Rated 1 out of 5 stars
Very poorly run franchise
Pretty poor franchise, And very badly managed shop.
I Have used sparingly until recently, but they just go from bad to worse…so now not at all! Quite simply there are far better professionally operated CEX franchise stores 20 minutes away from Horsham, my suggestion is go there! Avoid this place!

Why?

I've bought a £500 pound consoles from Horsham and the serial number didn't even match the receipt they gave me, thankfully i check this stuff or you can kiss your 5 year warranty goodbye! Especially if you miss that mahoosive oversight on their part! I spotted it within hours of buying and had it rectified immediately. My advice is if you must go here is to Please Check everything, Ive had them tell me they don't buy certain things i can see on the website they do, and I've then gone into the Crawley store and they are more than happy to buy them, and curious as to why Horsham didn't. Possibly a lack of skill in product knowledge? Though It is apparent from your first experience of the store just how lacking the whole skill level of the store in general as a whole. Dirty and disorganised. How we do one thing is how we do everything kind of vibe.

So my advice is Please check your trade in goods, Get it double appraised in different CEX stores, they will fail perfectly good stuff here quite often, and have strange reasons as to why, Often gets lots of laughs in the other stores because I always leave Horsham test sticker attached, I say Ive triple checked this myself and they are wrong, the other stores check it and say yes indeed they are wrong, it's perfectly fine and we will buy it. Multiple occasions that one has occurred and its always a product that was refused at the Horsham store, Ive also used the online option with these refused products and they passed at the main warehouse and also got purchased so it says a lot about this store in general.

If you put anything in to test or fix then expect to wait more than a day! They a super slow in that department, Nothing ever happens in Horsham the same day, Even if your the first customer of the day at 9am! No joke. Lastly though quite important for a lot of people doing small trades, if you want the actual physical Cash like they state on the advert "we pay cash today" and not a voucher, then i hope your willing to fight for it, as in this store You will literally have to lie and tell them you don't use email to get physical cash paid to you from them, If you don't lie to that affect the will 100% aggressively insist it is done online, even stating they don't have the cash so it can only be done online! Or you come back another day. Where they will try the same tactics again. So all in all, given they have substantial floats in these shops at all times because they pay cash for goods, Its Really bad aggressive selling tactic and Bad practice for any store that states we pay cash today!

All in all, Better stores around folks if you're selling or trading to CEX.

I rarely do this but this place clearly needs sounding out for everyone else as it's really that bad.

I purchased a set of AirPods Pro from the Hinckley store. After a few months I misplaced them somewhere in my home. No worries, I thought, I'll use the Find My app to locate the AirPods.

To my surprise, this didn't work and the app was stating that the AirPods were not a matching pair and could therefore not be located using the app. No worries, I said to myself, when they turn up I'll pop in to CeX as they're under warranty. I found them later that day in my coat pocket.

When visiting the store and explaining the issue, I was immediately quizzed about why I had left it this long to raise the issue with them, and was asked why I hadn't tested this issue prior to now. I explained that I'd had no reason to test this feature until recently, as I'd never lost the AirPods and assumed (incorrectly) that the store would have tested this feature before buying them in.

A few more eye rolls and accusatory questions later, they begrudgingly booked them in for testing and advised they'd call me when they'd completed their tests.

Two weeks go by, and I've heard absolutely nothing. I decide to call in to the store and received no apology for the lack of communication. I was met with the same accusatory questions about the length of time I'd owned them, and was told that I'd owned them for too long for them to be covered. So much for the 2 year warranty!

Another team member came to me and confirmed that the tester had found the fault, but that I'd owned them for too long for them to repair or replace them. Bearing in mind I've only owned them for about 3 months now.

I asked if this feature was tested and asked to see proof, but was met with a dismissive confirmation that a 'box had been ticked'. I suggested he verify the serial numbers of the AirPods against their records, and apparently they do not record the serial numbers of AirPods. So… their conclusion was that I just have 'mixed them up' with another set. The store failed to keep accurate records and now I'm the one with a faulty product, and being accused of lying and trying to scam them.

