Selling iPhone without full disclosure
I purchased a second-hand iPhone Pro from CellConnectZA after I was assured that the device was “almost brand new” and that I wouldn’t experience any issues. The battery life was 77% and that was the only thing I would have to replace in the near future.
I was also informed that the previous owner upgraded and that the phone was still in perfect condition.
CellConnect said they could assist with replacing the battery as I did not feel comfortable getting it replaced at these random pop-up shops like I was first advised to do. However when I received my phone I was informed that they could not replace it for me.
After comparing costs and the travelling distance to CellConnect’s technician, I decided to rather go the iStore. That’s when I was informed that the screen had already been replaced — something that had never been disclosed. iStore advised that they might have to replace the screen as well when replacing the battery at a cost of R6000 for screen only.
When I confronted CellConnectZA, it became clear he had been aware of the screen replacement all along but had deliberately withheld that information. I raised my concerns under the Consumer Protection Act (CPA), but he dismissed them and claimed that iStore exaggerates issues to inflate repair costs.
He then directed me to a technician at Montana Family Market — exactly the kind of setup I had expressed I wanted to avoid from the beginning. However, since I had already made the trip, I went ahead with the battery replacement just to move forward.
Shortly afterward, I discovered additional issues: the phone’s camera had also been worked on or replaced. Portrait Mode no longer functions, and despite multiple attempts to run repairs through the phone’s settings, the calibration consistently fails.
When I contacted CellConnectZA, he showed no concern and simply told me to take the phone back to Montana. I complained about the service I was getting and the dishonesty. I then shared screenshots of reviews from other customers with similar complaints. After that, he stopped responding entirely.
Initially, I believed he ran a legitimate operation. But after seeing the repair setup at Montana and experiencing the ongoing issues, I realised otherwise.
After writing reviews to warn others, I was contacted by CellConnect who acknowledged my frustration and offered to repair the phone — on the condition that I remove my reviews once the repairs were completed. I requested a refund, which was denied without proper justification. Feeling pressured and frustrated, I eventually agreed to proceed with repairs instead.
I scheduled the repair appointment well in advance, confirmed again on the day, and drove to the store — only to find that he was not there. I left the phone with the technician. Hours later, the phone still had the same issues. My colleague and I personally watched as the technician swapped out multiple cameras in an attempt to fix it.
At my insistence, the technician called Anton, who then told me to erase all data and leave the phone with them, after which he would either offer me a refund or let me trade it in for another device (with a price difference). In a final attempt to put the situation behind me, I agreed to this.
However, less than 10 minutes after that conversation, I received a phone call from the seller’s mother. This was the most disturbing and shocking part of the entire experience. She was belittling and threatened me with legal action if I wanted to take things further. She told me, in her words, that she was not my “little playmate.”
This kind of treatment is unacceptable. I am shocked that CellConnect would allow its representatives to speak to customers in this way while claiming no wrongdoing.
Please be cautious. My advice is to rather spend a bit more and buy from a reputable store like iStore than risk wasting your money and time with CellConnectZA