Sometimes, I
wonder if this should really be a subject of discussion in 2015. Common! There
are great smartphones at affordable prices out there. Besides, there is a
popular notion that used phones are cheaper, stronger and more durable.
Perhaps, it’s true. Known brand like Nokia phones, Samsung phones, Apple phones
and Blackberry phones in Nigeria are generically expensive for an average user,
acknowledging that, it’s easy to justify the reasons behind Nigerians buying
used phones. Since the dawn of the smartphone wars, new brands like Tecno, Infinix,
Huawei, Gionee and Innjoo have produced very smart phones that have competed
shoulder-to-shoulder with the old brands.
 | |
| A Used phone market in Computer Village, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria. |
Second hand
phones are cheap? It’s relative. A used iPhone 4 phone in Nigeria is more expensive than a
new Infinix Zero 2, even though Infinix Zero 2 is superior in terms of hardware specification.
People bought Nokia, Samsung and other known brands of fairly used phones in Nigeria
in the past because there was no competition. This reason has outlived its
usefulness and is inexcusable in 2015. Why? Because there are 101 cheaper
substitutes for any expensive old brand. Below are major reasons why you should
never buy a Nigerian used second hand phone in 2015.
Has no warranty:
Believe me, a 2-year old iPhone 4 is a spent phone. Buying a used phone is a huge gamble.
Used phones are prone to technical dysfunctions. Sometimes, it could be the
keypad or the screen touch, or the battery or all the above. Some apps like
Wi-Fi or hotspot might stop working few days after purchase for inexplicable
reasons and you won’t have the moral right to return it to the seller after
purchase unlike someone that purchased a new phone. Buying a used phone could
be an uncalculated risk. I will always recommend genuine smartphones and tablets in Nigeria for my friends.
It could be a stolen phone:
More than 60% of Nigerian used phones
were stolen from the original owners. During the blackberry age in Nigeria, It
was easy to track stolen blackberry phones because blackberry phones use a
dynamic bb pin that cannot be changed. A friend of mine once recovered his
blackberry phone by sending a friend request to his former bbm pin, the
unsuspecting stolen blackberry user accepted the request and they got chatting
on bbm. My friend was able to setup a meeting with the stolen blackberry user
and he took some policemen to the rendezvous point and nailed the user. Unfortunately,
the poor victim bought a stolen phone from a random guy. At this point, a smart
phone cannot be too expensive.
It could be a fake phone:
Most new
phones come with 12month warranty. Peradventure your new phone develops a
factory fault after purchase, you can boldly return it and get it fixed for
free or get a brand new phone as a replacement. With that in mind, why would you entertain purchasing another cell phone
the moment a stranger stops you on the street trying to sell you the latest
iPhone at half its price in Computer Village, Ikeja, Lagos? (It could be a
“china phone” or a refurbished phone.) It could have issues which may not be immediately
visible. (Cell
phone battery might be bad). As big
phone brands are constantly rebranding, fake phone cobblers are also
innovating. Today, it’s difficult to identify a fake phone. Sometimes, these
fake phone cobblers refurbish expired original phones and sell it as a used
phone. They are usually associated with terms like “Dubai phones”, “London used
phones” et cetera. Latest phones in Nigeria can only be bought in renowned phone stores. Even if you are convinced
to buy a UK/Dubai used phone, buy from a shop owner and request for atleast one
month warranty.
You cannot use a “used” phone for Long:
Everyone wants a durable phone. Now, who doesn’t want to use a phone for
a very long time? Three years ago, I had a new smartphone using an android 2.4
ice-cream. It was the latest operating system as at that time. Today, am using
another new smart phone with the latest Android one 5.1 operating system and
believe me, many things have changed in the last three years. My former phone
is still active. Then the question is: Why would someone buy a depreciated phone and
expect it to last for donkey years? It’s only natural for anything to
depreciate in value and quality overtime. Why would someone prefer a “second
hand” device because of its brand name when he can get a brand new phone for
the same amount? There are genuine online phones stores in Nigeria
where you can buy new original smartphones at affordable prices.
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