Carphone Warehouse Insurance

waspinagermanhelmet

I need some advice. Having purchased a Lifeline GO policy from Carphone Warehouse over 4 years ago and paying £26 odd a quarter by Standing Order... Our phone has now stopped working and we are going to make a claim. We've paid over £500 in total for this insurance over the years... And having been into the store on Friday to try and sort it out we noticed they are now selling the same policy for £19.99 for 3 years! Bloody cheek. Surely they ought to have notified us of the change?
The phone we have that's stopped working is really old Nokia 3310 and I'm hoping that we may be able to use the fact we've paid so much over the odds to be able to get a better newer phone from the claim. I certainly don't think I should have to pay the excess on the policy?!

seaniboy

I would call them and explain you are not happy at all with the change in policy charges to your detriment, unfortunatly you can only claim for a 3310 or mobile with similar spec's ( you will probably get a up to date Nokia with the same features ) so £500 has been wasted and make them aware you are not at all happy about that, unless they suitably compensate you never give CPW business again, good luck as they were buggers with me with my insurance I ended up getting an imdemnity for 6 direct debit payments through the bank to refund them...( when my policy stated I was entightled to a loan phone phone but trying to get a "3" handset at my local branches to send my NEC616 for repair was fruitless over the first 6 months of my contract - if they came back to me about it they were in breach of contract, never heard a thing )

my first CPW mobile was faulty refused to replace as water damaged?? out of the box! the chargering contacts are faulty still have it, the second 616 was faulty too ( i took insurance on the second contract due to the first contract problem not that it helped)

chloe_d_2

thats why I never buy any sort of phone insurance or extended warranty. Have had so many bad experiences with them. Orange once ripped me off £70 for a handset eventhough I had insurance.

For the money they charge for these insurances, you might aswell buy a new phone (or a decent used one from ebay). Infact, if you are good at claiming vouchers, just get another new contract (mostly, you end up paying much less for a handset on a contract)

The only thing is...you have to remember to cancel the contract/claim vouchers etc. (and the phone companies pray everyday that you do forget these)

chloe_d_2

Sorry, I went off topic..you were asking for advice.

I wouldnt give in. They are clearly being greedy. Write a complaint, talk to them again etc., In situations like these, the person who makes the noise who gets listened to.

Subaru_WRX

Send an e-mail to Charles Dunstone CEO of CPW. E-mail info is on the CPW website.

waspinagermanhelmet

We discovered that we actually have the highest level of cover - Lifeline Complete, and that we are not paying over the odds for this policy. However... The paperwork we have been given with it is for a different policy... also they refused our claim because the phone just stopped working and is older than 3 years... IF we had dropped it, run over it, got water in it or had it stolen it would have been replaced - but because we looked after it and it just stopped working they say that we can't claim! Ridiculous. The store manager is supposed to be helping to sort it.. but so far nothing. I wonder whether I can get them on the misselling thing?

waspinagermanhelmet

We got a phone call this evening - after much toing and froing by my wife to the store.. and several phone calls - to say that the store manager has managed to get the phone swap authorised and to cancel the excess too. Brill! I just hope they don't try to fob me off with a remanufactured/refurbished phone!

redux

I realise you'll probably be happy with this outcome, but may I suggest that for a modest phone, it might be worth saving the insurance cost in future?

You can replace a phone for from £20 or £30 upwards, the contract SIM for about the same if lost, and so the only open-ended risk is covering calls made when stolen - be ready to cancel within minutes.