Google’s new Pixel 2 devices are finally here and the search giant even has a trade-in program to help consumers pay for it but some users are reporting some serious problems with the system. In fact, those issues have prompted some users to begin documenting the return process – from showing off the condition of the phone to the act of placing it in a package and sending it off – with photos and videos, just in case. The problems seem to stem from the warehouse receiving traded devices, with users specifically reporting that they are not receiving the full amount they were offered by Google’s system for their trade. Instead, they are receiving e-mails stating either that the phone returned was not the same as the one they had set up for trade or that the condition of the device was not as claimed. That has resulted in substantial cuts to the refund amount received by some of those users and, in other cases, time-consuming customer service interactions in an attempt to rectify the situation.
For some of the reporting users, the issue was eventually resolved, resulting in the full promised refund for their device. However, in other instances, that doesn’t seem to have been the case and some users report receiving as little as $35 for their trade. Delving deeper into the issue, there’s any number of places the problems could be stemming from and it may be a bit premature to assume Google is causing problems deliberately. Many of the individuals reporting an issue say that Google’s system has marked their device as an “unknown phone” and, in some cases, that status remains even after the financial side of the problem has been resolved. That’s something that has even happened with first-generation Google Pixel trade-ins. So, it appears that the problem could be with the software behind setting up a trade, to begin with, or with the intermediary systems between Google and the receiving warehouses. Another indicator of that could be that at least one user reports being told – after a lengthy wait between communications – that the warehouse system had been down for several days. If it does turn out to be an issue on the software side, that shouldn’t take too long to get fixed and Google should be able to work toward preventing the same problem from happening in the future.
For the time being, there has been no comment from Google about this apparently ongoing problem. So, anybody still looking to trade up to a second-generation Pixel-branded smartphone will probably want to document the process so that they have proof of their return and the condition of their return. The company is well within reason with its vetting of any claims that an unfair refund was granted. Having some evidence that everything was in order with the return should help solve any issues that crop up fairly quickly, while Google works out whatever the underlying issue here actually is.