TMTI Cancellation? can it be done

1246713

Comments

  • You should always simply call them and cancel. You signed up to it and if you didn't notice, that's actually YOUR fault and not theirs!
  • I have also had problems with this company. Returned my phone unopened and cancelled contract. Recieved a letter from the gadget helpline saying my account had been cancelled, but did not read the letter carefully. Was surprised to see they had taken 17.94 out of my account this month, about a month after the letter was recieved. When I asked for a refund, I was emailed a copy of my cancellation letter which said they were not cancelling until the end of this month (about six weeks after the phone was returned, and they know this!) I cannot see how tricking people into paying for services this company knows people do not want and will not use is better than theft. These days you have to deal with so much paperwork you do not always read all the small print, and a certain amount of trust has to be involved. As far as I can see, this scam is worse than the payment protection scams of the past, and consumers should be able to do something about it.
  • "You should always simply call them and cancel. You signed up to it and if you didn't notice, that's actually YOUR fault and not theirs!" This is probably legally true, which is what Gadget Helpline rely on to dishonestly obtain money from people who they obviously know would not pay for their service given a choice. But so much about the way this company operates is just morally wrong. Why take 6 months payment in advance, exactly one month after purchase, except to catch people out who are not quick enough to cancel? And in my case my purchase was returned within a week, and the contract never used. Gadget Helpline sent me a letter shortly after this telling me my contract had been cancelled, otherwise I would have cancelled the contract online myself as I have done on two other purchases. Stupid me for not reading the letter carefully and seeing that the date they put on the cancellation was actually 21st September, and my phone was retuned on the 13th August, but I was not expecting this kind of trickery. Who would? If Payment Protection was unfair, this is even more so, and this company cannot be allowed to keep getting away with it.
  • I have ordered dozens of deals from cpw companies. Only once did I miss cancelling, but since I check my bank account everyday I called them the day a payment went out; they cancelld it immediately and refunded it, but was my own fault. I usually cancel well within the 30 days and ensure I get written confirmation (waiting for one I cancelled last week and if it doesn't come I will take action still well within the 30 days).

    It is not fraudulant; much as I attack cpw companies for their practices THIS is shown quite clearly at the point of sale and you DO have a choice; don't sign up to the contract or cancel the compulsory extras as soon as it's set up (they do send separate written confirmation of that). As with all things to do with mobile phones, it does go without saying that written confirmation (promptly) is a necessity. In your case something has plainly gone wrong, but if you had proof of cancellation within the 30 days you could easily take appropriate action.

    Ultimately, no-one should sign up to any contract on-line unless they are fully conversant with the details. As with all purchases (on-line or not) caveat emptor is a fundamental principle of Englsh law as well as financial self-preservation.
  • skintlass
    skintlass Posts: 1,326
    First Anniversary Combo Breaker
    Forumite
    I got caught out by this as well - cancelled now.
    Never let your sucesses go to your head and never let your failures go to your heart.:beer:
  • Exactly the same happened to me - bought my phone through Mobiles.co.uk and straight away cancelled phone insurance, & Geeksquad. I even cancelled a new DD that appeared in my bank account for Carphone Warehouse as I assumed that was going to be for the insurance, & Geeksquad, only to find a new DD appear for TMTI!
    IMPORTANT - if this happens to you phone your bank immediately (at the latest the day after the first payment comes out) and your bank can recall the DD payment - they can only do this up until 8PM on the day after the first payment. I will still cancel with TMTI though as my bank said they could still set up a new DD.
    It's obviously a scam that a company like the Carphone Warehouse shouldn't be involved in - letters to follow!
    thanks everyone for all the info on this forum.
  • I agree, an absolute scam. It's only by accident that I found that I was even registered for this Gadget Helpline, when making sure that the DD for the insurance was cancelled, and I noticed a DD for TMTI which I didn't recognise. Both my wife and I each bought a phone on the same day from mobiles.co.uk, and I can guarantee that neither of us had either an email or letter from Gadget Helpline with registration/contract details for this service.

    As for Caveat emptor, with so many folks being caught out and the Gadget Helpline being so ready to refund the money, it implies that there's something fundamentally wrong with the practice of bundling it in automatically with the purchase of a phone. Accessories and additional services should be explicit opt-ins rather than forced 'options' which have to be cancelled after the event.

    As for 'no-one should sign up to any contract on-line unless they are fully conversant with the details', theoretically true, but it's a recognised problem with contracts contained on electronic media that their verbosity has expanded to fill the storage available. I've just received new terms and conditions for iTunes store on my iPhone, and they were 56 pages long! And have you read the software licence contract for your installation of Microsoft Windows? Hmm, thought not. Anyway, now I've gone slightly off-topic, so I'll shut up and put my soap-box away ;-)
  • mobilejunkie
    mobilejunkie Posts: 8,460 Forumite
    TMTI and the insurance are not amongst 56 pages - or even two - but clearly displayed among limited other information on the deal you accept. If people can't be bothered to read that they can hardly claim it is hidden amongst the t&c. The deals are fairly clear (and it isn't often I defend cpw) and although people may disagree to automatically signing up they a) don't have to buy the contract and b) if they do they have plenty of time to cancel before any charges come out. A "scam" implies you are signing up to something different to what you were offered; since that is not the case, it is not a scam. It may not be best practice, but its not really underhand. I usually cancel both immediately - but sometimes I make a little use of the freebie. Either way, that is my choice and I am fully aware of it. If people print out the pages of the offer they agree to they will be able to read it quite clearly under "includes" - there are two lines under this heading, one for the insurance and one for gadget helpline with the details very clear on the same line(s). There are only 4 lines above that section and very little more on the offer page. Hardly hidden away in 56 pages (which I certainly wouldn't normally read either) and hardly a "scam".
  • heres the new number for the Geek Squad... as it's 0800 I asked them to forward me to the Gadget Helpline - and they duly did. 0800 049 3041. Once I go through the agreed to refund without any argument - so now just need to wait and see what happens.

    I do accept that you have to read ts and cs... take responsibility for what you're signing. But I do think its very dubious business practise... it's clearly a business model that relies on people not noticing that they are paying or on being too busy to do anything about it - which is divisive and simply wrong.

    We got it through mobile.co.uk - and it's seriously tarnished what I think of the Carphone Warehouse's attitude to its customers.....
  • mobilejunkie
    mobilejunkie Posts: 8,460 Forumite
    When people post numbers from which these organisations make no money they can expect them to disappear very quickly. Therre are always alternative numbers to ones you have to pay for (that one for example is via CPW) but it's best not to advertise them.

    As for people not noticing; if they can't read two lines out of the four on the order summary page they won't get my sympathy. My time is precious too, but that's sheer carelessness. I bet people would read it if it was on paper and they had to sign.
This discussion has been closed.
Meet your Ambassadors

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 342.4K Banking & Borrowing
  • 249.9K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 449.4K Spending & Discounts
  • 234.6K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 607K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 172.8K Life & Family
  • 247.4K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 15.8K Discuss & Feedback
  • 15.1K Coronavirus Support Boards