A large number of EU users experiencing warranty issues with OnePlus are gathering on Reddit to tell their stories. Some are even escalating and filing a case with the European Consumer Center (ECC) for deceptive trade practices and breach of warranty terms.
A Reddit post tells a story about a pair of OnePlus Buds 2 that were received as a gift when purchasing the OnePlus 13 almost two years ago. Before the warranty was up, the buds developed a defect and were sent to OnePlus for repair.
However, OnePlus said that the Buds 2 are an end-of-life product, so they cannot repair or replace them. Instead, the company gave the customer a voucher worth €199, which can be redeemed on OnePlus’ online store. And this is where it gets interesting.
OnePlus’ websites in most European markets appear to be almost completely empty. They offer smartphones and tablets, but most other products priced around €199 are either out of stock or “on sale”, and the system does not allow customers to use the voucher on discounted items, thus rendering the voucher worthless.
The interesting thing is that this is not even a special case. Several other customers in the EU are also complaining about similar warranty service issues. OnePlus is offering vouchers and not actual cash refunds. Some people are also calling it OnePlus’s “Europe exit scam”.
However, OnePlus’s terrible warranty service may be a symptom of something larger – the company is shutting down operations in Europe and possibly preparing to exit the market altogether. Deteriorating warranty service, multiple out-of-stock items in stores, and apparent EOL in products less than two years old are all signs of a company going out of business too soon.
When you add the merger of OxygenOS/Realme UI with ColorOS, OnePlus pushing Oppo devices and the Indian CEO resigning on the heels of rumors of the company closing shop in India, it all starts to make sense. It may not be just a guess.
It’s sad to see the demise of OnePlus as they had a great start in Europe. In fact, we had very good experiences with after-sales services on very old OnePlus devices in the past, so to say the least, the current state of the company’s warranty services is worrying.