Beware Mobile Phone Warehouse Wales Ltd

[PrettyPaula]

wrighton with respect to your issue.

 

any phone can be traced to its exact whereabouts by a network. why cant they check where it is if its being used?

 

or did they blacklist handset and sim as soon as reported missing and reissue?

 

this sounds ridiculous to me...and why is it call 3...?

[chairofpants]

Have you heard the latest? I spoke to Mobile Phone Warehouse today to explain I've been waiting for four months for a cheque and apparently they've had an entire mail bag of cheques intended for MPW customers with a redemption agreement stolen. And they can't reissue cheques until they get the go-ahead from their bank – and they've been waiting for three weeks for the nod. I'd swear I could hear colleagues laughing at the fob-off in the background... Or is that just paranoia? Would there be any point in calling their bank and asking them to verify the fact? Or should I just come to terms with the fact that MPW are a bunch of bull****ters? What great ambassadors these charlatans are proving to be for Wales and the Welsh...

 

Wide berth recommended!

[CiXra]

I was so shocked when I read about the company Mobile Phone Warehouse! I was researching them after I had been concerned about them debiting my friends account (which they told me they would not do) for £9.99 for a 'free' bluetooth headset & again for £9.99 for an unknown reason.

They had told me that they would need a credit card to secure the contract on and as I only had a visa electron card, I could ask a friend or family member if I could borrow their card & as I was 'assured' no money would be taken from their account I agreed. I now wish I hadn't as I felt so embarrassed when she asked me to look at her statement cos two amounts of £9.99 had been taken from her account. I was furious & after speaking to someone from the company I was even more angry as no-one could tell me what the amounts were for & why I wasn't informed money would be debited.

I now am seriously worried about this company but cannot return the handset. I am also having problems with the handset-its having technical problems, screen keeps freezing and crashing but its not insured. Even though I requested insurance for the phone but so far no insurance.

I am completely disgusted with this company & at a loss as to what to do!

[chairofpants]

All I can suggest is talk to Meg at MPW – she seems to be the only one with any authority – and failing this, report your experience to Ofcom. Apparently they're supposed to be clamping down on such behaviour: Clamping down on mobile mis-selling | Ofcom As far as insurance is concerned, try Fonesure:0870 416 3353 It'll cost you about a fiver a month though. Good luck, you're gonna need it when dealing with MPW!

[buzby]

You should never give out your card number to anyone on any pretext if money is not to change hands - this 'assurance' only works if you can trust the firm making the claim. As you discovered, you can't and you won;t be able to reclaim in either. As for the faulty phone, you DON;T need insurance for this, as this will only cover theft, loss and unauthorised calls. You are fully covered under SOGA (Sale of Goods Act). Make your complaint NOW and in writing, and keep a copy.

[JL1982]

I have also experienced trouble with Mobile Phone Warehouse Wales Ltd. I recieved the phone call offering me a cheaper contract, which turned out to be false, the fee that was agreed over the phone was actually incorrect when i recieved the bill, i also had no signal for my home address, which is one area i had questioned them on and was reassured i would recieve the same signal as i did with my current supplier (my current supplier has full signal, no signal with the contract offered through MPWW). My sister in-law has also been ripped off by this company. You can not even get through to cancellations as they will not provide a number, instead they assure you they will get cancellations to call you back, this does not happen. Avoid this company like the plague and hang up if you recieve a call.

[Dhoffryn]

Hello all, I have just finished reading all the posts about this company and now realise that the saying "Experience is what you get immediately after you needed it" is a valid one!

 

I was cold called on Thursday of last week (June 19th) by MPW and offered a new contract as my current contract was due to expire at the end of September (this is true). I was asked what kind of phone I currently used, I replied "Samsung U600" - "Oh, that's a bit out of date isn't it?" was the reply. He proceeded to tell me that he could supply me with the "Brand New Nokia coming out tomorrow" and the contract would be £24 per month, with the first two months free so that I wasn't expected to pay for 2 contracts at the same time. He proceeded to ask me what colour of phone I would like as the phone came in black, silver or pink. I wanted a black one, so that's what I asked for. I was so taken in by the offer I asked about a phone for my partner - he offered me the exact same deal, but I requested a pink phone for her. The man also offered me a "Free bluetooth headset worth £75".

