mobiles.co.uk GRRRRR

Stuart_W

Have I just always been lucky with this company?

Used them several times. Each time when I sign up to a new deal, I print off cover letters for each cashback bill claim (changing the appropriate details on each one), set a reminder for each cashback claim date, send everything recorded delivery, keep photocopies of all letters/bills sent, keep recorded delivery receipts and have always received every payment due. I have never phoned or emailed as I have never needed to. Sometimes waited a week or two extra for a cheque, but everything present and correct in due course.

Having done a cashback deal in the past with a company that used to issue immediate "in full" cashback cheques the month after signing up for the whole contract (anyone else remember forward telecom?) I received a cheque for almost £200 a fortnight before the company went bust. I felt I had a lucky escape and for this reason felt relieved when mobiles.co.uk got bought by CPW as this added danger of cashback deals (retailer going bust) becomes much less when it is a weighty company like CPW.

Am I right in thinking it is a business model that actually relies on some claims being missed, or are commissions to mobile retailers really that high?

mobilejunkie

The latter of course. Lucky; not particularly. You have followed most of the groundrules and done more than the majority. HOWEVER - sometimes (like other cpw clones) they select a claim to reject for an invalid reason. Then all your precautions and positive action (ah - always wanted to use that pc phrase in a better way!) come into play. I would, however, strongly recommend people print off the t&c from the website at the point of sale rather than relying on letters (or emails for that matter) sent after the event (even with the phone). That was another little trick E2Save used to play (along with incorrect claim dates on their website for individual contracts, which ALSO changed from time to time!).

Basically, cashback contracts are plainly based on many failing to get their money - so there are (as is shown by some of the postings which arrive on here!) a lot of people who think it's a breeze and don't do anywhere near enough researchand therefore not taking the necessary steps to ensure they get paid. Then there are those who do put in the legwork but then receive bullying tactics from the dealer in an attempt to stop them getting a legitimate payment. If and when that happens your previous (possibly good) experiences change to a more practical and aggressive stance - or you get stuffed!

mobilejunkie

KosmicPink225 wrote: »

As you plainly DO understand the exact contract into which I entered and the amounts paid (or not paid) I will assume that you will also be aware of the various and contradictory explanations that this company dish out as to why letters / emails / promised ringbacks are not received / lost / not recorded.

I would have accepted my fate with more good grace had their customer service been anywhere near helpful. A simple explanation pointing out how I had been an idiot on a £15 per month cashback offer would have sufficed

It seems that I had to come to to the kindly MSE forum for that part at least.

As for rich pickings it actually did not work out any more than a high street offer which I had already looked into - was just hoping to save some extra cash which as it turned out was not worth the hassle or the scorn

Had you done ANY research you'd know my answer; yes (although I have little idea of your "exact contract"!). However, in your case you plainly had no idea whatsoever how cashback contracts work and rather than invest the required time in finding out you made huge assumptions which have led you into your predicament. Do you really believe a free lunch is served up with no strings whatsoever? How do I know (for example) what YOU mean by "month 6"?? With this dealer it means one month, but with another cpw dealer it means the month before. As for how much each claim produces and your bewilderment as to what to do when they fobbed you off - they see people like you coming a mile away, lured by ridiculous deals which provide them with a never-ending stampede of people anxious to grab them without asking any questions beforehand.

I have been endlessly attacked on here for many criticisms of this dealer; however, I cannot criticise them at all for refusing to pay an incorrect claim. There could be lots of reasons why your claim was incorrect and if it was correct it would have been more by chance than judgement. If you had any idea what you were doing you would have taken the appropriate action against them a LONG time back and have your money by now. THAT is why I spend a substantial amount of my time on this forum - warning people not to take out these deals in the first place unless they do the legwork and advising those who get into trouble despite doing things correctly. You do not appear to fall into either of those categories - but provide the service of a warning for the many others who might follow in your blind footsteps.

Guys_Dad

mobilejunkie wrote: »

I have been endlessly attacked on here for many criticisms of this dealer;

Not endlessly - occasionally rebuked for over-vitriolic prose, particularly when aimed personally at their rep. Not the message you carried, just the language/style of the message.

And, while I am at it, remember that newbies may only have heard of this site after they had hit a problem with their cashbacks, which they reasonably did not expect from a market leader and publicly quoted company. Obviously, if they had known in advance of this forum that is another matter.

mobilejunkie

I was a "newbie" to this and other sites - until I first considered a mobile phone contract. Then I searched the net, researched the dealers and didn't grab one of the (then hundreds) or free lunches on offer until I knew all the t&c, catches, the way it worked, who I was dealing with and a lot of other things (such as what i could do if I didn't get paid).

Also, definitely NOT "occasionally" unless you scatter the main culprits in the mix of the whole. In any case, just about every thing I warned about and every criticism of what the rep said is now clearly in plain light for everybody to see - even you! Hopefully all those people who read it all at the time made the correct choices and didn't "give them the benefit of the doubt" or believe all the untruths spouted by the said rep.

Guys_Dad

N o t t h e m e s s a g e. T h e p r o s e t h a t w a s u s e d.

There, spelled out for you. (Well it would be if the wretched bold font worked!)

Silk

Guys_Dad wrote: »

N o t t h e m e s s a g e. T h e p r o s e t h a t w a s u s e d.

There, spelled out for you. (Well it would be if the wretched bold font worked!)

Oh yes I remember ....you didn't like him being called a "liar" did you and it was even worse for you when he was proven to be

I don't see what the problem is with calling a spade a spade

Guys_Dad

Silk wrote: »

Oh yes I remember ....you didn't like him being called a "liar" did you and it was even worse for you when he was proven to be

I don't see what the problem is with calling a spade a spade

In general, I still don't believe he was. His promises on behalf of his company often failed to materialise and he may have got some facts wrong, but with the vitriolic attacks made on him, I am surprised that he kept any form of cool at all. You conveniently forget that I made a number of critical but hopefully constructive posts to him certainly not taking his side where he manifestly failed to follow through on his promises. I chose to use more temperate language though.

You may also recall just how many mobiles.co.uk threads were closed by mods following the tone and content of the posts against him.

Let's not get this one closed for wandering too far off topic.

Silk

Guys_Dad wrote: »

In general, I still don't believe he was.

Get real GD ...he was and he was blatent with it too in fact theres one of them copied on this thread (post 12)about DHL stopping the collection service which was a lie

Guys_Dad wrote: »

and he may have got some facts wrong

You mean he got some facts wrong like forgetting that he had posted who he was on his profile when he denied being the Marketing Manager rather than a CS Rep :rotfl:
Don't tell me it was the faries writing his posts for him because he only has himself to blame for the drivel he posted.

I realise you too were critical of him at times too however it was not as personal to you as it was to me don't forget and if you remember at the time I posted that if theres one thing I can't stand is a liar and I make it quite clear to my staff that if ever I caught them doing it to any of our customers they would be sacked on the spot !!!

It makes no difference if the thread gets locked because we all know that mobiles.co.uk's threads are like buses there will always be another one.
Either way it's you bringing the subject up again

Guys_Dad

Silk wrote: »

G


Either way it's you bringing the subject up again

:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o Got me there, mate :beer: