Earth Mobile Ceased Trading can anyone help

Silk

Eildor wrote: »

What about the phones they have already sold? I wouldn't be surprised if they sold mine by now.

You won't have any way of being sure unless you stake your claim
Send them all the details you can regarding the phone you sent and see if it can be located ...it's going to be like the Lottery but you have to be in it to win so to speak.
If there was anything to distinguish it you may think of such as a photo on screensaver or any personal details you may have left on it then let them have that too

Eildor

But I don't understand what is meant by "if the price was agreed"; they don't ask you whether you agree with the price or not, you're told the price before the phone is even sent off. All they do is receive the phone, test it, and if it passes their tests you get a confirmation e-mail stating you will receive payment once they have raised funds. At no point after sending the phone off was I given the option of agree/disagreeing to anything :think:

Silk

Eildor wrote: »

But I don't understand what is meant by "if the price was agreed"; they don't ask you whether you agree with the price or not, you're told the price before the phone is even sent off. All they do is receive the phone, test it, and if it passes their tests you get a confirmation e-mail stating you will receive payment once they have raised funds. At no point after sending the phone off was I given the option of agree/disagreeing to anything :think:

My understanding as explained earlier is that they offer you a price and you send them the phone.
If when they receive it the phone reaches the standard they email to say they have it and it reaches the required standard and agree to send you the monies for the agreed price.
If the phone doesn't come up to spec they offer you a revised price which you then had to agree to either by email response or by default time period

Eildor

I honestly can't believe this. We made an agreement that we send off our phones, they pay us the agreed amount. How can they just decide to cease trading now and not honour our contract?

I sent my phone off on the 17th of July. Their terms and conditions state that they endeavor to pay us within 7 days. When they received my phone they said that they could no longer pay within 7 days and instead I could be waiting for up to 14 days. After my phone had passed their testing I received another e-mail stating the following:

We endevour to pay all our customers within 14 working days of receipt of the phones being received, however this can vary during busy times of the year.

These are not the terms and conditions I agreed to -- this does not make any sense. The e-mail also stated that:

Your order has now been passed to our acccounts department for processing and your payment will be raised and posted in due course.

How can they agree to buy my phone, and raise the funds AFTER. Are you telling me that this company doesn't have any funds to pay people? If this is the case how would they ever had paid anyone within 7 days? The truth is, I bet they never paid a single person within 7 days of receipt of the phone! Earth Mobile was just one big lie -- they acted irresponsibly, without due care. Is there nothing we can do about this?

Eildor

Eildor wrote: »

CH01 27/07/2010 DIRECTOR'S CHANGE OF PARTICULARS / MISS KATIE ELIZABETH ILIFFE / 23/07/2010

I can't post links because I'm a new user. If you search Katie Iliffe on Facebook you will find a blonde woman wearing sunglasses with a child. Under her info she has her mother down as Penny Fallon. Penny Fallon has her hometown as Windsor, Leicester, United Kingdom.

Is that the right person?

Looks like I was right. Katie Elizabeth Iliffe has now changed her Facebook information and so has her mother -- I wonder why? Looks like they are monitoring this thread.

iliad

gapy99 wrote: »

OK an update for those watching this post:
I have just called Trading Standards/Consumer Direct (08454 04 05 06) and they were very helpful.
They are aware of the situation and are actively working with Earthmobile to get handsets returned (at least this is now confirmed by the horses mouth as such). I had to supply the date I posted the phone, Make, Model, IMEI number.
They then said this would be passed to Trading Standards and I may be called by them for any further info if they need anything else.
So maybe all is not lost yet! I had pretty much written off any chance of getting anything back but this does give a glimmer of hope. Obviously they could not supply any time lines, but hey some news is better than none.
I would suggest that all others following this do the same and hopefully some will get lucky
Good luck

I can confirm this too. I went onto the Consumer Direct website earlier this week to make a complaint and I've literally just got off the phone with a very nice chap at Consumer Direct who confirmed that Trading Standards are working with Earthmobile. I also received an email today as well, with the main bit of interest this:

"The information you were given was correct and Earth Mobile’s customers are being asked to forward us the details of the phones for us to pass on to the relevant Trading Standards department for their information, to try and assist if possible in returning handsets."

Given my handset was an iPhone 3GS 32GB White in perfect condition (even sent it in the original box) I'm not expecting it to still be there, but a glimmer of hope is better than nothing.

If you haven't already I suggest going onto their website (can't put the url down as I'm a new user) or calling them direct on 0845 404 05 06.

Eildor

It would seem that the facebook profile someone posted up here could have been that of Russel Tilbury. Under his friends on Facebook you will find a Cheryl Tilbury. 192 shows that Cheryl Tilbury and others with the surname of Iliffe live in the same house. That couldn't be a coincidence, or could it? I don't know how common those surnames are, so perhaps I'm wrong?

bairn7

Eildor wrote: »

It would seem that the facebook profile someone posted up here could have been that of Russel Tilbury. Under his friends on Facebook you will find a Cheryl Tilbury. 192 shows that Cheryl Tilbury and others with the surname of Iliffe live in the same house. That couldn't be a coincidence, or could it? I don't know how common those surnames are, so perhaps I'm wrong?

Oh for goodness sake! The guy's business has ceased trading. We don't yet know the full circumstances behind this. It could all have been a scam or it could, like many companies recently, have found itself getting into difficulties to a point where it is unsustainable. All we know just now is that the owner is providing us with information (albeit scant at present) and that he is voluntarily working with TS and consumer direct to have phones returned if possible.

Until we know the full details, and even when we do know the full details, do you think it is appropriate to start checking up on and involving family members who most likely are completely unrelated to this whole fiasco!?

Eildor

I don't care about his difficulties -- why should I? Does he care about the people on here who are out of pocket? Have you read the previous posts here which members have posted? I haven't had ANY contact from Earth Mobile; none whatsoever! What kind of a person ceases trading and provides no information whatsoever about what's going to happen to the people who are owed money. What kind of a person advertises that they pay customers within 7 days just in order to get their custom, and then doesn't send anything for months. If they can't pay within 7 days why advertise it in the first place?

Lastly, I'm not involving family; Katie Iliffe is related to the company and I would like to hear what she has to say -- that's all.

potting23

Be aware then when calling consumer direct that not all operators are aware that you can give them your phone info to pass onto trading standards in windsor.

You will have to remind them that other people on here have also done the same. My guy spoke to his manager who must have said that it was the ok thing to do.