Cash for your old mobile phones. (simplydrop.co.uk)

Member Name: Gemma_C

Product:	simplydrop.co.uk
Date:	01/09/09 (129 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good rates of cash given.

Disadvantages: Service is uncertain, with a delay of 2 weeks possible.

Phone recycling websites seem to be on the up at the moment with new ones springing up everywhere, and whilst all sites seem to offer around the same prices, you will be more inclined to go towards one offering you more for your old mobile phone.

Simply Drop is a quite a new website into the recycling world, and not only does it pay you for mobile phones, it also accepts MP3 players and digital camera's. Simply Drop is part of the Royal Mail group so you may find yourself to be more trusting towards this site, however I am now going to explain 2 very different experiences I have had with them.

The first time I discovered Simply Drop was through MoneySavingExpert's tool, you simply put in your phone's model and it tells you what each mobile recycling site will pay you for it. Simply Drop were offering the best price for my boyfriend's Nokia N95 and so we went with them, feeling more confident as they were part of Royal Mail. The Simply Drop website is very easy and clear to use, after filling in a few details and requesting an envelope we were set. We waited about a week for this envelope to arrive, much slower than say, Mazuma Mobile. I received a pre-paid poly envelope, and they send you an e-mail confirming your reference number. You simply fill in the reference number on the space provided on the front, pop the phone in the bag (I recommend wrapping it up in something!) then send if off. I make sure to obtain a certificate of posting, but if your phone is quite valuable you may want to consider sending it by Special Delivery to cover you if it gets lost, however we decided to take the risk and send it through as normal 2nd class post, already paid for on the envelope.

As we had sent it by 2nd class post, Simply Drop took around 5 days before they received it, however when they did we received a prompt email confirming receipt of the phone, followed not long after by an e-mail confirming approved payment.

Simply Drop only pay you by the following methods:

- PayPal

- Postal Order

- Text to your phone, which you show in a PO counter to get your money

They don't send payments by cheque or by BACS like most other recycling websites out there!

So we waited for payment. I checked the Simply Drop website and it stated payments are made within 7 days, however during busy times this may take up to 14 days. 7 Days went by and we still hadn't received payment, so we went an e-mail to them asking for an update, to which we never received a reply. They had a 'helpline' phone number we tried ringing, but it didn't ring and cut off. We did start to panic by this point as we couldn't get in touch with them, however a couple of days letter an e-mail finally arrived saying payment had been made into PayPal.

After this experience you are probably wondering why I went back a second time, but again they were offering good prices for phones. For my Samsung Soul they offered £74, elsewhere they were only offering around £50, so quite a bit difference! I decided to take my chances and send mine to Simply Drop. The envelope took a while to arrive, howeverI carefully packaged my phone and sent it off, no expecting payment anytime soon.

This time however, they received the phone sending me an e-mail to confirm this, then only an hour later I received an e-mail saying payment had been made into my PayPal account, and sure enough it had!

As Simply Drop are a new site offering good rates, I can't help but wonder if they couldn't deal with the high demand? However both times I did receive payment which is the main thing, and it was an easy to do process. It's a shame they don't offer BACS, but you can have cash from a Post Office if you choose. The PayPal method was simply enough for me, and I didn't then have any fee's taken off the £74 by PayPal so Royal Mail must have covered those costs.

Overall it's a site offering great rates for mobile phones at the moment, but be wary of the two different experiences I had! Always obtain a Certificate of Posting, and ensure you wrap your phone in enough packaging to protect it.

Summary: Another mobile phone recycling website which offers good rates.