According to a report by the Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Prevention (DGCCRF), some smartphones labeled as ” refurbished would in fact be simple second-hand telephones.
Abnormalities noted in 62% of cases
Because they want to be more respectful of the planet, or pay attention to their wallet, more and more French people are opting for a refurbished smartphone. In France in 2020, 2.8 million refurbished smartphones sold, compared to 20 million new mobiles.
Increasingly lucrative, the refurbished market is attracting new sellers… who are not always very attentive to the state of smartphones, or who do not hesitate to use fraudulent sales techniques. This is highlighted by the DGCCRF in a report published on Monday 7 March. The French administration screened 84 stores and online sales sites and found anomalies “ more or less important in 62% of cases. “In general, the information provided to consumers did not allow them to know the possible degree of loss of quality of use of the equipment, nor to compare the products or to compare a reconditioned product with a new product”notes the DGCCRF.
Used products resold as refurbished
The main scam to customers is to sell them a second-hand smartphone presented as refurbished. However, to be refurbished, a device must not only have been emptied of its previous owner’s data, but also restored and tested.
The DGCCRF also points to the lack of information on the condition of products, with many sellers using terms such as « premium », ” in a perfect state “, ” very good state “ Where ” functional “, which do not allow the consumer to judge the quality and level of repair of the phone. Some resellers also use the term ” Like new », yet prohibited in the case of reconditioned products.
Beware of paid guarantees
Another trick: that concerning the product warranty. Some ill-intentioned resellers rely on false indications in order to sell paid warranties at the time of purchase. “This is particularly the case with regard to the duration of the legal guarantee of conformity, which is two years for second-hand products as well as for new products”, explains the DGCCRF in its report. The Ministry of the Economy recalls that this two-year guarantee not only covers breakdowns and malfunctions of the device, but also “the limited nature of performance”.