Adrian from San Isidoro, ijournalist at 60 million consumers, sign in the November issue, a file on these smartphones restored in a way after a first life. Much more affordable than new models, refurbished smartphones are attractive. Our research, says Adrian of San Isidoro, reveals that users are happy with their purchase, but these products break down more often.
franceinfo: How do those who recondition devices work?
Adrian from San Isidoro: In principle, refurbishers buy second-hand phones and then test a certain number of physical points: the battery, the screen but also the camera or even the microphones. If a component is faulty, reconditioners are supposed to replace it with a working part. Repairing a second-hand device is the promise made by reconditioners.
What is the size of the discounts on average?
The discounts vary according to the age of the phone: the older it is, the greater the price drops. It is not uncommon to buy a refurbished smartphone 30, 40 or 50% cheaper than the price of the new one.
The question is of course that of the quality / price ratio. Buying a cheaper smartphone if it breaks down is not satisfactory. Your study shows that customers are quite satisfied …
The owners of refurbished cell phones we surveyed give an average overall satisfaction rating of 8.1 / 10, which is quite high.
But all is not rosy for all that. Can it be clearly said that refurbished phones break down more than new devices overall?
Yes ! This is what we found, by comparing our study on refurbished smartphones, with a satisfaction survey carried out on new phones. On average, a refurbished device breaks down almost twice as much as a model paid for at full price. To be completely precise, 19% of people questioned have already experienced a breakdown with their refurbished smartphone.
The battery is a central point for the use of the smartphone. What about refurbished devices?
The battery, for refurbished phones, is one of the main causes of failures. Unfortunately, if they have not been changed by the reconditioner, their load capacity may vary from model to model. The safest way, to avoid any disappointment, if the reconditioner offers it and if we can afford it, is to buy a new battery, often sold for around twenty euros.
Are there any guarantees that can protect the buyer?
In general, commercial warranties are offered by sellers of refurbished phones. But not all are created equal. Some last for one year, while others are valid for three years. It also happens that commercial warranties contain exclusions that reduce their value, such as the failure to cover defective batteries, one of the main causes of failure. To identify these exclusions, the best is to go to the sites of the reconditioners, and to read the part devoted to the guarantee in the ‘general conditions of sale’.
Repackaging is a booming market with a lot of sellers. How to choose your store? Can we go online with our eyes closed?
No, you shouldn’t buy with your eyes closed. You must first take an interest in the merchant and in particular in its after-sales service: if it is installed outside Europe, the various exchanges by email and other postal items may drag on, or even never succeed. Which is very annoying, when, for example, you have to deal with a laptop that fully discharges in two hours.
Regarding the choice of model, I would advise to avoid smartphones that are too old, like the iPhone 6 or the Galaxy S6, which may no longer be updated and expose you to security vulnerabilities. Without updating, it is also possible that some applications, too recent for the operating system, become incompatible with your phone and therefore unusable.