Carphone Warehouse poor customer service

cdonlevy · 28 September 2009 at 11:58AM

Item Purchased – 24-month mobile broadband contract with Vodafone dongle and Dell mini 10 netbook PC

Dear Customer Services Manager

On the 14th of September I purchased a mobile broadband and netbook online via The Carphone Warehouse, it arrived the following day at my local store for collection.

When I arrived home I proceeded to set-up the netbook and installed the dongle and start surfing the web, I then found the broadband connection to be very intermittent and unreliable. I decide to try in my workplace as Vodafones website claimed it was a full coverage area. Unfortunately still unworkable.

I was also starting to get annoyed at the netbook as well at this stage as the mouse pad was unresponsive and seemed to jump all over the place. By now I had got so fed up wasting my time I boxed everything back up as I was due to leave for a long weekend break.

On my return on Tuesday 22nd September I phoned customer services and they explained they would exchange it just to take it back to my local store.

I visited the store the next day to be told that they could not exchange it as I had turned the laptop on. Also that the broadband policy with Vodafone is I need to cancel within seven days (not working days).

So again I phoned customer services where I was told yet again the same contradicting statement. I could look at the netbook but could not use it and the broadband dongle can be used but must be returned within seven days in mint condition. Which seems ridiculous as how can I test the broadband without the netbook .

I demanded to speak to a manager where I was told they would get him to phone me ASAP but he never returned my call till the 27th September. At this point I had already contacted Consumer Direct for advice. They advised that because it was bought online and I had not seen the product I was purchasing that I was quite entitled to return it under Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regulations 2000.

I am Getting so fed up of this now as they do not seem to care about my problem they just keep preaching their terms and conditions to me. I do not see why I should have to pay £25 for the next 24 months for a service I cannot use.

Is this fair