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CASHBACK CLAIMS - Golden Rules
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Hi all,
Not sure if this has been done before, or if it will work, but I thought we could start a thread on the Golden Rules for cashback claims. Feel free to add to this, maybe it could be made a sticky, but PLEASE keep it on topic, PLEASE do not post on individual companies or individual claims.
My golden rules for getting cashback:
Preparation:
- use a "reputable" company. Lots of mobile phone companies are small and rely on people not claiming cashbacks to make their profit. For that reason, they tend to go bust quite often when they realise people all do claim their cashback.
- If your mobile phone company goes bust owing you cashback, TOUGH. You are likely to get nothing back at all. Your contact for the phone is with the network but your cashbacks are from the retailer. Just because the retailer goes bust, you have no comeback against the network and cannot threaten to cancel the contract.
- Because companies rely on people not claiming cashback to survive, they make it as difficult to claim cashbacks. Common tactics are small windows to send in the bills, difficult to understand claim instructions, conflicting info on the instructions and websites, companies claiming not to have received claims.....
- I always treat cashback companies as if they are out to wriggle out of the claims. Be very sceptical of everything you are told, always getting written proof where possible.
1. READ THE INFORMATION YOU ARE GIVEN AND FOLLOW IT TO THE LETTER - If there is anything you aren't sure of then a) ask on here (but take all advice on here with a pinch of salt - what has worked in the past for one person might not work again) b) ring E2Save (or other company) IN ADVANCE and seek clarification (recording the call if possible) or preferably getting written confirmation of everything said.
2. If you are ever in doubt about which bill to send, (i.e. if you are stuck between two bills) then send the earlier one, if they send it back saying you are too early, KEEP THE PROOF and then when it arrives, send the next bill!!!
3. Send your claims by SPECAIL DELIVERY if possible although personally I have always sent mine recorded delivery, but more importantly, retain the slip to prove you have sent it. Some people on here say that first class is fine, I like to have some security although that said, E2Save NEVER seem to sign for their recorded items, but Special always get signed for.....
4. Follow the claim up after you have posted. The most important thing to do is use the recorded / special delivery number to check the claim made it to the phone company. If it did then fantastic, sit back and wait for the cheque to come home....
If it hasn't made it then don't panic, there are a few things you can do:
a) ring up the phone company and see if they have the claim (remember RECORD if possible). As I mentioned earlier, E2Save never sign for their recorded delivery items (thanks Royal Mail, great job!! :mad: ) so it may well be that they have received it.
b) if they haven't received it then get another one in the post (would advise special delivery the 2nd time around if the first fails).
5. If the cheque doesn't turn up, RING THEM. Its all very well complaining on here and e-mailing them, but nothing beats speaking with a person who can answer your questions. Find out why the cheque hasn't been sent. Be polite but firm, you have all the proof you need that you kept your side of the bargain. Be persistent, promises of call backs are usually worth noghing, so try to get things sorted straight away. It might take a few calls but the cost is minimal if you use free minutes and geographic numbers from https://www.saynoto0870.co.uk
6. If you have called them a few times and given them a reasonable amount of time to sort things and have still got nowhere, write to their head office recorded delivery giving them 14 days from the date of the letter to pay out or you will start small claims proceedings. Again, be polite but firm, NOT abusive or angry!!
7. The above should get results, but in the unusual circumstance that you have to take further action, follow your "threats" and start small claims proccedings. Here is where I would seek advice from fellow MSE'ers on the forums....
Thats about it, will keep it updated and change bits as needed, please feel free to add your tips, but again, PLEASE keep it on topic.
M
Not sure if this has been done before, or if it will work, but I thought we could start a thread on the Golden Rules for cashback claims. Feel free to add to this, maybe it could be made a sticky, but PLEASE keep it on topic, PLEASE do not post on individual companies or individual claims.
My golden rules for getting cashback:
Preparation:
- use a "reputable" company. Lots of mobile phone companies are small and rely on people not claiming cashbacks to make their profit. For that reason, they tend to go bust quite often when they realise people all do claim their cashback.
- If your mobile phone company goes bust owing you cashback, TOUGH. You are likely to get nothing back at all. Your contact for the phone is with the network but your cashbacks are from the retailer. Just because the retailer goes bust, you have no comeback against the network and cannot threaten to cancel the contract.
- Because companies rely on people not claiming cashback to survive, they make it as difficult to claim cashbacks. Common tactics are small windows to send in the bills, difficult to understand claim instructions, conflicting info on the instructions and websites, companies claiming not to have received claims.....
- I always treat cashback companies as if they are out to wriggle out of the claims. Be very sceptical of everything you are told, always getting written proof where possible.
