Question about being mis-sold and signed mobile contracts
Question about being mis-sold and signed mobile contracts
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mikey_p

Original Poster:

1,283 posts

245 months

Monday 25th August 2008
quotequote all
On Friday I got a new mobile and contract from a phone shop that uses funny hand gestures to describe their name. I was looking for a deal so managed to get the shop manager (I assume) to agree to 12 months free unlimited data usage (this is on 3 mobile) in the form of £60 in cash back.

During the setting up of the contract the girl I was dealing with asked the manager how to add-on the unlimited data usage package at £5 extra per month. He tells her to click on the Video Pack, at £5 extra per month.

Now 3 days later and after signing the contract I have found out the video pack is for 20 free video calls, which I couldn't care less about, and have already spent about £2.50 on data usage.

I am going to go in during the week, but where do I stand with this? Can the guy tell me that I have signed the contract and that is final? Or probably just "go speak to 3".

Any ammunition would be gratefully appreciated.

Olf

11,978 posts

249 months

Monday 25th August 2008
quotequote all
mikey_p said:
Any ammunition would be gratefully appreciated.
PM me your address, I've got some 9mm going spare.











JOKE!

Puggit

49,825 posts

279 months

Monday 25th August 2008
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Only advice I have is don't use phones-4-u, do a google for things like 'problems'...

johnfm

13,751 posts

281 months

Monday 25th August 2008
quotequote all
I expect since it was on Friday, you must still have some degree of cancellation rights, maybe under the consumer credit act. Have you read your fineprint?

mikey_p

Original Poster:

1,283 posts

245 months

Tuesday 26th August 2008
quotequote all
johnfm said:
I expect since it was on Friday, you must still have some degree of cancellation rights, maybe under the consumer credit act. Have you read your fineprint?
No not yet, I haven't had time yet. I will have a look at that during lunchtime.

Also, on 3 I think you have no choice but to pay this extra for the video pack if your phone has the capabilities. So he has pretended this video pack is not only unlimited data usage, but is an additional add-on, which I believe it is not. So the contract was never going to be £27 a month.

bigTee

5,546 posts

252 months

Tuesday 26th August 2008
quotequote all
you are screwed.

edwardsje

36,862 posts

254 months

Tuesday 26th August 2008
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My one and only experience with them was appalling - they were falsifying my details on a credit application, and when challenged couldn't see anything wrong with it!

clonmult

10,529 posts

240 months

Tuesday 26th August 2008
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On a new contract you've normally got either 7 or 14 days to cancel ... or is that only if you're unhappy with the phone?

Yugguy

10,728 posts

266 months

Tuesday 26th August 2008
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heh, going to 3 was your first mistake...

mikey_p

Original Poster:

1,283 posts

245 months

Tuesday 26th August 2008
quotequote all
anonymous said:
[redacted]
Of course I read what I signed. I read the whole bloody thing. But the "Video Pack" that was the add-on on the contract was suposedly the unlimited data usage. How was I to know that the mananger was straight up lying about what the video pack actually was.

Chainguy

4,381 posts

231 months

Tuesday 26th August 2008
quotequote all
You have 14 days to cancell with P4U.

You do not have to give a reason.

Take the phone back to them, and leave it with them. The smarmy @sshole manager will try every trick in the book to make you keep it, including telling you lies that the contract is with 3, you can't leave it, he needs a returns authorisation etc etc. All of this is b.s.

Stick to your guns, and leave the phone with them, and walk out the shop.

Job done.

Believe me, I speak from experience here with that outfit.

V8mate

45,899 posts

220 months

Tuesday 26th August 2008
quotequote all
Go in and explain your concerns. If they dig in, start being more vocal about 'rip-offs' and 'cheating' and 'lying' as other people enter the shop.

mikey_p

Original Poster:

1,283 posts

245 months

Tuesday 26th August 2008
quotequote all
Cheers chainguy and V8. I have just spoken to 3, and they also say I have a 14 day cooling off period. So it looks like I will be using that as I don't think I will get any joy from the manager as he is a smarmy, up-his-own-arse tt.

Lets hope I can get a better deal with Carphone Warehouse nextdoor. It's ashame as I like the phone (6220 classic) and the contract seemed pretty good. Although after going with 3 I haven't really heard anyone say anything good about them.

ETA: However I already have a scratch on the back of the phone. Surely they will only take the phone back if it is in new condition?

