Cellular Distribution Strategies

Review: In late October 2013, I engaged HelloTotem to resell my [redacted]. I was quoted a purchase price by HelloTotem on October 22, 2013 of $170 (USD) for my [redacted]. My package, including my [redacted], was received by HelloTotem on November 20, 2013. I have a confirmation email from HelloTotem indicating that my phone had been received, and that I would received a check within forty eight business hours. On November 27, 2013 after not hearing from HelloTotem, I sent an email to [redacted] inquiring about my [redacted] and my check. I received no response. I also attempted to contact them via telephone, only to realize the phone number had been disconnected. Subsequently, I sent emails to the above-referenced address on December 4, December 13, and December 18, 2013 inquiring about my phone and the money they agreed to send to me. I received an automated response from HelloTotem after each email indicating that it had been received. I have not received any directed response from them regarding my [redacted], nor have I received a check or refund as I was promised. They have now had my property for several weeks and have not been in contact with me about processing my check or returning my phone.Desired Settlement: Please provide a check, by overnight mail/FedEx, in the amount of $170 for my [redacted] that is in your possession, or overnight the actual phone back to me.

Review: I sent my used iPhone 4 to totem for cash and received no payment. The website indicates my phone was received on 11/14/13 order # Order: [redacted]. It states I will receive payment to my paypal within 48 hours. This still has not happened. I've sent numerous emails that have gone unanswered. The company's phone # is not in service.Desired Settlement: I want the money that is owed to me for sending in my phone.

Review: They promise to send cash for your cell phone. But you never see any money. They also tell you that the value is not what you claim it is. They do not have a phone number to call or an email address to write to either. They also do not have an address where they are located either.Desired Settlement: I want the money for what my Iphone 3gs is worth. It was in working condition.

Business

Response:

We will make an exception and pay the quoted amt, however our refurb team has tested thousands of phones and the notes read "No vibe, power button not responding."

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me. I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved.

I do not agree with the condition of the phone. The phone was in working condition when I sent the phone. Thank you,

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted] and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

From: [redacted]

Date: Tue, Aug 13, 2013 at 2:28 PM

We still haven't received any payment for the iPhone they took or we didn't get the phone back.

Regards,

Review: On 9/20/13 Original quote of $220 (Ref#[redacted]) for my iPhone 4s in MINT condition since I had two weeks earlier gotten a replacement for a faulty iphone from Apple. On Oct 12 package was mailed via Fedex . Fedex SMARTPOST took from 10/12/13 to 10/31/13 to deliver my package, by that time, the 30day quote was invalid. On 11/4/13 @ 11:39am Totem offered me a revised quote of $170 claiming product was not in Mint condition, I reluctantly accepted the new quote of $170 on 11/4/13. 11:44am. I have sent in a ticket with no response, and when you go to the site to look at the status of this ticket, it says "awaiting assignment to a support agent"! It's been over a MONTH!Desired Settlement: I would like the $220 they Quoted me for the iPhone I sent them, or to send back the iPhone in the same condition (BRAND NEW) it was sent to them. I would just like them to honor their agreement with me.

Business

Response:

Check was mailed Tues Dec 17th to customer. We believe this issue to be resolved.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me. I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved.

Regards,

Review: I sent my [redacted] Iphone 4 to Totem for agreed upon offer of $108.00 by check and they received it 11/4/2013, order # [redacted], and their website says payment will be mailed out 48 hours after receiving it. I have emailed them twice and no response, and the phone number listed says it is no longer in service. I have copies of emails and a copy of the phone being received by them , and I notice they still are taking orders online,, yet they will not send me payment nor answer my emails.Desired Settlement: I want my money immediately , and I also want a phone call from the owner of this shady business explaining why this happened...

Review: This company advertised the service of buying a used item for a set price. After they received my item on October 14th, 2013, verified by FedEx tracking, they ceased all contact. I have emailed this company twice asking for any information but they do not reply.Desired Settlement: I would like this company to return my item undamaged to me or pay the agreed upon price immediately.

