NB: This story has a happy ending!
Dear Carphone Warehouse,
We used to have it so good. I’ve been a customer for about four years, and you’ve never put a foot wrong until now. You found me good deals and gave me good advice on tariffs and handsets. But I’m not sure our relationship can recover after this week. Having memorised all your hold music over the period, might I suggest ‘we have got to get it together, now’?
The Story
I was phoned on May 12th by Gareth Whittle from your outbound O2 sales team to tell me I was due an upgrade. Splendid, I said, what have you got? After much wrangling, we agreed on a Nokia N95 8GB, albeit for five pounds more a month than the price you published on your own website (I see you’ve fixed that now). The £35-a-month deal would get me a free handset, more minutes and texts each month than I’d use all year, and most importantly, unlimited data. You promised to send it the next day and I’d have 14 days to try it out. “What if I have any problems, Gareth?” “Oh you can call me on extension 4443220″.
Lo and behold, it arrived the next day — modern logistics can be so wonderful — and I eagerly starting testing all the new functions — it’s a lovely piece of kit. I’d have liked a qwerty keyboard, but figured I could get a bluetooth job from you later. The camera is excellent and using 3G for the first time was a rush.
The Sting
It’s now seven days later and I phone my wife — but who’s this on the line? “This number cannot be dialled — please hold while we put you through to customer services”.
I hold — and it actually turns out to be your finance department.
“Mr Delaney — you have an outstanding bill for (circa) £500. Would you like to pay by credit card?”
“What!!! But I’m on unlimited data — the guy told me.”
“Ah, that doesn’t actually start till the 26th May.”
“But I didn’t know that? How would I know that? You sent me the phone — why would I imagine I couldn’t use it yet?”
Gareth did tell me that the contract ‘rolled over on the 26th of each month’ (his exact words, as I recall — whatever that means). But he didn’t tell me that meant unlimited data didn’t start till May 26. He certainly didn’t warn me about using the Internet before May 26. I had assumed (oh, silly me) that it was the previous 26th, if I agreed to the deal — this was an upgrade, after all. And how would I be able to test the phone in the 14-day cooldown period otherwise? It seemed like common sense that the upgrade began when I received the phone.
I’d made a horrendous mistake. But there’s also been some big communication errors on your part. Of course, you’ll understand and rectify that, won’t you? We’re all human beings, aren’t we? And it’s not as though back-dating the contract by two weeks will cost you any money.
Turns out the lady I’m speaking to can’t actually do anything. I am put through to customer services. They tell me that the sales department concerned has to investigate the problem: their hands are tied. I ask them to put me through to Gareth on extension 4443220, but it turns out he lied to me about that — no-one I am allowed to speak to can make that call. Outbound sales don’t have any accessible phone numbers.
I get put back through to customer services. I ask to speak to a manager. I am put through to a manager at customer services. Turns out he can’t actually call anyone more senior — or Gareth — they are only allowed to send emails. This fact makes me wonder about how seriously you take customer services? Not to worry, though. I’m assured my incident has been escalated and I will receive a call from your sales department within the next 72 hours to resolve the problem.
72 Hours Pass
…And there’s no phone call from your sales department. More lies, then. I call my new friends Craig, and then John, at your Warrington customer service call centre. They both re-escalate my case. I am at three levels of escalation now. I need oxygen, I am so escalated, but evidently not sufficiently so to get anyone from sales to call me. And no, they really can’t put me through to anyone more senior, they assure me that more ‘VERY URGENT’ notes have been added to my case. (Craig and John are nice guys, by the way, being Manchester lads like myself. Useless, in this case, but nice). Apparently, I’ll get a call within another 72 hours.
But hang on. My 14-days’ grace period will expire by then. Walking away from the contract is the only thing I’ve got to trade with, if your people don’t agree that I wasn’t properly informed on the terms of the deal. I talk to Craig and John again and they — very kindly — answer my requests about doing this and tell me I can walk into a shop tomorrow and explain the situation and hand back the phone. And that’s what I’m planning to do — I have to, because the rest of your company might understand the science bit, then.
