Phonebot Reviews

Name: Phonebot
Address: Shop A 289 Broadway reservoir, Melbourne
Rating: 4.60

4.6 Rating 3,658 Reviews

91 %

of reviewers recommend Phonebot

About Phonebot:

Established in 2012, Phonebot is a market leader in sustainable technology products. Our aim is to reduce carbon footprint by reusing or recycling technology products. From acquiring a gently used product, our team of highly qualified technicians grades and refurbishes each device and only the most delicately used are on sold to consumers in our shops & online. Devices that do not meet the criteria are then either exported for overseas use or used as parts elsewhere.

Hundreds of positive customer testimonials on various review platforms testify our commitment to providing excellent customer service and after sales support. Our team of geeks based in Melbourne are reachable 9am to 9pm AEST via Messenger app for any troubleshooting or sales related queries.

With 2 convenient locations in Melbourne, our trained staff is busy assisting customers make sustainable and Affordable repair choices every day of the week.

Our focus is refurbished ,gently used (second hand), ex-demo, change of mind and corporate buy back devices.

Visit Website

Phone:

0394626936

Email:

support@phonebot.com.au

Location:

Shop A 289 Broadway reservoir
Melbourne
3073

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Phonebot 5 star review on 5th April 2024

Anonymous

Anonymous // 01/01/2019

Filter: Rated 1 None 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Stars Helpful

“Phone arrived network locked. Contacted Phonebot asking for assistance in returning device for replacement. My request was brushed aside and I was asked to provide videos of the fault and some sort of documentation from Apple instead. Not impressed.”

Helpful Report

“In all good conscious I can only warn people off dealing with Phonebot The device delivered was locked to a USA Carrier and was unusable on delivery. I tried unsuccessfully to contact Phonebot by phone for several days several times a day and left messages to get a response but didn't receive any finally getting an automated response on Messenger. They declined to unlock the phone saying it wasn't possible to do so. On returning the device I had to chase them for several days trying to get a replacement. I was finally offered a replacement at an extra cost that was not the phone I wanted, so I requested a refund verbally & in writing by email and in Messenger. After repeated attempts, I spoke to someone on their support line who advised me that the Credit had been processed and would be cleared into the same account payment was made within 24 to 48 hours. This payment took 8 days to appear and I note the requested copy of the transaction receipt was undated so as to obfuscate when the payment was processed. To add some form of insult Phonebot has underpaid me on the return which I am sure will be fobbed off as a clerical error or attributed to some mystery charge that I can not see in the Phonebot terms and conditions. I also note that the Phonebot website carries some information that is wrong primarily that "credits can be limited to a store credit" which is unacceptable in Australian consumer law. I repeat there are a plethora of recycled phone suppliers out there, avoid this one.”

Helpful Report

Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback and experiences with Phonebot. We truly appreciate your honest input and are committed to addressing your concerns in a manner that leaves you satisfied. and we apologize for any inconveniences you may have faced during this process. Your satisfaction is of paramount importance to us, and we strive to continuously enhance our services. Regarding your request for a refund of the transit cover, we understand your perspective and, as a gesture of our commitment to better customer service, we will gladly refund this amount to you. It's important to us that you have a positive experience, and we are here to assist you every step of the way. We want to thank you for your patience and understanding throughout this situation. Your feedback helps us improve and better serve our valued customers. Please share the required information in order to have the refund of transit cover. If you have any further questions or require additional assistance, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. We are here to provide you with the best possible service. Once again, thank you for choosing Phonebot, and we look forward to serving you better in the future. Best Regards, Shahroze Rizvi

“I'm not very impressed with the service at all. I ordered an 'AS NEW' phone......but when it arrived it had scratches right in the middle of the screen. I have returned the phone and asked for a full refund. It's been 8 days now since they received the phone and no refund. I'm not impressed with the lack of communication. It's now three weeks from ordering my phone!”