After arguing my point, he connected them to his phone, claiming that AirPods sometimes behave in this manner… and the fault was actually not present. I agreed to give him the benefit of the doubt at this point, and he told me to come back if I experienced any further issues.

Upon returning to the office I immediately connected them to my phone, and the fault was still present. I returned to CeX a few days later and again had the same nonsense excuses. I asked to speak to the manager and he didn't even take the time to speak to me and just returned his staff member with the same appalling excuse. He said, 'don't worry, they still work though!'. I argued that I had paid full price for a product that is not fully functional, and that was now worth considerably less if I chose to re-sell them.

I raised the issue with their head office, and now the store have gone back to them to advise that 'they're definitely not the AirPods we sold because they look different'. Disgraceful. The only way they can prove what they've sold is to record the serial numbers, and they didn't do this! They also told head office that the tester did NOT find the same fault which is a complete lie.

I've spent so much money with CeX over the years and I've always bought with confidence. Never again.

Where do I start with this outfit!

I bought a preowned Samsung Galaxy S22 and chose a Grade B device.
The reason for choosing a Grade B device was the price difference and also my partner had recently bought a Grade B phone from them and, cosmetically it was in superb condition.

Anyway, the device arrived without any charger and with the screen covered in scratches.
I contacted CEX to highlight that I had ordered a Grade B device and to my disbelief, I was informed that the device I had recieved was, according to CEX, in Grade B condition.

Anyway, let's move onto my (attempted) trade in of my old device.

Rather than try and explain the circumstances, I feel it would be easier to just copy and paste the email exchanges with their customer services.

Dear Sir / Madam,
I recently checked the CEX website to enquire how much i may get for my old phone (Samsung S9+).
I was quoted £100 for my phone being in a Grade B condition.
As I was content with this price, I booked it in to be dropped off at my local CEX store at Cameron Toll Shopping Centre, Edinburgh.
I attended at the store this afternoon and spoke with the store manager who introduced himself as Craig.
Craig checked the phone and questioned why the back was a different colour from the edges. I explained that I had the screen replaced a while back and, after consulting with a couple of his colleagues, he stated "I'm going to make the call and say we'll accept it".
Craig did explain that as I didn't have the charger the price would be reduced by £5 and as the back was a different colour, it would be reduced to a Grade C resulting in the price being dropped to £80.
Although this was significantly less than the original offer, I accepted after which, Craig proceeded to complete the paperwork.
Once completed, Craig informed me that I should recieve a confirmation email shortly however he also provided me with a paper receipt.
I thanked him and he informed me that the money should be in my account by Tuesday 17th at the latest.
However, as I was about to leave, he stated "we can't take it as the back is a different colour"
I was stunned by this and explained that as far as I was aware, the transaction was already complete. I also pointed out that he had clearly stated that the phone would be accepted.
Although he stated that the phone was still to be tested, surely these tests are to confirm that the device is in full working order, NOT a cosmetic check as this had already been completed and agreed by Craig himself.
When Craig attempted to hand me the phone back, I obviously refused to accept it as the transaction had been completed and I felt this was completely unacceptable.
Craig then calmly stated "well, we will store it here for two weeks then we'll send it for destruction".
If I had been told from the outset that CEX we're unable to accept my phone, I would have been disappointed however, able to accept the decision.
However, given the way this situation has unfolded, I feel this is completely unacceptable and feel extremely harshly done by and would hope that CEX do the right thing and honor what was initially agreed in store by manager Craig.
As he has stated that the device will go for destruction in 14 days time, I hope this matter can be dealt with as urgent and in a timely manner.
I look forward to your response in early course.
Robert H Duffy...their reply!

