Review Time
I sent my phone for repair under warranty. I was told I'd be contacted within 24-48 hours to advise of what was going to happen. No contact was made. I have since called 3 times to chase up the status of my phone and there is an AI bot who answers their calls and there is no option to speak to a human being. Each time I was told they'd be in touch within 24-48 hours but that never happened. It's been over a month and no information whatsoever. It's a back hole - I have no phone and no info.
Absolutely DO NOT BUY FROM THIS BUSINESS!! They sent us a dodgy iphone that stopped working within weeks and refused the warranty making up rubbish that we water damaged it. Completely untrue and on looking into other customers experiences they use that line all the time to avoid all post sale service. They also ignore customers for weeks on end and leave you with no choice but to dispute the payment with your bank and report them to ACCC. There's already cases against them with ACCC as they break all.consumer right laws. Watch out, they are dishonest, unhelpful, opportunistic scum !! It's fine if you're lucky enough to get a good phone, but if they send you a lemon that dies within weeks they'll blame the user and disregard all pleas for help!! Totally dodgy, operating without any moral compass.
I bought this phone, paid extra for the 'like new' version for an early christmas present for my daughter and it stopped working within a week or so. I bought it as an early Christmas present because we were going overseas and my 18 year old daughter would desperately need her phone while away. It took over one week for anyone to get back to me from Phonebot, they only got back once I left a negative review! Then asked me to take down the negative review since they had a week later finally responded to our emails. By the time we had the return information sorted it was too late as we were boarding our plane. They said they would honour the return when we got back. Sent the phone back over 3 weeks ago and they are still not responding to my emails, have not sent a replacement and are ignoring us once again. The item supposedly has 12 month warranty but no one even replies to your messages. My daughter has been without a phone now for over 2 months while they sit on over $500 of our money. We had to put in a dispute with the bank to get our money back. Terrible customer service DO NOT BUY FROM THIS BUSINESS. They will give you a dodgy phone and ignore all efforts for a resolve. I will also be reporting them to the Dept of Fair Trading.
This has easily been the worst business I have ever dealt with, and I strongly urge people to avoid Phonebot entirely. I bought a Samsung S22 Ultra from their Reservoir store on 27 December 2025, and after only a few weeks the phone stopped connecting to any network. What followed was a three‑week nightmare of delays, repeated explanations, unanswered messages, and staff who clearly weren’t reading anything I had already written. Despite confirming multiple times that I do not live in Melbourne, they repeatedly told me to “drop the device in store.” I submitted a return request on 15 January, yet they kept asking me to submit it again. They promised updates, return labels, and instructions that never arrived unless I chased them repeatedly. It became clear that nothing moved forward unless I pushed every step of the way. The only time they suddenly responded properly was when I threatened to go to VCAT or Consumer Affairs Victoria — and no one should have to resort to that just to get a basic warranty refund.I eventually did receive return labels and posted the phone back. The device arrived at their store within a week (with tracking), yet again I had to contact them myself to get any update. I messaged them to confirm the phone’s arrival — no response. I called the next day and was told they had the phone and needed my bank details for the refund. They assured me it would be processed that day and agreed to send this confirmation in writing. I sent my bank details immediately and waited for the confirmation email — nothing. I had to call again the next day just to check if they’d even received the email. They claimed they had and said the refund would take another 2–3 days. I requested written confirmation again and waited the full three days. Still no refund. I called again, and this time they said the refund was being processed “today” and would be in my account by lunchtime the next day. It was not. I tried calling again — no answer.I first reached out to Phonebot on 9 January 2026, and it is now 4 February 2026, and I still have not received my refund. I have therefore made good on my earlier warning and have lodged the matter with VCAT. Phonebot’s communication is chaotic, the process is exhausting, and this has been by far the worst experience I have ever had with any retailer. No customer should have to fight this hard just to get a refund on a faulty phone. Absolutely terrible communication and service. Avoid this business at all costs.