Helpful Report

We appreciate your feedback and understand your concerns regarding your recent purchase. I apologize for any inconvenience you've experienced with the condition of the phone you received and the delay in processing your refund. Your satisfaction is important to us, and we are committed to resolving this matter promptly. It's important to us that our customers are satisfied with their purchases, and we acknowledge that there is a chance the product did not meet your specific expectations. For this reason, we are committed to facilitating a hassle-free refund process without any conditions or complications. Upon receiving your returned device, our team conducted a thorough audit within two working days to assess its condition and any association with your credentials. Following the audit, your order was promptly forwarded to our refund department. I want to assure you that we are working diligently to expedite your refund. I want to assure you that your refund is in the final stages of processing, and you can expect to see the funds back in your account within the next 24 hours. Best Reagrds, Team Phonebot

“The phone we have recently purchased is faulty The battery will not charge Pretty disappointed as I have purchased several from you Regards Kate Please reply”

Helpful Report

As a valued customer who has made multiple purchases with our company, your satisfaction is of utmost importance to us, We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience you have experienced with the phone. Our refund policy allows for changes of mind within the first 7 days of purchase. After this period, the warranty comes into effect to cover any potential issues with the phone. Please know that we genuinely want to address your concerns and find a suitable solution. To take this further, we kindly request you to send us an email or call our customer support, and we will prioritize your case to ensure it is resolved to your satisfaction. Our email: support@phonebot.com.au Call Us | (03) 94626936

“Unfortunately my experience was not great. I purchased an Apple watch which was delivered with a faulty charger, so I wasn't able to use it. I requested a refund and returned the item. I was then told however that it was under PhoneBot's warranty, so they sent it back to me with a new charger. The item now works, but all of this took weeks and weeks from the time of purchase to the time I was actually able to use my new item. I wished I'd just paid additional and bought myself a NEW one, not refurbished. It would have been a lot less hassle and I would have known what I was getting.”

Helpful Report

Dear Customer, We deeply apologize for the inconvenience and the delay you experienced with your Apple Watch purchase. We understand your frustration with the faulty charger and the subsequent warranty process. While we acknowledge the time it took to resolve the issue, we would like to highlight that the problem you encountered could have occurred even with a brand-new item. It is not specific to whether the item is used or brand new. However, we take your feedback seriously and appreciate your perspective on purchasing a new item to avoid any potential hassles. We want to assure you that your satisfaction is important to us. We recorded and reviewed the details of your case, and upon identifying the fault, we promptly sent you a replacement charger under our warranty policy. We are glad to hear that the item is now working as expected. We kindly request that you consider your overall experience with our company and service when rating us, rather than solely basing it on the performance of the product. Our aim is to provide excellent customer service and resolve any issues promptly and satisfactorily.

“I had previously highly recommended Phonebot. I will never deal with them again. This is due to being sent a faulty phone which did not meet the condition guide on the website and having a painful experience trying to return the phone and get a full refund. Very disappointed in the poor service, nothing like what I had experienced previously.”

Helpful Report

Thank you for bringing your concerns to our attention. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience you experienced with your recent purchase from Phonebot. We take customer satisfaction very seriously, and we deeply regret that your expectations were not met on this occasion. We understand the frustration you encountered upon receiving a phone that did not meet the expectations you had. As per the records, your order has been refunded and to be honest we feel sad to lose a customer like you but we tried our level best and have entertained you to the maximum of our extent. Should you have any further concerns or require any additional assistance, please do not hesitate to reach out to our customer service team by calling or emailing us. We would be more than happy to address any further queries or provide any necessary support. Best Regards, Team Phonebot

“Dodgy company.Horrible service,no communication and bad business practices.They won't send your phone for 48hrs”

Helpful Report

Thank you for reaching us on another platform Mr McMahon.. Your order was canceled and refunded upon your request around a week ago. We have records of this being communicated to you where you agreed to call of the negative review you had posted on the next day of placing your order. We would repeat saying, we understand that you needed this phone and you wanted it to be quick too but you placed your order on Tuesday evening and as our website clearly states that orders are shipped within 2 days then we should have been given at least 2 days first and then awarded with reviews. But you are trying to defame us everywhere for no big reason. We could have shipped your order on the 2nd day of its placement as the 2 days shipping window was allowing us to ship your order till the second day but you chose to refund and smear about us. Your order is refunded but this review is still here which you said you will call off but you blocked us on the chat after the reimbursement of your order, you did not keep your words my man! and we are happy to see that you have come to Reviews IO, it allows posting pictures mate! Let the public decide..

