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3 mobile... is it a SCAM?

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Hi,

In Jan I signed up with 3 mobile at Hampstead and this is what happened. I don't know if it's a SCAM or not. Please advice.

on 03 Jan 2011, I went to 3 mobile (Hampstead) to sign up a mobile contract. I was using a pay as you go card so I was trying to get a contract for more minutes. 3 seems to have some nice deal so I went there. I signed up a 24 months contract (The One Plan) and I got a Sony phone for free. Sounds a good deal to me. But here's where the problem starts.

The sales rep told me she will give me another sim card (another number). It's a $10 monthly sim and it's given to me for free. I asked her why coz I don't need it. She said it's a promotion and I can cancel it later. ok...so I got 2 numbers + 1 free phone. She even marked it on the jacket of the extra sim card marking "17 Jan", coz she said I can cancel this card on the 17th and this card will become a pay as you go. I can either go to the shop to cancel or call them to do it. So, I left the shop very happy with my new mobile. Also on the 17th, I called 3 mobile (hampstead) and said I would like to cancel that extra sim. The guy who picked it up confirmed my detail over the phone and then he said that extra sim will become pay as you go from now on.

I thought everything is fine..... BUT

By the end of the January I found that something wrong with my bank statement. on 05 Jan (the next monday after I got my mobile), my card was charged by direct debit with £15 (3-MAIDENHEADCD DEB 9517). Same thing happened on 18 Jan. £15 (3-MAINDENHEADCD DEB 9517).

At the same time, I found that my account has a direct debit record of £10 for that extra sim. I went to 3 website to check the record of that extra sim, it says monthly sim rather than pay as you go.

I went to 3 mobile (Hampstead) immediately and asked them what happened and why. I showed them my contract and my bank statement. He explained that according to the system that extra sim has already been cancel and became a pay as you go sim. The £10 debited from my account will be credited to another sim. Also he said the £15 debited on 5 Jan will also credit to my another sim. I asked him why this would happen but he couldn't have a clue how. So he called Head Office.

After waiting on the line for long time, he passed the phone to another sales rep (another lady but not the one who sold me the contract). She continued with the conversation to head office saying something like "I will explain to him...". After that she told me what best for me to is to go to my bank, fill out a indemnity form and then I will get my money back in around 2 days.

The next day I went to my bank "Lloyds TSB" and asked for this indemnity form. They said there is no such form but she can file a request to the system (I forgot which department). Then that department will negotiate with 3 mobile and see if that is a wrong debit. Money will get back to my account in around 7 working days.

At the same time I took out the direct debit of that extra sim from my account through lloydstsb website.

That was what I did in the beginng of Feb.

I have been waiting for 2 things to happen:
1) Extra £10 I paid for the extra sim will be credited to my another sim
2) the £15+£15 which I do not have a clue why, will be back to my bank account

it's now 20 Feb. What happened is:
1) I checked my statement and nothing was credited to my sim. I am still paying the same amount I have to pay for that The One Plan. No discount. Nothing.
2) Nothing was credited back to my bank account

For a number that I am not using, a number that I don't need, the number that was given by a sales at 3 mobile (Hampstead), in the end I spent £40 on it in a month, which is even more than the monthly plan I am using.

Can anyone tell me what happened? Is it possibly a SCAM by sales rep trying to get more commission? What should I do?????

Please help......:mad:

Comments

  • grumbler
    grumbler Posts: 58,629 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    http://www.bacs.co.uk/bacs/businesses/directdebit/collecting/pages/customersrights.aspx
    If an error is made in the payment of your Direct Debit, by (insert your organisation name) ..., you are entitled to a full and immediate refund of the amount paid from your bank or building society.
    I think this is what the lady in '3' meant when talking about 'indemnity form'. Phone or go to your bank and ask for refunds.
  • F_T_Buyer
    F_T_Buyer Posts: 1,139 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    I don't quite understand why they gave a separate sim. I assume they would hope you forget to cancel and they would get extra sales? I personally would of told them where to go, why would I want two sim cards?
  • pimento
    pimento Posts: 6,243 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts
    I don't really understand what's happened but I bought a PAYG Wildfire from Three in Oxford Street and a one month contract SIM to use in it.

    The PAYG phone also came with a separate PAYG SIM with £10 loaded onto it. They said they couldn't sell me the handset without the top-up even though I didn't want or need the PAYG SIM, I'd bought a one month contract SIM.

    The spare SIM remains unopened. Could it be they sold you a PAYG phone and not a contract phone?
    "If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur." -- Red Adair
  • When i received my new phone from 3 it came with a PAYG sim as well. Says you can stick it in your old phone or give it to a friend (eg a way to make more money).

    An indeminity form is a form your bank will provide if a DD has been taken out incorrectly. Fill it out and the bank should refund you the money.
  • jenniewb
    jenniewb Posts: 12,842 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Photogenic Combo Breaker
    They do seem to have an axe to grind with this sim thing don't they? I tried (and suceeded!) to leave 3 a month ago. They mentioned all sorts of rubbish about other networks then told me what I wanted was a Wildfire (no, this is not what I want!) and that I would get this for £200 and it would come with a sim, I didn't have to use the sim but I had to get one with the handset.

    Then I went into my long lecture about the way I had been treated with my previous contract and asked them, if they were me, why on Earth would they want to continue to have anything to do with 3. The guy said he could see my point. :rotfl:
  • grumbler: Thanks. I went to LLoyds TSB and they said they don't have such form but can file this request to system instead. However still I can't get my money back.

    F_T_Buyer: I have no clue as well. I told her I don't need an extra sim but she said it's a promotion and the sim is "free". I was thinking I just want to get my contract done and since I don't have to pay anything for that extra sim, then i accepted.

    pimento: I think my case is different from you. When I walked out of the store, I got my 24-mth contract sim (which is the one I need) together with the phone, and together a 1-month contract Sim (which is the one she said I can cancel on 17 Jan and it will become PAYG but it never did).

    Thanks guys for your answers and hints. I need to rephrase myself again (maybe I didn't explain well) that, she gave me this extra sim (one month contract) not payg. I called them to cancel it, it never happen and it took out £10 from my account.

    Apart from that 3mobile took £30 in total without any reason. I went to Lloydstsb and requested for the refund but after almost 2 weeks still nothing happened.
  • grumbler
    grumbler Posts: 58,629 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    edited 21 February 2011 at 1:53AM
    dsodso wrote: »
    I went to Lloydstsb and requested for the refund but after almost 2 weeks still nothing happened.
    They have to refund the money immediately. After this they may investigate the case with the company ivolved and claim the money back either from you (very unlikely in this case) or from the company.
  • Grumbler: Thanks. Let me try going to lloyds again.
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