3 3G Three Contract Problems

nu774ll

Hi everyone,

ok, really need some help and advice here as to what to do next, i will break what happens into easy bullet points:

• Me & my girlfriend both on 3 contracts go on holiday in May this year - both our phones are stolen! (mine a 18month ending in jan09, the other 12month ending in Aug08)
• We get home and ring up 3 to report it and what to do next. Go through the process of blocking both phones etc. Then they explain they can send out refurbished phones for us - give us crap offers of phones that are 3+ year old handsets 2nd hand at a price of £70 - £150 or our original phones at £300+ (dearer than retail prices) disgusted at the offers ( just come back from hols and skint) i ask to speak to someone else as i cant compromise with the rep - he puts me through to retentions - Next (here's where my patience is tested) i get put on hold for 40 minutes!!at this stage im not in the best of moods and the rep suggests me having a sim card to put in the phones at a price of £15 each, i couldn't believe they were asking for money for sim cards so i said no chance..after another 10 minutes they said they would do me a special offer of £5! but i was still upset and said no way am i paying!!and asked them to get someone to call me back tomorrow as it was late.Later find out we were charged for the call £13+ aswell for being on hold!
• no contact made by them over the next week, until:
• over a week later i get a sim card through the post out of the blue! not 2 sim cards but 1!? i thoguht maybe they've sent it out of goodwill but decidded not to use it just incase. About a week later my bill arrives and guess what - a £5 charge on there!
• Me and my girlfriend write a letter to three and send an email (June) and pay both bills for the next 2 months.
• July - still no contact from 3 - no call or letters or replies! write another letter and a further 2 emails, ring on the phone but get nowhere. letter saying i do not wish to continue my contract on the 1 phone after its 12 months run out (next month)
• August - still after no contact from 3! what do they expect us to do for gods sake (no mobile for 4 months) so we cancel direct debits for both and in line with our other letters and correspondance say as they are not interested in us as customers anymore we do not wish to carry on with our contracts
• after cancelling DD and the bills unpaid for that month, 3 finally decide to ring us and explain: they've only recieved 1 letter, no emails! the sim being sent out - they didnt have a clue about!
• another phone call a week later while were out trying to make us pay and saying the sim being sent out was a mistake and she would refund me if i call back and give a reference.
• Report my situation with OFCOM - they give me some advice but not really helpful. Write another letter and send it to a name at the bottom of a three letter we recieved saying we owe x amount and it will be passed onto debt collectors.
• get another call from 3 regarding letter, speak to a woman whose english was as good as my bangledeshi - what use is it her ringing me so she puts me through to somone else. i explain my situation and she says sorry about the sim and will issue a refund
• refund issued - but only taken off the total amount i owe them
• send a letter to three and there own debt collection service regarding the situation and that i want to take it to their compaines Alternative Dispute Reslotion and what their companies policy is regarding it as it doesnt say on their bills or website
• get a call 2 weeks ago saying i need to pay etc i say im not happy about the service i have been given and want to do through the ADR, she doesn't have a clue what im on about and stays slience for a couple of minutes!i explain about the sim aswell - and now they completly deny everything - she tells me they WOULD NOT send out a sim without the account holders permission, i explain i VERY CLEARLY told them i didnt want it and ask about the ADR again, again she has no clue and tells me she will put me through to her manager. Speak to her and go through the same situation regarding the sim and she again tries to make out i asked for the sim! i then ask about the ADR and im told i will need to speak to her manager regarding that - i then say the last rep said she was the manger and i can go through he with it, after wasting my time the rep agrees for someone senior to ring me about the ADR.
• Up until now i still have not heard back - why wont they let me know?
• i now have both the outstanding amounts passed onto not 2 seperate debt collectors but 3!? !!!!!!? they have sent my amount onto 2 different recovery agents (even tho the phone contract is finished and paid) and one explained a rep would be visiting my house lasy thurs between 8am - 8pm but no one showed up!
• Then friday i get one from moorcroft deb recovery saying i owe them that amount and i need to get in contact within 7 days or it will go to court. This letter was recieved yesterday 6th OCT but the date of the letter was 3rd Oct - saying i need to reply by 10th OCT

Could i get information on whos in the right, if i should be paying out both of my contracts? or should i take this to court? speak to trading standards?

and what about the debt rocovery agencies, people please help me as my girlfriend is really worrying over this and its costing me ALOT of my time and money.

Thanks
Paul

d.edna

3 don't have to supply you with phones if yours are stolen for free what they have offered you is indeed a guesture of goodwill, thats what mobile phone insurance is for, As for the sim cards usually they send them out for free if they have been stolen much like "Why kick you further when your down" sort of thing.

As for the debt recovery other things, I will let someone else answer