“DO NOT, I REPEAT, DO NOT BUY FROM THIS COMPANY. This is the short version. I bought a phone, sent it back twice for the same problems, one being Google maps that I use all the time for work After me having to send it twice and all the time wasted in doing so, it still had the same problems. I asked for them to take it back and for a refund. Having known the problem, instead of doing the right thing they decided to make it a nightmare. The told me to video the problem, which I can't do because I would have to break the law by using a device while driving and use my time and money to drive around until the problem showed again. After emails back and forth they ended up just ignoring me completely. I paid $460 for the EXELLENT condition phone and also bought a cover and screen saver from another place ( which was ripped off and not replaced ) so my outlay was over $600. They are happy to help until they can't fix their product and then just wipe their hands of you. Never use them.”

Helpful Report

I was unable to find any order in my records by searching your name. We are a customer-centric business and will do anything to make your experience if you are right. Please call us on (03) 94626936 MONDAY TO FRIDAY: 9:30 AM - 5:00 PM SATURDAY & SUNDAY: 11:00 AM - 4:00 PM or email us at support@phonebot.com.au with a subject ATTN - CUSTOMER SUCCESS TEAM, so we can look into the ordeal that you have faced which has made you write such stuff against us. Best Regards, Shary Rizwee. CX Manager - Phonebot

“I am doing an updated review from the one I left 2 weeks ago. I have continued to be told a charger has been sent, yet nothing has arrived. I have had multiple "messenger" messages asking me to change my original review, they want to control what customers write, not what the customer experience might be. My review indicated it was like bribery, we will help you but only when you write what we say!. Two weeks on, its been more of the same, but all hidden from this website. I have had multiple requests to change my review, still no charger though they claimed to have sent 2 weeks ago. The response written to my original review reads I must have misunderstood. There was and is no misunderstanding from my end. In fact much of their reply online is difficult to follow at all. I rang Ross twice today and was told they would get in touch with the shipping tracking and tell me by 4. But of course nothing as usual. I am happy to upload their repeated attempts to get me to alter my review. i still strongly believe if you don't write what they like, they are not interested in resolving your difficulty. It's been such a disappointing experience given I have been a loyal customer. I feel so let down.”

Helpful Report

“Received iPad yesterday. Set up BUT Sound doesn’t work and appears to be something broken off in the headphone jack”

Helpful Report

Thank you for choosing Phonebot for your recent order. I see that you received the item day before yesterday (04/12/2023), and did not contact us to seek resolution or assistance. Otherwise, we would be more than happy to assist our valuable customers. We tried calling you too but the call was not answered. Therefore, please contact us so that we can provide you with the quickest resolution. Our email address is support@phonebot.com.au Just in case we do not reply you accordingly then you should post such reviews but its unfair to leave a 1-star review without letting the seller know about it.

“I have not received my phone”

Helpful Report

Thank you for choosing Phonebot for your recent order. We know you are highly excited to receive the ordered item, however, due to the Easter holidays in the start of the week, all the consignments that have been timely sent out from our side have been delayed/disrupted. If your item takes an unreasonable amount of time in getting delivered then please free to reach out at support@phonebot.com.au and we'll sort everything out for you. Best Regards, Team Phonebot.

“I have just sent a complaint, the computer will not open it is asking for a password, I want to open without a password. asked your technician and he didn't have a clue, very poor”

Helpful Report

Dear Peter, Please accept our apologies for the ordeal that's encountered by you. You initially reported us about the Mouse's connectivity which was sorted after you discussed it with us and the unavailability of the password on the packaging will be checked however we have shared the possible codes with you via email. Please revert back to us by responding to the same email so that we can resolve the case at your convenience. Best regards, Team Phonebot

“Don't buy anyone from this website. They sell their products with one year warranty but if something happens they never solve that issue. I bought a Samsung Z Fold 4 and after a few months the inner screen folding area got a crack, When I contacted them they said Samsung will give me the Warranty, then I contacted Samsung but unfortunately, the phone that I bought is not belong from Australia, It is from some other country so they can't provide the warranty. I again contact the phone bot and the manager call me and ask me to take a report from a repair shop. I did the same but still, they are not doing anything.”