Edited by mikey_p on Tuesday 26th August 14:11

Chainguy

4,381 posts

231 months

Tuesday 26th August 2008
quotequote all
mikey_p said:
Cheers chainguy and V8. I have just spoken to 3, and they also say I have a 14 day cooling off period. So it looks like I will be using that as I don't think I will get any joy from the manager as he is a smarmy, up-his-own-arse tt.

Lets hope I can get a better deal with Carphone Warehouse nextdoor. It's ashame as I like the phone (6220 classic) and the contract seemed pretty good. Although after going with 3 I haven't really heard anyone say anything good about them.

ETA: However I already have a scratch on the back of the phone. Surely they will only take the phone back if it is in new condition?

Edited by mikey_p on Tuesday 26th August 14:11
Don't worry about the scratch. That phone will go into what they call 'white box' stock anyways, where it will be used to replace a phone a punter has an insurance claim on. Just make sure you take any photo's etc out of it before it goes back. That phone will end up back out there, believe it.

A mate used to manage a P4U a couple of years back. What an outfit they were; he used to tell some real horror stories. He hated it from day one, but he made some good money on the commission. Just make sure you stick to your guns with the manager. Your in the right. He just wants to avoid a commission clawback. End of.

The Ben

1,623 posts

248 months

Tuesday 26th August 2008
quotequote all
The company you are talking about are the biggest cowboys I have ever had the misfortune of dealing with!!! I work for Orange Retail and in one day we had 5 people come into our shop who bought their phone/contract from them and they said they were sent to us as their as problems with their contract and that they were told we would sort it out!!! I obviously sent them packing and told them to go back to where they bought it. By the fifth one my manager went into their store and had it out with their manager who told him that if it kept happening he would contact our head office who would in turn contact theirs, usually with a threat to ban them from selling our network!!!

bigTee

5,546 posts

252 months

Tuesday 26th August 2008
quotequote all
The Ben said:
The company you are talking about are the biggest cowboys I have ever had the misfortune of dealing with!!! I work for Orange Retail and in one day we had 5 people come into our shop who bought their phone/contract from them and they said they were sent to us as their as problems with their contract and that they were told we would sort it out!!! I obviously sent them packing and told them to go back to where they bought it. By the fifth one my manager went into their store and had it out with their manager who told him that if it kept happening he would contact our head office who would in turn contact theirs, usually with a threat to ban them from selling our network!!!
Orange retail has the power to take P4u's dealer code away?

Do you know how many phones P4u put through Orange each month?

Parrot of Doom

23,075 posts

265 months

Tuesday 26th August 2008
quotequote all
Phones 4 U tried to tell me that I could deduct my entire phone bill from my tax returns, so in effect I would be getting the contract for free.

I have no idea if the manager (yes, the manager) was really that stupid, or just trying to be clever, but a quick call to their head office (in the shop no less) to demonstrate his lack of intelligence soon shut him up.

The Ben

1,623 posts

248 months

Tuesday 26th August 2008
quotequote all
bigTee said:
Orange retail has the power to take P4u's dealer code away?

Do you know how many phones P4u put through Orange each month?
Of course, if they are mis selling their network they can withdrww them from selling it!!!


Of cours eit wouldnt happen on pone complaint like I mentioned it would have ot be many complaints, but the threats seem to make the problems go away (on a temp. basis anyway) They litterally are rogue salesmen, or more the sales ethics/techniques that they are tought are very wrong.... Sell at any cost seems to come to mind. We rarely have any problems with Carphone warehouse, they seem to be a good 3rd party...


But people will never listen, you should only get your contract from the network shops.... If you have problems you only get sent to the networks shops from the 3rd parties to which you will be told to Foxtrot oscar unless its actually a newtork problem!!!

People dont seem to understand that say for instance you bought a phone and Orantge contract form Phones 4u and there is a problem with the phone, it has got nothing to do with Orange... You didnt buy it from Orange, Phones 4u bought the phones not Orange its their problem... same goes with all the newtworks...

I probably get two or 3 people in a week saying they have come from P4u as their phone has stopped working and they said we would fix it!!! No chance!

Alleggerita

88 posts

219 months

Tuesday 26th August 2008
quotequote all
The Ben said:
The company you are talking about are the biggest cowboys I have ever had the misfortune of dealing with!!! I work for Orange Retail...
Hello Pot, it's Kettle! You're black!!

The Ben

1,623 posts

248 months

Tuesday 26th August 2008
quotequote all
Alleggerita said:
The Ben said:
The company you are talking about are the biggest cowboys I have ever had the misfortune of dealing with!!! I work for Orange Retail...
Hello Pot, it's Kettle! You're black!!
How so??