Help with reuse_uk dataserv-recycling

I have been in the same position as a number of people on this forum for the past two weeks, having sent Dataserv two iPhones, and I thought it would be useful to share my experiences and some information that I have found out during this time.

The first phone (an iPhone 5C) was sent on 23rd September from my local Post Office, using the pre-paid postage label provided by Dataserv. I then checked the Royal Mail tracking website daily for an update on delivery, however to this day the website still states the same thing:

"Status: We have your item, Item XXXX via Tracked Returns was posted at XXXX on 23/09/14 and is being progressed through our network for delivery. Last update: 23 September 2014, 09:49am"

Having contacted Royal Mail directly, around a week after posting, I was informed that the service used by Dataserv is called "Home Shop Returns" and not "Tracked Returns" as I had been led to believe, due to this being indicated on the postage label (see below) and the Royal Mail tracking website (stated above as "via Tracked Returns").

Royal Mail stated that the "Home Shop Returns" service does not provide any tracking and it is up to the company (Dataserv) to update the system when the item has been received. However they said that this is rarely done and therefore there is effectively no tracking at all on the package, unless you pay for it yourself.

I do not think that this is acceptable either morally or logically for Dataserv to knowingly use a service to send phones and computers worth hundreds of pounds without any means of tracking the packages, or even a way of knowing that they have reached their intended destination within the UK.

Going back to the first phone, it was eventually received by Dataserv on 2nd October, when I also received the email notification prompting me to enter my bank details on their website. Since then the online system has stated the same thing; "Awaiting Credit Note", while the phone was tested / inspected.

That was until this morning, when the status changed to "Process Complete" and there is now a credit note on the system, which states that "Your account will be credited within the next 30 days..."

The amount on the credit note is the same amount that I was originally quoted, which is promising. However, it is what should be expected having declared that "My iPhone back cover is scratched or damaged" when I got the original quote. This on its own knocked £50 off of the amount being offered, however it was still more than I was being offered by other trade-in companies, hence why I proceeded with the trade-in with Dataserv.

That is the story so far with the first phone, and I wait with bated breathe for the payment to reach my account in the next 30 days (hopefully sooner).

As for the second phone (an iPhone 5) this experience has been far worse. I sent this phone from the same Post Office on the following day (24th September), using the an almost identical pre-paid label as the one used for the first phone (the only difference was the quotation reference and associated bar code). The Royal Mail tracking system is the same as with the first phone and the Dataserv system still states "Awaiting receipt of Product" to this day.

I have been in contact with Dataserv on multiple occasions over the past two weeks, being told on numerous occasions to call back after a couple of days if the system has not updated.

This cycle was finally broken on Tuesday 7th October, when I received the following email:

"Hi ###,

I spoke to you last week regarding your claim XXXX for your Apple trade in.

I have been advised that our office in Germany have not received this and they have requested your proof of postage.

Can you please reply to this email with the proof attached, Once received i will forward onto our lost claims department for them to look into further and arrange payment.

Kind regards

June

June Pocock

Dataserv Limited

Direct Dial: 44 (0) 1784 862246 Fax: 44 (0) 1784 449319

Hawthorne Road, Staines, Middlesex TW18 3AY

www.dataserv-group.com

ISO 9001 l ISO 14001 l ISO 27001 l OHSAS 18001"

I have since provided the receipt from the Post Office as proof of postage, and queried why they need my proof of postage when they are in contact with their offices in Germany regarding receipt of the package. This said to me that they had received the package in the UK and it has been "lost" between the UK and Germany, otherwise they would surely be in contact with Royal Mail to find out where the package is?

Their response to this was:

"Hi ###,

Thank you for sending this to me.

If Germany have not received this in, it is more then likely it was not received to our holding hub in the UK where you sent your package to.

Please be advised your claim will be fully insured for the full quote amount and this has now been passed over to our claims department who will be looking into this and will be in contact with you shortly.

Kind regards

June"

I am still waiting to hear from the claims department and I have sent another email to June this morning chasing it up.

I have asked her to provide me with contact details for the claims department and if I received any contact details I will update this thread for anyone else who needs to contact them due to their package being "lost".