Phonebot 1 star review on 2nd April 2023

Helpful Report

This is how you returned the device under the warranty service. We denied your claim by declaring your item damaged and upon your unacceptance, we asked you to have it looked at by Samsung if you think that we have made the wrong decision. Otherwise, if you zoom in on the picture we have uploaded, you will clearly see that the protective film for the screen is TORN which means the phone is damaged and that's all. You have already tried lodging a dispute with PayPal and upon submitting your device's pictures, PayPal concluded the case in our favor. Now you are taking the device to any random store, we are sorry but we cannot accept any 3rd party diagnostic report on this item which is damaged as seen in the picture. We know this is frustrating but unfortunately, our hands are also tied and we cannot entertain this case anymore.

“I have not been able to use my phone as when I put my SIM card in nothing happens so I took it to Telstar and they also said the phone was faulty as I changed from Optus to Telstar to get better coverage. But Telstar put one of their SIM cards in and still couldn’t get it to work. I have explained this all to Catch but they keep telling me to take a picture of problem. I’m very disappointed as I liked my new phone and had also spent $30 on a glass protector. If I knew that it would work I wouldn’t want a refund please tell me how you can help”

Helpful Report

Dear Suzanne, Thank you for choosing Phonebot for your recent order. We are really sorry to get to know about the inconvenience you're having with your phone. We will certainly look into this matter and we'll sort everything out for you. Generally, all our stock is tested for connectivity by using all the major carriers SIM cards like Vodafone, Telstra, and Optus. We are customer centric business and would have actively looked into your case, if this matter was forwarded to us directly on our customer service e-mail: support@phonebot.com.au We request you to please modify this review by removing it off and give us a chance to resolve your complaint. Just in case, phone fails to fix everything up for you then you can certainly put another review but at this point of time a 1-star review without giving us a chance is kinda unfair. We will be very happy to repair/ replace your item, therefore, please submit your claim by sending us an e-mail to the e-mail address given above, make sure to put in your order ID in the subject bar of the e-mail and send us a small video that shows that your phone is not catching any signal and we will revert back to you as early as possible. Best regards, Customer Happiness Team - Phonebot

“Awful - see my customer service emails”

Helpful Report

“HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE Attempted to purchase “brand new” AirPods from phonebot. After 2 days of using them, they stopped working. After a full charge the battery would last less than 45 minutes. I was told by phonebot to take the product to Apple to get the warranty replacement. Once at Apple they did a diagnostics test and there was a clear record of the case being swapped previously and neither the serial number of the case or the AirPods themselves matched! Not only was I sold these as brand new which was a complete lie, they were void of warranty and I was left with nowhere to go. I attempted to get in contact with someone from phonebot for WEEKS. Constantly being told I would get called back by the manager as no staff is able to deal with any customer complaint other than him apparently, which in itself is a joke. They refused to acknowledge they had lied to me claiming they sold brand new AirPods - or take any ownership over fact that I had not only been sold a USED and REPLACED case, I was also sold fake aipods that did not even match the case’s serial number. After days waiting to hear back I finally get told my the manager that I wasn’t allowed a refund!! He refused to refund and told me to send them back to have them swapped. I did this - and have now been waiting well over a week and heard nothing! I was given a tracking number that doesn’t show up on auspost and no one is explaining why! DO NOT BUY FROM THEM. Save yourself the anguish, the stress, financial loss and go with a reputable Apple reseller. It’s now been almost two months and I still don’t have the product I PAID FOR IN FULL.”

