Michael M.

Purchased a Samsung S4 phone from Exponline at the end of 2015.

The phone experiences intermittent problems including call drop outs, no signal and at times wont allow you to end a call.

Despite spending several hours troubleshooting which included ordering a new SIM card, the problems continue to persist.

The phone was returned to Exponline for the 3rd time (at my expense) on 16 March 17.

I am yet to receive confirmation that the phone has been received despite numerous emails requesting an update.

Out of frustration, I drove to IDS Company Pty Ltd which is the company we were asked to return the phone to.
Its a small company based in Bayswater with a few staff that operates as a logistics service provider and Exponline is just one of its customers.
They confirmed they had received my phone and advised it had been sent back to Exponline in Hong Kong (so much for the service centre being based in Sydney!)

Despite being reassured that a refund would be processed within 24 hrs of the phone being returned, Im none the wiser as there has been no communication from Exponline.
Great customer service as we approach the 1st anniversary from when this saga commenced.

So allow me to set the record straight...
-Exponline is not based physically in Sydney.
-The company is based on Hong Kong so youre wasting your time referring the matter to Consumer Affairs and expecting them to act. Consumer Affairs took my details and recommended I report the matter to ScamWatch.
-The company does not answer the local phone number provided. I know as we have tried on at least 50 occasions. To this day I haven't spoken to a company representative.
-If you are lucky enough to receive an email response (many never do as evidenced by the feedback left by other customers on this site), dont hold your breath. We have received excuses such as "we will be slow to
Respond due to the Xmas period", to apologies as "we have been on annual leave", and the list goes on.

So while Exponline may seem to be cheap on face value, it appears they do not sell phones configured for the Australian market and if anything goes wrong, don't expect any support from the manufacturer, Consumer Affairs and definitely don't expect any support from Exponline based on our experience.

If you have already purchased a phone and experience an issue, dont put up with their stalling tactics, make sure you dispute the transaction with your credit card provider and demand a charge-back within the allowable time frame which is 3-6 months depending on the bank.

If you haven't already purchased, highly recommend that you pay a little bit extra and buy a phone locally with a manufacturers warranty, otherwise good luck, I've done my best to enlighten you about how Exponline treats its customers.