Your used iPhone has a $280 credit value.
Apple kicked off a long-awaited iPhone trade-in program for its U.S. retail
stores on Friday, the latest in its efforts to attract and retain
customers for its smartphones.
The Cupertino, Calif. tech giant said its “reuse and recycling”
program emphasizes the value of iPhones, even after they’ve been used.
“In addition to helping support the environment, customers will be
able to receive a credit for their returned phone that they can use
toward the purchase of a new iPhone,” a company spokeswoman said.
To get a credit, customers have to show that their trade-in iPhone
works by powering it on. Customers also have to be in wireless carrier
contracts when they leave the store, Apple employees said.
Trading in and buying a new phone through the program won’t re-start a
customer’s contract, a person familiar with the process said.
Additionally, if the cost of phone they’re buying is lower than the
trade-in credit they receive, they’ll get a gift card with the remaining
balance.
Apple isn’t the first company to offer compensation for used iPhones. Apple, in its stores, is offering as
much as $280.
Apple store workers will offer the program to customers as an option
to help pay for a new device, and as an alternative to sometimes costly
repairs, employees familiar with the program said. In its training for
store employees, Apple emphasized that its partnership with Brightstar
for the trade-in program will also focus on creating recycling jobs in
the U.S. Most the phone’s components will be reused or recycled, one
person said.
As part of the program, customers and employees will input
information into a specialized system about the iPhone they wish to
trade in, including its physical condition (whether it has wear and tear
or water damage) before they’re told its value.
The new phone must be activated in the store, one employee noted, and
the credit given to customers can’t be used to buy a device that isn’t
locked, or tied to a specific carrier.
Apple also offers a trade-in program through its website in a partnership with PowerON,
which appears to offer more money — about $400 for a high-end like-new
iPhone. That exchange is for an Apple gift card, removing the
requirement that customers buy a new iPhone. However, PowerON customers
have to initiate the trade-in on the company’s website, and ship the
phone through the mail.
Apple’s trade-in program is its latest effort to attract and retain
smartphone customers. Unlike offerings from competitors, Apple is
requiring trade-in credit only be used toward the purchase of a new
iPhone, ensuring customers remain with the company.
Another strategy the company will soon be implement will reduce the entry costs of buying a new iPhone.
In a recent conference call, the company said the iPhone 4, the lowest-price phone it sells, has been popular among first-time smartphone buyers.
In order to entice even more customers, Apple has also initiated
specialized trade-in offers in other countries, such as India, and it is
adding to its retail presence in China.
Apple’s new trade-in program was described earlier by the 9to5Mac blog.
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