Call me paranoid but I filmed the entire process, from factory resetting to boxing to placing in the mailbox.

Same. I have a document with receipts, shipping info, videos of me inspecting the condition of the phone, viewing the IMEI, resetting the device, and it turning on afterwards. Then also me putting it in the envelope and placing the shipping info on it. and me depositing it at the USPS shipping location. I have plenty of evidence in case they try anything.

Nope not paranoid at all. I got bit with this one. I was lucky enough for them to be able to send me the device back for me to remove device protection in the store. With that much money on the line that is what I would do.

I wish I had done that. My USPS tracking number shows delivered but it's been a week and I have yet to hear anything from Google.

I don't blame you. Next time I do a trade-in I plan on filming it.

Ya you did the right thing google trade-in is taking me for a ride. I am pretty sure phone got damage with that shitty package they sent me.

I did too! I don't fully trust the included bubble envelope to properly protect the phone.

Been doing that for years. Never had to use the videos+pictures yet, but it reduces the anxiety a lot, especially when dealing with hundreds or thousands of dollars.

You're not paranoid; you're just covering all the bases. I do this with anything I'm sending back or trading in that's required to be in a specific condition.

I took very detailed pictures of my phones condition, and packaging when I had to send my Axon 7 for warranty repairs. Better safe than sorry.

You are paranoid, but you have good reasons to be. I'd do the same thing.

Wow that's BS. Sorry to hear that man. Maybe try calling back and try to get it escalated to see if they can at least get you $300?

I'll try calling at lunch. I might see if they can send me my phone back because that price difference is huge.

For anyone who has yet to trade in their phone, try Swappa. I was going to trade in my 64GB N6 for $80. Not a great price but it seemed convenient (more and more stories are indicating this might not even be the case). Realized there wasn't a reason to not also list it on Swappa in the meantime. Sold it for a net gain of $170.

Absolutely this. I traded in via Google because I thought it'd be quick and simple. I finally got my credit, but wish I would have just done Swappa - would have gotten more and had the cash 2 weeks ago.

swappa

Sir I am interested in ur fone I give u 50% of the price btw I need it by tomorrow to my hotel because I am in a perpetual state of traveling

No? I report u

Totally agree! I got $375 for my 32gb pixel (non-xl) after fees and shipping costs. Cash upfront so none of this worrying about a trade-in.

I've been trying to sell my iphone on their but i'm a little paranoid. how common are scams??

How long did it take for them to receive your trade in? I sent mine in about a week and a half ago, and the status page still shows that they haven't received it yet.

2 weeks

I copied the tracking number from the google kit so I could track it myself. I shipped it Oct 27th, they received it Nov 1st and still haven't sent me an email acknowledging it. I reached out to support yesterday letting them know I was told I would receive a refund within 5 days of them receiving it. After almost 30 mins, I was told that due to so many phones being received I have to give it another two weeks

You all are making me scared shitless of this process... I'm anxious as fuck now

I hope you took pictures and video cause now feel like I am getting screwed.

I just got my trade in refund on my original Pixel today for $12, saying the phone didn't turn on, and the screen didn't work, even though it worked fine when I sent it. I don't know what the issue was, but I just lost $300 and I don't think I'm getting it back.

It sounds like once that person declares the trade-in value it is final. Support cannot do anything but give you $35. I'm starting to think that dinky envelope they sent in the trade-in kit didn't do that great of the job protecting the phone.

I'd definitely get that escalated and try to talk to someone on the phone. That's absolute bs. I wouldn't let this go silently.

$162? What did they offer you at first, before you sent the phone in? They offered me $410, and if they drop it to $162 I'm going to flip out.

Around $400 is what I remember and I am livid all they offered me is $35 for my troubles. Support chat said there is nothing they or I can do about it and I should follow directions next time.

This is why mail-in trades are a big no-no.
In person you can at least accept/deny the value of your trade, with this program all you can do is submit to how hard they decide to take you.

Did you remove your Google account from device protection before you reset? That's what got a lot of people.

I did not, I just followed these instructions that they emailed me.

Edit* fix link

At this point and after reading the messages here I'd just get what proof I have (all emails, all instruction links from Google, any old photos of the phone if they exist) and file a small claims case (or whatever else is appropriate). You already contacted everyone in your power and Google said screw you so that's either this or accept your $35.

I'm not from US but I believe just the fact that they won't give your phone back alone is enough for suing because if they reserve the right to only give the final price when they see the device then that was still a negotiation - they offered $35, you said no and they said "either that or I'll steal your device".

All of these reports are why I've held off on sending in my like-new-from-Google-refurbished OG pixel.

