Feeling cheated by O2! 18 Month contract advice needed.

JoeBloggs_3

Hi,
I have a problem with O2/ Carphone Warehouse.
When my first annual contract was up for renewal, I called them up over the phone and asked if I could have the W800i for free on a 12 month.
The guy i spoke to said I HAD to have a 18 month contract for this!
I wanted it so bad, had no option in the matter so went for it.
About a week later, I was walking round town and quickly nipped into the Carphone Warehouse just to query this 18 month contract.
They advised me that this initial call I had was wrong, and they could have offered me the phone for free on a 12 month contract!!
I feel quite annoyed by this, as it now sounds like the guy I spoke to was more interested in reaching his targets on selling the 18 month contracts than offering me what I actually wanted!

I recieved an email from one of their guys and this is how the story went...

"Mr.Bloggs,

I have been passed your details from our customer care dept in regards to a complaint you have made in regards to a sales rep mis-advising yourself.The reason I am emailing you before I investigate is I would like to know what exactly has happened as the notes I have on your account are rather sketchy and don't explain the situation properly.I look foward to hearing from yourself. "

I then replied what I have just expressed above.

The reply I got has annoyed me!


"Mr. Bloggs,
My apologies i have not got back sooner as I have been away. In regards to the contract Bilal has advised when you purchased the handset that it would not be free on a 12 month contract and to get the handset free you would have to go on a 18 month contract. I'm sorry I cannot help in regards to that. If you need any more help please don't hesitate to get in touch."


You can just tell he has been away, just got back, a stack full of emails to get through, quickly read the email, couldnt be bothered following up on this and simply replied without any disregard to what I have been advised in the Carphone warehouse shop!


Their customer support is crap! They cant be bothered doing anything, their call centre reps dont give a damn about you, just care in getting their 18 month contract, and on top of that, if you change your cycle date forward by lets say 5 days, they have to close down your account, open up a new one with the new billing date, and charge you twice in the same month!

I cant wait for this 18 month contract to end now, but if anyone has any useful advise on how I can get it reduced to the 12 month contract I initially requested Id appreciate it.

I hope that everyone who reads this will now think twice about going with Carphone Warehouse/ O2! If they lose more than 6 months of contract as a result of this post, at least it will feel like some kind of victory!

MarkyMarkD

They offered you a particular phone on an 18 month contract and you agreed.

In a nutshell, they made an offer and you accepted it.

The fact you could have got a different deal is not really relevant - they aren't under any obligation to tell you about every offer. And they don't have to offer the same deals on the phone as they do in their shops.

You haven't got anything to complain about IMHO.

If you really wanted that phone on a 12 month contract, you should have searched on somewhere like reestitmutton.com which shows what phones are available on what deals and through whom.

g33za

unfortunately you wanted the phone so badly you didnt do your homework and they took advantage. Unfortunately there is nothing you can do really. MarkyMarkD is right above, you accepted the contract they offered and unlike other contracts a renewal is not subject to the distance selling regulations (i think).

emma396

my sis' bf had a 18 month contract with vodafone, he called up and kicked off and basically said something along the line of them having to prove he agreed to the 18 month contract. (he wanted an upgrade) they gave in and gave him the new samsung beyonce phone and reduced his price plan as well. give it a go i say.

JoeBloggs_3

lol, thanks for the advice Emma, but I couldn't kick off knowing full well i entered into it initially. But I still feel missold and no one seems to see this.

I know they made me an offer and I accepted it, but what I find unfair about it is the fact that when I initially took out on the contract, asked him if I could have it on a 12. He said No. But by walking into their shop I can?

Anyway, Looks like im waisting my time with this. I know I have entered into an 18 month contract, and stuck with it i guess.
I will be looking for another provider next time however.

wishiwasarichgirl

JoeBloggs wrote: »

I know they made me an offer and I accepted it, but what I find unfair about it is the fact that when I initially took out on the contract, asked him if I could have it on a 12. He said No. But by walking into their shop I can?

but you didn't walk into their shop, you walked into Carphonewarehouse? or was it CPW that you called for the upgrade?

you will always get different deals and offeres in every store, from CPW, to Link to Phones 4U to the individual networks. its a case of shopping around for the best deal to suit you.

and never agree to the first thing they offer you for an upgrade, you can always haggle them to a better deal (have you read Martins article?)

Unfortunately I think its too late to do anything now, but do your research before renewing next time.

Old_Gold

Another brilliant example of the five fundamental rules that CPW claim to abide by.
It seems that it is okay for a company to use any trick to sell you a package that is favourable to them. The term buyer beware has never been so appropriate as in today's market.

chocolateypie

wishiwasarichgirl wrote: »

and never agree to the first thing they offer you for an upgrade, you can always haggle them to a better deal (have you read Martins article?)

That's true, however bear in mind that retail stores have very little power in terms of reducing the handset price, and they pretty much can't do anything when it comes to changing the tariff. If someone from direct sales rings you up, then you can always haggle as those guys are paid to do almost whatever they can to keep customers