The Science Bit
- Current disputed bill = ~£500, which I intend to resist paying, and I think I have a reasonable case.
- Value of the contract we’d agreed = 18 x £35 = £630, which I agreed to happily pay. But now I won’t be doing that. You are down £130, at best. Nice move, slick.
- Value of the next ten 18 month contracts after that which I would have signed up for = £6300, or so. You’re down another £5800.
- By the way — value of positive word-of-mouth recommendations from me (which I have given in the past) = at least two or three other customers, maybe more = £12,000+.
- Adverse recommendations word-of-mouth from me (which I will definitely give) = at least -£18,000, since I’ll be very vigorous about that.
- Adverse value of this blog post/facebook/twitter/etc. and the others I’ll publish to your reputation and your bottom line = unknown, potentially enormous.
The Sequel?
I genuinely hope that my next blog post will be entitled ‘How Carphone Warehouse Regained My Trust’. But that really is up to you. You are a communications company — surely you are a listening brand, as well? Oh yes, one more thing — the ‘Feedback and Complaints’ button on your site doesn’t work at all. Shame, that.
Best,
Ian Delaney
[Readers — want to help? This account combines several more phone calls to make it less boring.
As well as the phone exchanges above, I emailed the text of this post to the chairman, press office and enquiries addresses at Carphone Warehouse in order to give them a chance to do something. No response, obviously, from any of them.
If you have been similarly disgruntled, cheated and trodden upon by telecoms giants, and Carphone Warehouse in particular, you might like to link to this post (or digg and delicious it) and help damage the company’s bottom line by spreading the word. Make a stand, people! You’re welcome to take the text as well, providing you attribute it. This is not about popularising this blog: my post rate should show that isn’t a factor here.
Legal advice is also very welcome, as are recommendations of UK mobile suppliers who care about their customers. Most welcome of all, though, would be a response from the company itself.]
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Sounds pretty horrific– have you sent this off to some of the mobile blogs — CPW are more likely to be reading those, and if it gets picked up there it will have greater impact in the industry I would have thought. Good luck with it!
Huw — thank you so much. I *was* a fan of C/W until this last week, and hope to be so again.
Ian, that’s shocking. Posted here
http://internet-biz.blogspot.com/2008/05/carphone-warehouse-get-your-act.html
Good luck with resolving the situation.
D
Many thanks to Helen Keegan for suggesting I contact the telecoms ombudsman and Which.
I have done the former, so far.
http://www.otelo.org.uk/
Oh, you niave soul. Carphone Warehouse has the worst customer service of ANY company I’ve ever dealt with and has absolutely NO regard for its clients. I’ll buy you a pint if they actually manage to resolve this!!
Eeek. thats pretty woeful stuff. I just came here from the link over @ prblogger. Am glad to hear that these imbiciles have sorted it all out.
i was so suprised to read this about CPW, they were so helpfull to me when i did my renewal. they not only discounted the handset price to zero but also gave me a massive reduction on my line rental.
All this with the added bonus of a personal account manager and a direct line
All in all a pleasure to do business with, word of mouth is two fold, if cpw was that bad they would not be the market leader.
Hi,
I have got a contract with Carphone and have for a number of years. They have proven to be a fantastic company and their employees can never do enough for you. Yeah I have had problems but they have always been resolved. If Carphone Warehouse are so bad why have they won so many awards?
My word of mouth will be just as strong as I will vigorously spread the word and I am sure a lot of other happy customers will do the same. Sorry about your bad experience but I am sure once it is resolved it will just be a one off!
I had the same problem but to be fair carphone were very efficient with myself
it was a mistake and mistakes happen in any company.Atleast they put it right for me were other mobile companies have failed in the past. You cant blame the advisor for technical problems within there system.
3 comments in 7 minutes on an old post Ian! Could it be the CPW phantom (ahem).
Funny how they all seem to be piling in to support Carphone Warehouse as well! I wonder whether CPW is now engaging with new media, although perhaps not as constructively as some might hope…
This is all very odd, eh, chaps. I’ll have a look into the IP addresses and post the results.
