Mobiles.co.uk - A cautionary tale

WychWeird

As this thread has established, if you get the O2 600 'Promo' you get 600 mins and unlimited texts however you will not officially be able to change the bolt-on. (Note you WILL be charged for EVERY MMS (picture message) sent on this tariff.)

Some people have had luck calling O2 Customer Services and getting the bolt-on changed, but don't bank on it.

I appreciate that you can get cashback, gifts and Quidco through mobiles.co.uk but if you want a different bolt-on you're probably better going direct to O2 although their phone range is less attractive.

papajohn

Yes, O2 600 Promo is the one I am talking about. Thanks for replying, much appreciated...

My problem is that the phone I am interested (HTC HD2) in is not available by O2 yet and they seem to have it in stock instead...

Hmmm, its a gamble. It may worth buying it, getting the number and try to call O2 to see if I can change the bolt on. If not, I could take advantage of the 7 days return... Am I desperate enough to go through all this? :rotfl:

mobile_man_2

Hey,

For some reason the HTC HD2 launch was delayed on O2. This was something to do with network testing but i'm not sure. I am not 100% sure to be honest with you, but I don't think it is very easy to change your bolt on as this affects your contract. Best bet would be to give O2 a call before ordering just to sound them out on the possibility and to find out how easy it will be for you to change the bolt ons.
Alternatively try giving the Sales team a call on 01923 803333, they might be able to change the tariff slightly for you before processing an order.

Silk

papajohn wrote: »

Yes, O2 600 Promo is the one I am talking about. Thanks for replying, much appreciated...

My problem is that the phone I am interested (HTC HD2) in is not available by O2 yet and they seem to have it in stock instead...

Hmmm, its a gamble. It may worth buying it, getting the number and try to call O2 to see if I can change the bolt on. If not, I could take advantage of the 7 days return... Am I desperate enough to go through all this? :rotfl:

:eek:
Hi Papa,
Loads of problems with that ...First of all the O2 600 is actualy an O2 25 tariff. read some of the threads and posts concerning this problem.
Even if you do manage to change the Bolt On which is unlikely as O2 have become wise to 3rd parties selling it .(read the O2 forum) you can only swap Bolt On's every 3 months as far as I'm aware
Thirdly trying to return a phone to mobiles.co.uk is like trying to get up river without a paddle ....loads and loads of problems with them read some of the threads
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1881471
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1948587
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1946585
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1952517
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1955799
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1911469

papajohn

Thanks a LOT guys for the advice, you have saved be from a pile of potential problems (as it seems). I will try to call both O2 and them tommorow to see what I can do.

Grrrr, why is it so hard to have a sub 30 contract with unlimited data, even if I have to pay the device more...? Somebody must let them know: these devices are USELESS without data plans..

WychWeird

As mobiles.co.uk appear to be causing more unhappy customers, a little update on my sorry tale of woe...

I wrote back to mobiles.co.uk rejecting their 3 x £5 'compensation' stating that I wished for the situation to be resolved within 14 days or I would proceed with court action. Guess what?.....

....You're right, mobiles.co.uk promptly failed to contact me within 14 days. Taking a break from reading up on court action using the small claims track and getting my notes in order, I responded on a different part of the MSE forums correcting some information relating to small claims - the following day (day before Christmas Eve) I got an email response from the "Customer Service, Returns Dept & Cash Back Supervisor" making a slightly improved offer but not offering to cancel or correct the contract as requested.

As Christmas got in the way, I was only able to respond to the offer earlier this week asking for further discussion - if we can't reach agreement I'm more than happy to pay the £150 to start court action (it costs a lot less to claim only money through the small claims court.) I have yet to hear anything back, either by phone or email, but I wouldn't put it past this company to drag this out as well....

I'll update this thread if there's anymore news (to refrain from contaminating others complaints!)

Wych :rolleyes:

mobilejunkie

Not sure what else you can claim which you can't include in a small claim - the small claims system is cheaper and has a number of distinct advantages, including some protection should you lose!

WychWeird

mobilejunkie wrote: »

Not sure what else you can claim which you can't include in a small claim - the small claims system is cheaper and has a number of distinct advantages, including some protection should you lose!

Small claim fees for money are cheaper than small claims for having a contract cancelled - £150 for contract cancellation and you pay £108 to claim £5000 (cash)! At least I can add loss of earnings, travel fares, photocopying, etc to the court fees with my claim.

As an aside, from the other thread I just posted:

Returns and Exchanges
Can I change my mind if I'm not happy with my new phone?
We hope that you will be happy with your new purchase, but if for any reason you are not satisfied, you can arrange to exchange your phone for another or return it to us for a full refund (subject to usage).

I asked MCU to supply the contracts I believed I had ordered based on the information on their site OR to cancel the phones within the 14 day period they offered. MCU stated "We supplied the correct contracts" therefore surely that meant I had effectively cancelled the contracts? However they refused on the grounds "the SIM had been used" noting their "return it to us for a full refund (subject to usage)" comment - does that read as "paying for any calls or texts you have made on the phone"? I've saved the page down in case it changes! Still, points to ponder as I prep

Mobiles.co.uk_company_representative

WW,

Again, the tariff information for the tariff you ordered stated that it came with 600 minutes and unlimited texts. This is the deal you have and any inference or supposition you came up with based on reading O2's site cannot be blamed on us.

If you intend to take us to court over the matter then I would ask that you email me again and refrain from posting about the matter until it is resolved, but we are happy that you were given full and accurate information about the tariff you ordered and that you of course had the chance to return both handsets for a full and final cancellation within the 14 day period in effect at the time.

We have already offered you compensation for your mistake as a gesture of goodwill but if you can email me again we can try and reach a compromise to draw a line under this.

Regards,

Silk

Mobiles.co.uk_company_representative wrote: »

We have already offered you compensation for your mistake as a gesture of goodwill but if you can email me again we can try and reach a compromise to draw a line under this.

Regards,

Please define "your mistake" Ben