I thought it was a deal. I thought it was a great offer. It looked great in the photo, it was in “great condition” according to the listing and, despite the seller not having a great rating, it seemed worthy of a quick punt.
I put a bid in. Yes I’d had a few beers. Yes, there was a hairline crack, but in my drunken state I figured I could get a new screen in, especially if the £75 bid came good.
Well.. the bid came through, and it was only when I’d sobered up that I started realising what a fool I’d been. I presumed that I would’ve been outbid on such a “good” Galaxy S6. Especially when you consider that one should cost about £280-£330.
Then, when the box arrived, I took a look and just knew that it was a wrong’un. So, I went out into the garden and passed it to my son to do a video. He’s getting proper good at this unboxing malarkey, and I think he’s going to do me out of a job before long…
It’s perhaps a lesson of how not to buy a phone. Because, if you get it wrong, you can end up with an “S6” like this one – a laggy handset running questionable additional software which has a busted screen, battered casing and an old version of Android which will never be updated.
Here’s some up-close pictures of the “thing” we received..
If you want to buy a nearly-new phone, whether drunk or sober, do some checks. If it looks too good to be true then it usually is. Try, if you can, to buy the phone from a network or a cashback retailer that sell “as new” phones which have been checked out and tested. O2, for example, do “Like New” handsets. These O2 refurbs have been returned within 14 days and restored to their original condition. Each handset also has to go through a series of checks to make sure it is in perfect working order for new owners. Things tested include the physical condition of the phone – if it is not perfect, nearly perfect, or perfectly fine (with a maximum of 5 minor scuffs or scratches) then it cannot be resold. Phones are also tested to make sure they are not fake (like this one) or stolen before being run through five key checks to make sure they are in full working order.
So.. does anyone wanna buy a busted fake S6 ? 🙂