charged to my credit card being more than the price advertised for the refurbished iPhone 11 which is another rip off.

The item was to be delivered on 19 September then it was the 20th followed by 21st September 2022.
Then it was the 22nd September 2022. Now it’s the 28th September 2022 and still no iPhone 11 or a FULL refund without deductions.
Irritated at having to wait at home for over a week so far and cancelling appointments too into the bargain to wait for the non delivery, I cancelled the purchase but was informed that it had been dispatched and this is where the horror starts.

I am being given no approximate time slot just that delivery would be on these days from 8am to 6pm which is appallingly poor service from both Back Market and DHL.

I forgot to mention the seller is not Back Market they just punt on the sale to a third party BEST4TECH.

The last straw is that should the item arrive and I’m not there, I will be sent a return address label which I print off myself PLUS I PAY an extra £10 for the privilege of printing off this return label!
Furthermore I MUST PAY the entire cost of returning the phone IF it turns up should I refuse delivery or it’s faulty.
I have to take a photo of the package from ALL angles plus photo of the delivery driver if I’m there to refuse delivery.

To compound the dreadful service and be eligible to claim my partial refund (NOT a full refund once all the extra deductions are factored in) I have to send Back Market a copy of my photo ID such as my passport or driving licence.
I am refusing to send them a copy of my passport or driving licence as that facilitates identity theft or identity fraud despite being pestered daily to provide this photo ID to get my refund.

Along with the photo ID I have to print off yet another form and fill it with various other information within 5 days to help with their investigation.
Not an easy process at all and open to fraudulent abuse.

Despite being called from France and from several locations within in the U.K. I have refused to provide this intrusive photo ID of my driving license or passport as I do not want to be the victim of identity theft further down the line.
Here is todays response from BEST4TECH

“Thank you for your message! I definitely understand your concern. However, for rapid thorough support, I would like you to kindly file the certificate of non-reception as proof of not receiving the order. This document will also help you to receive a reshipment in 24 working hours or a refund. Unable to do the following and also provide your ID, we can not do much on this. I wish you a pleasant day, Williams from BEST4TECH quality team”

Having had enough of this nonsense I ordered a refurbished iPhone directly from the online Apple store which arrived the next day.
It has a new Apple battery , new Apple case, new Apple screen. It is like a new iPhone at a fraction of the original price with ALL GENUINE Apple parts unlike those from Back Market and BEST4TECH.
The refurbished iPhone is absolutely pristine in an apple box and surprisingly cheaper than from Back Market for a phone in its excellent category.

The service from the online Apple store has been second to none and I was given a one hour time slot for delivery which was accurate too, unlike the dreadful service from DHL who think customers have nothing better to do but wait at home all day waiting for a non existent delivery.

Tired of all the excuses from Back Market I have since opened up a credit card dispute by calling the bank that provided my credit card.
The dispute has been opened to get ALL my money returned to me without deductions and all the other nonsense from Back Market.

AVOID…..go to a more professional company like Apple who know what they are doing."

"I purchased a refurbished 2015 MacBook Pro that was supposed to be in their highest condition.
It had multiple problems right out of the box: fan kept going on loudly and the return key was sticky so it doesn't work oftentimes and I have to hit it multiple times. I complained to the reseller and they denied all culpability claiming it was in perfect condition when they mailed it. The track pad also became sticky where the click or double click doesn't always work. I complained again and again, same result. Finally, within about 10 months in which most of the time my MacBook was only occasionally used as a secondary device - my left speaker went bad. I began noticing the sound was just bad, static-like sound making it challenging to understand dialogue. This laptop was a complete lemon and BackMarket does virtually NOTHING to enforce its authorized resellers who deny all responsibility and will not honor their warranty. I will NEVER buy anything from this crummy site again. There's a reason we pay Apple what we do. For reliable service! If I can't afford to buy my Apple devices from Apple then I can't afford the device right now. The end. BackMarket is scammy company."

