I was initially thrilled when I got my new phone, which had been a great upgrade from my iPhone7. However, over time, I began to notice some unusual issues that took me down a peg. A general "lag time" whenever using certain apps or functions became a recurring problem, and it seemed like the lag would resolve itself eventually. In hindsight, this was probably just a glitch, but ignoring the issue didn't help - I'd tried closing down and restarting the phone to try and shake things up. Fortunately, one day the phone decided to come back to life, which gave me renewed hope that maybe, just maybe, it wasn't a total disaster after all.
But as the months went by, my excitement turned to frustration. The lag problem persisted, and I found myself using more frequent restarts to try and get things working smoothly again. It was starting to feel like I was stuck in some kind of digital Groundhog Day. In an attempt to troubleshoot the issue, I registered for a warranty extension - thinking that this would give me a year to test out the phone's reliability and see if it could live up to its promises.
Four months had passed when the phone finally gave up on me completely, leaving me feeling relieved but also disappointed. I'd expected something more like 6-9 months before I'd hit rock bottom, considering the poor performance - which was still not getting better with each passing day. The battery life was practically non-existent, and even then it barely lasted a few hours.
It was a huge blow to my confidence that I had to start over from scratch and transfer all my data again. Not to mention the additional hassle of dealing with a phone that just wouldn't seem to cooperate. I took it as a sign that it wasn't worth holding onto, and that buying another phone might be a more practical solution.
The seller's response was less than helpful at first - they seemed prompt in their apology for the inconvenience caused by my return, but then got creative with their reasoning for deducting 40% from my refund. According to them, I had to return the phone "unused and in original condition" - which is just a euphemism for "new item that's not fit for purpose". They also cited some obscure policy on used items, claiming that I'd gotten a better deal if I'd only returned it within 12 months. But when I pointed out that I'd indeed returned the phone with no additional damage, they got defensive and added in another 10% "small deduction" for the time the phone had been used.
I've since tried to get in touch again via this seller, but they've stopped responding altogether. It's like they're just going through the motions of trying to salvage their reputation - even though it's clear that I was right all along: the phone was defective from day one. The idea of being sold on again (as the seller suggested) is laughable - and a slap in the face, considering what I'd been through.
R. Waters - 02/01/2026
