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A refurbished mobile phone is a device that originally doesn’t start as a refurbished device , rather as a used mobile phone which was sent back to the network providers to be traded in.

Used mobile phones can be sent back for many reasons, such as customer not liking the phone, sent back within the 14 days cooling off period or simply because the customer has come to the end of their current mobile phone contract and wants the latest device.

Once the phone has been traded in the phones would be sold in bulk to refurbishment companies like Refurb- Phone where the phones will be thoroughly tested and refurbished to high standards. The phones are than re labelled from a used mobile phone device to a Grade A Refurbished device. Trading standards have identified that the definition of a graded device aren’t set independently, so the grading can vary.

Warranty

When buying a refurbished mobile phone warranty will differ from company to company so its absolutely crucial that you get the right warranty. Many companies offer one month , 3 months or 6 months warranty. When buying an expensive refurbished mobile phone you should look at a company that offers a long warranty or offers out of warranty repair services even if the phone is slightly more expensive. The last thing you would want is a faulty phone within a couple of months after purchasing it and then be left out of pocket because the company only offers a short limited warranty.

Can I Insure A Refurbished Mobile Phone

Insurance on a refurbished mobile phone can vary from company to company. Below is a list of major insurers who will insure a refurbished mobile phone.

What Are My Rights When Buying A Refurbished Mobile Phone

Buying a refurbished mobile phone has the same rights as buying any other product. You have a 14 days peace of mind. Good must also be in satisfactory condition and must be fully working. Having said that if you are unhappy with a product it is advisable that you report it to the trader / company as soon as possible.

THE PROCESS

1. Testing & Grading

The process starts when mobile phones are recycled to us. The phones initially get passed onto the testers who carry out a 16 point test on each device.

Whilst the phones are being tested a visual inspection is done on each mobile phone and graded accordingly.

2. Refurbishment

The relevant mobile phones are than picked for refurbishment. The process firstly involves the mobile phones being dismantled as seen in the image below.

All the external parts of the mobile phones such as the lcd ( front facia ) and battery covers are disposed off and all the internal parts of the phone such as the motherboard, speaker, mic, etc are put aside to be reassembled into the new external mobile phone parts.

The new external mobile phone parts usually consits of the following

Before the phones are refurbished the motherboard of the phone is throughly cleaned to remove any dust particles. After this process the motherboard and other mobile phone parts are assembled onto the new parts. Once all this is completed the refurbished mobile phone will resemble a brand new mobile phone.

QUALITY CONTROL

Now the mobile phone has been refurbished, the next stage of the process is to have a quality check performed.

This process involves the phones being sent to our our quality control engineers who than conduct a 16 point check list on the phones. If the phones pass the final quality check they are stored until sold.

Once an order is placed the phone and battry are than packaged with the following items.

Mobile Phone Box

USB Data Cable

3 pin Charging adaptor

Grade A Refurbished:These mobile phones has been refurbished to grade A refurbished condition with no marks or scratches. The phones are reboxed in a generic black / white mobile phone box and packaged with a battery and charger. The phones come with 6 months warranty.

Grade B: The mobile phones are graded into this category because they will show some slight signs of wear and tear. The phones are reboxed in a generic black / white mobile phone box and packaged with a battery and charger. The phones come with 6 months warranty.

Some companies also provide grade C mobile phones, however we at refurb phone do not provide phones that fall into this cateogry. We want customers to receive phones that they are happy to use and show off to their friends. We provide grade B devices for sale because there are phones with general wear and tear due to everyday use. Grade C mobile phones have extensive cosmetic damage depending on the grading critera of the company in question.

We highly advise not purchasing grade C used mobile phones due to our own statistics, which showed that 41 % of handsets getting returned due to grading discrepensices. Due to this reason we have completely stopped selling Grade C mobile phones.

