O2 Recycle Reviews 

21,118
•
TrustScore 3.5 out of 5

3.7

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Review summary

Created with AI, based on recent reviews

Evaluating 134 reviews, most reviewers were somewhat happy with their experience overall. Customers frequently praise the knowledgeable and friendly staff in stores, finding the whole process of trading in devices remarkably simple and efficient. Many people really appreciate the quick transactions, good deals, and helpful assistance provided when upgrading their mobile phones. However, some customers also noted frustrating delays, unexpected valuation changes, and missing payments after recycling their old devices. A few consumers experienced poor communication, billing errors, and significant difficulties when trying to get support from customer service handlers. People mentioned spending hours trying to resolve account issues without receiving adequate help or prompt follow-ups.

What people talk about most

Product

Users describe ambiguous interactions with product trade-ins, as reviewers report mixed experiences ranging... See more

Service

Reviewers mention ambiguous feedback about service, with some customers praising the helpful staff and... See more

Payment

Clients share negative opinions on payment, highlighting widespread frustration regarding severe delays and... See more

Staff

Customers consistently note ambiguous experiences with staff, ranging from great satisfaction to extreme... See more

Customer service

Customers had negative experiences with customer service, highlighting prolonged hold times and a frustrating... See more

Reviews shaping this summary

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

As advised by the O2 call centre I took my old phone to the local O2 shop to recycle. The sales adviser at O2 said by refund would be received within 5 working days but 2 weeks later I’m still wait... See more

Company replied

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

Great service from Amy @02 Lincoln who was very helpful, knowledgeable and approachable. Nothing was too much and appreciated the help when needed.

Company replied

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

They were very helpful. Easy process to trade in phone. Reason why for 4*s is because it’s been nearly a month and haven’t received the payment from 02

Company replied

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

PROCEED WITH CAUTION. Sent a phone for recycling on the 1st Feb, they received it on 11th Feb. No further info so phoned customer services on the 25th who told me screen was damaged (it wasn't when... See more

Company replied


Company details

  1. Cell Phone Recycling and Unlocking Service

About O2 Recycle

Written by the company

Welcome to the O2 Recycle Trustpilot page

Thanks for taking the time to share your reviews with us. We read every piece of feedback and respond wherever we can. It helps us improve our service and support you when things don’t go to plan.

O2 Recycle makes it easy to trade in the tech you no longer need.

You can sell your phone, tablet, laptop, games console, smartwatch or earbuds in just five simple steps. Choose cash or credit — whatever works best for you.

By recycling your old devices with us, you can unlock a bit of extra money and help cut down on electronic waste. Since launching in 2009, O2 Recycle has processed more than 4 million devices and paid out over £350 million to customers.

A few things that make us different:

  • We’re a zero‑landfill service
  • We’re open to everyone — not just O2 customers

If you’d like to get started, head to O2recycle.co.uk


Contact info

3.7

Average

TrustScore 3.5 out of 5

21K reviews

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Asks customers to review

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Replied to 100% of negative reviews

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3.7

All reviews

(21,118)

26 reviews in the last 12 months

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Rated 1 out of 5 stars

I received an email from 02 to say that…

I received an email from 02 to say that my phone was not eligible for swap as it would not switch on. My phone was in pristine condition so there was no way that was true. I had to ring 02 who said the tester might have been pressing the wrong button!! They put it back for testing again, I then received an email 15 minutes later to say it had passed all the checks and is now eligible to swap. Very incompetent and caused unnecessary panic and distress.

26 September 2025
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Reply from O2 Recycle

Thank you for sharing this information with us Peter. We're sorry to hear about the trouble with your phone swap and the initial assessment. We'll share this feedback internally to prevent any further issues for future customers. Thanks again for bringing this to our attention and please accept our apologies for the panic and distress that was caused.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Amazing

Amazing , all went smoothly, and got new phone straight away

25 September 2025
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Reply from O2 Recycle

That's amazing news. Thanks Sharon. We're happy to hear that your experience was so smooth! Thank you for your positive feedback.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

Member of staff in the store had very…

Member of staff in the store had very poor customer service skills. No eye contact, bad mood.

25 September 2025
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Reply from O2 Recycle

We appreciate your feedback and are sorry to hear that the level of service in store with our staff member did not meet expectations. We will address this to improve our customer service.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Handset return

Returning my handset for recycle
I love it when things just work, smoothly. From the experience in store to returning my handset. Thank you O2

25 September 2025
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Reply from O2 Recycle

Thanks for your kind review. We're happy to hear that your experience, from the store visit to recycling your handset, was smooth. Thank you for the positive feedback; we appreciate it!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

The staff in the MK shop were…

The staff in the MK shop were excellent. Taking the time to explain the options then assisting in the days transfer. This took longer than expected but there was no attempt to stop and ask me to do this at home myself despite the time. Terrific help.

