will CPWH match this price promise?

teeb

I got a Sony Ericsson W850i on Orange Dolphin £25, 18 month contract from a CPWH shop on Tuesday, which as part of a student deal came with £50 cashback.

Onestopphoneshop offers the same, but with 5 months free line rental in the form of cashback [£125].

CPWH promises in their 'help and information' section that "If within 7 days of purchase you find the same handset available at both The Carphone Warehouse and at the place where you could purchase it at a lower price; brand new; boxed; of the same brand and model; readily available; in stock and on the same network and tariff, then we’ll give you 110% of the difference. We also match genuine prices offered through UK based online website retailers or telephone retailers up to a maximum of £50. "

Is it worth taking a printout of the onestopphoneshop deal to CPWH in the hopes of getting some of the difference, or am I not eligible?

advent1122

CPWH and Promises are not happy bedfellows.
They will say because the box is wrapped with different tape then it is not the same phone.

Old_Gold

As far as CPW are concerned it depends whether there is an X in the month. They still cant understand their own policies.
Dunstone from the top of his tower proclaims in his famous five fundamental rules that CPW should promise less and deliver more but the great Charlie does not deliver the goods.

teeb

Well, to tell you what happened, the people in the store [not the one I bought my phone for] were very polite and helpful, they listened when I explained and said they'd see what they could do.

They ended up phoning the area manager to ask about it - but he says apparently the price promise only applies to the 'cost of the handset', not including cashback deals, or free line rental etc.

Which is bizarre, as the student deal I'm up to is on big posters in the windows of every CPWH I've seen, promising a free phone and £50 cashback on all but the most basic Orange contracts, plus it mentions the price promise in the small print. Which seems awfully circular. I'm tempted to write to customer services central, but not sure how useful that'd be.

Something the people instore suggested to a couple complaining customers [the store wasn't at fault, it was the network] was to email Charlie Dunstone, the boss himself - his email address is given in the brochures. I suspect it's not actually the boss himself but a team of trained monkeys that reply, but it's something to note.

spunky

Hi,

I'm not sure of the exact details of the price promise in your documentation but if you go here to the CPW website you can see their price promise.

http://www.carphonewarehouse.com/commerce/servlet/gben-server-PageServer?ARTICLE=MAIN.UK.INTERNET.HELPINFO.ORDERONLINE.GUARANTEES.PRICEPROM

This is what it says:

"We also match genuine prices offered through UK based online website retailers or telephone retailers up to a maximum of £50"

teeb

spunky wrote:

Hi,

I'm not sure of the exact details of the price promise in your documentation but if you go here to the CPW website you can see their price promise.

http://www.carphonewarehouse.com/commerce/servlet/gben-server-PageServer?ARTICLE=MAIN.UK.INTERNET.HELPINFO.ORDERONLINE.GUARANTEES.PRICEPROM

This is what it says:

"We also match genuine prices offered through UK based online website retailers or telephone retailers up to a maximum of £50"

Yes, I took a printout of that very page with me, and pointed that clause out to them when I showed them it was an online offer, but they said the same - because I got the phone free, any more than that is considered extra [though the nice at-desk guy was surprised there wasn't a x-months-free/half price offer, as there usually is on Orange, in the CPWH].

The Carphone Warehouse Price Promise signifies that we won’t be beaten on price and applies only to mobile phone handsets sold with a network connection (which excludes PDAs and accessories).

They interpret this bit of the promise as meaning the cost only applies to handsets sold - cashback for line rental [as was the case in the onestopphoneshop deal] and so on isn't applicable.

Oh well, if anything I've learnt not to impulse buy and to research it beforehand [missed out on some Rpoints, too!]. Shame I learnt it the hard way.

Thanks

Old_Gold

As I keep saying the Carphone Warehouse price pledge is a total sham. Their staff do not say the same things about it and Trading standards and the Advertising Authority should step on them for it. Whatever their policy is should be up to them but it should be clear.
If nothing else it is another contradiction to Dunstones five fundamental rules. Promise less and deliver more is the message from the great Dunstone but who judges this?
BTW, I have an email from them which when I have asked others to interpret, including solicitors, the general feeling is that this indicates they match deals not just phone prices.

PM

I phoned last week. after tell him contract and phone he said no we only cover handset. is there any way you can push them? Letters to headoffice?