"I purchased a refurbished phone from Back Market on 2/19/22. There was also the offer to trade in my old phone for a refund which was convenient so I signed up for that too. I got the phone and it was perfect. I then sent in the old phone, and after Back Market confirmed that it was in pristine condition they sent an email with a form to fill out for the return. I was shocked to see that not only were they asking for my bank account number, but they asked for the last digits of my social security number – which is NOT needed to transfer money to someone’s account. There is also zero information in their Ts&Cs that this information would be required. I responded to multiple emails asking me to complete the form for that returb that I was not going to give them that info and to please just send a check, use an alternate electronic payment method (Paypal, Venmo Apple Pay, refund my credit card, etc.) or simply return the phone. After about 6 emails, none of which received a response, I called customer service. I explained the situation and the call center representative in India hung up on me. Not the kind of company you want to be dealing with.

It’s scary to think about the total amount of information they would have after a return: your name, address, email address, phone number, bank account number and the last 4 digits of your social security number. A big database of that information would definitely be worth some money – perhaps someone’s retirement plan?

I disputed the refund amount with my bank, but want to warn other potential customers. If you want to trade in your phone, I would highly recommend you do it elsewhere
"

"QUICK SUMMARY: If you need a phone for business, you should not buy one from BackMarket.com. If you need a phone to last for more than 8 months, you should not use BackMarket.com. If you cannot tolerate losing all of your personal data and information when the phone needs warranty service, you should not use BackMarket.com. If you want a 12-month warranty that will be honored, you should not use BackMarket.com.

DETAILS: Up until 10-19-2020 I sang the praises of BackMarket.com, recommended BackMarket.com to my friends and family and co-workers, and looked on BackMarket.com when I was thinking about purchasing a new phone. However, after owning the iPhone 7 “Very good” condition phone for 8 months, the battery stopped functioning properly (dead by 1 p.m. without any use). When I sought support from the seller (Electronic Deals) and BackMarket.com, I was faced with a maze of complications. ❶1st: I was told that “the order is past 90 days old and the warranty period has expired.” This was blatantly false since the phone came with a 12-month warranty. Seems like an attempt to put off the buyer from trying to file a warranty claim. ❷2nd: After sending documentation showing I had a 12-month warranty (which all BackMarket.com phones do—that’s one of their advertising claims), I was offered a replacement. ❸3rd: After agreeing to a replacement I was told that I would have to send my phone back to the seller and they would then take up to 2 weeks to send me a new phone and that no temporary phone would be provided “because they don’t do that.” Since I use the phone for business that requires me to be available to clients 24/7, I could not be without a phone for 2 weeks. Furthermore, BackMarket.com had changed their policy of not providing temporary phones *after* I had purchased my phone but were still insisting they would not send me a temporary phone even when I offered to pay for the full cost of buying the temporary phone and then having them refund the cost when I returned it. ❹4th: When I offered to simply have the local Apple store replace the battery while I waited at the store and have the seller reimburse me for the cost of the replaced battery, I was told that they could not possibly do that. They never explained why they couldn’t send a check, but that’s what they said. Not sure why a business cannot write checks. ❺5th: If I had accepted the option to be without my phone for 2 weeks while the replacement processed, I would have had to have erased all data from my phone before sending it back to the seller without being able to transfer my data to a new phone. A serious problem! ❻6th: When I asked for the warranty request to be elevated to a higher authority, I was given directions for how to do that online, but, the directions were bogus—if you follow them, there is no “SOS” button anywhere on the site to elevate one’s complaint even though the customer service agent said to click the “SOS” button. ❼7th: When I sent screenshots showing that there was no such button at the URL I was told to go to, I was belittled for not being able to click the non-existent button and told that the agent would reluctantly elevate the complaint for me. After 27 days, no one had contacted me and I am left with an 12-month warranty that was not honored and is apparently worthless to the buyer, although it does seem likely to help the seller by developing a false sense of security in those who buy phones on BackMarket.com."

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