cashforiphones.com cashforipads.com, cashforsmartphones.com, cashforberrys.com, Laptop and Desktop Repair,LLC Fraudulent, Sameless, Scam Artists Sparks Nevada

It's embarrassing to admit that you were scammed. However, in the interest of doing what's right, I need to make sure other people are aware of this scam and admit I was scammed. I’m writing this memo to keep you, your family and friends from having this happen to them. So here’s my story..

I recently re-signed with Verizon and purchased two new iPhones. Since I wanted to talk to Verizon about giving me a better deal, one similar to what they give new subscribers, I contacted them by phone. After getting a reduced price I ordered two phones from them and ask them if I could sell my phone to Verizon at the local store. They said that I could. I decided to look on the Internet and see what my two iPhone5s were worth. I went to cashforphone.com to get an estimate.

The website was a glowing report on how fast, easy and reliable it was, with all sorts of endorsements from the Better Business Bureau, Wall Street Journal, etc. Within a few minutes I had a quote for over $200 each and a place to print out a label to send them my phones postage free, with a promised turn-around of a few days after they received my phones. I figured that any company that had been in this business for 12 years would have to be a legitimate company with a good reputation to have stayed in business. I couldn't have been more wrong!

In retrospect, what I should have done was do a Google search on the company as a possible spammer and this is what I would have found. The company that was founded 12 years ago is named Laptop and Desktop Repair, LLC in Sparks, Nevada. Six and a half years ago this company formed cashforlaptops.com, cashforiphones.com, cashforipads.com, cashforsmartphones.com and cashforbarrys.com websites. Apparently to scam the public. The last three sites have been closed down and rerouted to ecyclebest.com. 

A google search on any or all of these websites for possible scams lists hundreds of complaints, all telling the same story. They quote you a slightly higher price then the market value to get your phone. After they receive your phone they send you an email that tells you your phone is worth 10 to 15% of what they quoted you and then when you try and get your phones back they tell you that it's too late and you have to accept the new quote, there is no recourse. Not only that, it takes four or five phone calls to even talk to someone and they know why you're calling and they don't care because they get these calls all day long, so they're very rude and make it clear that you have no other options.

Here is the justification they use on practically every call. “When you agreed to send us your phone you agreed to the terms and conditions, which said you needed to notify us within three days if you did not agree to the new price”. (This is one line in a four page document of very fine print.) When you get the email with the bogus number, they don't tell you you have to call them on the phone to reject the quote; they tell you they're sending the check and when I emailed them back that I did not accept their offer, they probably didn't even read it. 

Just for the record, the price they offered me was about half the price of an iPhone5 that wouldn't turn on, had a damaged or defective screen and had a bad battery (all of the things they list to use to determine the actual value). In their evaluations, both of my absolutely pristine phones had all of these problems and I guess more, to arrive at that price. Clearly, this company is extremely fraudulent and needs to be put out of business. So I’m on a quest. There are a number of places I plan on sending this email, such as the Better Business Bureau in Nevada, RipoffReport.com, STOPcashforiphones.com, scamadvisor.com, forums.macrumors.com, and PayPal.

If you still want to sell your electronics on the internet, Amazon and eBay both offer a way to sell these devices. These are reputable organizations who believe that it’s important to have a satisfied customer in order to stay in business.

Upon reflection, I lost a fair amount of money, which I never expect to recover. In order to accept that fact, I have to look at that money as an investment in educating myself on being a more informed, critical consumer. Hopefully, you too will get some education from that investment as well.