1. You Save ££££’s

Buying a refurbished mobile phone can save you a lot of money in comparison to a brand new phone. For example a buying a brand new Samsung s4 will set you back £259.95 (http://www.mobilefun.co.uk/, 24.05.2016 ) , however the same mobile phone in a grade A refurbished condition with 6 months warranty would cost you £119.95 ( www.refurb-phone.com , 24.05.2016). That is a saving of £140. AMAZING !!!!. This is just one example out of many therefore when searching for your next mobile phone be sure to search on the internet for a refurbished device.

2. Functionality Of A Refurbished Mobile Phone

A refurbished mobile phone is sold at a lower price than a brand new mobile phone however the functionality is identical to buying a brand new device, including the cosmetics. Refurbished mobile phones also come with warranty like a brand new mobile phone too.

3. Buying A Refurbished Phone Can Help The Environment

If the first two advantages didn’t persuade you to purchase a refurbished mobile phone over a new one than this almost certainly will.

According to a recent survey

‘’A new report suggests that around 17 million gadgets, including mobile phones, sat-navs and music players bypass recycling schemes and head straight to landfill sites.’’ ( Ref: http://thenextweb.com/uk/2012/02/07/17m-gadgets-bypass-recycling-schemes-and-end-up-in-landfill-sites-says-uk-report/)

This is a sad ending to a device that could have been reused. By buying a refurbished mobile phone you are helping the environment as you are helping fewer gadgets entering landfill sites. Unfortunately Earth is the only planet that we know that can sustain human life. We need to look after it to the best of our ability.

4. Your Rights

Your rights as a consumer remains unchanged when buying a refurbished mobile phone. You can still take advantage of a 14 days peace of mind guarantee. Most companies who sell refurbished mobile phones also provide a warranty that is in line with the warranty of a brand new mobile phone. So your always on a win win situation.

5. No Need For Long Mobile Phone Contract Extensions

This is another no brainer in saving money. A lot of people don’t want to get tied in to a long 24 month contract so opt for a sim only rolling contract deal. They then buy the mobile phone outright. You can save even more money by buying a refurbished mobile phone and not get tied into long mobile phone contract.

Here are our reasons why.

1. Design

Although both phones are designed in a sleek manner the Samsung s6 edge come out as the winner. It is designed in a revolutionary way, which has never been done by any company in the mobile phone industry. The curvature design is very impressive for the function that it is intended for and also for the first time when you pick up this flagship phone you know your lifting a phone with value unlike its predecessors, Samsung galaxy s5 and s4,which didn’t feel like it should have a price tag of £400.

2. Functionality

In regards to functionality again the Samsung S6 EDGE is the clear winner. The Samsung S6 EDGE has a SUPER AMOLED display in regards to the iphone 6 LED Backlit IPS LCD. The camera on the Samsung S6 EDGE is 16 megapixels and also has a 5 megapixel front camera. This is double in comparison to the iPhone 6, which only has an 8 megapixel camera. To be honest for a mobile phone that was introduced in 2014 this is not very good in comparison to Nokia, who brought out a 41 Mega Pixel camera in that very same year.
Another amazing function that the Samsung s6 edge has that we love here at Refurb Phone is, Wireless charging !!!!. We know every single mobile phone manufacturer will adopt this method of charging in the future. The question for Apple is when ??. We can be a lazy bunch and it does seem extra effort to find our charging lead and than plug that lead into our phone. How easy is it to come home after a stressful day at work and just put your phone on top of a wireless charging mat and let it charge.

3. Storage

Storage on our phones is very important. The Samsung and the iphone come with the same storage memory, which is  16GB/32GB/64GB/128GB, so there is no clear winner there. 
However it is also important to back up our storage. This is where the Samsung again is the clear winner. Apple only provide  5GB of free icloud storage. This was perfect when the iphone 3gs came out however in the last 3 years the number of apps available and with all the selfies that we love to take this is just not enough. Yes we can pay for additional storage however why would we have to as Samsung provide 115GB of free drive storage.
Although we would love more memory we feel this is just enough when we require to backup our phone.
We have highlighted the most important thing we love on a phone and chosen a clear winner. For us at Refurb Phone this winner is the Samsung S6 Edge.