Helpful Report

Dear Customer, We understand your frustration as we know that you have already been to a long path while returning your Airpods for replacement. We are sorry for the inconvenience and the hassle. Apple Australia used to take the warranty claims for the international variants but as of now, they have discontinued this practice as per their policy. But the Product sent to you is assured to be original. Your claim was accepted by us with ownership to fix the item and send you a similar product. Your replacement has been collected by the pick up and the tracking number will begin to show the realtime info as soon as the parcel gets scanned at the postal facility, this will be done anytime tomorrow, because Today, Victoria is exercising a Public Holiday. The given tracking number would have shown you the updates today if it was a working day. We hope you will be getting the item soon.

“Poor customer service, received the wrong product and wasn't allowed to return It for the right one. They responded every couple of days and didn't want to help at all but there quick to take your money in the first place. Paid for express post and called them a week later to get a tracking link but they hadn't even sent it out. I would never spend any substantial amount of money with this company. They handled a $60 phone case so terribly there is no way I would trust them with a phone”

Helpful Report

Dear Mitchell, Thank you for contacting Phonebot! We are really sorry to get to know about all the inconvenience of ordering the wrong item and then ending up getting torn packaging which became an obstacle in getting the WRONG COVER returned back for a refund. To be honest, this was not our fault for sending you the incorrect cover. We sent you the cover that you ordered from our website and it was your responsibility to be careful while opening up the packaging or ordering the item so this shouldn’t have happened. We are 3rd party retailer of the Original Accessories which can be returned back if they are defective but cannot be returned if you do not like the item and or you found compatibility issues after opening the cover. Because we will not be able to sell it back to anyone if we accept it back from you as the product's condition is mentioned as brand new and cannot be sold under used category. However, after looking and all the emails you sent and your review, I will be happy to make a one time exception for you and will accept discover back for a full refund or swap with any other product of your choice. You are requested to revert back to us by replying to the last e-mail that was sent from our side having the return instructions. Thanks and regards, Team Phonebot.

“Purchased a phone for my son and one month later the screen fell out. I took it to a local repair person who said screws and bracket were missing to hold in the cables. They did not have screws to replace so just replaced the screen. I took this information back to phonebot and was told the phones warranty was void and they could do nothing about it. The tech who repaired the phone said that if the phone is dropped or bumped the cables could just pop out. I have bought multiple items and spent quite an amount of money with phonebot so I thought they may help me out here since the phone was supposed to be in A class condition. The phonebot support person said sometimes they do not open the phones and check inside if the phones look ok. I will never purchase through them again and advise others to proceed with caution.”

Helpful Report

Dear Customer, Our devices are tested and then sent out. PS not all our devices go through refurbishment, some are sent in original condition too. And yes, not all the devices are opened and tested for their internal build because there are software and tools to determine the capacity and health of the internal components. I do apologize for the inconvenience and the hassle with your purchase, we can totally understand! As a gesture of customer service, we would have entertained the case if it had been brought to us prior to the repairs done by a 3rd Party but that's not the case anymore.

“Lodged a complaint about very poor service received and posted a negative review. Then was offered some "free" extras to go with my phone purchase in exchange for "revising and modifying" my review to 5 star....the offer was subsequently withdrawn but left wondering how unethical this organisation really is?”

Helpful Report

Thank you for contacting Phonebot! We really appreciate your cooperation in reaching us back and giving us a chance to intervene in this matter and resolve your grievance. Phonebot is a customer centric business and we always struggle to get the customer satisfaction by setting good prices, and delivering the best possible service. This year, there were additional holidays on XMAS and an unordinary lack of staff as well which made the orders a bit delayed. Orders were completed by doing overtime as we are aware that no one loves to wait extra. Not to mention, but you must refer to the incident of not using the discount coupon at the time of purchasing the item, remember how we accepted and reimbursed your $20 because you had missed while placing the order? I request you to reconsider this review, as just a little delay in the delivery should not be leading to a one star rating.

“Went to purchase phones today, the customer service was disgusting, rude and didn’t want to help. Rather than helping the customer, he gave us a business card to look online. Phonebot lost at least $1200 today. I would recommend to go else where.”

Helpful Report

Phonebot is rated 4.6 based on 3,658 reviews