Hi Robert,
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Thank you for your continued patience while I was getting this investigated.
​
On reviewing this with the store management team, it appears to be a breakdown in communication from the staff member when the phone was originally inspected. Our store team has apologised for any miscommunication, and they will speak to the staff in question to provide the required training in order to avoid any repeated instances in the future.
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I am afraid we are unable to accept this phone, and our staff informed you of the same before leaving. I request that you please collect the item within 28 days post which it will be processed/recycled as per our abandoned stock policy.
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In case you are unable to collect it as per the specified timeframe, do let me know the exact date and time of your visit, so I can notify the store accordingly.
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If there is anything else I can help you with, please let me know and I'll be happy to provide further assistance.
​
Regards,
Sagar
Senior Customer Support Associate

All that's left to say is AVOID!

I bought a Sony mirrorless camera online, to be used for an event. I went for a grade C as I felt as long as it functioned and had no major flaws, this would be ok. But on arrival noticed the cosmetic condition was poor. Worse still, the battery door sprung open the moment it was removed from the packaging and couldn't be secured.

I immediately contacted CEX and was expecting an apology and for them to tell me to return it to my local CEX store. Despite spending hours and sending about 2 dozen photos, and weeks later, I'm without a working camera and now being told I need to wait 28 days for the courier to investigate.

The packaging seemed ok but on reflection was a large box with two smaller boxes inside with insufficient padding. This may have caused the inner boxes to shift. As CEX started suggesting it might have been damaged in transit, I looked further at what caused the battery door not to close and couldn't find anything obvious. There is a sliding latch and this presumably engages with a slot in the camera body. I did subsequently find a slither of plastic in the internal packaging with the camera, but not sure this is anything to do with it.

I don't really understand CEX's strategy here. Within an hour of delivery I'd filed a report with CEX about the problem and other minor things I didn't like about the camera. I can live with the terrible cosmetic condition and heavily used appearance. But I simply can't have a defective camera in my collection and this is not what I bought.

I, like many, have been lulled by the too-good-to-be-true 2 year warranty that sets CEX apart. This is better than some new warranties. But like any dodgy warranty, is only any good if you can actually claim on it.

In this case it shouldn't even be a warranty matter. It was received broken. Apparently the store that sent it insist it was intact. Well fairly obviously. But as a consumer my only interest in what was received and its fitness for purpose for its expected life expectancy. And CEX kind of suggest you've got peace of mind for 2 of these years, outside of any consumer protection.

But the way this ugly saga is unraveling is filling me with dread. They've established that if everyone is telling the truth, then it's probably something that's happened in transit. But the contract is between CEX and the courier, and not me. You'd think it's a pretty clear cut case wouldn't you?!

CEX are insisting on dragging this out and I'm furious. Not only am I without a camera, I'm down nearly £400 and having to waste loads of time uploading images to support the investigation. I treat social media as an absolute last resort, but my anger is now making me turn to every channel to warn others of my experience.

I've criticised CEX in the past because their website and purchase experience is terrible. The only salvation in dealing with them is the 2 year warranty. Prices have shot up too but the warranty is better than a lot of items when new. However if they can't deal with a simple dead on arrival order, I have zero faith in them honouring the warranty, and may as well have bought a camera in infinitely better condition on eBay. It would probably also have been far easier to claim against a private seller than doing so with CEX. Needless to say I am not sitting about and will end up in court if I have to. Not mentioning reputation damage. Like I say, social media is my last resort, but if companies don't treat their customers well, I have no sympathy and neither should any prospective buyer.

Usually I'd buy items with a credit card and simply let them deal with it. In this case I had a CEX voucher which I used and only a small proportion was put on a credit card. Even if they did a full chargeback I'd still be out of pocket as what I currently have is pretty worthless as it is, and prohibitively expensive to repair I'd imagine.

I ordered RAM, it arrived and was the wrong type, it was server RAM and not desktop RAM, I initially thought the error was mine, I returned it to the Northfield store in Birmingham and asked for vouchers so that I could reorder the correct RAM, did so, placed a second order, same again, server RAM, not desktop RAM, took it back to Northfield, got vouchers, tried again, same again, took it back to Northfield and was told that CEX shouldn't even stock server RAM, the chap at the shop reordered for me, then I received a message saying CEX do not have any PC RAM in stock.
They have now issued me vouchers again and sent out 1 x RAM stick which is pointless as I ordered 4, what I need they do not have so I want my money back

It occurred on: 18/08/2022

This meant that I was massively annoyed, CEX have now held my PC build up for three weeks when I could have ordered the RAM from eBay and received it within three days, I ordered from CEX because I had faith in the quality of the items that would arrive, i. E. fully functional.
Three trips to Northfield, £3.20 in parking fees and the inconvenience and if CEX have posted that RAM stick today, that will be trip number four, trying to get your money back from CEX after their error is like trying to get blood from a stone.

