Three mobile upgrade fraud!

lullabelle11

I was just wondering if anyone else on MSE forums hasencountered this problem?

Last Tuesday 9th October when I was on holiday inthe Rep. of Ireland, I received a text from Three congratulating me inupgrading to Samsung Galaxy S3 on The One Plan. I am currently near the end ofmy contract on Internet texter 500 and was due an upgrade but I did not requestthis one! As I was in international territory, I had switched of my dataconnection so couldn’t log into My Three to check this. Later that same eveningI received another text asking me to confirm a convenient date to deliver mynew phone. I started to panic, as I had not authorised the upgrade and wouldn’teven be at home to get the parcel. I phoned the 3 ‘Customer Services’ line thefollowing morning (Wednesday 10th October) and they advised me thatI had rang the call centre on 3rd October to request the upgrade. Imost certainly did not! They then patched me through after several times on ‘hold’to a very rude gentleman who kept referring to the upgrade call that I had allegedlymade. I kept explaining that I had not asked for this upgrade and he got moreand more agitated. I got very angry and said that I wasn’t happy and wanted tobe put through to someone who could reverse this upgrade and sort out thematter. He then stated that it was my responsibility to look after the securityof my account! He said that all he could do was open it as a fraud case andsend it to the security team. I grewtired of his reluctant attitude so I terminated the call and went through theautomated assault course again. This time another chap was more forthcoming andagreed to reverse the upgrade on the account. I asked him why the other guywouldn’t do this and he said that he didn’t have the authority to perform thisaction. Why didn’t the first guy just tell me that?! He gave me a new PIN number for the accountand asked me to set two passwords. Anyway, it transpired that the new SamsungGalaxy was being delivered to an address in Dagenham. I live in NorthernIreland and this did not seem strange to Three at all! I also find it very extraordinarythat the person who actioned this upgrade was able to access my account with mydetails. I am extremely careful with all of my online accounts and I find thewhole affair very suspicious indeed!

Later that day (still on my holiday) I received a call fromthe Three security team reassuring me that they were able to get the phone back(I’m delighted for them) and that the upgrade would be reversed. They told meno further upgrades could be actioned on the account without coming through theThree security team and using the passwords I set earlier that day.

On Thursday 11th October I outlined this debaclein an email to the Three Executive Office and requested that my contract beterminated forthwith.

I continued to receive texts regarding my new mobile plan!

On Friday 12th October I received a ratherstrange call from Three Customer Services who asked if he could connect methrough to the security team so that they could complete the upgrade reversalon the phone. I gave my passwords and the chap reassured me once again that thereversal had been processed.

On Monday morning (15th October) I still hadheard nothing from the Executive Office (which was odd as they were quiteprompt when I had dealt with them two years previously concerning anothermatter) and my account was still registering the upgrade and The One Plan on myonline account. I telephoned the sham of a call centre again and played!!!!!!!! bingo for 20 minutes before being connected through to cancellations.This was a nightmare, I explained several times that I wanted my account closedand the operator tried every trick in the book to make it difficult. Ieventually very firmly asked her to stop playing games and just process myrequest! :mad: She then said she would send me my PAC code as I had requested and when that was used to transfer my number, myaccount would be closed. The code would expire after 1 month. I asked her when I had asked for the PAC codeand she said “at the start of the call”. She blatantly lied as I did not askher this! I accepted the PAC code in the end but she refused to send me writtenconfirmation that my account would be closed. I asked her my last bill date andamount owed and she confirmed that it was £21.50 as per my original price plan.Trouble is I don’t believe her and I have since learned via Ofcom that theycannot ask you to use your PAC code as a way of closing your account!

Three Executive Office have sent me an email this eveningstating that they will contact me within 7 working days to ‘help with myconcerns’. I have hear d so many horror stories about Three continuing to takedirect debits from customers after they tried to close their accounts andstarting possession proceedings against them if they cancel the DD. Why arethey getting away with this??! I just want to close my account and be free ofthem forever! HELP!!

Eva49

Although not with '3' I was reading this thread the other day

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4226437

Sounds very similar.............

grumbler

Although not upgrade, but with '3'...

Fraudulent mobile phone contract

robbies_gal

just use the pac code and you will be free of them i wouldnt trust them to close the account manually

squinz84

I am having very similar ordeal - but with Tmobile. I was offered a discounted upgrade when I threatened to leave but then when the phone arrived I was told there was no such discount and there was no record from the sales person I had spoke to - just said I 'accepted the deal at full price'. Furious!!! I have sent the phone back and spoke to customer services so many times and don't trust them that it's sorted. My existing contract lasts till 25/10/12 and I have put it in writing (and told them over the phone) that I want nothing else to do with them. They still have my DD details too but I daren't cancel and when I log in to my account online it still says I have the new contract till 2014. I despair but will need to ring up when existing contract ends before I can be certain they're not still taking my money. I kept being told about PAC codes and had no udea what they were talking about?!