Certified Pre-Owned Phones: F.A.Q

[J_PM]

Hey Community, 

As many of you may know, it’s been almost a year since we’ve launched our Certified Pre-Owned phones, and we’re so happy you’ve shared in its growth! 

From our evolving CPO catalogue, to our Community Picks promotions, we continue to offer refurbished phones that are tested, inspected, cleaned and re-packaged to look and function like new. Because of this, we are able to offer them at a price you and your wallet will love.

Along the way, we’ve received some common CPO questions from you. We’d like to highlight a few tips to help you out on your CPO journey. 

Where can I buy a Certified Pre-Owned phone?

• You will only be able to purchase a Certified Pre-Owned phone from Public Mobile on our website.
• Note: for security purposes, your shipping address must match your billing address during checkout. This will ensure that you get your device as soon as possible!

What’s included in the box?

• An original manufacturer’s wall charger and data cable are included with our Certified Pre-Owned phones. Every CPO purchase will also include one (1) Public Mobile SIM card. 

What is the battery health like on a Certified Pre-Owned phone?

• The battery health of Certified Pre-Owned phones are tested to meet TELUS standards. Battery health may vary upon prior usage. 

What do the different phone grades actually mean?

• Like-new: Someone opened the box on these phones and then changed their mind: it’s as close to perfect as you can get with a pre-owned phone.
• Great: These phones are just a couple of nicks and scuffs shy of perfect, but have passed all inspections and are the best opportunity for a great phone on a budget.
• Very Good: These phones were well loved by someone - and now they’re ready for someone new! We took care of the buffing and cleaning, and while they may still have bumps and scratches they work perfectly well, and are our most affordable option.

Is warranty included. What’s the coverage like?

• Yes, every Certified Pre-Owned phone purchased from Public Mobile includes a Certified Pre-Owned warranty valid for a period of up to 1 year. To learn more about our Certified Pre-Owned phone warranty, please see our full warranty, returns and repair policy here .

What if I’m not satisfied with the phone I purchased?

• You can shop with confidence, because we have a 30-day Money Back Guarantee! If you are not happy with your purchase, simply follow the steps in this help article for a full refund or exchange within 30 days of purchase.

To learn more about our Certified Pre-Owned phones, click here.

- Public Mobile Team

[WinnieLacesso]

I too was wondering why the link in the original article (https://www.publicmobile.ca/phone-section) is 404. Perhaps someone with admin-ish privs could mark the thread "Old" or "no longer active PM content" or some other possibly more witty but clarifying tag (let folks use their energy to invent a phrase to amuse us all!), to let new-ish folks checking out the PM Community know, that this is no longer "in production / available"??......

[computergeek541]

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@JazzL wrote:

Why is public not selling used phones anymore?. Missed it

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You haven't missed much. The prices weren't very competitive.  Mobile Klinik does sell used/refurbished phone and the brand is owned by Telus.

[JazzL]

Why is public not selling used phones anymore?. Missed it

[Manwiththe]

Acatel, and it comes with android 10, when I looked at the specs it only said "most recent version" and now under the specs it sais android 10 so I believe the details were fixed thankfully!

[softech]

@Manwiththe what phone did you order and what Android version does it come with?

[Manwiththe]

The only complaint I have is that under the "specs" it said the phone i was getting had the most updated version of android, which is not true, making the phone VERY slow and the camera cant even take clear pictures but I absolutely needed the phone for work and couldnt wait for the return process! You guys should please have the right info in the phone descriptions.

[darlicious]

@ROMANRACHEL 

It will be a simple process for them to credit your account with the cost of your sim card that you paid for out of pocket if you have the receipt. Just send that in with your message to be reimbursed.

Also if you purchased the phone during the promotion where you received a $30 bill credit make sure you use the same email address that you use to order the phone in order to receive the credit that will be added to your account by September 30th.

[hTideGnow]

Hi @ROMANRACHEL they will either send you back a new one or reimburse you the cost of the one you just got.  Message them

to open ticket with CS Agent:

at : https://publicmobile.ca/chatbot. Follow this to get to ticket open screen quicker:

1. start by typing : Contact CS Agent
2. then Click "Contact Us"
3. then Click "Other"
4. finally Click "Click here to submit a ticket"
   you will then direct to another page to open ticket.

After ticket is submitted, make sure to check your Community Inbox(top right corner envelope icon) periodically for response from PM's CS Agent

If you have problems submitting a ticket, you can also send a private message to the CS Agent (but this can take longer):
https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/notes/composepage/note-to-user-id/22437

[ROMANRACHEL]

"Every CPO purchase will also include one (1) Public Mobile SIM card. "

My phone came in WITHOUT a SIM card. I had to purchase it separately.

Shouldn't I get a credit for the missing card or the rules have changed?

[Akashdeepchauha]

Cool...thanks for sharing 👍👍

[_markymark]

Hype

[Korth]

https://www.telus.com/en/mobility/certified-pre-owned

1. Physical cleaning and disinfecting: We carefully clean the entire surface of the device, camera lenses, and buttons.
2. Physical quality inspection: We ensure the refurbished device is free of major cosmetic defects.
3. Functional test: We make sure everything works as it is supposed to. We thoroughly test the device, including the camera, display, all buttons, audio and vibration components and the battery.
4. Network quality test: We test with a SIM card to ensure the device has full connectivity and can send and receive voice, text and data over a mobile network, and connect to Wi-Fi.
5. Full system and software restoration: We erase all previous data and perform a full factory reset, so your device is restored to its original state. We will also load the latest version of software available.
6. Re-packaging: Devices are packaged into a TELUS Certified Pre-owned box along with an original manufacturer charger and cable.