 

On Saturday, two packages arrived - both addressed to my partner (funny, I thought it was MY contract) inside each package was a NOKIA 6120. Both were black and one had "Refurbished" on the cover sleeve. "How can it be refurbished if it's brand new out yesterday?" I thought. Then I googled the make of phone. Not only did I discover that this model of phone was actually released by Nokia on 3rd August 2007 it comes in a range of colours - BLACK, BLACK or BLACK! And guess what - no sign of a bluetooth headset either!

 

At 9am on Monday morning I phoned MPW to request the returns address as I was not happy that I received items that had been mis-sold to me. I also expressed my outrage (in a firm controlled manner) that I had been lied to by their sales rep. I was told that they would "raise the cancellation paperwork" and get back to me later in the day. After two more calls and the same fob-off I decided to phone the Office of Fair Trading with whom I now have a case file on this matter. I phoned once more (filled with the backing of the OFT) at 1735 hrs yesterday (June 23rd) to demand the returns address, on this occasion I was given the address and told that my cancellation had now been processed - wait for the punchline - this was the only phone call I placed to them where nobody asked for my name!!!

 

Anyway, I am suspect of the address that I was given as it is somewhere in Oxford (not giving full address as I saw in an earlier entry that it was removed) but I am on my way to the post office to send both phones back (and the invisible headset!!) Will post further if anything else develops.

 

I would give my advise and moral of this story as - if you want a phone contract - go get one, don't let them come to you!!!

[MAD AS]

DO NOT use this company, I find their" customer services "term beyond belief, none responds, none takes any responsibility, there are apparently no managers to deal with esculated calls. I am completlely aghast,that anyone can deem to call themselves a business and conduct themselves in this manner. This contractor really needs to be taken to task by Three, whown I have also contacted. The address is :

Mobile Phone Warehouse (Wales),

Unit 12,

100 Trestre Road,

Llanelli,

Carmarhtenshire,

SA15 2EA.

[madmerlin69]

Mobilephonewarehouse Wales customer service-(01554)772400

 

John

 

 

i see uv not gave us ur returns address john ??

 

 

i have recently fell for ur dirty lies.

 

 

i went thro all the details before u told me it was a 3 network i then agreed only to the fact if i didnt like it i could return it.

 

 

well here we go.

 

 

i was on holiday last week when ur second fone call came to see how i liked ma handset....when i informed u i was on holiday and i hadnt recieved it and i wanted it cancelled after about a couple o mins tryin to ask me why u agreed to cancel it.

 

 

1. U said u had done it while i was still on the fone - great i said

 

2. u said when i get bk from holiday just to leave the fone in the royal mail so they would send it bk - great i said

 

3. got bk from holiday then a week later i recieve a bill from urselfs.

 

4. i fone up 3 and the contrct is still active it hasnt been cancelled.

 

5. now noone is answering ur fones - funny that.

 

so tell me john how come ur employees are sitting lying to your customers that their cancelling the contract when they are blatantly lying out their heads and keepin it going tryin to make money out of us.

 

iv cancelled ma direct debits with 3 they have done the same and 3 are fonin u on monday aswell as i am.

 

 

please reply to this post

 

gav

[seagle]

My wife has also recently been had by this company.

I phoned 3 yesterday about cancelling the contract and they said I would need to contact MPWW to do this.

I phoned them and was told their cancellations dept would call me back at 6:20 that evening. By 7:20 still no call so I called them back to request cancellation due to mis-selling.

I was told this could not be done without paying a hefty early termination fee as my wife was outwith the 14 day period. (the contract began 07/06/08, we had our new baby the day after so no time to think about mobile phones!) I said again the product was mis-sold mainly due to my wife's current contract not ending until the end of september, the fact she was not informed of any possible charges for moving provider, and therefore the contract was void.

The person I was speaking with immediately became very obnoxious and said she personally controls quality control and my wife would have been told all the facts about moving contracts, including charges for pac codes etc.

I again said my wife had not been told this to which the person replied 'We can go on saying yes she did and no she didn't but it isn't going to change anything'. I hung up.

I called 3 back to explain what had happened and have to say I was very politley dealt with the whole time I was on the phone to them. However, the upshot was that my issues had been escalated but at the end of the day it would come down to MPWW's word against ours, UNLESS they received a number of complaints about them in which case they would investigate further.

I filled in 3's online feedback form with this forums url and another I found and asked that someone read them and get back to me. I have received a message requesting I call them about my feedback which I will be doing soon.

