Comments on: Goodbye, Carphone Warehouse, You Lied and Cheated

By: Dave Walker

Dave Walker — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 03:18:13 +0000

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!

By: Lindy

Lindy — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 15:01:32 +0000

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

By: Richard

Richard — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 18:48:45 +0000

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….

By: liar cpw

liar cpw — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 19:08:14 +0000

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

By: liar cpw

liar cpw — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 19:05:43 +0000

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

By: Austin

Austin — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 20:48:43 +0000

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.

By: Raman

Raman — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 21:48:23 +0000

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.

By: Dave Walker

Dave Walker — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:40:31 +0000

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.

By: keah

keah — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:04:22 +0000

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!”

By: Dave Walker

Dave Walker — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 12:45:31 +0000

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!!!!!!