1. READ THE INFORMATION YOU ARE GIVEN AND FOLLOW IT TO THE LETTER - If there is anything you aren't sure of then a) ask on here (but take all advice on here with a pinch of salt - what has worked in the past for one person might not work again) b) ring E2Save (or other company) IN ADVANCE and seek clarification (recording the call if possible) or preferably getting written confirmation of everything said.
2. If you are ever in doubt about which bill to send, (i.e. if you are stuck between two bills) then send the earlier one, if they send it back saying you are too early, KEEP THE PROOF and then when it arrives, send the next bill!!!
3. Send your claims by SPECAIL DELIVERY if possible although personally I have always sent mine recorded delivery, but more importantly, retain the slip to prove you have sent it. Some people on here say that first class is fine, I like to have some security although that said, E2Save NEVER seem to sign for their recorded items, but Special always get signed for.....
4. Follow the claim up after you have posted. The most important thing to do is use the recorded / special delivery number to check the claim made it to the phone company. If it did then fantastic, sit back and wait for the cheque to come home....
If it hasn't made it then don't panic, there are a few things you can do:
a) ring up the phone company and see if they have the claim (remember RECORD if possible). As I mentioned earlier, E2Save never sign for their recorded delivery items (thanks Royal Mail, great job!! :mad: ) so it may well be that they have received it.
b) if they haven't received it then get another one in the post (would advise special delivery the 2nd time around if the first fails).
5. If the cheque doesn't turn up, RING THEM. Its all very well complaining on here and e-mailing them, but nothing beats speaking with a person who can answer your questions. Find out why the cheque hasn't been sent. Be polite but firm, you have all the proof you need that you kept your side of the bargain. Be persistent, promises of call backs are usually worth noghing, so try to get things sorted straight away. It might take a few calls but the cost is minimal if you use free minutes and geographic numbers from https://www.saynoto0870.co.uk
6. If you have called them a few times and given them a reasonable amount of time to sort things and have still got nowhere, write to their head office recorded delivery giving them 14 days from the date of the letter to pay out or you will start small claims proceedings. Again, be polite but firm, NOT abusive or angry!!
7. The above should get results, but in the unusual circumstance that you have to take further action, follow your "threats" and start small claims proccedings. Here is where I would seek advice from fellow MSE'ers on the forums....
Thats about it, will keep it updated and change bits as needed, please feel free to add your tips, but again, PLEASE keep it on topic.
M
0
Comments
-
This is good advice.
Three have changed my tariff without my consent at the start of month 12 of my contract. What do you advise in this situation as I expect The Link will be determined not to pay my cashback as a result.0 -
bumpty bump0
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How do we know what companys to use if we have never had a contract phone?0
-
Hi
This is a great post by MORPH3US.
I ALWAYS send cashback claims by recorded delivery. Costs £4 ish per claim, but you can trace your delivery on-line and prove it was received.
I believe that if you send by recorded delivery and the Post Office can't prove receipt you can claim from them up to £250 - can someone out there check if this is correct?
Try to get the least number of cashback claims as they will cost you £4 each.
For the last cashback I wanted two contracts. If you can (check the T&C) take two from the same company. Then you can claim twice at the same time saving the paperwork and cost of the recorded delivery.
Do all the paperwork for the cashback claims when you receive the phone/s and store them in one place ready to send.
Mark the dates when your are expecting to recieve the bills in a diary or year planner. If you don't receive a bill within a couple of days. Chase it! Go through the nearest shop (T-Mobile forgot to send me my 12th month bill once, took me a month to get a copy and guess what - by then I had missed the cashback period.) Never again.
I never cancel the contract until I have received my final cashback cheque (don't know if this is correct but I don't take the chance) so the contract will cost you at least 1 or 2 months charge.
Cancel your contract in writing - it took over 5 months to cancel a contract with 3. I'd cancelled the contract by letter and standing order but they just kept sending the bills. Of course I kept my letters and finally sent them copies of the letters by recorded delivery. Never again.
I have found that very few companies take helpdesk queries via email.
Good luck choosing a cashback company, we all have our favourites.
Hope this helps
AllanYou don't win silver - you lose gold0 -
jammy123 wrote:How do we know what companys to use if we have never had a contract phone?
As with anything in life, most of it is common sense combined with gut instinct.
I only buy from E2Save because I have used them before, they are cheap and they are owned by CPW. The chances of CPW going bust are slim compared to Joe Bloggs Mobile Phones etc...
I believe OneStopPhoneShop are also owned by CPW so they should be ok. Obviously there is CPW and the Link but I find they tend to be more expensive because they have bricks and mortar shops as well as online!
Best bet is to stick with companies mentioned above or others that have lots of recommendations. Search google or forums like this for feedback on the companies and find out how long they have been around.
