Only Communications/Tmobile/Vibefm Competition

[benjee]

Hi all, looking for some assistance please.

 

The OH entered a competition on Vibe Fm (east of England radio) and won a mobile phone and years contract with T-Mobile through Only Communications (who sponsored the breakfast show).

The conditions of the prize were that once set up, you pay T-Mobile £35 a month (the fee), and Only Communications pay the same amount into your bank account each month. If you go over the allowance then you have to pay the extras.

 

Now, 3 payments later, Only Communications are not keeping to their end of the deal. There has been no payments from them at all, and when we first contacted them they explained there was a delay due to the populairty of the offer but it would be rectified soon. Now I have tried emailing and calling them but no one answers or replies.

The OH contacted T Mobile who said because the contract is with him then if he cancelled early he would be laible for any charges.

 

VibeFM (now changed to Kiss east) are aware of problems but are only taking names to pass onto Only Communications, and not actually doing anything else.

 

Where do we stand and what suggestions do you have?

To us, Only Communications have broken the agreement so should we be liable for charges incurred?

[buzby]

Yes and no! You have a legal contract with T-Mobile and they don;t give a hoot about anything else as long as they get paid. The cash-back deal that Only offer you it completely seperate, anf if they don;lt complete their side of the bargain, it is them you must pursue - it has nothing to do with T-Mobile. I always fight shy of these arrangements, as if they don't keep their side of the bargain, you're stuffed. Often it's just not worth pursuing a company that may fold at any moment.

[benjee]

I can see your point but when you read the following, you would not be aware of anyting wrong.

 

The only “communication group” have established offices in America as well as the UK and have recently taken on new office space on The Vision Park in Histon. Recent new business contracts have seen the company increase it’s workforce. And, since moving to Histon they have been busy recruiting additional staff to deal with the anticipated response from this latest promotion.

 

The group’s turnover has increased by an average of 50% per annum between 2000 and 2005, with the past 12 months showing a controlled explosion of approximately 400% growth. The companies target for 2006 is to expand by a similar number whilst continuing to provide the service quality its clients have become accustomed to. ‘only communications’. are currently planning expansion into Eastern Europe, Germany, Spain and Italy.

 

Also when you look on their website, they state that Only communications are a T-Mobile based operator.

[buzby]

Setting aside the PR Puff, it helps to remember it was the Conservative Government who originally set up the scheme whereby Networks were not allowed to deal directly with end users, they had to go through 'Service Providers' or 'Airtime Retailers'. There were atound 120 of them in 1985, and they'be been getting less and less, as the networks created their own direct-sell organisations.

 

The bottom line is the distributor finds custoimers and (usually) pass them as a legal entity to the network, siging a standard contract and using the network's own credit scoring amd billingsystems. The network then pays the firm (Only) a commission based on the signing, and propably a commission on the future spend of the custoimer.