“Gareth did tell me that the contract ‘rolled over on the 26th of each month’ (his exact words, as I recall — whatever that means). But he didn’t tell me that meant unlimited data didn’t start till May 26. He certainly didn’t warn me about using the Internet before May 26. I had assumed (oh, silly me) that it was the previous 26th, if I agreed to the deal — this was an upgrade, after all. And how would I be able to test the phone in the 14-day cooldown period otherwise? It seemed like common sense that the upgrade began when I received the phone.”
Yes we just pop in the time machine and change the tariff beginning LAST month. Surely a journalist would think to ask a couple of probing questions, as opposed to making assumptions? By the way, whilst CPW werent legally obliged to waiver your bill, shouldn’t you be praising them for doing so, as opposed to complaining because YOUR “assumption” created the huge bill in the first place. If you think you got stitched up, it’s nothing compared to what the staff have ssen lately believe me.
@CPW — “shouldn’t you be praising them for doing so” — I did — see the story which follows this one where I praise the attitude and initiative of CPW’s online team. It’s linked in the first line of this story.
Ian
I suffered a similar problem with Carphone Warehouse. Having used several different mobile phone contractors since 1995 with no problems at all I was pursuaded to sign with CPW/O2 in Sept 2007. This was for a 12 month contract for £40 a month. I occassionally used the data facility but never really exceeded £10 in any one month.
In late March I wanted to update the software on my Nokia 95. A CD came with the Nokia 95 that contained a proram called Nokia Software Updater. I loaded this onto my personal computer and using this program I located the latest N95 software via my personal computer and home broadband. The program then instructed me to connect my phone to a cable to download the software. Nothing suggested that the data would be downloaded other than by my broadband. The process took about 25mins.
A couple of days later I found my phone would not allow me to make outgoing calls or text messages. I phoned the CPW/O2 customer services and asked why this was. The informed me I had run up data download charges in excess of £400 and that my account was suspended until this was paid off. I asked them to explain how this had happened and they told me I would need to wait for my bill to to confirm details. All they could tell me was that the data had been downloaded through my phone.
A few weeks later my bill came through. I recognised the data download in excess of £400 as occurring at the time I had used my home broadband to to download N95 software to my phone. Somehow the Nokia Software Updater had switched from my home broadband to using the phone as a modem for datadownload. Something I would never have sanctioned.
I wrote to Carphone Warehouse and explained the situation to them. I asked them to explain how this could happen and I hoped as a large multi natinal company they would show some understanding for the unfortunate situation I found myself in; particularly in the light that the data download costs to CPW/O2 are insignificant as demonstrated by the unlimited data bundles they sell at relatively litttle costr.
I was disappointed to get a terse reply telling me that the data had been downloaded from my SIM card and therefore I was laible. No attempt was made to explain how the matter could have occurred.
I sent a second letter explaining how disappointed I was with the response and level of customer service. I got another terse letter in reply again telling me I was responsible for the data charges.
I cancelled my standing order to prevent the disputed sums being taken from my account and phoned customer services telling them what I had done and that I intended to continue paying the service contract charges, which I did, despite my phone still being suspended. I had researched the internet for details of how to refer the matter to OTELO. I learned that either 3 months had to pass without the dispute being resolved or the company had to send me a deadlock letter stating that the dispute could not be resolved. I asked customer services for a deadlock letter. They told me I would have to write in to get one.
I wrote again and again asking for a deadlock letter but recieved no response. I knew they had recieved the letters because they cashed the cheques I sent with them!
I spoke to customer services telling them that I wanted to get the matter resolved. They told me they would make notes of the points I had raised but still no response. Instead I got threatening letters and home phone calls from 2 different debt colection agencies and from CPW/O2. Strange that they could find time to write and cash my cheques but not respoind.
This went on from March until late July when I eventually was sent a deadlock letter. By this time I had managed to refer the matter to OTELO. The letter arrived 2 days after I went on holiday to the US for 3 weeks. Yes I had even told CPW/O2 when I was going on holiday!!!! Strange that they sent in the at that time having failed to do so for months before.