Now every time I ask them for a cash refund they stonewall me and blather on about the vouchers they have sent (which do not add up to the original purchase cost) totally ignoring the fact that I have asked for my money back, in cash, refunded to my card.
I have now had to resort to threats of consumer direct (trading standards), I would urge people at this point not to use CEX because if they make a mistake it is extremely difficult to get a refund, as is your right in law if the goods are not as described.
Also I have had to bear the cost (in fuel and parking) to return the items, which in law I should not have to do.
This is the last e-mail from CEX, please notice the use of the "may" so they have not definitely confirmed whether or not I am to receive a refund:

Unfortunately, we were unable to source one or more of the items you had ordered and, as such, we have been unable to fulfill your entire order. The following item(s) have been cancelled from your order:

Cancelled item(s):
4 GB PC5300 DDR2 667MHz 240 Pin Memory - This item was listed incorrectly and not at the grade/specification you requested

You can be assured that you have not been charged for the item(s), but please note that the funds may have been allocated by your bank (the bank should make these funds available to you again in roughly 10 working days).

This is the last e-mail from them
Hello Stephen,
​
Thank you for your email and apologies for the delay in getting back to you.
​
I'm sorry for the oversight in my last email and also apologise for any inconvenience caused.
​
Please note that a feedback will be shared with the stores so that they could have more stringent checks in place to avoid such instances from being repeated in the future.

I would also like to inform you that a refund is always processed to the same payment method used to place the order. Since the orders ******* and ******* were placed using a voucher you are refunded to a voucher. I'm afraid, we'll be unable to refund you to a card.

Our vouchers are valid for life and you can use them for your future online or store purchase. To resolve this for you please help me with the name of your local CeX store so that I can check with them if they have a PC RAM in stock and if it can be reserved for you so that you can personally visit the store, check the item and then purchase it.

Looking forward to your reply.

Regards,
Rakesh
Customer Support Associate
​

So the last email was lie, i will now have to escalate this to trading standards, keep well away from CEX

To whom it may concern,

I have visited today a CEX store, in *******@CanPark Shopping Centre, and talked with an employee and then to the store Manager.
I am utterly disappointed in CEX's response to it, as I was advised that I will have replacement of phone, at least, something you give back dear CEX. Because I have waited so long for this to reopen and your Manager, from Cannon Park, that was able to talk to me, as well as his employee, but wasn't really able to help me in this way.

I said it before and I also informed your manager that I have a mental condition and that you guys are stressing me to much with this phone, that doesn't work- finally, one of your employees saw the fault in it: exactly how I stated in my last conversation with you that CEX will give me a phone back when they will be able to. They are able now, but it won't give me Any phone... What is wrong with you people? I spent buss money to get my phone Changed. I spend gas money for it. What do you want from me? You've put me into a real uncomfortable situation, because this is to Much Stress for me for a Phone that Doesn't Work at all for it's basic functions- to call and receive phone calls. So what we are talking about? Your manager told me the phone is having its screen cracked slightly so they won't be able to give me anything back?! This is ridiculous!

First you gave me phone that it's battery died in 3 hours then you give me a phone that is not working for its basic functions... What is this?
And then you say I cannot get my money back, that I need to Change the phone, only?!
I've been at Your Store, in Cannon Park, and at Your Store in Town Centre and at Your Store in Birmingham, where I originally bought the phone- for this, excuse my language, but this is: $#*!.

I am utterly disturbed by your lack of competence in solving my problem, and I can just promise you, that NONE of my friends will ever buy from this bad company called CEX. I will also make sure we all leave REAL reviews to CEX, and trust me, I will be Very Real, in my disappointment of how CEX just doesn't want to give back my money, nor phone. What is CEX? IS it a Bank? To keep my money?