I will also keep adding any updates to this thread that I receive on either of my experiences.

davsalv

CCC,

I agree with what you are saying about being led to believe that you are using an Apple Approved / Authorised Reuse and Recycle Programme and I think Apple should be made aware of the problems and difficulties that the vast majority of people seem to be having.

Having done some research myself on the Apple (UK) website (following the difficulties I have had with Dataserv - see my previous post), I have come across a page where you are lead to believe that Apple themselves are providing the service.

I found to this page via a google search for "apple reuse and recycle uk".

http://www.apple.com/uk/recycling/

On this page the text clearly reads:

"Send us your old iPhone, iPad and computer — Mac or PC.

If it has monetary value, we’ll credit your bank account. If it doesn’t, we’ll recycle it responsibly for you."

This page is on the official Apple (UK) website and it says "we'll credit your bank account" and "we'll recycle it responsibly for you". There is no small print on this page referring to Dataserv and Apple makes it sound like they are the ones who will be crediting your bank account and recycling it for you.

Clicking "Get started" takes you to the page below, where Dataserv are mentioned in detail, and this in turn takes you to the page previously mentioned on this thread:

http://www.apple.com/uk/recycling/computer/

which leads to

http://store.apple.com/uk/browse/reuse_and_recycle

This is misleading, but unfortunately does not imply that Apple would have any interest in the service that is being provided by Dataserv.

So I continued searching the Apple (UK) website and I am pleased to say that it paid off. I have found a page where Dataserv are mentioned as Apple's recycling partner, and it was hidden in plain view on their website.

If you navigate to the main UK Apple Store website:

http://store.apple.com/uk

Scroll all the way to the bottom of the page and click on the "Reuse and Recycling" link under the "Store Services" heading. You are then presented with this page for "iPhone reuse and recycling":

http://store.apple.com/uk/iphone/reuse-and-recycling

On this page Apple clearly refers to Dataserv as "(their) recycling partner" and not only that, but in the small print at the bottom of the page Apple goes on to state that "Dataserv is an approved Apple partner for the trade-in and recycling of certain Apple products."

So now that we know Dataserv is an approved partner of Apple's, I think that Apple should be made fully aware of the poor service that Dataserv are providing to it's customers in the UK.

davsalv

[chuckle]

davsalv

I can only agree with you in toto. As to notifying Apple, it can't hurt, but judging by their interest in fixing this forum's SiteWare, rollout of an iOS that makes bricks out of brand new iPhone 6's, ETC..... I'll let you draw your own conclusion as to the priority level it might given.

best luck, old chap

adios from Texas

CCC

i sent my 4s 32gb with a quote of £120 on 22/09/14, it was received by them on 04/10/14 asking for bank details. today i received a revised quote of £35 as they said it was network locked even though it isn't as it was a phone from o2 and they do not lock their phones as i have used other sim cards in it! i have called today to question this and they will forward my comments on to Germany and get back to me asap.

complete waste of time this company and will research better in future.

will keep you all updated on progress!

Here's the latest update and conclusion. I hope this help provide an idea of the process and time duration.

20 Sep - Filled in the details of my phone on the Apple recycle website. Applied their Parcel force tracking label to my box.

https://www.apple.com/uk/recycling/

24 Sep - Delivered to the UK holding depot (Date from Parcel Force tracking website)

01 Oct - Receipt of delivery (l guess this is their recycling facility in Germany)

Thank you, the equipment you have returned has been received at our processing facility and will be tested shortly.

If the value of your used equipment differs from the quote you received online, we will contact you.

At this point l typed my bank account details on their recycling website.

06 Oct - Completion of the Reuse and Recycling Process

Thank you for participating in the Reuse and Recycle Program powered by DataServ with the following devices:

iPhone 5S (16GB) Space Grey

Your return process has now been completed. The quote you agreed will be transferred to your bank account within the next 14 days.

11 Oct - Received £270 in my bank account from D LTD

The only real criticism l have is they don't inform you when they have your phone at the UK holding depot so you're left wondering what the status is. This is something they could easily resolve and would stop people chasing them for an update, can't be hard for them to notify customers their item has been received before it's sent to Germany. They don't reply to emails when l first chased and I had to call to get an update by a person with no customer service skills.

Otherwise they've provided the cash they estimated and within 30 days.