Phone their customer services helpline (pretending you have a broken phone) and see what they are like (don't phone up saying you want to buy a phone, they will always be nice and quick then)!!!
M0 -
iwannamotorbike wrote:I believe that if you send by recorded delivery and the Post Office can't prove receipt you can claim from them up to £250 - can someone out there check if this is correct?
Good post mate!
To answer your question above, recorded delivery is only insured for 100 times the cost of first class postage i.e. £32 (ish, not sure how much first class is now).
SPECIAL delivery is covered up to about £250.
Recorded delivery also doesn't cover consequential loss, i.e. if you send your mobile bill and it gets lost, you can only claim for the cost of the bill, NOT for the loss of the cashback. Not sure if this also applies to Special delivery...
M0 -
Useful thread thank you.
I would possibly start your golden rules earlier.
1. Make sure that you understand the offer that you are interested in and how it will work - read everything including t&cs, the cashback offer page(s) and search on here and other forums that the retailer is reputable (though not always a true reflection as some reputations change quickly) and any problems experienced with their cashbacks in the past. If in any doubt, ask the retailer for clarification (preferably in writing).
2. If you are interested in ordering - print screen/keep a copy of every page of the online offer you are interested in (including the advert), sign up/order pages and any terms and conditions in force at the time that you order (they change frequently). Make sure that you follow every link relating to your offer (look out for * or other small print) and keep a copy.
3. When you receive your phone, check that all the paperwork is there (particularly important if you need to send vouchers, a copy of the original invoice or other paperwork included in the initial package or welcome pack. Some companies have very strict rules about missing paperwork - if anything is missing, you may have to let them know within 14 days (may be less). As a rule, after this period (whatever period they have stated) they WILL NOT REPRINT ANYTHING - therefore you need to be proactive - check and chase if necessary. If in any doubt on any aspect of your cashback (including when to claim), ask the retailer for clarification before your return period is up (ie when you can return the phone without penalty).
With regards to the original 3 above, although many mobile retailers offering cashback advise to send Recorded Delivery, personally I always send Special Delivery Next Day (by 1pm)(with consequential loss - that is the important bit) - it works out about £5.35 which may seem a lot for a letter, but it is a small price to pay for peace of mind. With Special Delivery, it is tracked through the process and Royal Mail insure you if it goes missing and subsequent/consequential loss as a result of it missing the deadline or original paperwork going missing (my understanding is that Recorded or Special Delivery without consequential loss would only cover you for the actual cost of the paper - not much use in these circumstances where you need the actual voucher or bill to claim!).
Full details of Special Delivery is available at http://www.royalmail.com/portal/rm/jump2?catId=22700530&mediaId=22700534
I would also revise the stages slightly to incorporate some of iwannamotorbike's advice (do all paperwork/get envelopes ready right at the beginning, put claim dates in your diary and other places to make sure that you remember). Personally,I don't keep the contract running longer than necessary, therefore check before you take out the deal how long you have to have it, when you can cancel without it affecting the cashback - on the deals where I have done this (4 so far) and checked the t&cs, I have waited for my 12th bill to arrive and then cancelled the contract/requested PAC code to transfer my number out.
Hope this helps.
Anon0 -
I was recently on a contract with Simply3g,
I paid £40 per month for my phone (waste of money) and the 2nd 6 moths was 1 cashback offer at £20 a month so my cashback would have been £240
I had 2 of these contracts 1 for me 1 for the wife,
sent the cashback away in the same envelope (mistake) and they claim they never received it. it was sent recorded,
problem is it was signed for, but it is a general person in the building that signs for all mail for about 3 companys.
after i investigated to where my cashback was, they aknowledged that there was a problem and by the time it was sorted they would not pay out as it was over the time limit
I lost out on £480 in November.Bargain BoyNo amount of money is worth more than good health0 -
MORPH3US wrote:Good post mate!
To answer your question above, recorded delivery is only insured for 100 times the cost of first class postage i.e. £32 (ish, not sure how much first class is now).
I had an issue with the post office a while back over this. I sent a cashback letter recorded delivery and they failed to deliver it. The post office sent me 12 first class stamps as an apology. I refused the offer and argued my case for the full £32 but they wouldn't budge. I even got the post office watchdog involved but they still fobbed me off
Always always send your cashback claim SPECIAL DELIVERY it will cost you £4 ish but it is insured upto £2500.0 -
tappet_rattle wrote:Always always send your cashback claim SPECIAL DELIVERY it will cost you £4 ish but it is insured upto £2500.
... with consequential loss (additional £1.25) otherwise you are still only insuring the cost of replacing the paper, not the loss incurred as a result of that paper (voucher/bill) disappearing and not being able to submit again by the deadline.
Anon0
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