Mobiles.co.uk problem with a handset.....

stevep94

Long story short, my wife got a HTC Desire S through Mobiles.co.uk back in June/July last year (2 year contract through Orange) but the phone itself has has become unusable through various faults.

It has been back in for repair a few times and has come back each time worse than when it went in!

Anyway, after asking Mobiles.co.uk/Carphone Warehouse to supply a new one, they are outright refusing to do anything other than continually "repair" the current one or have offered a choice of a couple of refurbished handsets as a replacement.

My wife specifically likes the size etc of the Desire S and given the shocking "repair" history of the current phone, I'm not keen on having another "refurb" as a replacement!

It has got to the point where the "high level complaints department" have basically said "too bad, if you don't like it then go to trading standards"!?!?! :eek:

I can't believe that they wouldn't want to just solve the problem with a new phone to get rid of us!

I guess my question is; what can I do now????

Thanks for any assistance........

grumbler

Unfortunately, our 'clever' and well paid lawmakers were incapable of producing anything more definite than that the retailer has to repair or replace " 'within a reasonable time but without causing significant inconvenience". The law says nothing about replacing with a new item.

So, you can

• sue CPW on the grounds of 'unreasonable time' and 'significant inconvenience';
• try dealing directly with the manufacturer.

stevep94

grumbler wrote: »

So, you can

• sue CPW on the grounds of 'unreasonable time' and 'significant inconvenience';
• try dealing directly with the manufacturer.

Well I can't be bothered to sue them but I might try and contact HTC themselves to see if they have a bit better customer care!

It just irks me that CPW can be such ***** and essentially get away with it!!!! :mad:

MissKeith

Firstly, CPW send HTC phones directly to the manufacturer so the service they would offer would either be the same or worse. Secondly, they have offered you a refurbished replacement instead of a repair, by law they do not even have to do this. I would take the replacement and if it fails again, ask them for an alternative out of goodwill as you have lost faith with the model of handset you have.

stevep94

In the circumstances we would love to take a refurbished Desire S but they are "out of stock in the returns warehouse" with no due date!

The problem with accepting one of the alternatives is my wife chose the Desire S because she likes it and we have since bought various accessories that will be rendered useless if we swap to another!

It's just so frustrating that CPW have such little regard for its customers!

grumbler

Try contacting HTC then. They can't be 'out of stock'.

stevep94

Finally a result!!!!

After a loooong struggle, I finally managed to speak to someone in the CEO's office in Preston (having had the "escalations department" do precisely nothing!)

After just a couple of phone calls to this department they have agreed to credit my wife's account with the retail cost of a new Desire S and all we had to do was go into a CPW store and take the faulty one back!

In the end my wife didn't want to take the chance of another Desire S being faulty and so paid a little more to get a HTC Sensation!

Just goes to show, if you complain loud enough and long enough, you can usually get a decent result!

Guys_Dad

Good result and thanks for reporting back.

On the refurbished/replacement scenario, I am taken back to the very old joke about the Prisoner of War camp.

The inmates were living in some squalor and the senior guard came in and said "Good news. You are getting a change of bedding today"

Cheers all round.

"Yes. Hut 1 will be changing bedclothes with hut 4, hut 2 with hut 7............................"