Hi Orthopodo,

I am in a similar situation as yours. Sent in my iPhone 4S last month, perfect condition with a quote of £110, but receiving an email from Dataserv today claiming "liquid damage" (???!!!) and a new quote of £36!! I just don't understand where this "liquid" is coming from... My phone had never even got close to water before being dispatched to Germany...

Could you please let me know how your case ended before I start pestering Dataserv? Thanks!

Same as smurfs2000, similar timescale, similar experience with regards to communication (not so good). This morning I received £320 on my bank account, which is what I was quoted 1 month ago.

I sent them my iPhone 5 64gb, in mint condition. Today they emailed me claiming I had instead sent them a 16gb iphone 4. This company are a joke, why Apple is using them is beyond me.

So now I start the laborious task of convincing them of what I actually sent. I have since informed them of the serial number, with no reply.

I intend to contact Apple with the serial number if they do not comply.

stebbo & blue_d81 & all with gripes... (congratulations to those who have finally got their £s or €s)

Very sticky wicket... consider moving up the food chain. Contact Apple Inc. UK - AND - Apple Inc. Cupertino CA, USA

https://www.apple.com/uk/contact/

from this page:

Technically, you are de facto Store customers since you were led to dataserv from the online store website

To be thorough, follow ALL possible pathways in 'multi-media' form - online form submission, email, telephone, and Royal Mail

prioritized...

1. Royal Mail is most important - keep copies of sent in computer AND paper form with handwritten/initialed notation of post dates

   CCs to Dataserrv *without comment* - I'll let you look up the address <- this may shock some sense into them

2. Telephone - keep notes - names and timestamps
3. emails - resend after what you think is too long of a wait time

   CCs to Dataserrv *without comment*

4. online - before you 'Submit', copy/paste to a text file and save with timestamp & URL

best luck

CCC

A quick update from me after more than a month since I sent both of my iPhones to Dataserv.

The iPhone 5C went through without a hitch and I received the quoted £145 into my bank account within 4 days of the credit note being produced.

With regards to the iPhone 5; after Dataserv admitted that the phone was lost, I was referred to the lost / claims department (who I never actually spoke to), but then to my surprise, some 10 days after the phone was declared lost and the associated communications blackout ensued, I received an automated email stating that my phone had been received!

I have asked them a number of times, but I still haven't received an answer telling me where my phone was during the 10 days that it was MIA.

The phone was then processed and started the testing procedure. But over the course of the next 10 days, I heard nothing and even after chasing Dataserv four times, my phone still hadn't completed the testing procedure.

Thankfully however, the phone finally completed testing on 24th October (exactly one month after sending surprise, surprise) and I am now waiting for payment (quoted to take up to 14 days).

The credit note that has been raised is also the same amount that I was quoted (£190) even though there are a few minor scratches on the rear body of the phone. I was expecting them to knock a few £'s off the quote for this after reading other people's comments. Perhaps this is because they know they have messed me around and that I won't take any crap from them!

I am undecided as to whether it is worth making any kind of complaint to them (Dataserv or Apple) about the poor communications etc. as I am not sure what (if any) impact it would have. Also, I did end up getting what I was promised, albeit with a lot of time and effort on my part to make sure that I did, so I am yet to make my mind up.

I think I will just take the money and count myself lucky that things have turned out well for me.

I am unlikely to use the company again unless drastic changes are made with to the quality of communication and customer notification system.

davsalv

Just to update you all. I eventually got my full quoted amount for my phone. No emails were replied to and it took an age to get the money. I'd avoid using this service in future at all costs. Good luck to the rest of you waiting to hear. Matt

I have been reading this forum over the past 2 weeks as I have also opted to use the Apple Reuse & Recycling option to receive some money from my MacBook Pro.

After reading a few earlier posts I thought it be rather helpful for anyone in the future if I detail my current status.

25th October - Entered in my details into the following website: http://store.apple.com/uk/browse/reuse_and_recycle (subsequently recieved my confirmation email from dataserv and postage label)

28th October - Posted the parcel at the nearest Post Office using the postage label provided. Received proof of delivery, which contained a number to track via the ParcelForce website.