When I returned from my holiday in mid August I recieved this deadlock letter, a bill informing me that my contract had been cancelled on the 4th August and another telephone contact from a different debt collecting agency. Why this was refered to a debt collection agency when they knew I was attempting to seek redress from OTELO I do not know, but suggest it fits with my experience of a large company using corporate muscle to try to bully people like myself.
One member of staff suggested I took the phone to be checked to see if it was faulty. I did this but when it came back it jsut came back with notes saying no fault, software changed. I was disappointed that the repair note didn’t allude to what had been checked and why the software needed to be changed.
I have now had a judgement from OTELO that has told me that I am responsible for anthing done on my phone intentionally, unintentionally or by others.
I am going to have to accept the findings against me for the charge of over £400 for data download as it appears they have me legally cornered. I cannot afford to fight a multi national company in the courts. The OTELO judgement explained to me that I was legally bound but expressed sympathy for my frustrating position. Strangely enough CPW/O2 took time to explain things to OTELO that they hadn’t explained to me. However the lack of care, sympathy and assistance offered by customer services at CPW/O2 is galling.
Even more galling is the fact that since the end of March Ihave paid £200 in contractual fees to CPW/O2 for no service. Further the have jsut billed me an additional bill of £239.98, a charge for cessation of the contract which was due to expire at the begining of September.
This means on top of the £400 for data charges CPW/O2 have charged me I have also been charged £439.98 since March 2008 for a phone service I have been unable to use. CPW/O2 will no doubt argue that they can terminate a contract for non payment of bills. However I was careful at all stages to expalin that it was the data charge I was disputing, that I wanted to resolve this matter with customer services help and through OTELO. CPW/O2’s intransigence prevented me from getting an early explanation and resolution that would have prevented this saga from dragging on for so long. It may even have meant that I could have used my phone instead of just being charged £439.98 for no service. All I got for my trouble and trying to stick up to a corporate bully was frustration, intimidation worry and stress.
I can’t continue to fight them any more as my partner and I have a little one due in 2 months and I need to think of his/her well being and comfort. However I am going to do my best to ensure that as few people possible fall foul of the unfair contracts, bullying and poor customer service offered by CPW/O2. I will set up my own blogg to tell this story and ensure it is distrubted far and wide. I am also considering printing up flyers and over the next months distribute my story to people outside CPW shops. If I can prevent just one, let alone 2, ahundred or a thousand people from falling foul of my experience I will be happy.
I realise that someone will come in on this blog and say what a great service they have had from CPW/O2.
I respond — I have had great service from Vodafone and Orange for seventeen and half years. My bad experience is with CPOW/O2 and I will never use them again. I now have an Orange phone and will stay with them away from CPW/O2 for good. I advise others, on my experience, to do the same.
Hopefully if enough people can write in and complain on blogs such as these CPW/O2 will change their behaviour in the future.
I am going to write to my MP about this and ask that they table for legislation to control the power of CPW/O2 to charge to fees that they do.
I’ve had a very similar experience with CPW. On my last upgrade in August 2007 I explained that I used my ‘phone mainly for data. I was assured that the deal for data would continue on the new ‘phone but quickly found that it didn’t and I was being charged a much higher amount for data calls. I complained, moaned and groaned but just kept finding myself up dead ends with no result and no answers to my complaints. I’ve got better things to do with my time and in the end I gave up, made alternative arrangements for data and resolved to disconnect from CPW as quickly as possible and never to have any further dealings with them. Now at the end of my minimum contract periods (I have 3 ‘phones with them) and after paying them hundreds of pounds more than I needed to and with thousands of unused voice minutes I just want to escape their clutches. It is clear though that they make it as difficult as possible to terminate and try to get you to follow a “disconnection procedure” which involves speaking to the “customer loyalty team”. Nothing about that in the contract. Also, despite the fact that the contract simply requires a MINIMUM of 30 day’s notice, they won’t let you start the “disconnection procedure” any more than 36 day’s before the contract end date (and that is nothing to do with the PAC availability times). They attempt to require you to speak to the loyalty team to get a “Disconnection Request Number (DRN)”. Well, I’m not requesting disconnection I’m demanding it and no loyalty here I’m afraid, I can’t wait to get away from CPW and will never ever do business with them again.
