Carphone Warehouse are horrible - can you help??

[Mousey-girl]

Dear all,

I am a complete newbie to this place and am not even sure that I am in the right place but I did see people who were angry with Carphone Warehouse, as am I. Just wondering if anyone had any advice. I will try and do a brief summary of what happened below:

I took out a contract, at the Sheffield (Fargate 12) branch of Carphone Warehouse, on a Samsung D900 with Vodafone as the provider on the 7th, October 2006; a direct debit was set up in store by the salesperson so that I could pay automatically. I was informed that the Lifeline insurance that I took out on the phone would allow me to cancel my contract without charge at any point.

12 months later, on the 18th October 2007, I returned to the same branch to check that everything was okay and was informed that I could get an updated version of my phone on a lower tariff. I was moved onto a T-Mobile contract on a Samsung SGH-U600.The salesperson told me that my previous contract and direct debit with Vodafone had been cancelled and I would not be charged anything for terminating. I was then asked to return my old phone, which I duly did the next day.

On the 19th April, 2008, (this weekend) I received two bills for my mobile (they had been forwarded on by my parents, since as a student I do not live at home) and I realised that my Vodafone contract had not been cancelled and I had been paying for a phone that I do not own. The cost to me over the past six months had been £245 (six time £35).

When I went to the Carphone Warehouse to query this, I was advised that I would be contacted about what had happened but that I couldn’t expect to be reimbursed (since then I have received no further information from them about what has happened). Indeed, I was informed that I should not ‘live my life on assumptions’. Each time that I went to this branch I was accompanied by a friend who would be willing to verify what I have said. I am also still in possession of both contracts and the name of the persons who took them out for me.

I then went to a Vodafone store to attempt to cancel my account. Here, I found out that there was no insurance that would protect my contract should I cancel it and that the only person who could cancel my contract was me personally, by letter. Therefore I had been misinformed by the Carphone Warehouse representative. Something which has cost me personally. Since then I have had to cancel my contract with Vodafone as well as my Direct Debit.

I have now paid off my last bill to Vodafone so as not to get into trouble with the debt collectors and written a letter cancelling my contract with them (it is now outside the limit of my 18 month contract). I have also written a letter to the Head Office at Carphone Warehouse.

How likely am I to get my money back?? What should I do to encourage them to do so? I am prefectly willing to take this all the way once my dissertation is out of the way, but I am not sure exactly how to do so. I can't help feeling that they are trying to bamboozle me becuase I am a student.

Help!! Please!! Sorry for the long post!!

[freakyleaky]

Hi Mouseygirl and welcome to the site.
I will have your thread moved to the telecoms forum where you will get all the help you need.

[davethorp]

The vodafone people are wrong on the insurance issue. CPW's insurance does give the ability to return the handset and cancel the contract which is what you did.

Therefore in my opinion is is CPW who you should approach with regards a refund as you rightly cancelled your contract under their insurance and therefore it is their error that has placed you out of pocket.

A well worded prelim letter to their head office explaining the facts should help, if not follow up after 14 days with an LBA and then 14 days later a moneyclaim if necessary

[lawbunny]

Sorry to hear about your problem. CPW are notorious for this type of incident: I see it on a daily (well, weekendly) basis! I don't know if it affects their commission to cancel your contract, or if they just can't be bothered filling in the paperwork, but this happens all the time!

Usually with mobile phones, you are the only person who can cancel the contract. However, dealers such as CPW usually have their own contact number for a specific dept within the networks which deals exclusively with them, allowing them to cancel under different procedures. Or, it could be that you need to cancel and then claim the early term fee back from your insurance (but you would need to check with the insurance co on that one I'm afraid).

I'd have to agree with davethorp on you next steps on this one.

[davethorp]

I once claimed on this insurance (although this was some 6 years ago) and I just had to return the handset and then CPW took care of the rest (though it probably helped that my billing provider was CPWBTCellnet (now CPWO2))

[Mousey-girl]

Hey,

Thanks for all the help. I went into Carphone Warehouse and found out that they had not processed the phone which I returned, therefore its contract had not been cancelled. They offered me half my money back because I hadn't noticed soon enough. Wasn't best impressed and sent a letter to the Head Office. They replied saying they would look into it. Now waiting to hear again.

Your advice has been super helpful. Cheers!!

[PrettyPaula]

typical CPW.

in future i would advise you to go direct to the network themselves.. not 3rd parties as the lack of communication and person to lay blame with is horrendous.