Is Loop Mobile a Trusted Service to Buy Refurbished Apple Products?

Providing value for money to the buyer should not be highlighted as a feature. It is a fundamental practice that every mobile retailer should adhere to. But sadly, there are some online mobile retailers operating in the Australian market that do not deliver up to their word.

Choosing the right company when buying a refurbished device plays a significant role. Therefore, before you trust any online retailer, you should make yourself 100% sure of their track record, customer service, and overall performance.

So today, we will talk about the company Loop Mobile and whether you should spend your hard-earned money to buy from them. But before that, let's first give you some background on what Loop Mobile is all about.

Loop Mobile: a Company Without Substantial Marketplace Experience?

Loop Mobile is an online mobile phone retailer that sells used or refurbished devices. The company came into existence in 2019 and currently operates in Australia, the US, Spain, France, Germany, and the UK markets. Unlike other players in the refurbished phones market, they have expanded very quickly as now they are seen in multiple major regions of the world.

By visiting their website, you can see that they only deal in refurbished Apple products, like iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches, and MACs.

On their website, Loop Mobile claims to provide genuine quality used mobile phones to users. But is it truly the case? Do they have a good track record of delivering up to the mark? Can you trust them with your next purchase?

We know you are curious to find answers to these questions. So without further delay, let's have an in-depth look at what customers who have done business with Loop Mobile in the past have to say about Loop Mobile.

Do They Sell What They Advertise

Customers have pointed out the lack of communication from Loop Mobile. They get stressed and frustrated when they spend money on a new item and have to wait for it. You can find examples of Loop Mobile overcoming this issue with the high-quality products they ship, as seen in the review below.

The customer in the end is pleased with the product that he has received as he describes it as brand new which is great when you buy a refurbished phone. Loop Mobile's rating is pretty good on review sites like Trustpilot. In total 189 people have posted reviews on the site of which around 66% of the reviews are 5-star which builds trust in the brand.

You can also find 3-star reviews from customers of Loop Mobile, but these are very few compared to the 5-star reviews the brand has. Trustpilot shows 7 3-star reviews one of which you can view below.

This review clearly shows some lackings in Loop Mobile's quality assurance side. The phone did work fine but it should have been cleaned before being sent to the customer, keeping in mind the pandemic, its competitors have focused a lot on cleaned and sanitized products so people can feel comfortable when buying a used product.

Not everything about Loop Mobile is bad. They also have some satisfied customers as well. Have a look at this review for an example.

Non Existing Customer Support

Customer service is something that has the potential to make or break a business, especially in this digital age. On the other hand, mistakes are also part and parcel of a business.

Talking about non-existing customer support, here is an example of that. After receiving the Apple Watch, the customer realised it was not the one he ordered through Loop Mobile's website. He then tried reaching out to Loop Mobile's team via email, website and even phone but got no response.

But again, It's not that Loop Mobile has never responded promptly to its customers. Here is an example.

Satisfactory Overall Ratings on Review Platforms

There are two platforms on which there are reviews of Loop Mobile, Trust Pilot and Smart Reviews.

On Trust Pilot, Loop mobile has an overall rating of 3.9 which is not considered excellent but great. As of 13 sept, 2022 Out of 189 reviews on the platform, Loop Mobile has 66% excellent, 9% great, and 1% poor reviews which means that majority of customers are happy with their services.

But wait! There's a shocking thing mentioned on the Smart Reviews about Loop Mobile. Smart Reviews say that Loop Mobile has no social media account, which is an absolute necessity to run a business in this day and age.

Online Presence is Mandatory!

For refurbished mobile retailers selling products from their websites, online presence matters a lot. You need to have active social media accounts in order to thrive in the modern marketplace.

However, in the case of Loop Mobile, it is a bit different from what smart reviews show. They have linked their Facebook and Instagram pages from their website. But their Instagram page is pretty new which only started posting this September. On the other hand, their Facebook page seems like they have been posting there for a while but there is only 1 review on the page and that too is a 1-star review.

No Physical Presence

We understand that businesses are, for the most part, done online these days and there is no denying that it is the need of the hour.

However, when it comes to the retailing of refurbished devices, having a physical store is somewhat essential. The reason is that not every customer who wants to buy a refurbished phone will prefer buying online, especially the ones who had a terrible experience buying online in the past.

Also, while most customers buy online, not everybody wants to spend their bucks without actually checking out the product physically.

Moreover, a physical store helps confused customers buy refurbished devices they actually need. The physical store staff can assess customers' smartphone needs and suggest appropriate devices according to their requirements.

However, no such physical store of Loop Mobile is available.

Only 4 Payment Methods are Available

While credit/debit card payments are the most popular payment methods in Australia, it is not the only one.

Payment methods like Zip Pay and AfterPay are popular among consumers, and many brands accept them.

However, on Loop Mobile's website, you can only pay using your Visa/Master Card, PayPal, and American Express. You can also use Apple and Google Pay.

They Only Sell iPhones and Other Apple Products

Loop mobile sells almost every iPhone under the sun, from iPhone 6 to iPhone 13. But the problem is that they only have a decent product range like second hand iPhone 11 and if we talk about smartphones.

No Samsung or any other brand products could be seen on their website.

In short, Loop mobile is just an iPhone refurbished seller.

They Do Not Offer LiveChat Support

No matter how good products a company delivers, they will find it hard to thrive in the modern marketplace if they are not covered on the customer support front.

Customer support service should not just be available for a limited time in a day, especially if you operate on a bigger scale and in the industry, like refurbished devices.

However, while you can contact Loop Mobile customer support via email or phone, you will likely get a response between 9 am to 5 pm only Monday to Friday.

There is no live chat support available at all on their website, let alone 24/7 live chat support.

Bells and Whistles

To position your brand and build a dedicated audience, a company needs to provide bells and whistles (additional services) to its customers. For example, some brands offer extras with the devices, some offer new batteries. Loop does point out that the batteries of the iPhones they sell are over 80%.

Similarly, they also offer a service called "Change of mind returns" in which customers can hand us back the product if they do not like it after buying(applicable within a certain time frame).

But no such additional services are being offered by Loop Mobile to its customers.

Final Verdict About Loop Mobile

These were the reviews by the customers of Loop Mobile who have experienced Loop Mobile's services.

The amount of bad reviews is alarming. Nevertheless, at the end of the day, it all comes down to your choice. You should do your proper research before buying anything.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are of the author. All brand names/trademarks belong to their respective owners and Phonebot has no affiliation with these brands.