Business

Response:

Emailed customer asking if she has paypal account to process payment.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me. I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved.

Regards,

Review: Company agreed to purchase cell phone for $210.00. Cell phone was received by company on 11/7/2013. No money has been sent to me. Repeated calls and emails to customer service have not been returned.Desired Settlement: Send me the amount owed, $210.00

Review: I contacted Totem about buying my iPhone 4 - they quoted me a payment of $105, assuming the phone was in excellent condition, (which it was - had been in a case for two years, no scratches, etc.). They sent a prepaid mailer, which I used to send them my phone. I received an email on 11/4/13 indicating they had received my phone, and "Assuming everything checks out, your payment of $105.00 will be processed within 48 hours," (copied directly from their email).To date, (12/2/13), I have received no communication regarding payment or condition of my phone; additionally I have sent two emails and set up a "ticket" requesting payment - I have received no response. Lesson learned - I'll check the Revdex.com site now before I do something like this again, obviously this is not a reputable company.Desired Settlement: I want payment as promised, (I do not have a Paypal account - I need a check), or return of my phone at no charge to me.

Review: This is a company that buys your old cell phones and depending on what shape it is in determines how much they will buy it from you for. I wanted to sell 2 of my old iphones. Both were in working condition as I had to wipe them clean before shipping them to Totem for review and then subsequently the cash. Well, it took them a couple of weeks to send me the box/shipping stuff to ship the phones to them. Then when they got them it took them a while to review them. I tried to find out the status of them several times as the website says to and got nowhere. Then I tried to find someone to speak with and all they have is an online chat that doesn't work all the time. Anyway, I finally get an email telling me that one of the phones does not work and they would only give me $9.57 for it. And in that same email it had a link if I wanted the phones returned to me. Of course I chose the link but never got my phones back. I tried contacting them several times and received no answer or answers that had nothing to do with my issue. All of a sudden there was a deposit to my paypal account for the 'mint' phone and the broken one for the 9.57. I was livid. And no one was getting back to me. So I thought I opened a Revdex.com claim after this happened but it must have slipped my mind. I have everything in my email account for reference. Hoping you can help and stop them from taking advantage of people.Desired Settlement: I would like the difference of what they quoted me originally for the phone that they said was broken OR I would like my old phones back. I would gladly give the money back the gave me.

Review: Hello,I sent Totem (which is a trade in/for cash service) my used iPhone in perfect condition and was quoted $125. After Totem received my phone in January 2014 they offered a new quote of $20. I declined the offer and clicked on the link indicating I wanted the phone returned. I have continued to email Totem asking that they return my phone ASAP to no avail. I have never heard back from them and now the website and phone number are no longer working.Desired Settlement: I either want to be paid the original amount of $125 or I would like my iPhone returned so that I may sell it to a reputable buy back service.

Review: I have sold my phone to HelloTotem and after sending them my phone they received on 8/28/2013, they have not paid me. I have tried many times to contact them about this matter, but they have not responded to any of my messages.

Order# [redacted] Total Quoted: $215.00Desired Settlement: I would be happy to either receive the cash payment they told me they would or the return of my cellphone.

Review: I setup an estimate on the Hellototem.com website for my iPad 3 and was quoted $265. I received their pre-paid shipper on 12/20 and sent it immediately. The package arrived on 1/13 via USPS. On 1/14 I received an adjusted quote from them that was only $150. I selected to have my device returned to me as I felt their initial offer was to just get my device in their door. Since I selected to have my device returned from Hellototem.com (aka Cellular Distribution Strategies) no one has responded back to my request. I have setup 3 different support tickets and none of them have been responded to by their Customer Service department. I have sent emails and attempted to contact them via phone and the number is disconnected. It has now been over 1 1/2 months and still nothing. According to their policies, devices are to be returned within 5 business days.Desired Settlement: Please have my device returned to me ASAP.