I am a teacher in Dubai who has waited nearly 50 days for a refund for a cancelled order which was cancelled by them. More than the money, the human cost has been devastating. Despite explaining that these funds are urgently needed for my mother’s medicine, the staff at the Burjuman branch has been dismissive.Managers hide behind staff, and I was told by a representative that I should be "grateful" he is even speaking to me, bragging about their "multi-million dollar empire" while mocking my financial hardship. A global brand should not permit such arrogance and lack of empathy from its employees. Unreliable and morally unacceptable experience.
I almost never leave negative reviews, but I feel this experience needs to be shared in the interests of the people.I purchased a Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra from Phonebot (NSW). It’s a premium smartwatch advertised as water resistant and suitable for swimming. Just over a year into owning it, I used the watch for light swimming, with Water Lock enabled, no diving, no impact, and no misuse.Within minutes, the watch shut down and never turned back on.I took the watch through Samsung service assessment and they confirmed water ingress, and also confirmed that the cost to repair exceeds the value of the watch.Despite this, I was told no remedy would be offered because the watch was “out of warranty” and that this watch was apparently an overseas model...Phonebot took no responsibility for a product they sold, instead deflecting the issue entirely to the manufacturer.I was never informed at the time of purchase that that the watch was an overseas model and that it would affect my consumer rights, nor does that make sense to me as a customer buying from an Australian retailer.I’m now left with a $700+ smartwatch that failed during normal, advertised use, with no support from the retailer.This experience has been extremely disappointing but revealing. I now will be documenting this via social media.When you buy a premium product from a local retailer, you expect them to stand behind what they sell, especially when the product fails doing exactly what it was marketed to do.I would strongly advise anyone considering a high-value purchase from Phonebot to think carefully about what happens after the sale if something goes wrong.
hi phone bot team! i would like to say that i really like how much time you guys put into your reply’s to customers i was reading some reviews and there were paragraph long thank yous. i was thinking they could have been done by AI but the reply’s date back to 2020 which was when that sort of thing didn’t existwell done love the website
I bought this phone, paid extra for the 'like new' version for an early christmas present for my daughter and it stopped working within a week or so. I bought it as an early Christmas present because we were going overseas and my 18 year old daughter would desperately need her phone while away. It took over one week for anyone to get back to me from Phonebot, they only got back once I left a negative review! Then asked me to take down the negative review since they had a week later finally responded to our emails. By the time we had the return information sorted it was too late as we were boarding our plane. They said they would honour the return when we got back. Sent the phone back over 3 weeks ago and they are still not responding to my emails, have not sent a replacement and are ignoring us once again. The item supposedly has 12 month warranty but no one even replies to your messages. My daughter has been without a phone now for over 2 months while they sit on over $500 of our money. We had to put in a dispute with the bank to get our money back. Terrible customer service DO NOT BUY FROM THIS BUSINESS. They will give you a dodgy phone and ignore all efforts for a resolve. I will also be reporting them to the Dept of Fair Trading.
After 2 weeks they are yet to send a phone case, I was in the meantime provided a fake tracking number. I called and emailed only to be ignored. I repeatedly asked for a refund and was ignored. Now I have no choice but lodge a fraud chargeback with the bank. DONT SHOP WITH THIS WEBSITE IF YOU RESPECT YOURSELF AND YOUR MONEY.
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Established in 2012, Phonebot is a market leader in sustainable technology products. We are one of the largest Australian online and offline retailer and wholesaler in our category stocking over 100 product models. Our aim is to reduce carbon footprint by reusing or recycling technology products. From acquiring a gently used product, our team of qualified technicians grades and refurbishes each device and only the most delicately used are on sold to consumers on marketplaces, on our website and in store. Devices that do not meet the criteria are then either exported for overseas use or used as parts elsewhere.
Hundreds of positive customer testimonials on various review platforms testify our commitment to providing excellent customer service and after sales support. Our team of tech heads is based in Melbourne helping customers make sustainable business choices 7 days a week
We are so confident about the quality of our products that we offer a 7 day change of mind returns on all items sold, in addition to the 6 months warranty.
All our inventory is stored and shipped from Melbourne not overseas like other sellers.
The team at Phonebot appreciates your business and expects a positive review to encourage us and others make sustainable everyday decisionsSee more
