OnePlus has denied allegations of the company falsely labeling refurbished One smartphones as new and selling them to customers. The response came after seven complaints were lodged by new OnePlus One owners, who said they received used or refurbished phones.
OnePlus investigated all the cases by contacting the owners individually and were able to satisfy their doubts.
The origin of the allegations
Customers had different complaints with their OnePlus One smartphones, based on which they concluded their devices were used. One customer found dust and scratches on the device, while another user complained of some technical issues along with a photograph that was in the smartphone when it arrived. These reasons led users to conclude that the devices were refurbished.
There were other complaints like the device was not factory-sealed, had two screen guards and some technical issues. Out of the seven complaints, OnePlus was able to investigate six issues as one customer did not respond.
OnePlus Conclusion
After investigating every incident, OnePlus concluded that none of the handsets were used or refurbished. The company explained the possible case scenario in every complaint and assured that all devices were brand new.
"Out of 500,000+ devices sold, 7 people claimed to have used or refurbished devices. Some of the claims were more substantial than others," Brandon H, one of the administrators of the OnePlus forum, wrote about the allegations in a detailed post. "While we take full responsibility for any possible dust and/or scratch issues a couple of these customers experienced, all of the devices were brand new. Out of over 500,000 devices, a handful perhaps slipped by quality control and were sent out with minor imperfections, but they were in no way used or refurbished."
While OnePlus strongly defended its brand image, there was no direct mention of whether the damaged handsets will be replaced.
