Trying to wriggle out of t-mobile / Carphone Warehouse contract

Glasseye

Hello.

I've pretty much HAD to buy a new phone contract, only a couple of months after starting a contract with t-mobile in February...

My phone is critical for my work, and I've missed a lot of calls and been often unable to make them due to this dodgy handset.
It's also partly due to t-mobile's signal being poor, particularly in this area (Bournemouth) and technical faults they've admitted to during their pairing with Orange.

The t-mobile contract was with a Nokia N900 on 18 months, but the phone was faulty (a number of problems including bad signal; even significantly worse than CPW's replacement phone they gave me while repairing the N900 [which they later told me was unfixable?!])

Within a week of starting the contract, I said to CPW that I was not satisfied and wanted to cancel the contract.
They passed me on to t-mobile... they passed me back to CPW, who said it's too late now and they don't have a record of me complaining.




I went into CPW in February asking for a phone with excellent signal. I said that's the most important thing to me. I was then given a faulty handset and put on the worst network (where I am right now, I/friends have tested all networks on several phones).

I'm told that it would cost me over £400 to disconnect now. I already have a new contract (Vodafone/HTC Desire) which is all I wanted -great signal, fully working phone, same price, 18 months.


Can I get out?
I am in serious arrears and cannot afford 2 contracts.
Tried one contract exchange website with no luck...

Thank you!

Luke


CPW last responded to my emails 11 days ago, and have given me no update, despite me politely pestering them. So I warned them I would soon cancel the Direct Debit. (I did this yesterday)
"We’ll do our very best to get back to you within the next four working days. If it takes longer than this, we’ll email you with an update."
Is there any way to get out of having this impact my credit score? I don't feel I should have to pay them, especially when my contract over 3 months has totalled £313! (only because of calling emergency debt helpline charities/quangos I thought would be free/cheaper, Jobseekers Allowance, and my bank. These numbers are free or much cheaper on Vodafone, and Orange, to name at least 2...)

5867dude

The N900?

eBay it and get roughly £200-£300. Then cancel the contract.

Glasseye

Pretty good idea!

Thanks :]

cactusdust

You could also ask for your tariff to be reduced, if you're eligible. Then selling it off would be cheaper.

4$£&*(£$&*(!

I am smelling a rat here.

You 'had' to get a new contract and handset? Yet the handset you really wanted is the Desire, so why did you get the N900?

Why did you not complain as soon as you noticed signal problems? It is two months on, this does not stand you in good grounds on signal.

You say part of the problem is the signal and part is the faulty handset. You need to be clear about this, are you able to use the T-Mobile service at all in your home? If you are, there is nothing wrong with the service and you won't be able to cancel.

If the handset is faulty what steps have you taken to rectify the fault? What exactly is the fault, and have you tried updating the firmware to the recently released PR1.2?

If you are in such critical arrears and the phone is so important why didn't you get a cheap second-hand phone and a sim only plan?

Glasseye

CitySlicker wrote: »

I am smelling a rat here.

You 'had' to get a new contract and handset? Yet the handset you really wanted is the Desire, so why did you get the N900?

Why did you not complain as soon as you noticed signal problems? It is two months on, this does not stand you in good grounds on signal.

You say part of the problem is the signal and part is the faulty handset. You need to be clear about this, are you able to use the T-Mobile service at all in your home? If you are, there is nothing wrong with the service and you won't be able to cancel.

If the handset is faulty what steps have you taken to rectify the fault? What exactly is the fault, and have you tried updating the firmware to the recently released PR1.2?

If you are in such critical arrears and the phone is so important why didn't you get a cheap second-hand phone and a sim only plan?

