Help trying to return phone to carphone warehouse

momg

Does anyone have any advice...i upgraded my phone at carphone warehouse after being told by someone in the orange store to go there because it was a better deal. now want to take the phone back but both orange and carphone warehouse are blaming each other for their no returns policy. are you allowed to change your mind within 7 days. no one at any point told me that i wasn't allowed to change my mind. i have spoken to at least nine people so far at carphone warehouse and orange and they both just keep saying it is the other one's policy. has anyone came across this before?

mo (frustrated)

evans17

I returned a phone to the carphone warehouse. However I had purchased it off the internet so had the 14 day cooling off period in which to return it. I am not sure if you get the cooling off period when purchasing from a store though.

mobilejunkie

I'm afraid that I don't think you do. Unless the phone isn't of merchantable quality or was mis-sold in some way you're stuck with it.

esuhl

Yeah - I'm pretty sure the "cooling off" period is part of the Distance Selling regulations (or something like that). A shop is only obliged to take something back if there's something wrong with it.

It's a common mis-conception because many large/chain shops offer a refund if you change your mind within a certain time, but they aren't legally obliged to do so. They just see it as good customer service.

Is there any chance you could buy a secondhand phone on eBay and sell yours? A phone I sold on eBay fetched a higher price than a brand new one from an O2 shop! Just a thought...

momg

Thanks for all the advice.....won't make the same mistake again...next time will call direct to retention...the offer they made me afterwards was brilliant....too late for me though....don't make the same mistake as i did ...say that you are leaving and they offer you anything.....

djleekee

The exact same thing happened to me last year.

Carphone Warehouse rang ME up trying to sell me a phone/contract and they kept saying its okay "you have 7 days piece of mind guarantee."

SO just to get rid of them I agreed the deal knowing I had this piece of mind guarantee.

Anyway the phone arrived and I just didnt get on with it (it was a Nokia), I rang loads of people up trying to return the phone but needed some PAC no? (return authorisation code?) Noone would issue me with the number. At the same time I saw a better phone and a much better contract deal available so wanted to cancel everything within my 7 day period.

I wasnt allowed to change the phone or cancel the contract so was stuck with it for 18 months!

I am never using Carphone Warehouse again and warn other people away from agreeing contracts over the phone especially when they use terms like "seven days piece of mind guarantee" which turned out to be useless!

Carphone Warehouse have been pestering me in the last few weeks as my 18 months contract has expired and I have politely told them where to go!