@Dave Walker
same problem I had with carphonewarehouse, I had three phone connection and it was pain in the ass to get rid of these, Now i got vodafone and feeling relaxed
will never do business with them again.
I had an interesting one the other day — i ordered a phone from carphone warehouse two years ago, not been back since, they sent me a contract phone out the blue. I called them tried to palm it off as fraud and should check if a direct debit had been set up. Nope. Got a letter from orange — the contract from carphone warehouse — containing SOMEONE ELSE’S name and bank details. Again tried to palm it off as fraud — funny type of fraud — someone else pays for the phone and has it sent to me. I should hand it in they say but of course they didnt mention the ridiculous amount of red tape I’d have to go to to sign off of a contract I didnt ask for and again they still went on about fraud. Idiots.
Believe it or not I’m still having problems. I managed to get two of my accounts closed by paying up over the ‘phone in advance for line rental and just losing the future service that I was paying for. I had to do that as I was off to Hong Kong for a month and CPW won’t accept written notice of termination any more than 36 days before the contract end date. I just wasn’t prepared to take the problem to Hong Kong with me or rely on the international mail to hit the very narrow window of opportunity that CPW allows for the termination of its contracts.
The third ‘phone is used by my son and he has left uni and is earning so is arranging his own ‘phone. He asked for a PAC so that he could transfer his number. While I was away he decided not to use the PAC. Unbeknown to me CPW use the provision of a PAC as an excuse to extend the term of the contract if it isn’t used before the termination date and it extends into another billing period. No logic whatsoever in that as far as I can see. According to “Customer Loyalty” it is something to do with CPWs database but I just wasn’t interested. At this stage I just want to do whatever is necessary to break with CPW and O2. Once more they have successfully extended a contract that should have ended in February until April. In relation to contract terminations CPW’s systems seem to be very efficient in getting customers to the point where they will do anything just to escape.
Interestingly my son is working as an equity analyst for a major bank on their telecoms team. He was not interested in continuing with CPW at all!
No happy ending for me I’m afraid. The only advice I can give to anyone thinking of contracting with the Carphone Warehouse is DONT!!!!!!
just had the worst situation with carphone warehouse– i called in asking to leave the company as PHONES 4U had made me an offer with free internet ‚blackberry 600 call minutes and 500 texts– i was then told by carephone warehouse not to leave as they could match that offer and give me 1000 texts ‚unlimited internet„ and 400 minutes and blackeberry on 2 yr contract which i agreed to!!!!
my backberry arrived within 2 days and excited i opened it and looked at it!!!i then called in to confirm this upgrade and was told — LUCKILY YOU CALLED as your upgrade has not been put into the system– they then transfered me to “customer loyalty” who told me i would never have been be offered a deal like this but what they can give me is UNLIMITED TEXTS AND 400 MINUTES, NO INTERNET AND A BLACKBERRY!!!
he actually tried to trick me into that deal– i told him thats not what was agreed and i asked him to get a copy of the calll i had with the person who agreed the initial contract-and he said he would put in a request for an escalation and get back to me in 72 hrs–
Its been one week to this day and after 7 phone calls no one has actually called me back to reassure me they are dealing with the situation– i calle din today and spoke with a very rude lady who told me that they have a back log———–and will get back to me when i can. I then told her i want to leave carephone warehosue as i mentioned this at work yesterday and everyone told me NOT TO TRUST CAREPHONE WAREHOUSE AS THEY ARE SNEAKY AND HAVE BEEN IN THE SAME SITUATION!!!
