Are 'cashback' offers safe?

Ed1_2

Hi,

I'm with Phonebox direct and have a cashback deal which would save £420 over the year. I photocopied and dated the bills and the forms and posted my 4 and 6 month bills on time as requested. As I had not received any cashback I called today to check.

They said they had not received EITHER of the bills and did I send them recorded delivery. I had not. Apparently this is recommended in the small print in their terms and conditions (but nowhere else!) and it would invalidate all further claims now!!

I'm in the process of writing a letter of complaint but wondered if anyone has had the same experience or have any suggestions about how to make them pay up?

Be warned - use recorded delivery!

Thanks, Ed

Garetha

stefano wrote: »

So everyone here has had good experiences, then why are so many people having bad ones?

Because the t&cs are full of traps - so you must be aware of this if you are to 'win'
The main problems arise when people slip up
Also, even if you do it all correctly, they worry you by not meeting their timescales.

keri

I have a couple of phones with Phoneboxdirect and am just about coming to the end of my contracts.
I don't think I will be looking at getting another deal with them now because the cash back time is getting longer and longer. When I started you had to allow 28 days to receive your cheque. Then it became 28 WORKING days. I've just phoned up about my 3rd claim and have been told they've changed this to 45 days!!!

This seems a hell of a long time and I'm a bit concerned that maybe they're getting into a few difficulties.

I'll probably end up at Carphone Warehouse who I have also used before and have more faith in.

But whoever you use go through the small print with a fine toothcomb and make sure you are prepared to jump through all the hoops they put in front of you!

Cheers
Keri

xman

What about automatic cashbacks? Do you think anybody offers that?

gtz101

xman wrote: »

What about automatic cashbacks? Do you think anybody offers that?

Yes, CPW already offer that. Well, I know for sure with CPW upgrade customers you get the choice for automatic cashback or normal cashbacks where you send off the bills at regular intervals. Only difference is that for automatic cashback the offer won't be as attractive as normal cashback. Usually its about £50 cashback difference.

HugoSP

gtz101 wrote: »

Yes, CPW already offer that. Well, I know for sure with CPW upgrade customers you get the choice for automatic cashback or normal cashbacks where you send off the bills at regular intervals. Only difference is that for automatic cashback the offer won't be as attractive as normal cashback. Usually its about £50 cashback difference.

Dialaphone offer automatic cashbacks. These two are not as attractive as the cashbacks by redemtion.

HugoSP

keri wrote: »

I have a couple of phones with Phoneboxdirect and am just about coming to the end of my contracts.
I don't think I will be looking at getting another deal with them now because the cash back time is getting longer and longer. When I started you had to allow 28 days to receive your cheque. Then it became 28 WORKING days. I've just phoned up about my 3rd claim and have been told they've changed this to 45 days!!!

This seems a hell of a long time and I'm a bit concerned that maybe they're getting into a few difficulties.

I'll probably end up at Carphone Warehouse who I have also used before and have more faith in.

But whoever you use go through the small print with a fine toothcomb and make sure you are prepared to jump through all the hoops they put in front of you!

Cheers
Keri

That's why I like Dialaphone. They're conduct is consistant. The morning after I sent my redemption claim in for both of my contracts (one bill) I got SMS notification on both phones telling me to expect my checks in the post within 7 days. This is typical of the service I get every time.

HugoSP

gingababe wrote: »

I am looking changing mine & my husbands phones so looking at the cash deals but my husband is very sceptial to say the least !!!
Can anyone give me any tips, ie who to use etc.
Thanks in advance
Ginga

Dialaphone - as I have said before they are not always as competitive as the others but they do what they promise.

Their customer service is generally very good as well.

If you have a calender in your kitchen just write down the dates you need to send your bills in, and send them in using the PO signed for service. If you have to send some in next year just write down the dates in December to be transferred to the 2008 calendar.

Tell your husband from me that Dialaphone will not present any major issues provided he sends his bills in on time. any that do crop up from my experiences will be dealt with quickly.

The other option you've got is to opt for some free gifts and sell them on e bay to recoup some money!

gingababe

thanks for that HugoSP, we have been looking & are set on phone & contract very competitive, but can I take my number with me??

Thanks in advance
Ginga

merched99

Lots of useful info here thanks but like gingababe I would also like to take my number with me. It's with O2 on a company contract at the moment and I'm leaving but would like to keep the number. Thanks for any replies.