Why don't you give me the money back? Is it cause of corona? NO. CEX could've done so many for me- but you see- Didn't Wanted.
They didn't understand my stress, all the time they say: yeah- we understand this, but...

But after all this time from September, when I originally bought the phone, we are in March! And I still have no solution, am stuck with the faulty phone and I just have to chase them through REAL Reviews so that, someone would take care of my problem?

Dear CEX, thank you, but I'd rather have my money back, NOT another phone as I gave you my 160pounds for what?

I am also very stressed due to my mental condition, that they know about, they know I am sensible - they just push you, for them to be in their own interest. $#*! Company for sure!

I ordered 2 games from their website using one of their own credit vouchers. A week or so later, the first game arrived in a very thin parcel which definitely only contained 1 game as there would not have been room for any more. I did not think this was unusual, as their own website stated that games may be dispatched separately as they may come from different stores. However, after a few more weeks when the second game did not arrive, I chased it with CEX (something I was only able to do via their website/email as they have no customer service telephone number to speak of). Initially a handler named Doris responded very helpfully that she would chase this up with the store responsible for dispatching the games, however, the subsequent emails quickly turned accusatory with phrases like "As you claim you haven't received one game" and "the store has confirmed that both the items were sent in the same parcel".

The handler seemed fixated on the condition of the original packaging that the first game came in, which i confirmed i had since thrown away as i expected the 2nd game to follow separately but was in perfectly fine condition. The handler was also extremely reluctant to escalate this to a manager, instead attempting to pacify me by stating she would "pass it to the central team to investigate" repeatedly. When I was finally able to deal with a manager (again by email only) an individual named Cheryl repeated the previous statements of Doris affirming that the store said they sent 2 and, if i don't have any pictures of the original packaging, then they can't help me any further. I feel the way I've been treated by this organisation is disgusting and I don't know how they expect me to prove that I didn't receive a game. Surely the onus is on them to prove that they sent the game, however, they have declined to provide any evidence of this or even explain what checks were made.

I have been repeatedly made to feel like a liar who is trying to get a free game and clearly this company are much more inclined to believe their employees over paying customers. This company has made querying this issue, and complaining, as difficult as they possibly can and it has had a serious impact on my mental health. I wouldn't reccommend anyone order anything from this website.

I never shop at CeX due to how overpriced everything is, but the Clinic for console repairs seemed like it could be a great service, until I actually used it of course

After finding them through their website, and everything looking like what I needed, I went in store where I was told they weren't actually running the Clinic service whatsoever, even after emailing them before going! I had to email them to get them to put up a banner on their website to actually tell people they aren't operating, and so I would know when they were open again

When they finally opened, weeks later, I took my device in. I explained exactly what the problem was and the repair I needed doing, filled out their forms and gave them my console

They started working on my device days later than claimed due to nobody at the store sending it for a while if the tracking information is to be believed. A few hours later, they messaged to say they couldn't repair it and they're sending it back to the store. Which was infuriating. I had told them exactly what the issue is and yet only later they decided to say "we don't fix that issue", something they could have even told me weeks before and not wasted my time, but, it gets even worse...

It turns out they opened the device, breaking the manufacturers seal and replaced a completely irrelevant part that was working, which, due to the nature of it, now cannot be tested because my device is still broken. Them doing this needlessly has limited my warranty for a repair with other companies due to general policy, but, it gets even worse...