I'll post what the outcome is but in the meantime I urge all those who have posted here to contact 3 and complain about MPWW so we can try to resolve our issues and stop other people being ripped off.

[buzby]

Hang on there - they cooling off period is there for your protection, the fact a baby - not unexpected I presume? - arrived in the middle of this is hardly a valid reason, as would the usual deaths/floods or other disasters that are all part of everyday mayhem.

 

But the real issue, which you say occurs because the phone was 'mis-sold' interests me. I cannot see this, as it appears your wife has an earlier mobile contract she cannot get out of because it has still two months to run. Don't you mean 'mis-bought'? Sure if you don't complete the minimum obligation of the earlier contract, they'll expect you to pay for any shortfall - just as the NEW arrangement will do exactly the same thing.

 

Whilst there is no excuse for any retailer being 'obnoxious' it is often a two way street when you don't hear the news you want. Unless the new contract phone or service has problems, it has been correctly supplied at the request of the purchaser, and if this means having to pay 2 or 3 months for an old phone's current service, that's a small price to pay for a spanking new handset.

 

Perhaps waiting until a prior minimum term has been completed will save this situation arising in future?

Edited July 25, 2008 by buzby

[locutus]

I agree.

 

If you requested your PAC code from your old supplier and they didn't mention that there was still time to run on this contract, shouldn't it be your old supplier that you are upset with?

[seagle]

My wife wasn't trying to get out of her current contract, she is more than happy with it. She was cold called by mpww.

 

They said her contract was coming to an end, which it wasn't for another 4 months.

They said she could keep her number by getting the pac code from her current provider without charge.

The letter from them to get the pac code took just over 2 weeks to arrive.

They added phone insurance she didn't agree to.

They said the network coverage would be the same, it isn't.

When she called one of their numbers after a missed call she got told 'This is no ****ing company'

 

If mpww had said 'your current mobile contract ends in 4 months, for £100 we can give you a new phone on an 18 month contract, or you can wait 4 months and get a new phone completely free'. I know exactly what my wife would have done then.

[MAD AS]

I Have Contacted Three, Several Times, They Are Very Polite But Reticent About Giving Information Or Taking Action . I Guess The Finacial Rewards Are Such That There Is No Incentive . I Have Made The Point That They Should Be Pro Active In Protecting Their Customers And Their Reputation. I Will Continue To Apply Pressure To Three, The Contract They Have With Mpww, Allows Then To Maintain Their "business".

[seagle]

Three have been in touch with us and have said that after reading the comments in this forum, and others, they will be investigating mpww with the full backing of ofcom.

[MAD AS]

Well Lets Keep Up The Pressure, None Of Us Would Be In This Situatuion If Three Had Taken This Group Of People To Task Earlier. They Should Have Introduced Clear Codes Of Conduct,that Any Business Acting On Their Behalf Adheres Too.

[summerboy]

Hi Guys

 

I want to share my experience about this MPWH . One unfortunate day I also fell for this company and took a 3 contract. Well I have never signed a contract. They offered me cash back on my 1st three phone bills as I was already on O2.

 

Well to date they have sent me 1 cheque. It has already been 4 months and I am still waiting for my 2 pay back cheques and also another 1 cheque covering delivery charges and 1check which they promised me as I am billed for £30 by 3 but MPWH offered me the contract for £27.

 

Altogether they owe me now £100. There is no sign of anything coming back but every time I phone them, I get the reply that the cheques are on the way.

 

I dont know what to do. I wonder whether any body can suggest me on how to make a formal complaint on this and who should I contact.

 

Many Thanks

[MAD AS]

I Have Tried To Contact Mpwh, Via Letter And Telephone, And No Return Calls Or Letters. I Have Contacted Three , They State That The Contract Is With Mpwh .i Have Pointed Out That Three Are The Reason That Mpwh Exists,and They Surely Have A Moral Obligation To Their Customers, Especially As They Have Been Aware Of Problems With Mpwh For Some Time. I Am Still Communicating With Three And Will Keep Progress Posted.

