MTN South Africa has temporarily suspended its smartphone trade-in program, which allowed customers to exchange their old devices for discounts on new ones, as the company conducts a “comprehensive review” of the process.
The pause follows complaints from customers, including one MTN client who was unable to trade in his iPhone 13 for a discount on a new iPhone 17 contract. The customer, a longtime iPhone user, had previously used the trade-in service at the iStore for his last two device upgrades with MTN. He was initially told that his iPhone 13 could be traded in for R8,000, which would help reduce the monthly payments on his new contract. However, after attempting the trade-in, he was informed that MTN’s system would not allow the transaction.
“I went to the MTN store for an explanation, but they couldn’t give me an answer,” the frustrated customer explained. After contacting MTN’s head office, he was told that trade-ins were no longer allowed. A follow-up email from a VIP Customer Relations consultant confirmed that MTN had halted trade-ins with all manufacturers.
The customer, dissatisfied with the lack of communication and the inconsistent responses from MTN staff, decided to switch providers after 20 years with the company. “I’ll be holding on to my iPhone 13 and switching to Vodacom to trade it in with them,” he said. “I refuse to pay over R1,000 a month with MTN.”
An MTN South Africa spokesperson confirmed to MyBroadband that the trade-in program has been paused “until further notice.” The company explained that the suspension is part of an effort to review and improve the trade-in process, ensuring a better customer experience moving forward.
“This pause is aimed at ensuring that the customer experience is significantly enhanced,” the spokesperson stated. “We regret that this was not clearly communicated to the customer in this case, and we are actively working to improve consistency in messaging across our channels.”
MTN also emphasized that it is in direct communication with the affected customer to find a fair resolution, reiterating the company’s commitment to transparency and customer care.
The suspension of the trade-in program follows multiple reports from customers who encountered issues with the service. Several forum users on MyBroadband have noted that trade-in discounts were often applied at the start of the contract, only to be removed after a few months. In some cases, customers who had kept copies of their trade-in agreements found that the discounts were not applied to their accounts despite assurances from store staff that the issue would be resolved.
One customer, after visiting an MTN store to resolve the problem, learned that multiple others had faced similar issues. An employee reportedly stated that as many as a dozen customers had reported the same problem.
MTN’s decision to halt trade-ins comes amid a broader trend in South Africa’s retail sector, where other major outlets are also scaling back or discontinuing their trade-in programs. For instance, the Samsung South African online store recently stopped accepting trade-ins for its popular Galaxy S Series smartphones, which had previously offered attractive promotions like R10,000 discounts on flagship devices when customers traded in older models.
Despite the pause on trade-ins at MTN, customers can still receive cash or discounts for their devices through various outlets, including iStore, Digicape, WeFix, and Cellucity.
As MTN reviews its trade-in process, customers are awaiting clarification on when the program will resume and what improvements will be made. In the meantime, the suspension has highlighted the importance of clear communication and consistency in service offerings—an issue MTN appears to be addressing as it works to rebuild trust with its customer base.
Main Image: Reuters