After receiving a message that my console was in store, I went in to collect it. Not sure why I expected more from them, but their incompetence shone through and they couldn't find my console. It wasn't there. So, after contacting support again they located the console and only due to me asking, agreed to courier it back to me instead of requiring a fourth trip to their store, 25 minutes away from me. I would assume this free courier back was an attempt to take some responsibility for their incompetence

I cannot recommend them for their store prices, and unfortunately can only recommend staying away from their Clinic repair service due to the risk of wasting your time and energy trying to deal with them. Just awful

BUYER BEWARE, TERRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE
So I purchased an iphone from these 9 months ago for £190 and last week it stopped working (battery losing charge instantly and then the screen stopped working) The phone came with a 2 year guarantee. I took it to the Waltham cross store and they diagnosed the problem almost straight away... Said the battery had blown inside the phone and pushed the screen out (Said it was a common problem with this model) no mention of this on purchasing it! So they said they couldn't refund me until they had spoken to the store where I purchased it from (no idea as I did this online) After 3-4 days of chasing them via email they rang and said I'd be getting a full refund of £190... 10 minutes later an email arrives saying I've been refunded £125! There's no phone number or live chat to speak to this lot, just email which half the time bounces back... AVOID AT ALL COSTS
Review of CeX/WeBuy - United Kingdom
Jake Spurdle
Jake Spurdle
6 reviews
1 star: Bad
Updated 17 hours ago
BUYER BEWARE, TERRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE
So I purchased an iphone from these 9 months ago for £190 and last week it stopped working (battery losing charge instantly and then the screen stopped working) The phone came with a 2 year guarantee.

I took it to the Waltham cross store and they diagnosed the problem almost straight away... Said the battery had blown inside the phone and pushed the screen out (Said it was a common problem with this model) no mention of this on purchasing it!

So they said they couldn't refund me until they had spoken to the store where I purchased it from (no idea as I did this online)

After 3-4 days of chasing them via email they rang and said I'd be getting a full refund of £190... 10 minutes later an email arrives saying I've been refunded £125!

There's no phone number or live chat to speak to this lot, just email which half the time bounces back... AVOID AT ALL COSTS

Also, before the refund saga started I purchased another phone from these and had been informed via email that it had been dispatched yet the tracking number wasn't registering with the Royal Mail, so I chased this up and was told today it wasn't dispatched and would be posted tomorrow.

I always avoid company's that lie.

I made a purchase in mid march/ April i handed £520 in cash to buy a grade A IPhone 6s plus and pleased with the phone at first, after two weeks of having the phone the was blocked and reported stolen.

I was not aware of the policy so i went to the store to ask for a full refund, i was then told by the manger in the wood green branch the is nothing he was able to do i asked him if there is any way to refund because of the circumstances if its possible to give back the £520 the manger then replied no.

I was pregnant and was going through health issues and pregnancy i was receiving hospital appointment and job interviews through this phone which i was the only way i was anyone was able to connect me.

Later on they said they will exchange my phone for a down grade, but i forced to pay the same price as i was desperate, with no money to buy another phone nor was getting back my money - was not even any help or any other alternative- so the only choice i had was to exchange my phone for a IPhone 6s i was ensured that there was nothing faulty with the phone just a scratch on the phone.

After less than 4 months of having the phone i had purchased started to play up when i would touch the screen it would not work and so i brought the phone back to get it fixed - at this point i was extremely disappointed due to the fact i was told that there was nothing work with this phone and this was the second time me complaining- at this point i was heavily pregnant and was told that the phone had to be checked and it would take a DAY. The following day i was told to come as they were trying the figure out what was wrong with the phone, so i came back for the third day asking the phone because i had appointments due to the fact that my breathing was getting worse due to the asthma and i had swelling on my legs, hands and feet i had to walk for 30mins three days straight.

The third day i was given back the phone and was told by the manager himself that if its faulty again that i would be able to get my money back. I turn on my phone and returned back to the shop because once again the phone was not fixed. I was then told by the manager there is nothing he can do and i he could not exchange nor refund me for my phone after i was told i could.

This whole experience has added to my anxiety and depression because i throughout this whole process i lost £520, hospital appointments - which could of seriously effected me and my unborn baby- and wiped out all of my job information i needed which lost me money.

Wednesday 28th June 2017 one year after purchasing my first phone i went back to cex because phone has been blocked again, but refused by the manager for it to be checked and was told that he could not take no further actions and i will not be able to get money back. Now i have the baby i'm still having problems and i'm a extremely angry customer who feels something should be done immediately!