29th October - Tracked the parcel via the parcelforce website to see that at 11am the parcel had been received at their holding hub. The following website: https://apple.trade-in-platform.com/(S(qbl0y4q4pdufgb3bof3txwa0))/Public/Login.a spx?pid=1&mid=1

Following no contact between myself and dataserv, or the website above updating its status from "Awaiting receipt of approval" I decided to email dataserv (reuse_uk@dataserv-recycling.com)

5th November - My email:

Hi,

I sent the equipment relating to Quote XXXX.X.X.XXXXX on the 28th September 2014 using your pre-paid label.

I have tracked the parcel and it states on the parcelforce website that it arrived at your hub at 11am on the 29th September 2014 but when I check online using https://apple.trade-in-platform.com/Public/Login.aspx?pid=1&mid=1 it show the current status as "Awaiting Receipt of Product".

As it has now been over a week, I am rather concerned about where my equipment is. I have searched your FAQs for information regarding your procedures or timescales but cannot find anything. Could you also answer my questions below?

Could you please provide me an update on the situation?

How long do you expect from the date of postage for the item to be received by yourself?

Where does the equipment get posted to (I have searched some forums and found that it gets shipped over to germany)?

Will I get some sort of notification when it does arrive?

Many Thanks

6th November (AM) - Dataservs' reply:

Dear,

thank you for your email.

Unfortunately we haven't received your device yet, but there's no need to worry.

All shipments will be forwarded to our logistics hub first, this is why the delivery can take up some time.

Could you please send us a proof of postage? So we can ask our logistics partner for your package. It has to be a scan or a photo from it.

That your tracking shows “delivered” is, because our logistics partner has received it in their hub. This won't affect your quote of course.

As soon as we receive your device in our test center in Germany we will inform you by an additional email. This email will also contain information on how to provide us with your bank details.

If you need any further assistance, please don't hesitate to contact us.

Kind regards,

your dataserv customer support team

6th November (PM) - My reply:

HI,

Thank you for your email.

Please see below my receipt which is proof of postage(the image is also attached to the email). I have written the quote number on the receipt for reference.

[Image of Receipt Here]

The "Barcode" is used to track the parcel via the parcelforce website. The barcode is XXXXXXXXXXXXXX.

As stated above:

Could you please send us a proof of postage? So we can ask our logistics partner for your package. It has to be a scan or a photo from it.

I would be very grateful if you could please track my parcel via your logistics partner and keep me updated on any progress.

Thanks

7th November (AM) - I have just received the confirmation email that my equipment has been receieved at their processing facility. I have been instructed to enter my bank details online and will be contacted if the quote estimated by dataserv changes depending on testing.

I will update this post in due course.

14th November - Confirmation email, stating that the original quote amount will be transferred into my bank within 14 days.

21st November - Money successfully paid into my account.

On the whole the service they provide is rather laboured. It would be ideal if they stated exactly the process your items are going to take before finding out whether they will honour the online quote. For anyone who is going to use this service, I would say have a little bit more patience than I had and your item will arrive at their recycling facility.

I recently used the Apple Recycling Scheme and just want to share my experience with people who may be thinking about doing the same thing.

Mac: 2012 i7 2.9Ghz Macbook Pro 13 inch Unibody 8GB RAM 720GB HDD

Quote: £325 (perfect screen and good condition case)

Quote online: 5th June 2015

Item shipped: 6th June 2015

Item signed and delivered (London): 10th June 2015

Receipt of delivery (at processing facility): 17th June 2015

Return process completed: 25th June 2015 (website order status: awaiting credit note)

Fund received in bank account: 29th June 2015

I had been truthful about the condition of the laptop and I was paid the full amount that was originally quoted. My laptop suffered minor hairline scratches on the bottom of the laptop and had a perfect screen. I chose good as the cosmetic condition for my laptop.

All in all, I would say the service was good. It did take a while from start to finish but is acceptable in my opinion. I had to contact them once via email when i was waiting for the money to arrive in my bank account. The day after I wrote to them I received an email reply saying the money should be in my account in two days time and it arrived promptly.

I did get two better quote from other online businesses but felt it was risky dealing with them as read some bad reviews. These websites were offering about £50 more. I though it was not worth the hassle so went with the Apple endorsed service.

I hope the review was useful.