Dude, don't let this go. Get on Fi call support and ask to speak to someone higher up. Point out the fact that (1) you followed their explicit instructions, (2) there were absolutely no physical conditions, and (3) the service reps are giving you "inconsistent reasons." Make it sound like you have everything documented (which you do) and tell them that this is unacceptable. There needs to be someone higher up that can listen to this and handle it for you.

I plan on it's just hard finding time with work and taking care of my fussy newborn. I am also trying to find a good app to record my conversation as well.

I commented this elsewhere in the thread, but don't see a top level with this. Project Fi and Google Store have separate trade-in policies which explains why Google can't help you.

Google Store gives you the option to accept or decline the final offer once appraised. If you decline, or if the phone hasn't been reset, they can return it to you.

Project Fi on the other hand forces you to agree that "If model or condition is different, (...) you accept the updated price". You can't get through the trade-in estimator without agreeing accept the appraised value, so having it returned is never an option. Pretty shitty way to treat Fi subscribers.

edit - Looks like someone noticed this as well in the /r/android thread.

This happened to me. Google Store is telling me I can't get my phone returned, so I don't think it matters which one you get it through. I just quoted the bit about accepting the value, but I don't think they'll return my phone. I think it's just marketing jargon play to get you to feel safe, because a few bullet points down it says they cannot return the phone at all. This is fucking ridiculous.

That sounds pretty illegal.

I remember the whole Googling the process and seeing that faint circle you see when you reset phone.

There are different forms of factory resetting. The method that they instructed you to use (and provided a step-by-step both in paper and online) also has you removing your Google account from the device so it can be reused without needing your password.

It doesn't mention removing your Google account. Here is a copy paste of the reset instructions:

2. Factory reset your device

  a.	On your Android device, open the "Settings" app

  b.	Tap "Backup and reset"

 c.	Tap “Factory data reset.” You may need to enter your password to complete factory reset.

I did remove my Google and Samsung accounts first, but it isn't clear in their instructions.

Edit: In fact, it doesn't mention it here either: https://support.google.com/android/answer/6088915

Under settings there was Factory Data reset the way I did it.

Archer meme "Do you want people to stop buying your products? This is how you get people to stop buying your products."

They basically stole from you. I'd do everything I could to get your old phone back.

They literally stole from you.

It is a very straightforward bait and switch.

Google support in a nutshell! I love the Pixel lineup, but damn if I'm ever going to buy another one after having dealt with them.

I SO wish I had thought of this 2 weeks ago. The phone I traded in was LITERALLY a brand new Pixel XL I received under warranty from Fi- my previous Pixel XL just died under 2 months I'd owned it, so Fi sent warranty replacement that arrived around the same day that my pre-ordered Pixel XL 2 arrived. I turned it on to make sure it was halfway charged and to ensure it was ready to be set up, then turned it off and sent it off via the trade in kit. And if they are going to knock off value for 'damage' then WHY is the trade in kit nothing but a small bubble envelope just big enough for the phone and a priority mail shipping label???

If I do not receive $410 for a brand new Pixel XL straight out of the box I will be highly highly upset. At least I have a paper and email trail showing when I received the brand new warranty device and when I sent it to Google for trade in.

Certainly makes me think twice about staying with Google and Project Fi. Will try to update when I receive my trade in credit.

This kinda shit should be added to that lawsuit

Considering they seem to have given instructions that were inaccurate, best get on that.

My trade-in situation is even worse. I factory reset my Pixel 1 and placed it in the flimsy padded envelope that was provided. Adhered the shipping label to the envelop and placed in my mailbox for pickup last Friday morning. Came home from work later that day and mail had been delivered and the phone was not in my mailbox. I assumed the carrier picked it up.

If I track the package, the results show that it hasn't been picked up yet. I've called my local post office and they have no record of receiving the package. Either some random person or my mail carrier stole the phone from my mailbox. I have filed a case through USPS, but there is a good chance that I am out $350.

If it the item is worth that amount of money, its always better to go in person and get that receipt of acceptance

This is why I try to insure it. I also take it to the post office to get the first scan.

How long has it been? Mine didn't show up in tracking for days, after I shipped it.

Odd, i also only did a factory reset when i sent my 6P and i got the full estimated value. I did remove account access to the phone from my google account page after i had shipped it and before they assessed. So maybe that is why it was fine. It's pretty bullshit they didn't say anything about removing factory reset protection and are now charging you for their failure to mention it.

I assumed account access should have been removed during factory reset process. They make no mention in their instructions to do anything else.

