Skype no longer works on 3 Skypephone...

24

Comments

  • johnk
    johnk Posts: 432 Forumite
    I've raised a complaint at http://www.ombudsman-services.org/communications.html after Three refused to do anything and said that I have to upgrade in order to use the service again (so much for "free calls forever").
    Mark Hughes' blue and white army
  • 1pds
    1pds Posts: 8 Forumite
    I've now raised a complaint with the Office of Fair Trading. I'll let the Forum now how they respond.
  • 1pds
    1pds Posts: 8 Forumite
    Thanks JohnK. I've also submitted a complaint to the Ombudsman Services - you can do it online (see link in previous thread) and it only takes a few minutes. If we all make complaints to the Ombudsman I'm sure they'll sit up and take notice!
  • Also
    Also Posts: 16 Forumite
    OK, I had the information from Three that the turn off hadn't been notified to them and the first they knew was when customers complained and that after that Skype had informed them.

    As such "older phones" can't use Skype, my INQ included :mad:
    After 1 hour arguing on the phone about loss of service they agreed to upgrade me to a Nokia C2 (from an INQ) for free with a 3 month contract extension (I'm on a roll over monthly plan).

    We'll ignore that the Nokia C2 is really poor build quality to the INQ and that it didn't seem so nice to use.
    The bigger problem is that I can't even access Planet Three on it.
    Another 1 hour call later and they agreed to send out a replacement (thus starts a debacle with DPD which means a week alter I'm still without a working phone!).

    What's worse is that I now have the letter from them stating SIX months longer contract!
    So I am *not* happy.
    Then again, I am paying £5.64ish a month for 500min, 100 text, MSN and skype...

    But if they offer you a C2 think twice!
    Trying to save money to err... spend it...
  • mobilebuyer
    mobilebuyer Posts: 1 Newbie
    edited 25 May 2011 at 1:26PM
    The skypephone s2 also can use the "skype for brew" software which is a different provider that 3 uses. My sister uses this on her mobile and it works well but on mine, i had the iskoot version which has stopped working. I told this to three, but they are adamant that this will stop working in due course.

    I WENT TO LOCAL 3 STORE AND SENT THIS OFF TO REPAIR CENTRE FOR REFLASHING WITH THE SKYPE BREW VERSION. I GOT BACK A LETTER SAYING ALL IS DONE AND CHECKED AND THAT IT WORKS!! BUT WHEN I CHECKED THE MOBILE, IT WAS THE SAME AS BEFORE I SENT IT OFF!!
  • RupertRoker
    RupertRoker Posts: 27 Forumite
    Hello everyone,

    I purchased one of the phones affected by this issues (one of the original INQ phones) on the back of promises that I would receive ‘free Skype calls for life’.

    I’ve been trying to get this problem sorted out with Three but I’m not having much luck. (They are not admitting that they’ve done everything legally wrong).

    If I can’t get them to agree to fix this problem or compensate me I intend to bring a case in the small claims track against them. I’m very confident that what Three are doing isn’t legally right. The argument that I’m intending to run is:

    (1) The promise of “free Skype calls for life” has contractual force because of Section 14(2b)(a) and s14(2)d) of the Sale of Goods Act 1979 (which relates to adverts being incorporated into the contract of sale).

    (2) That any assertions that they make that they have a contractual entitlement to not provide anything other than voice, texts and data services is wrong because section 3 of the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977 which provides that a company may not "claim to be entitled... ...to render a contractual performance substantially different from that which was reasonably expected of him." (and the ‘reasonable expectation’ of anybody buying a INQ phone/skype phone etc was to ‘free Skype calls for life’.

    Therefore I think that I and other similarly affected consumers are entitled to compensation. I would suggest that the cost of finding alternative performance (i.e. getting the benefit of ‘free Skype calls’) is probably the best option to go for. I’m still trying to work out precisely what this works out to in pounds and pennies but I think this should at least be the cost of a new phone that Skype works on and the costs of providing data services to that phone to use Skype.

    If anybody would like to join me as a co-claimant that would be really good and would probably concentrate Three’s mind a little. If you’d rather not be a claimant yourself but just want to know how I get on so that if I do get compensated you can ask Three to give you the same settlement let me know.

    Just to be clear and to avoid any confusion later on. I’m not a lawyer, I’m not a claims handler and I’m not offering to fight your case for you or provide a legal service. I’m a law graduate and consumer rights professional. I’m doing this in my own time and off my own bat. If you’ve got the same problem as me I’d like to give you the opportunity to join any case I bring against Three as a co-claimant in the small claims track, I’m looking to do this with people rather than for them (though I can sort all of the paperwork/statement of claims etc. out and then confirm that anybody that would like to join me is happy with what I’m saying for everyone). I’m suing in small claims because then Three can’t ask me to pay their costs even if we don’t win. As I’m not a lawyer or claims manager I won’t be taking a cut of any compensation that Three offer or are ordered to pay in relation to anybody elses part of this claim.

    If you’d like to contact me, in the first port of call please message me through the MSE forums.

    I’d also be be very interested to hear from any lawyers who would like to help me with this as I think that for the right law firm this could make an excellent case for a Group Litigation Order.

    Thanks

    Rupert Roker
  • johnk wrote: »
    I've raised a complaint at after Three refused to do anything and said that I have to upgrade in order to use the service again (so much for "free calls forever").


    After exhausting all my options and having pain for listning to the rubbish of Three CS, I am planning to write to ombudsman too. If you have success stories, please share.

    I am planning to use 5.8(a) from Terms & conditions (withdrawal of service giving right to free cancellation) as my argument. Also they did not bother to notify changes per 4.1.

    Thanks
  • 1pds wrote: »
    Thanks JohnK. I've also submitted a complaint to the Ombudsman Services - you can do it online (see link in previous thread) and it only takes a few minutes. If we all make complaints to the Ombudsman I'm sure they'll sit up and take notice!
    johnk wrote: »
    I've raised a complaint at after Three refused to do anything and said that I have to upgrade in order to use the service again (so much for "free calls forever").


    After exhausting all my options and having pain for listning to the rubbish of Three CS, I am planning to write to ombudsman too. If you have success stories, please share.

    I am planning to use 5.8(a) from Terms & conditions (withdrawal of service giving right to free cancellation) as my argument. Also they did not bother to notify changes per 4.1.

    Thanks
  • adnan-2010
    adnan-2010 Posts: 5 Forumite
    I submitted my complain aboout it few days ago and someone called back from Ombudsman services saying they don't think any breach of terms has happened because I can't prove detrimental effect ibecause I had always been in my dfata limits and I said well am I being penalised for being prudent to which they say they understand but can't help. Useless option!
  • Frozen_up_north
    Frozen_up_north Posts: 2,420
    First Anniversary Name Dropper Photogenic First Post
    Forumite
    Does the failure of the Skype phone occur only on those phones without any pay as you go credit?

    Both my girlfriend and myself have these phones and we both have credit on them, they are still working on Skype...

    We both use Skype on 3 a lot, both Skype to Skype and to call land line phones overseas. The service works a lot better than that offered on phones that use data for the Skype service... And a lot cheaper to use too.
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