It looks like they inspect/clean the device, do a full wipe/reset, install available updates, confirm it works properly, confirm that all normal functions are operating, maybe run a few benchmarks/speedtests/etc. They'll probably replace a weak battery on expensive devices (or swap in a less weak one from another used device). They probably won't bother replacing an "acceptable" battery on most devices. They probably won't plug each device into a diagnostic station for comprehensive hardware burn-in testing. Time-is-money, they'll salvage and repurpose and refurb and repackage and re-sell what they can when it's worthwhile - get the thing working, make it look nice, get it off the bench and out the door, make room for the next one - they won't waste time or money doing comprehensive overhauls, delicate electronic surgery, or exhaustive troubleshooting on anything which seems nonfunctional - the dead or dying borderline devices go into the parts bin to be organ donours for other devices which don't need as much attention.

Apps like iCopyBot can read and report battery metrics directly from the battery's built-in logic chip, if you use them on a PC (along with a wired USB/Lightning/sync connection) then they are not filtered through whatever half-untruths the phone's built-in operating system/software might claim.

These PM/Telus certified pre-owned phones all have a 30-days return period. No hassles and no questions asked, from what other customers have reported online.

They also have a 1-year warranty vs defects. But I suspect you'll have difficulty trying to get a replacement battery if it already seemed to be working (and you seemed to be happy with it) for over 30 days.

[darlicious]

@tweakthis 

I would imagine this could be found on the telus site.

[tweakthis]

Is there more information re battery life? Telus standards does not mean a lot. Thanks.

What is the battery health like on a Certified Pre-Owned phone?

• The battery health of Certified Pre-Owned phones are tested to meet TELUS standards. Battery health may vary upon prior usage. 

[hTideGnow]

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@Hasib514 wrote:

hi Jade:  Can you please tell me how to post on Community page 

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HI @Hasib514  Congrats on your first post on the Community page!!   and Welcome to PM

You have any issue you want to share and maybe you want some help?

Since you posted in this CPO thread, any problem with CPO orders?

[Anonymous]

 @Hasib514 : You just did. Welcome to the Public Mobile Community.

[Hasib514]

hi Jade:  Can you please tell me how to post on Community page 

[jimbobs]

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@Korth wrote:

@jimbobs 

Wireless networking is never secure. Cellular networking is possibly even worse. Especially since the cellular device and service (SIM card, phone number, account, etc) are so easily stolen commodities in themselves.

Better advice is to only use wired connections through machinery that you own and that you control whenever you want to login to banking, finances, or payment stuff. The convenience of one-button banking and tap payments is nice. But it's always those who rely on these lazy conveniences who become the victims.

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That's not better advice: it's just different advice!  Many people use their mobile devices for things that would be better done on more secure devices. 

Given that many people use their cellphones for everyday banking, they should at least ensure that their mobile device is as secure as possible.  One way of doing that is to have an up to date OS running.  Hence my advice.

[Korth]

@jimbobs 

Wireless networking is never secure. Cellular networking is possibly even worse. Especially since the cellular device and service (SIM card, phone number, account, etc) are so easily stolen commodities in themselves.

Better advice is to only use wired connections through machinery that you own and that you control whenever you want to login to banking, finances, or payment stuff. The convenience of one-button banking and tap payments is nice. But it's always those who rely on these lazy conveniences who become the victims.

[jimbobs]

Another point about Android phones: if you use your phone for stuff that needs security (online banking, for example), you really should be using a phone supporting a current version of Android.  Older versions are less secure and, after a few years, many don't even get security updates.

[alagrove]

Great information. Thanks!

[darlicious]

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@hTideGnow wrote:

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@olav1 wrote:

can I use my referral/loyality/auto credits towards the purchase of one of PM phones ?

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Hi @olav1   It is a different system and you cannot use your reward credits to buy phones there  😞

Your rewards can only be used for plan or add-on purchase on the old reward system , but with the new reward system , you can also use it for their lucky draw  🙂

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@olav1 

However the lucky draw does not make up for what you would lose by joining the points program. You are far better off staying with the regular rewards program.

To contact customer support click below:

https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/notes/composepage/note-to-user-id/22437

To pre-verify your account include your full name, address, email, phone # and 4 digit acct pin #.

[hTideGnow]

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@olav1 wrote:

can I use my referral/loyality/auto credits towards the purchase of one of PM phones ?

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Hi @olav1   It is a different system and you cannot use your reward credits to buy phones there  😞

Your rewards can only be used for plan or add-on purchase on the old reward system , but with the new reward system , you can also use it for their lucky draw  🙂

[olav1]

can I use my referral/loyality/auto credits towards the purchase of one of PM phones ?

[GabrielL]

ça va bien allez 🌈

[darlicious]

@dabr 

Good question. Was there a solution all along? Or was it chosen more recently? I wonder.....🤔? 

[dabr]

@softech    How did you luck out and get a solution in the Announcements?  Plus it seems your post is more of a query requiring further clarification on PM's CPO program...   😕

[heidilf1]

Thanks, just wondering if there are other types of phone inventory they bring in. @10zuser4 just to clarify, sometimes bringing in a device on a plan can reduce contract fees/costs to a consumer. I'm familiar with majority of the providers out there, and this stock is not always a strategy, it's based on what a consumer is offering to let go of to upgrade & make their best judgment of a plan and/or phone upgrade based on what the company is offering. That's the strategy...BTW I'm not looking for a new device personally, however if something strikes my eye and budget I could potentially buy a new used phone.