Posting this partly as a warning and partly because I've read a lot of the trade-in horror stories here, and mine has a twist I haven't seen anyone else report.
The setup you already know: I traded in a flawless Pixel 10 Pro (turns on, no cracks, factory reset) toward a new Pixel, with a $600 instant trade-in credit. At checkout I deliberately did *not* check the "accept the new value if it changes after inspection" box. So if their assessment came back different, the credit would reverse and my device would be returned to me rather than kept. Weeks later I got the now-infamous "your trade-in credit was reversed" email.
Here's where mine starts drifting from the usual script: The assessment results email said my device was assessed at $600, with condition matching what I reported. However, the email also stated the assessed value of $600 was less than the estimated value of $600 (??), and my device would be returned to me. The order page was updated as well but stated that the assessed device was a "Pixel 8" and listed "incorrectly reported phone model" valued at $380. (Side note: my bank declined the $637.50 reversal charge twice thinking it was fraud, so Google never actually collected anything.)
Then the part I haven't seen circulating: Google mailed a device "back" to me, and... it's not my phone. Not my Pixel 10 Pro. Not even the "Pixel 8" they claimed they received. It's a completely different device that appears to belong to another customer. It's clearly supposed to look like a Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, but there's no Samsung branding on the device, and I'm convinced it's some sort of knockoff. I have no idea whose phone this is or how it landed in my mailbox.
So one trade-in now involves three different phones: the Pixel 10 Pro I actually sent, the "Pixel 8" their inspection logged, and this mystery device they returned to me.
What's different about my case vs. what I've seen circulating: My case jumped to a flat out chain-of-custody failure. Google lost my device and sent me someone else's.
Support has been polite but it's clearly bouncing between a rep and a "specialist." I've documented everything (purchase order, both conflicting assessments, the decline notices, photos of the wrong device) and I'm keeping the returned phone untouched, since it isn't mine to wipe or use.
Questions for the hive mind:
- Has anyone actually had Google return the wrong device, and get it resolved? How?
- If they've lost my device outright, what's a realistic resolution to push for?
Will update as it develops. Trade in at your own risk, and screenshot everything.