I also told her i wanted to leave as the service has been so bad, and she told me as ive used my handset– took it out the box!!!!!!i cant return it and stuck to the deal ———– so now ive to wait for them to get back tome on the escalation– which i have no idea how long will take!!!!!!!!!!!!how do i know they are not actuially changing things to suit them– I DO NOT TRUST THIS COMPANY ANYMORE — AND WILL BE TAKING THIS UP WITH A LAWYER!”
keah,
It sounds to me as though there was offer, acceptance and consideration so a contract exists. The usual CPW tactic of browbeating or stonewalling the customer into submission; it is disappointing that it is still going on and it even sounds as though it has got worse! The line about having opened your ‘phone package is so lame, you have a legal entitlement to cancel. Contact your local trading standards office to see if they will take it up and think about emailing Watchdog. Someone needs to do something to make this company act properly. Odds on that they never find the recording of your call if it confirms your argument. If I’d known I’d have recorded all calls myself. A couple of the CPW staff I spoke to pretty well admitted that they didn’t like what they were doing but had to follow company policy so the “rudeness” probably isn’t just the individual operative, its a company script for “customer loyalty” to follow.
Try the small claims procedure rather than paying a lawyer, you can add a charge to the claim for your time in preparing your case (and the court award is tax free) so CPW will have to pay you for your effort. It should only take an hour or so and there is plenty of info on the Web about making a small claim. Chances are that they will pay up before it gets to the court anyway.
I didn’t take any action, I just sat it out but I now sorely wish that I hadn’t let them get away with it so easily. I’m free of CPW now and will never have anything to do with them (or O2 by association) ever again. I’m saving a fortune with a BT bundled deal including mobile and getting a much better service.
On a recent upgrade with carphonewarehouse, I was promised to give a free compliment (iPhone dock station) for doing business with them for the last 5 years. To my shock, they sent iPhone with dock connector (provided in every box) & CPW employee now arguing that he never promised to give any compliment.
He also told me that CPW customers of 5.5 years old will be put into their customer loyalty program & will recieve loads of offers. When I inquired about it in local CPW stores, they said they never heard about it. FULL OF LIES …
I made a written complaint via e-mail & asked him to terminate the contract. I am waiting for response.
I am having grief with CPW also. They offered me a loyalty Sim to keep me as a customer. The first lyalty sim was free for 12 months — no monthly fee and I get 450 min / 125 texts. 10 Months later they offered me an upgrade which I accepted but this was for 600 min and 1000 texts but I had to pay £10 per month for this on another loyalty scheme. This was all ok, until the 2nd contract ended and I didnt want to renew. They are now billing me £30 per month for the remaining months of my FIRST contract. This is BAD.
I have similiar issue, guy called me to upgrade my contract, we had a deal,
18mths, 400min, unl txt, unl internet, new samsung phone.
2 days later got the sim and phone with 24mths contract and no call plan details.
I called imm.the costumer service they advised me to go to the store.
I went there they said they cannot do anything just call the cos.service.
The women promised somebody will call me in 24 hrs…nothing happened.
I called them again and they just told me the same please allow 3 working days, etc…
Now its been for 2 week exactly, I have email from escalation team and could talk to them, but still no anser thu’ they mentioned nearly 5 days ago they found the recorded log…
They are sucha liar, unbelivable. My phone still in box but unforunately I had to replace my old sim cos they are inactiveted it couple of days ago and asked the guy in the store if it is a problem and he said no…
now they telling me cos I had ingoing calls so I accepted the terms…lol
and not to mention they called me about insurance…
I do not know what to do, if they dont call me next working day I am gonna cancel the ddebit, and send back the sim and phone, and go to CAB…
Newxt time I will say (or do) that I am recording the call…
Richard
Sorry i forgot to mention that i called them nearly every day in the past week and somehow they managed to change my DOB so I faild the security uestion and they just “ignored” me… They are just.…polec@ts
It seems I could manage to cancel my contract, I left my phone in store…
so wil lsee :) I still cant belive it..and why did it take so long?