The Customer Services Address Is:

3 Customer Services,

Huhinson 3g Uk Ltd,

Po Box 333,

Glasgow,

G2 9ag

[captain wonderful]

Hi guys,

I too have recently fallen foul of this so called 'reputable' company. I have joined this forum specifically so I can post to you all. I have read the numerous posts. My problem is that having contacted 3 and spoken to a very helpful, polite and professional gentleman-Ameya-who agreed to deal with my 'mis sold' complaint-and -get this guys-actually did! He called me back in a couple of days, as promised and said that I was to contact Rikki or Gareth Jacobs-'managers' of MPWW, or Easy Direct Marketing-which they also seem to go under and they would give me the adress to return my 'mis sold' handset to. I called them-spoke to Rikki and he gave me the address-somewhere in Oxford-but I have somehow mislaid this! Can anyone help me out with this address? Perhaps contact me by e mail? As I see that the initial address posted here was erased.

Oh and beware-I now have had money deducted by an insurance company, whose details are listed here-but I did not ask them for cover-so here goes with another fight!

[RedPanda]

Captain Wonderful,

The oxford address they sent you is for Advantage (MPW distro)

 

Advantage solved my problems and gave me piece of mind in basically seconds.

 

the number is 01235 514658

Explain your situation to those guys and they should be able to help you.

 

I have a full story to post but am waiting a few more days until the guys from Advantage confirm the cancellation of my contract before i post it..

 

I am also owed £95 from MPW, another story i shall post when my contracts cancelled.

 

I have no idea who to bother explaining myself to in regards to getting my money back, as im pretty certain the guys at MPW wont care at all.

 

They have successfully ruined my summer and left me in a big debt before i start my second year of university, thank you so much John.

[FevLady]

Thank goodness it isnt only me. I was contacted by MPW in February saying I was coming to end of contract. Phone is for my daughter who uses it loads and she was forever paying bills of over £70!! Gave us a new contract for £45 with more minutes and more texts, more than pleased - at first!!! I just assumed MPW were 3!!! MPW offered me refund of £45 for each of the first 3 bills, first refund arrived with no bother. They even said this contract would follow on from old one. It all came out when we continued to receive bills from 3. MPW said I would have been aware of it (I WASN'T). I sent them a letter with copy bills requesting refund, no joy!! I phoned them, no interest whatsoever, said accounts person had left and new person had started and would receive refunds in 2/3 days. SURPRISE SURPRISE I didn't. Phoned again - they said I wouldnt receive any money as their commission had not been received from 3. I did point out that this was not my problem. A very disinterested female said Gareth would ring me back - you guessed it - he didn't! Have tried ringing several times with no luck.

Have spoken with 3, and they say it isn't their problem!!!

Have asked MPW to cancel my contract, I know it won't happen but it has really really upset me.

Anybody got any advice for me

 

FevLady

[Chrissythemoo]

Ask your friend to lodge a dispute with her credit card company.

 

I was so shocked when I read about the company Mobile Phone Warehouse! I was researching them after I had been concerned about them debiting my friends account (which they told me they would not do) for £9.99 for a 'free' bluetooth headset & again for £9.99 for an unknown reason.

They had told me that they would need a credit card to secure the contract on and as I only had a visa electron card, I could ask a friend or family member if I could borrow their card & as I was 'assured' no money would be taken from their account I agreed. I now wish I hadn't as I felt so embarrassed when she asked me to look at her statement cos two amounts of £9.99 had been taken from her account. I was furious & after speaking to someone from the company I was even more angry as no-one could tell me what the amounts were for & why I wasn't informed money would be debited.

I now am seriously worried about this company but cannot return the handset. I am also having problems with the handset-its having technical problems, screen keeps freezing and crashing but its not insured. Even though I requested insurance for the phone but so far no insurance.

I am completely disgusted with this company & at a loss as to what to do!

[Chrissythemoo]

Hey Summerboy, guess what? Me too!

 

Paul Barratt from Easydirect called me three months before the end of my o2 contract and promised to refund my first 3 months line rental with 3 to cover the overlap. They owe me £105.00 in total and I haven't received one cheque yet. I got the 'stolen post bag' line as their excuse for not having received the photocopied invoices they had requested. I then sent them again by recorded delivery. When I rang them they claimed to have received 2 invoices out of the three. Once I pointed out that all three invoices had been sent in the same envelope, the third invoice miraculously appeared. I was also informed that everything was delayed because Meg Campion had been sacked as she was useless. Yes, they actually used those words! So far I have been given the 'cheque's in the post' line about 3 times.

 

I am seriously considering going there in person to demand my money in cash. Anyone fancy joining me?

 

How would you like that John? All the people you've conned turning up en masse????