1. Desire because I needed to have a working phone/contract, and saw no reason in particular to go with the N900 again..
2. Not sure if you missed this? (I did complain, within a week!)
   "Within a week of starting the contract, I said to CPW that I was not satisfied and wanted to cancel the contract."
3. How is there "nothing" wrong with the service?! If they're admitting to faults in the area? I am not able to use the t-mobile service in my home most of the time in my home, and very often not even outside the back or front/upstairs; at least on the N900. On the CPW's temporary replacement phone it was significantly better but still worse than Orange, and MUCH worse than every other provider.
4. I haven't done anything with Firmware. The faults are numerous and include spontaneous resetting. Also, I would receive a call and be unable to answer it (rotating and flickering on/off screen, followed by unresponsive touchscreen when/if it does turn on, etc) intermittent sluggishness and so on. I barely installed anything on it, barely transferred any files to it.. looked after it, etc.
5. Two reasons; my work (as a freelancer currently setting up a professional outfit) requires a fairly extensive plan, including data, as I am so often on the move and have huge amounts of email for example.
   Also, my phone is just about the only luxury I give myself (I have a militant living expenses budget, walk for miles instead of take buses, spend hours a day [at the moment] trying to tweak my finances, etc) but really enjoy having a good phone that does what it's supposed to; the new contract's also a great deal.

...I have a hunch you're not very interested in helping me?

4$£&*(£$&*(!

I am not suggesting at all I don't want to help you, it just appears a very peculiar sequence of events and for someone who is in arrears definitely not the sort of thing you want to be doing.

What you needed to have done very early on is formally tell CPW and T-Mobile, in writing, there is a signal problem. It is not too late to put this in writing if you have not already done so.

The N900 is a very new handset and some say it was released before it was properly finished. The PR1.2 firmware repaired many of the bugs and instability you are experiencing. You can upgrade this now by ensuring you have a data connection (preferably wifi as this is a large download) going into the handset menu, selecting 'Applications', then 'update', then you will see one for Maemo5. This will update the firmware.

It still seems bizarre for anyone to take out another separate mobile contract without checking they can get out of the first one though, particularly if you are in debt.

RevTheory

[QUOTE=Glasseye;33721487

CPW last responded to my emails 11 days ago, and have given me no update, despite me politely pestering them. So I warned them I would soon cancel the Direct Debit. (I did this yesterday)
"We’ll do our very best to get back to you within the next four working days. If it takes longer than this, we’ll email you with an update."
Is there any way to get out of having this impact my credit score? I don't feel I should have to pay them, especially when my contract over 3 months has totalled £313! (only because of calling emergency debt helpline charities/quangos I thought would be free/cheaper, Jobseekers Allowance, and my bank. These numbers are free or much cheaper on Vodafone, and Orange, to name at least 2...)
[/QUOTE]

by cancelling the DD, you have made its ALOT worse for yourself.

the thing i would say is its going to be very hard to get this cancelled, because even if we (CPW) agree to return and cancel the contract. T-Mobile will return when we try and disconnect it, saying they are refusing it because there is no returns.

i would say write to head office and T-Mobile saying the issues and see what happens

Glasseye

RevTheory wrote: »

by cancelling the DD, you have made its ALOT worse for yourself.

the thing i would say is its going to be very hard to get this cancelled, because even if we (CPW) agree to return and cancel the contract. T-Mobile will return when we try and disconnect it, saying they are refusing it because there is no returns.

i would say write to head office and T-Mobile saying the issues and see what happens

Thanks for this;

Do you know the contact details for head office?

Glasseye

Perhaps CPW would be willing to meet half way and give me a replacement phone (which I think they'd do anyway for the faulty N900) but the most expensive one they have (perhaps worth £50-£100 more than the N900?

This would mean I could at least sell it and recouperate most of the cost of buying out the t-mobile contract (especially if t-mobile give me some compensation for the technical fault they admitted to)...

MissKeith

For what reason did they state the N900 is unfixable? And did you take out any insurance on it? If the handset was displaying warranty faults but was unable to be repaired through Carphone, they wouldve sent it off to Nokia who generally replace it.

Sounds to me like you phone was deemed beyond economical repair and now you want out.