Question

Will T-mobile accept a phone for trade-in with a cracked back glass?

  • 16 February 2023
  • 2 replies
  • 16146 views

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My wife and I are trying to take advantage of the promotional phone trade-in offer to upgrade our paid off phones to a newer phone. One of the phones has a cracked back glass, a Samsung Note 10+. The crack has the spider web lines spread throughout the entire back of the phone. The rest of the phone works as normal with nothing disqualifying the phone for trade-in; according to their guidelines listed on this page by T-Mobile: https://www.t-mobile.com/support/devices/device-troubleshooting/check-the-condition-of-a-device#heading1

No LCD or Screen damage

No Liquid damage

The device turns on

Find my IPhone and anti-theft disabled- Will Factory Reset.

There is no guidance on whether or not back glass damage is a disqualifier for trade-in or a reason to value the phone for less. 

The trade-in value for the Note 10+ 5G is $68.00, with the promotional trade-in offer for a S23 phone is $500.00 via monthly credits. 

I've gone through multiple threads from the previous years; with a 50/50 split of people with the same issue, are getting the full promotional offer and others getting disqualified or a reduced promotional offer.

At the end of the day we you can't get past the contract that binds you from sending the new device back and get your old device from T-Mobile. The ball is in their court, they decide whether you get a full/partial/no valuation for your trade-in phone. While you get stuck with whatever they offer you. Hopefully this document gets updated soon so current and future customers feel more confident about trading in their phones.


2 replies

Userlevel 7
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Assurant and Asurion can be pretty picky at times.  Ultimately, it depends on how many of the same device they have laying around.  If they have a lot.of the same device, it is more likely to be disqualified for trade-in with broken back glass.  Have you considered visiting your local cellphone repair shop to see if they can replace the back glass cheaply enough to ensure your trade-in is accepted?  I would also suggest going for the s23+ over the S23 unless you specifically want the smaller size.

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T-Mobile helps you trade-in device even in case if the screen is damaged, but in some specific circumstances, we have tried to mention all possible scenarios here when you are under screen repair. I hope it helps you understand if you are in or not.

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