never mind.…
I have had a dreadful experience with Carphone Warehouse, after not receiving an upgrade as promised, I called C W and 25 min later and £4.25 poorer I had been told by one less then charming women there was no way I could expect her to know when my phone was being delivered and suggested that she could not tell when C W would be getting a delivery from the supplier — correct me if I’m wrong but surely every company even really useless company’s like C W can call a supplier and have a very basic conversation along the lines of: Hi its Dummy from C W when can we expect our next delivery, we have a client who was promised a phone today? The mobile network I have signed up with did exactly that, when I walked into the store they did not have the mobile I wanted but told me very simply that the delivery was due the next day WOW genius no? The “customer service officer” I spoke to at Carphone Warehouse refused to put me through to a manager he even suggested that I may want him to put on another voice and repeat his previous empty apologies because apparently that’s all they can do. As far as I’m concerned a customer services person who can do no more then apologise is USELESS– I had my phone on speaker phone during this conversation and everyone was as shocked as I was at the refusal, I was then put on to escalations but again was told that all they could do was apologise, what about putting people through to solutions? I have since cancelled my contract which will take 30 days to come into effect (even though the contractual period is over) and signed up with a new provider I have also managed to convince 2 other colleagues not to renew services with CW especially since the are the only service provider who take 30 days to give you your puc number. Anyone thinking of signing up with C W BEWARE and order your puc number 30 days before you leave or chose a decent provider with well trained and informed customer services
I’m not surprised this is still going on. I still feel bitter about CPW. I was sorting through some old papers a few days ago and came across my contract. At the time I cancelled with CPW I had a dreadful time escaping because I was travelling and they would only accept a window of 5 days or so in which to cancel. I argued with a woman at CPW and said that the contract was a minimum of 30 days notice, not between 30 days and 35 days. She contradicted me and I was speaking from memory so didn’t argue the point forcefully and paid in advance for instant cancellation because I was travelling a lot and couldn’t be sure that the cancellation letter would arrive within the window (they insisted on written cancellation). Too early or too late and they just ignore it and make you start all over again. Anyway, when I read the contract it says no such thing, it simply makes reference to the current termination procedure, which wouldn’t stand up in court. I really wish that I’d stuck it out and taken them to the small claims court. It’s not the money, its the pure affrontery and deception that is so annoying. I’d never, ever have anything to do with them again!
I just cannot believe the level of poor service the CPW provide. I have never come across a company who do as they like by sticking up 2 fingers to us consumers.
I ordered a phone from mobiles.co.uk which is part of the carphonewarehouse. The phone was delivered a few days later. However, after using the Motorola Milestone a couple of days, it kept on freezing every time. I called mobiles.co.uk customer services and was told to send it back for a replacement at my cost. I then sent the phone back on the 2nd of March and was subsequently sent replacement number 2 which was delivered to me around 8th of May.
After around 6 weeks of using the 2nd replacement Motorola handset, this too developed a fault which my network provider, Orange confirmed when they ran a diagnostics test on it. The problem was that I could hear people clearly but they could not hear me.
When I called mobiles.co.uk on the 26th of April, I was told to take the phone into a branch of carphonewarehouse for repairs as I’ve had the phone for more than 28 days and would not be liable to receive a new handset even though I had insurance. I promptly took the phone back to the Tottenham branch and was told it can take up to 2 weeks for the phone to be repaired but possible I can get it back within the 1 week.
After waiting for 1 week, I called into the Tottenham Branch to get an update and was informed that the phone had to be returned back to the manufacturer as carephonewarehouse were unable to repair it.
I then received a Voicemail message from the Tottenham Branch on the 24th of April advising me to contact them. I went there in person that same day and was informed that my Motorola Milestone was not repairable. Instead they offered me second-hand refurbished choice of a Nokia N900, Nokia n97 or Nokia x6. Unlike many people, i absolutely do not like Nokia phones which is my personal preference. Not only that, i had purchased many accessories for the Motorola and countless software from the Android Market.
I had specifically ordered the Motorola Milestone as it has a physical keyboard and Unix based Android operating system which I require for work.