 

You've been rather quiet, perhaps you could let me know why you still have £105.00 of MY MONEY!!!!! Perhaps you could also tell us all how you sleep at night?

 

 

Hi Guys

 

I want to share my experience about this MPWH . One unfortunate day I also fell for this company and took a 3 contract. Well I have never signed a contract. They offered me cash back on my 1st three phone bills as I was already on O2.

 

Well to date they have sent me 1 cheque. It has already been 4 months and I am still waiting for my 2 pay back cheques and also another 1 cheque covering delivery charges and 1check which they promised me as I am billed for £30 by 3 but MPWH offered me the contract for £27.

 

Altogether they owe me now £100. There is no sign of anything coming back but every time I phone them, I get the reply that the cheques are on the way.

 

I dont know what to do. I wonder whether any body can suggest me on how to make a formal complaint on this and who should I contact.

 

Many Thanks

[Chrissythemoo]

Hi People,

 

I have just put together this letter to the Chief Executive Officer of Hutchison 3G UK Ltd and will be posting it first thing in the morning. I would urge those of you who's issues have not yet been resolved to do the same:

 

Mr Kevin Russell

Chief Executive Officer

Hutchison 3G UK Ltd

PO Box 333

Glasgow

G2 9AG

 

 

Dear Mr Russell,

 

Complaint Re: Your affiliate company Mobile Phone Warehouse (Wales) Ltd

 

As previously mentioned in a letter to yourself in April 2008 I signed up to an 18 month contract with Three through your affiliate company Mobile Phone Warehouse Wales Ltd also trading as Easy Direct as a result of a cold call placed by a Mr Paul Barratt .

 

I explained to Mr Barrett that I had 3 months until my o2 contract came to an end and Mr Barrett, after speaking to his manager, stated that I would be refunded my first three months line rental with Three by Mobile Phone Warehouse. He explained that I was to send photocopies of my first three invoices and cheques would be dispatched to the value of £35.00 per invoice. I was also informed that I would have 4000 Skype minutes per month, which I wrote to you about previously and that I would have unlimited internet access which is incorrect.

 

After numerous phonecalls and having twice sent the invoices requested, once by recorded delivery, I have received no cheques, despite being promised several times that they would be dispatched immediately. I was however, provided with excuses for the supposed delays in sending my cheques such as, ‘our mail bags were recently stolen’ and ‘Meg Campion, our accounts lady has been sacked as she was useless and we have no replacement yet’.

 

I decided to do some research on this company and came across the following thread on the Consumer Action Group’s website. (I had to remove URL here as it wouldn’t allow me to post message with it in) I would ask you to read all the entries on this thread so that you are aware that many Three customers have also been mis-sold contracts with Three and have reported their issues to your customer services team. Yet it would appear no action has been taken and this company is still misleading your customers and tarnishing Three’s reputation.

 

 

I understand from the thread and Three’s website that Three pays it’s affiliate companies commission for contracts procured by them. I also understand from the thread that Three has the authority to reimburse it’s customers by taking the money from the aforementioned commission. As such, I would be very grateful if you would do so on my behalf as given the information I have found, it is extremely doubtful that Mobile Phone Warehouse (Wales) Ltd is going to reimburse the money owed to me.

 

Given the circumstances I am writing to ask why you are allowing such an unprofessional and immoral company to represent Three. Hindsight is a wonderful thing and I truly wish that I had dealt with Three directly through the website or shop. Dealing with your affiliate company has cost me £105.00 that I can ill afford and others have lost more than this amount.

 

I will of course be reporting my issue to Ofcom and Trading Standards as I am disgusted that a company can be allowed to treat individuals in such a fashion.

 

I very much look forward to your response.

 

Yours sincerely,

[FevLady]

Thanks for that. My problems seem really similar to yours. I shall be copying your letter and forwarding it to 3 asap. I have had no problems with 3 themselves, although I am extremely annoyed that my details have been passed to a third party without my knowledge (or permission as far as I am aware!).

 

I also have sent copy bills for refunds, and have only one cheque back. Excuses I have had are cheques been stolen, accounts manager been sacked (but a new one appointed - cheques will be in the post) and final one this time is that 3 is not paying them the commission so they cannot pay us. We have obviously made a point to 3 if they have stopped the commission payments but we are out of pocket. So if 3 are keeping the commission, can they not refund us? Just a thought or am I being too simplistic!!!!!

 

 

Good Luck