I'm glad I don't have to deal with any of this since I returned both of the pixel 2 XLs due to poor display quality.

were you on beta?

I was not on Beta.

That's a bullshit price. I sold the same phone on swappa for 425

What happens if you just remotely erase the phone using android device manager?

If you have already factory reset it is too late. Remote erase will not remove protection.

I think the device manager is more for if you lost your phone and if you're still logged into the account on that phone (and if it's turned on). Did you try this? (I'm hoping this will work but not positive) https://myaccount.google.com/device-activity

Welp. Lets see what happens. I relocked my bootloader and reflashed 8.0. I assumed that would be all i needed to "factory reset" my phone. They received my phone today.

Sorry to say this but you're fucked unless they make a mistake and don't check it. Your google account survives flashes via recovery/fastboot and requires your password to be entered to unlock the phone.

I did mine via settings like OP & instructions say, so we'll see what happens with both of ours...

that sucks..

i shipped my pixel XL on the 27th and it still on "device trade in intiiated" I talked to Google Support, gave them my trade in ID and he was able to confirmed it was received.

I mailed the phone with the peel case to protect it lol

Uh oh...

I did a Gazelle offer, have never had issues in the past. Got an email that they received an iPhone 6 from Sprint. Still trying to get that one resolved. Took them about a week to ask for my imei. I had already removed my phone from everywhere, but fortunately, my phone had been on an MDM and the imei was in a sql database backup.

Can I use the trade in label on a small box instead of just the mailer envelope? Also, can I ship it in it's case and with a screen protector, or will they use that as an excuse?

Well if they damage the phone removing those things, that's a problem. Use a box, remove those things, and record the whole process.

So what estimates are people getting with no glass scratches but just paint scratches?

Damn $162 for a pixel XL 128gb trade in? Wtf

Maybe I should leave the case on my 6p just to be safe when I send it in?

Just curious: why didn't u sell this phone online (like Swappa or OpenBaazar)?

Taking care of 3 week old newborn I thought google trade-in would be the easier option. Clearly I was wrong, I am regretting this whole process. I have been trying to find time time to make the call but when baby cries I can't be on the phone negotiating.

My phone has been there for almost two weeks, and they still haven't gotten to it. When I contacted them earlier this week, they said they've had a very large increase? Sounds to me like they're not even looking at anything, or they are getting everyone's phones mixed up. Either way, it's being handled in a piss pour way.

Man, maybe I'll just keep my phone as a backup or something

Wow, the value of the phone drops that much? I would he pretty upset.

I hope you resolve this one..

No problems with my trade in of nexus 5 for the record op. Credited full amount stated.

This is why I always sell stuff in person, once you've posted your item they can offer you whatever bullshit price they like and make false claims about the condition to justify the price, some might even damage it out of spite if you decline their offer...

OP is google is claiming it was damaged and it wasn't when you shipped it, then claim a shipping issue and use the shipping insurance to pay for it.

A tad different but... Sent my HTC10 in as part of the trade in promotion with Verizon and they are claiming my power button doesn't work and only giving me $36. It was always in a case and near flawless when I took it out of the case to return it, never had issues with it before. I'm beyond frustrated.

If you want to take another shot at google, ask them to unwind the deal, that is the term car purchasers use when they get a lemon and want their trade back. Forcing the dealership to make it right if the dealership already shipped out the trade and cannot give it back.

I don't think any plan like this that doesn't have an option to get your phone back(even if they make you pay shipping) is legal. It would be a blank check to rip everyone off by low balling them and telling them their phone cannot be sent back.

Did you keep the case on the phone when you sent it in? I remember seeing on here someone that did that and it caused a problem with their trade-in.

Holy shit. I am glad I didn't pull the trigger and get the pixel 2. I would be livid if I got $182 for my pixel XL 128GB that I paid nearly $1000 for a year ago..

THANK YOU FOR THIS. I had just unenrolled from the 8.1 beta and assumed that was enough. Lo and behold when I turned my phone on without a sim and connected to WiFi during setup it asked me to enter the Google account last used with that phone. Should all be good now. Still gonna video myself sending it in for extra assurance

Hey, Android Central quoted you in their article regarding this post. Check it out if you haven't already!

https://www.androidcentral.com/lots-people-are-having-trouble-google-stores-trade-program

Had the same thing happen to me, shipped my 5X which was factory reset using their instructions back in the original packaging. $115 quoted, $13 is what I got because the phone "Phone doesn't turn on/off" which is funny as I had to turn the phone on to factory reset it.

After chatting with support they gave me $50 in store credit.

They must be getting a lot of calls they offered me $35 yesterday.

