Is it reliable to buy from yaphone?

If you are thinking of buying a mobile phone, a tablet or any other technological product, you are surely looking for the best offer, the store that has the cheapest device or the one that offers the best guarantee and service. Amazon, PcComponentes, or the manufacturer's website are the best options if you want a more optimal service, but surely you have found websites like BlackMarket, EglobalCentral or Yaphone with very, very interesting prices. I have had the opportunity to acquire a device in this last mentioned store; Yaphone.com (formerly DVDAndorra) Is it reliable? What is the fine print? I will tell you my experience.

I wanted to renew my personal mobile. Due to my work I test a large number of devices, on average one per week. However, I always have my personal mobile, a kind of 'son' that always comes with me and the one I use for personal use and work. At that time the Pixel 3 was the novelty, and I wanted to buy the Google terminal, so I decided to look for the XL model at a cheaper price . I finally ended up in Yaphone. I already knew it, but had never bought there. After seeing options about the store, information on returns and technical support, I decided to buy the Google Pixel 3 XL there for 770 euros, when at that time it cost 950 euros in the official store.The discount is 180 euros, but in addition, they had an active promotion with a 20 euros discount. What makes the Pixel 3 XL come out for 750 euros, 200 euros less than in the official store.

Buying from Yaphone, why is it so cheap?

Original products, not imported, new, sealed, with warranty, technical support… why is Yaphone so cheap? I don't buy anything - much less something for 800 euros - without investigating first. A quick search on Google and we found different portals that explain why this store has lower prices than usual.

The main cause is taxes. The store is registered as YAPHONE SL which has its headquarters in the principality of Andorra. Therefore, and although they ship and operate in Spain, the taxes and fees of this country apply. In Andorra they do not have VAT of 21 percent, as we do in Spain.

So, if a Pixel 3 XL, with a price of 950 euros, we subtract 21 percent of the VAT, we would be left for 750 euros (not counting the discount of 20 euros). Why are you on Yaphone for 770 euros? Basically because in Andorra there are other types of taxes that do apply, although they do not appear on the invoice. That is why, on some occasions (especially in the newer products) we will not find a big difference in price. But it is a positive point if we want to save some money, although negative if we are self-employed or a company, since the invoice does not have VAT.

iPhone 11 on YaPhone for 760 euros. Its price in the Apple Store is 810 euros.

Informing me: return, warranty, technical support…

Before purchasing it, I read the entire warranty and return policy. I was going to buy an expensive terminal, so I didn't want any scares afterwards. One of the most important aspects for me was returns. Legally, the user must be provided with a minimum of 14 days of return. Yaphone complies with this, but be careful, because there is a return charge of 20 euros. Regardless of the price of the product. This puts it clearly in their policy. If you want to return it, 20 euros for the return costs. Of course, unless the terminal had a factory defect or damage during shipping. If this happens, you have to notify it the first 24 hours after receiving the product.

As usual, the terminal had to be in perfect condition, with its accessories, manuals, boxes etc… One of the doubts that came to me is whether I could return the product with the box unsealed, open and the protective plastic of the terminal removed to check the operation of the device. I got in touch with the customer service chat that we can find on the web. They quickly gave me the link for the return and shipping policy, which says the following.

We accept returns of items as long as they meet the necessary conditions. To do this, the product must be in perfect condition, have no signs of misuse, keep the screen and terminal protection plastics without being damaged, and the accessories without having been used or manipulated due to poor hygiene.

Therefore, we can confirm that the terminal can be returned with the box unsealed. But with the accessories intact and with the screen protectors that cover the terminal. Seeing several unboxings I verified that the protector of the terminal that comes in the box can be replaced easily, so in this case there was no problem, only the inconvenience of paying 20 euros in case you wanted to return it because you don't like it or It seems too big to you. Hint: I had already used a Pixel 3 for a few weeks to analyze, so I already knew what I was going to find. I decided to buy it, but not before seeing what they said about the guarantee.

Yaphone.com says that we have a 2 year warranty on all products. In most, the first year warranty is carried by the manufacturer. Therefore, if you buy an iPhone, a Samsung terminal or a Google Pixel among others, you can use the company's support, which is generally more complete. There are no surprises here, and the points to benefit from the guarantee are those that we usually see in the main manufacturers: hardware problems, such as Wi-Fi not working well, material defects due to manufacturing, etc. It does not cover software and update issues, physical damage caused by misuse, or problems with components that can wear out over time, such as the battery.

The processing time of the guarantee -from you send the product until you receive it- can be from 25 to 30 days. Except for the repair time, which is quite long, the warranty conditions are quite correct. I keep reading about what Yaphone will do to repair the terminal and I come across this sentence.

The first option will always be to repair the product with new or second-hand parts that are equivalent to new ones in performance and reliability.

Here the doubts entered me. Will you use original accessories to repair my mobile or are they the typical spare parts that can be found on eBay? Again, I ask tech support. This time I decide to look for the customer service phone number. Can't find it: the only way to get in touch is through chat or email. I decide to chat, as it is the fastest way. They assure me that the spare parts are one hundred percent original, whether they are new or used components. In the event that they cannot repair it in this way, they will proceed to send us the same terminal, which can be new or reconditioned. Or, one of similar benefits and price.

Shipping and payment methods

YaPhone order.

What payment methods does Yaphone accept? We can choose between a credit or debit card, cash on delivery or through financing in different installments through a third-party service. Unfortunately they don't accept PayPal. Regarding shipping, they have different methods. Many of their products have 1-day shipping through Nacex. It usually has a price of about 5 euros. We can also send to other countries in Europe with a price of up to 30 euros of shipping costs.

Fortunately, the Pixel 3 had one-day shipping available. Although the company is registered in Andorra, the terminal is shipped from a warehouse in Spain. It came to me the next day.

Upon receiving the product

I bought the Google Pixel 3 and the next day I already had the device in the box. It arrived in a padded envelope and the terminal was enclosed in its fully closed box, a store sticker and the invoice. The product came in perfect condition, without any major box damage or software failure. After a few months, and before moving to the iPhone 11, I have been able to verify that the terminal has worked very well, without any failure or problem. In my case, I have not had to contact the store for problems with the terminal or to process the guarantee.

Conclusions, is it reliable to buy at Yaphone.com?

Overall, my experience with YaPhone has been satisfactory. Customer service answers all questions immediately through chat. Of course, I miss a customer service telephone number, which would be useful in some cases. The guarantee and return conditions are quite normal, except that the shipping costs have a price of about 20 euros, depending on the product. And if we want to return it due to a factory failure, we only have 24 hours to notify it.

The shipping price is right, especially considering that many of the products are shipped the next day. As for the price of the products, they are quite cheap if we take into account that many of the terminals have only been on the market for a short time. While it is true that we can find a better offer on Amazon, we know that Yaphone will always have the device at a somewhat lower price than usual. Would I buy from this store again? Yes, I do not rule out doing it in the future.

Positive about Yaphone

Economic prices.
Fast shipping.
2-year warranty (the first year is usually the manufacturer).

Negative about Yaphone

There are return costs
There is no customer service phone. At least it is not easy to find.