'I've had to spend hundreds of pounds after simple mistakes saw me lose £800' (original) (raw)

O2 has issued a warning as according to new research seven out of 10 students are losing - or breaking - up to £347 on average worth of personal belongings in their first year of university alone - with one in five losing one item per week

Annie has lost over £800 worth of personal belongings while at university

One student has shared how she is now forced to spend "hundreds" after mistakenly losing £800 worth of her personal belongings.

Freshers week is in full swing in the UK with thousands of young people across the UK experiencing student life for the first time. For many, this period of life is their first taste of independence and a large number will be excited for this experience.

However, O2 has issued a warning as according to new research seven out of 10 students are losing - or breaking - up to £347 on average worth of personal belongings in their first year of university alone. One in five admit to losing a personal item each week of the academic year.

The research revealed that the most common locations for losing items with around a fifth of students losing things on nights out and while on public transport. A further 17% lose items at their uni's lecture hall, another 12% at the library and a tenth lose items at house parties.

These losses can become incredibly costly with nearly 1 in 4 spending between £401 and a whopping £2,000 replacing their lost property. One of those individuals was Annie Shute, 20 years old and third year student at London College of Fashion. Within her first year of university, Annie managed to lose track of her mobile phone, jewellery and course equipment which included fashion cutting rulers and samples. Within her second year, Annie's handbag went awry which saw her lose her headphones more jewellery, and very important university work.

Annie believes she has lost around £800 worth of personal items while studying so far and has to work extra hours to get the funds to replace them. She said: "Over the duration of two years at University, I’ve lost around £800 worth of items and have spent around £200 per year replacing them. I work extra hours to grow the funds to replace lost items and buy second-hand. I’ve also had to borrow from friends too."

When replacing a mobile phone, nearly 1 in 3 students end up buying a refurbished or a second-hand replacement mobile phone.

O2 - alongside other companies such as MusicMagpie, Envirofone, Curry's, Amazon, and CEX - all sell secondhand phones for much cheaper than when bought new. O2 revealed that saving cash on these mistakes was a priority for most students as 91% relied on their student discount to get a cheaper deal.

Usually, refurbished phones have usually been tested to make sure that things are all in working order. According to Martin Lewis' MSE, refurbished phones are typically given a "grade" by retailers and as they are different for each shop, the quality will vary, but typically they are defined as follows:

• Grade A (Like new - or "pristine")
• Grade B ("Very Good" - so light signs of wear)
• Grade C ("Good' - so moderate signs of use)
• Grade D (also known as “for spares and repairs”)

However, it's always important to check for things yourself. So when looking to buy a new secondhand phone you should always check for :

• Battery health - Batteries wear out faster than the rest of the phone so older phones will not have the strongest battery health and you may need to replace it
• Charging port - Check for signs of damage as the charging port will be one of the first parts to wear out or break
• Buttons - Check all the buttons work, even when you don’t press too hard, as a faulty button could render the phone very difficult to use and may be expensive to fix.
• Network locks - Check the phone works with the mobile phone provider of your choice as some smartphones are originally sold locked to certain providers and must be unlocked before being used on another - and this could cost
• Repairs using unauthorised parts - Not all repairs are done by the manufacturer or using certified parts, which can cause problems.