While we're smashing Google's customer service... I returned a Verizon Pixel through their warranty exchange. I asked them if I they could send me the Google version and I was told explicitly that they replace the Verizon ones with Google ones. Sure enough I got my unlockable bootloader pixel. That one ended up having serious Bluetooth issues. I exchanged it and got the Verizon one. I called them and a manger said they would take it back and send me the Google one. I did and ended up receiveing another Verizon one. I called and finally got a manger on the phone and said that I'm pretty much screwed and there is nothing they can do. Their customer service sucks. They try so hard but they are one big fat sloppy mess.

I called Google Fi support after I saw the Pixel Community comment stating the exact same thing about the recent changes. Nothing has changed for my case Google Fi support can't do anything but offer $35.

I was impacted by the misclassification of my Google Pixel XL 32gb which was classified as a Google Nexus 6p. As such, I only received a credit of $165 instead of $400. I've been in contact with support every day since 11/1/17 and nobody is helping to resolve the issue and give me the account credit I was supposed to have received. What are we supposed to do when support doesn't actually help us???

Same thing happened to me. I sent in a Pixel XL and they said I sent in a Nexus 5X I went from 400.00$ to 50.00 instantly. What's so crazy is I bought it from them. They have record of me using buying it from the Google store. Then they have record of me using it until I sent it to them. Did you ever get your issue fixed?

Google adding another definition to its profile: scammer.

Going through this same issue now.

That's crazy... They better give me the full amount! And I hope you can get them to give you the full amount too. Otherwise, that's false advertising since you followed all of their directions.

Just curious though, did you check your Google device list on here? Does it have a "remove" button when you click on your Pixel phone? https://myaccount.google.com/device-activity

It does have the remove button on it along with my old Nexus 6P phone I did the same trade-in process.

This is exactly why I stick to Swappa.

And that you can get more value for your old device.

Never put that you're ok with whatever value they come up with for these trades.

Fuck this, I'm going to request a trade in. And send in dried pieces of dog turds. That'll show em.

Is that a legit thing people can do?lol. The poor soul who finds that will be going wtf 1$ for you.

Fuck, now I'm a worried. My Nexus 6p worked but the screen was cracked. When preparing the trade in it asked whether the screen was "free of scratches" and I said "no".

Hopefully they aren't like "well, we meant small scratches, not cracked".

Dude youre probably going to owe THEM money!

/u/mstrmanager, was this the stellar customer service of Google you were referring to?

Hey All,

We launched our Trade In program to make it easier for customers to get money back on their old devices so they can put it towards a new phone. Once we receive a device, we check the condition of the phone against the information provided by the customer and the vast majority of customers receive their original estimate. We are always looking at ways to improve the program and if anyone is unhappy with their offer, they should contact us. We have identified and fixed the issue related to Pixels not being found to be factory reset and/or misclassified as another device. If you believe you were impacted, please contact customer support.

It looks like nothing much has changed I am out $300. Project Fi support had nothing but apologizes and $35 for my troubles even after being escalated to the supervisor. They said there is nothing else they can do and pointed fingers at the trade-in company. I can see how it is beneficial for your company to be able to say its out of their hands and blame the trade-in company. I followed the instruction given to Factory Reset the phone. Just like when I factory reset the Nexus 6p 3x times because customer support said that would "fix" the battery issues. I researched the process again to make sure I was doing it right. You make a great phone I'll give you that but the disconnect between customer support offering $35 like it's the best thing in the world is a joke.

Customer support isn't doing anything except offering a pittance of what people should be getting. You need to fix this.

You are actually a scammer. Putting your brand in front of you doesn't / won't change that. Worse: you are a multi billion dollar company scamming people over a couple hundred bucks. To finish : in a few years you went from "don't be evil" to "not evil only if people complain".

well I am a victim too, my original pixel morphed into a nexus 5x???

I never thought google would allow this level of incompetence to happen on its behalf.

Did you just factory reset? Because you have to first remove your google account and then do a factory reset.

If you only do a factory reset without removing the google account first, the phone's bootloader will become locked by your google account and there is no way to remove that lock unless you unlock it with your password or replace phones motherboard.

This is quite a new feature and it's called FRP lock (Factory Reset Protection lock).

This is false. Just be sure to do the factory reset from the Android settings menu, not from bootloader/recovery.

Lol. Try factory resetting and come back to apologize about how wrong you are.

I know it is easier to do just convenient to just do the trade in, but you can get more money by selling your used phones online rather to just do trade in.

Yah, I wish I put the Pixel one on eBay. It would been a lot easier.