Review: This business operates a website called hellototem.com and offers a service to purchase used wireless products. After initiating a quote on their site and accepting their offer of $135, I sent them my iPhone 4 32GB ([redacted]). Their own website indicates they received my phone (Order #: [redacted]) on 11/7/13 and no further update has been given. I've tried contacting the company three separate times and had no reply. In fact, the phone number listed on their paperwork is not even an active number. Further research has led me to discover that many people have filed similar complaints on this company.

The device I sent was in pristine condition and should be valued at the original offer price of $135. They have had plenty of time to evaluate my device.Desired Settlement: I expect to have a check mailed to me for $135 in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth on their website: [redacted]

Business

Response:

Emailed customer 12.15.13 that payment had been sent Friday Dec 13. We believe this to be resolved.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

This is a request to re-open complaint [redacted]. Respondent has indicated they mailed me my payment on 12/13/13. As of today 12/31/13, I have not received payment. It should only take 2-3 days to receive in the mail. They do not seem to have a working telephone number or respond to emails, so here I am again involving the Revdex.com. Original text of complaint [redacted]: This business operates a website called hellototem.com and offers a service to purchase used wireless products. After initiating a quote on their site and accepting their offer of $135, I sent them my iPhone 4 32GB ([redacted]. Their own website indicates they received my phone (Order #: [redacted]) on 11/7/13 and no further update has been given. I've tried contacting the company three separate times and had no reply. In fact, the phone number listed on their paperwork is not even an active number. Further research has led me to discover that many people have filed similar complaints on this company. The device I sent was in pristine condition and should be valued at the original offer price of $135. They have had plenty of time to evaluate my device.

Review: Hello Totem received my IPhone 4S 3 weeks ago. Their website shows no information for my device under the tracking tool. I have made 2 attempts to contact them by email with no detailed response (except for an auto generated generic response). I also attempted to call the phone number listed on my tracking form, but that phone number is not working...BIG SURPRISE!!! I would like my phone back or the money that was contracted on for the device. The device was in mint condition so I will not accept less than was agreed upon. For anyone reading this, do not send anything to this company. I wish I had done more homework before sending this device to them. I trusted an article where they were suggested by Huffington Post. Learned my lesson!!!Desired Settlement: Either the price agreed upon or my phone back in the condition it was delivered.

Business

Response:

Emailed customer 12/10/13 - will issue check 12/11/13.

Review: I contacted this business through their website, hellototem.com, to sell my [redacted] to them. They sent me a quote of $215, and a shipping container. I shipped my [redacted] to them and received notification that it arrived to them on 10/9/13. I contacted them on 11/21 and asked when I would receive payment. They emailed me back on 11/22 and said they would look into my payment information and contact me with an update. I emailed them again on 12/17 to ask about payment again (or immediate return of my device) and have not heard back from them. The device I sent them was a MINT condition (has never been without a protective screen and cover, and I have pictures of it that I took before mailing it to prove it's condition, and I wrapped it in extra bubble wrap).Desired Settlement: Payment of the $215 via [redacted] to [redacted]

Review: I was guaranteed to get $240 for my used iPhone. This company sent me a box to put my old phone in, ship it to them, they review it, and they give me a check in the mail. They said I should get it in only a couple of days. It's been over 5 weeks and no check. I have contacted them four times with no answer.Desired Settlement: I would like to get payment for my used iPhone. ($240)

Business

Response:

We have reissued this check and emailed the customer on 9/20/213

Review: Their online quote to buy my cell phone was 215$.Fed Ex # confirmed they received my phone October 29.No check received. No email confirmation.

I signed up online to sell my iphone 4s to totem for 215$.They sent a mailer and I mailed my phone by Fed Ex. The Fed Ex tracking # confirmed they received my phone on October 29.They were supposed to email me a confirmation upon receipt of my phone and they failed to do so. I have sent them multiple emails and filled out a ticket on the website as directed for problems. I attempted to call them multiple times and am unable to talk to anyone about my issue. Their website indicated that their policy was to mail a check in 2-4 days of receiving your phone.Desired Settlement: a CHECK FOR 215$