Anyway, I made it clear to the manager at the Tottenham branch that I cannot accept downgraded second-hand phones who sent an email to the relevant department who then offered me the a choice between a second-hand refurbished HTC Hero and HTC HD2. Again, neither of these phones will suffice for my needs and are not like for like. Also they are second-hand which means, i’ll only get the phone and a charger with no accessories, CDs etc.…
I have written to complaints department through their online portal but was told there’s nothing they can do. More or less telling me to get loss, like it or lump it even though I had pointed out the Supply of goods act 1982.
Word for word, this is exactly what i was told when i called complaints department that same day:
“if the shop is dealing with it, then why are you calling us?”
I felt absolutely disgusted. He was rude and arrogant and seemed like I felt as if I was intruding.
I feel very angry at the fact that I have been without a phone totalling around 5 weeks and have only used the phone for about 6 weeks.
Yesterday, i signed up to twitter and sent a message to someone who works for CPW customer services and told me to send an email to cpwcares@cpwplc.com. I then received a call within 2 hours. I was told that he’s investigating and put in a search for a replacement phone of my same model. However, this again will be a refurbished one. This is utterly unacceptable given that I have hardly used my phone which was in perfect brand new cosmetic condition as I had purchased a plastic cover and additional screen protection for it.
From reading other peoples experiences, I wouldn’t be surprised if i receive a refurbished phone which doesn’t work and full of marks.
CPW are a disgusting company to deal with. The thing is that i’ve been ordering my phone from them the last 4 years.…never ever ever again!!!
I will not let this go and will take them to small claims court as I know CPW are in the wrong. Just angry at the fact that I have to make time to start writing letters/making calls and going through the whole process.
If you are thinking of going to mobiles.co.uk or carphonewarehouse to order a new phone, don’t. Even though they may seem cheaper, their non existent customer services will leave you pulling out your hair and all your complaints will fall on deaf ears!!!!
The appalling lack of customer service from this company means I am cancelling my Talktalk phone and broadband.
Following a disastrous purchase of a monthly mobile phone contract through CPW where I was mis-sold a product, I subsequently cancelled. CPW failed to collect the handset, failed to notify the phone network meaning I was billed for the cancelled service. Despite advising their hapless ‘customer service’ team the situation continued unresolved and I was eventually contacted by a debt collection agency for payment of the unpaid bill.
The debt collection agency immediately closed their file when I explained there was indeed no amount owed by me, however the experience was very unpleasant to say the least.
I have written to Charles Dunstone (the company boss) by recorded delivery on three occasions. The first letter was replied to by one of his lackys but did not resolve the matter. I have not received a reply to my two susbsequent letters which shows a total disregard for this company’s responsibilites to customers.
I most certainly recommend never using CPW or TalkTalk as there are plenty of better companies to choose from.
Carphone Warehouse have just managed to not only screw up my upgrade but then left me without a phone. Needless to say I’m looking for a new provider.…
CPW ARE LIARS
carphone warehouse are nothing but liars I recently took out a contract with them and sneakily they added insurance onto my price plan without telling me, then when I tried to cancel it they automatically assumed I had taken insurance elsewhere and started telling me all this stuff about other insurance companies being corrupt and fraudulent, i had not taken insurance with anyone else yet they kept on and on, in the end I got so fed up of their techniques I told them to cancel everything including the phone contract, 2 weeks later i recieved a bill for the phone and insurance, phoned carphone warehouse again and it turned out my phone account was still active and was never cancelled, now they wont cancel it claiming 14 days have passed and to top it off i have no phone or sim card because they took it back when they were supposed to have cancelled it, now nobody even knows where the phone is.
cpw is alright, like all companies its all about finding the ones who do bend over backwards, people are people at the end of the day, problem with cpw is that they do not allocate power correctly, the people in the stores know allot more than support but have to call them up to deal with certain issues, its silly how they give power to the ones who hide behind phonecalls, it takes courage to work in one of those store, before i get accused of being cpw, i had this same issue and all 3 workers of the store huddled round and all of them got on the phone to different people and got it sorted within 20 mins bill paid for plus apologie check from manager :)
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