Warning about websites offering to buy phones

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Now that the new iPhone 7 now on the market, many people are trying to cash in on their old smart phones.[br /][br /]A lot of websites offer to buy back your device. There is one company, Laptop & Desktop Repair, LLC, that uses all these different names:[br /][Ads /][br /]CashforiPhones.com[br /]CashforLaptops.com[br /]eCyclebest.com[br /]SmartPhoneTraders.com[br /]Sell-your-cell.com.[br /][br /]Whichever one consumers used, the Federal Trade Commission says they became the victims of a classic bait-and-switch for the 21st century.[br /][Ads /][br /]They promise generous payments to buy back electronics, only to drop the offer price to as little as three to 10 percent of the original quote once customers send their devices in.[br /][br /]The company responsible for these websites isn't the only one like this consumers are complaining about.[br /][br /]Donna O'Brien said she sent her iPhone 5S and MacBook Pro laptop to Guzu.com back in August. An email shows her devices were verified, and her order approved.[br /][br /]It also shows the payment O'Brien is to receive: $455![br /][br /]"When I went on their website, it said just awaiting the payment to be shipped out, and they confirmed the $455 there, so I figured any day, I would get that," she said.[br /][Ads /][br /]So where's her money?[br /][br /]O'Brien says she's emailed the company, but there has been no response about her payment, and the company's phone number is out of service.[br /][br /]"So it's been frustrating, and sent emails since then, too, and continue to get no response," she said.[br /][br /]Guzu.com has an F rating at the Better Business Bureau, and some of its customers have complained checks they have received bounced.[br /][br /]We reached out to Guzu.com for comment but no one responded to our questions on Tuesday.[br /][br /]For more information:[br /][br /][url HREF="[br /]https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2016/10/ftc-state-georgia-charge-operators-electronics-buyback-scheme" TARGET="blank" REL="nofollow"]FTC.gov[/url][br /][br /][url HREF="http://www.bbb.org/new-york-city/business-reviews/recycling-computers-and-other-electronics/guzu-inc-in-deer-park-ny-129989" TARGET="blank" REL=""]BBB.org[/url]