ma zoooom a! (mazumamobile.com)

Member Name: pania22

Product:	mazumamobile.com
Date:	12/10/09 (55 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Speedier than speedy gonzalez on a speedy day! zip zip!!

Disadvantages: awaiting response on postal security but not concerned enough to drop them down a star

Lets face it. All day long we are bombarded with tv adverts that yell at us "WE BUY CARS" (that advert is still stuck in my head and probably will be for the remainder of my living days) "WE BUY GOLD" and "WE BUY PHONES!!!" My previous experience of some of these companies is that they should have "and completely rip you off into the bargain!" added after their somewhat catchy slogans. I have taken jewellery to a pawn brokers and been offered £20 for a ring with a second hand resale value of £200 (after an extremely embarrassing incident on the way there asking an innocent bystander "can you tell me where the pawn shop is please?." I was greeted with the response of "Why the hell do you think i'd know where one of those shops is!!!" I looked at her in a somewhat bemused fashion until my tiny brain made the connection between pawn and porn, the poor dear thought I was off shopping for a wobbly phallus and that her mode of attire had led me to believe she shopped there frequently! muttering a hurried explanation I shuffled off and decided to be more specific with my request next time. anyway I digress.) so therefore I had very little faith that when I contacted a mobile phone trading company I would come out with a good deal in anyway shape or form. How wrong I was!!

So why use a site like mazuma?

Well, Besides the obvious benefit here of getting cash from trading in an old phone, from an environmental perspective we are doing the world a massive favour by recycling and reusing as many phones as possible. It is a very sad fact today that the need to keep up with the current "trend" of mobile phone, to have the latest applications or the highest megapixel camera will lead to 50,000 mobile phone handsets being upgraded this year alone* Over an hour messing around with google trying various combinations of words and search terms does not reveal the chemical composition of a typical mobile phone. Funny that, I am pretty sure the mobile phone companies dont wish this information leaking into the public domain. But just think about it. 50,000 mobile phones full of plastic, ceramic, metal, solder, and other compounds winding up in landfill each year... Nasty thought hey. Mazuma prevents this happening by recycling as many mobile phones as possible for use in developing countries.

Mobile phones have transformed the lives of many third world residents. Until recently a mobile phone in the third world was an object of wonder, something to be gazed at and possesion to be dreamed of. Something only the very rich could afford to buy. I have often wondered whether the mobile phone is the scourge of the planet and maybe in the western world that is true. But in the third world the advent of mobile phone technology has truly transformed some peoples lives. Websites reveal stories of a mobile phone, purchased with the aid of a microloan and let to neighbours to make calls allowing a lady to pay her childrens school fees and build a subsidary business herself. Or to allow members of a remote village to check availability of medication at a pharmacy prior to making the long trek to fetch them.
In these cases mobile phones havent become the objects of convenience, fun and perma-net access, but lifelines and means of income without which poverty would again rule.
Much better than being in a landfill site dontcha think? Mazuma's business is to refurbish mobile phones and provide them to charities for disribution across third world countries. Where the handset is beyond economical repair Mazuma ensures that the handset is dismantled and disposed of safely with no adverse effect on the environment.
*Data source, Mazuma Website

How much will I get for my phone?

Well that depends. Basically the older the handset the less you will get for it. again if it is damaged or inoperative then payment will be minimal. Mazuma quote on their website payments up to £200 but to be honest this is really only for iphones or the very latest phone model. I traded in a Nokia 5800, a relatively new nokia phone for which I acheived a trade in value of £98. I did consider this to be slightly low compared to my perceived value of the phone but a quick search of other trade in sites such as envirophone revealed that this was the highest amount being offered. Mazuma also offer Argos vouchers as a form of payment for which you will receive a higher amount by approximately £10. My partner took this offer as he considered it helpful for christmas spending.

The Mazuma Service

Quite simply I dont have enough platitudes to hand to pour on this company. Simply amazing!!! Logging onto their website you are welcomed by a light bright page with a clear box inviting you to "see how much its worth" Clicking on the model you've selected the values offered are clearly set out below with a large "add to basket" clicky underneath. Popping in the IMEI number you are taken to a page to provide your name and address and then bobs your uncle.
I received a freepost sealable envelope within 24 hours of placing my "order" as mazuma call it. Outstanding! I popped my phone in and posted it on a friday afternoon. On monday I received 2 confirmation emails, one confirming receipt and the other stating that my cheque had been dispatched. The next day I received a cheque for £98. Now I have used other sites before now but this site is, to me, the cream of the crop.

Security

I was initially concerned surrounding the ability to trade stolen phones on this site. The terms and conditions reveal that the site uses a system that identifies handsets reported as stolen to providers and will block and refuse any phones identified as stolen.
The one security that I remain baffled by though is if the phone is stolen in the post. There didnt appear to be any proof of postage so that I could show I had sent it in to them. I've emailed mazuma on this issue and am awaiting a response!

My Opinion

All in all completely outstanding, The easy to follow website, the quick delivery of the envelope and the quick receipt of the cheque makes mazuma in my book second to none. The fact that they offered the highest amount for my phone and also the option of argos vouchers simply sealed the deal

Summary: I wish I had another phone to send them, I could do with some rapid cash!