24 September 2025
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Reply from O2 Recycle

We appreciate you taking the time to share your experience. We're glad to hear that the team was helpful and thorough in explaining the options and assisting with the transfer. We are happy they were able to support you.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Great team at the Colchester O2 branch…

Great team at the Colchester O2 branch extending me patience to safe transfer my data from the old phone to the new.

23 September 2025
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Reply from O2 Recycle

We're happy to hear that the team provided excellent support with your data transfer. It's great to know our colleagues demonstrated patience and care. Thank you for your feedback!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Very simple procedure

Very simple procedure upgraded in less than ten minutes excellent knowledgeable staff.

23 September 2025
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Reply from O2 Recycle

Thanks for the kind review. We're happy to hear that your upgrade was completed quickly and efficiently and it's great to know our staff provided you with excellent service!

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Ever since purchasing the Samsung S25…

Ever since purchasing the Samsung S25 ultra ,
I have been unable to log into the my 02 app , I've spoke to numerous 02 representative and all I get are excuses ,
This company has to do way better because it's becoming extremely likely that I will cancel my contract because I'm getting tired of the lies I'm being told

10 September 2025
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Reply from O2 Recycle

Thank you for taking the time to share this , Hugh. We're very sorry you're having trouble logging into the app after getting your new phone. We value this feedback and will flag this internally to see what can be done to resolve this issue.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

I handed my phone in to be recycled…

I handed my phone in to be recycled over 2 weeks ago, I was told in the shop I’d get the payment within 3-5 working days then I was told after emailing after that time it’d take up to 2 weeks which still didn’t receive a payment but apparently now I’m receiving it in another 3-5 days so we will see but it’s been nearly 3 weeks with no payment.

19 September 2025
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Reply from O2 Recycle

Hi Jodie. We're sorry to hear about the payment delay for your phone recycling. We know it's frustrating when timelines aren't met. We're looking into the reason for the hold-up and aim to resolve this as quickly as possible. Thanks for your patience.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02 switch up is fantastic so easy to…

02 switch up is fantastic so easy to update phone for a new one

20 September 2025
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Reply from O2 Recycle

Thanks for your kind review. Its lovely to hear that you found it easy to upgrade your phone with Switch Up. Thanks for sharing your fantastic experience with us!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

The service was amazing

The service was amazing, I was seen to the second I walked in and it was a quick process, the staff were very helpful and helped me do what I needed to do.

19 September 2025
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Reply from O2 Recycle

Thank you, Luke. Its great to hear that you were seen to as soon as you walked in store. We're also glad that our staff were very helpful and assisted you with what you needed.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

In a world of throwing things in bin…

In a world of throwing things in bin then in landfill sites it's great to that o2 offer this service.

19 September 2025
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Reply from O2 Recycle

Thanks for your kind 5 star review. Recycling tech is a big part of what we do today and we are proud to offer the service to our customers.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

2 weeks after recycling my old phone…

2 weeks after recycling my old phone i’m still waiting on the payment.
Lack of communication has been terrible.
Was told in store it takes 3-5 days.

18 September 2025
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Reply from O2 Recycle

We apologize for the payment delay and poor communication regarding your phone recycle, Michael. We'll investigate this issue to improve our service and communication. Thanks for your feedback.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

The person that did treated me like…

The person that did treated me like rubbish and didn't give me his undivided attention during the process

19 September 2025
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Reply from O2 Recycle

We are very sorry to hear this and regret that we did not provide you with the attention and respect you deserve during the process. We'll address this to ensure a better experience for all customers.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Amazing Service

Kyle was great. Knew his stuff. The whole process only took about 10 minutes, very happy.

18 September 2025
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Reply from O2 Recycle

Thank you for sharing kind feedback for one of our team members. We pride ourselves on the team being knowledgeable and providing a smooth end to end journey for our customers.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

Very helpful and knowledgeable

Very helpful and knowledgeable

18 September 2025
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Reply from O2 Recycle

Thanks so much. We appreciate your feedback and are glad our expertise was helpful to you.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Been 10 working days and still haven’t…

Been 10 working days and still haven’t received my money

16 September 2025
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Reply from O2 Recycle

Thanks for getting in touch, Nicola. We regret that you have not received your money yet. We will investigate this issue and work to resolve it.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

I want to say the person who served me…

I want to say the person who served me was very nice, had good knowledge and extremely helpful. He is definitely an asset to your team.

17 September 2025
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Reply from O2 Recycle

That's lovely to hear. We're so pleased that the colleague who assisted you shared their knowledge and was so helpful. We appreciate you recognizing their contribution to the wider team!

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