Phones4u cashback reliabilty

brooksie

Can anyone vouch for phones4u, my contract is up on 17th July, and after a shambolic time trying to get cashback from mobileshop i am a bit wary of another cashback deal, but phones4u offering 12mth free, 12 mth contract and £60 quidco on samsung e840 500mins/500txts. Can they be trusted, as its £40 a month, a lot to lose over the year. Thanks.

Norman-B

I would be interested in any feedback as well, please.

mobilejunkie

Hope you have more luck than I did getting any written answers from them. Every time you send an email to their so-called customer services you get an automatic response telling you to call them and they'll "talk you through it" - even though I stated IN the first email that I'd already done that but wanted some written answers to specific questions. I gave up after several more attempts and in the end a complaint which went totally unanswered.

I have many contracts and now they're doing 12 months free (my starting point for all of mine!) I was obviously interested since their Quidco cashback is high. However, I've read some extremely bad feedback (mainly about their shops and if THEY are bad I dread to think what the internet part is like - their attitude toe actually READING a potential customer email confirms my own reservations. I've come across the odd positive feedback, but it's by far the exception (2, I think - one of which didn't even get anything like a 12 month free deal and it was from a shop, not the internet and sounded like a complete novice).

I ALSO looked VERY closel at their deals - as I have with all the obvious sites - and wonder whether you've taken a very close look too. When the 12 month free deals first appeared I was quite keen - the cashback was paid in about four equal installments and cash-flow is also an obvious thing to consider. However, NOW they are paying a miniscule amount after claim one, a LITLLE bit more on claim 2 and the bulk (around £192 as I recall from checking again just now) at the very end - all on a higher tariff (with more at stake) than the other places.

Not sure if that helps - but I won't be going there! I am lining up at least two more contracts very soon and am likely to diversify to another dealer I haven;t tried (again, not answering emails BUT the phones are better and the structure not TOO bad - although still attempting to get written answers from them first).

brooksie

The cashback they are offering is £120 at 3rd, 6th, 9th and 12th which suits me better, but if anyone has anything else on 12 mth free with a more reliable retailer i would be very interested to know. cheers

mobilejunkie

Interesting; the SE w610i WAS on that basis but changed about a week ago along with a few others I checked. It's obviously a much better deal in even payments. Maybe it will change for the worse like the ones I was watching so once you've made your mind up perhaps you should order sooner rather than later - and copy that structure and such t&c as are on their website. Had I more faith in them I would still be tempted myself because of the Quidco profit.

PM

agreed phones 4 u is very tempting but I never purchased from them before.

e2save even with the new conditions I think I would rather deal with as I have puchased a few with them over past couple of yrs.

brooksie

Yes i am the same, have dealt with e2save in the past but not too sure about these pricematch t&cs , all a bit confusing, so not really sure what to do. Easier to send in certain bills than paperwark after so many days .
I just want a 12mth contract with as much free as poss,about 300 xnet mins, not even really bothered about particular phone, just a reliable retailer. All very frustrating!

mobilejunkie

It does seem they are now all competing to see who can make it the most difficult to get the money back which they promise you when you take out a contract. Personally I've had a lot of contracts in the last 12 months - just completed my first ever one and waiting for my final cheque. The more I read on here about various companies and the less information and responses I get from them when I ask basic questions makes me uneasy now. I still believe E2Save is the safest BUT they are constantly reducing their Quidco incentives AND adoptin what I would describe as dishonourable tactics in their marketing. It all leaves a bad taste, but the deals are still worht having provided they don't take things to extremes (as The Mobile Outlet, Phones2UDirect, Mobile Rainbow and a few lesser players always have done!). I wouldn't touch those companies with a barge-pole, so hope the current trend elsewhere reverses before they all become a bunch of thieves!

happyhunter

I've done a cashback deal with phone4u before, but that was over 2 years ago. At the time it was one claim at 6th month - pretty straight forward and got my cheque within a month. To be fair, I believe most negative feedbacks on other forums are to do with sales rep at shops. But as someone has pointed out, the new claim structure has put me off completely. The first claim at month 6 is only worth £48, climbing to £192 at month 12.

Don't think there are any 12 months free offers with nice and easy T & Cs any more.

Saeed

happyhunter wrote: »

But as someone has pointed out, the new claim structure has put me off completely. The first claim at month 6 is only worth £48, climbing to £192 at month 12.

Don't think there are any 12 months free offers with nice and easy T & Cs any more.

Not only that but one failed claim invalidates all subsequent claims AND they have weighted the cashback amount so much in their own favour too with the last 2 claims worth the most.

patwa_2

Several contracts with them both for myself and others, and no problems. Some points though learned from hard experience with another provider.

1. Download the T&Cs and print enough claim forms in advance to cover your contract. In fact the e2save terms actually ask you to do this, but it's a good idea in any case. Sometimes companies change the forms at short notice, but even then having the forms is safer ground as you don't waste time trying to contact CS for copies.

2. As soon as you get your phone, program into the phone, write in big letters on a whiteboard in your kitchen, print a T-shirt and wear it often, or whatever but note the bills you need to send, and spend 5-10 minutes with a calendar working out which bill you have to send. Remember the 1st bill is the one you get 3-4 days afterjoining, not the first bill after that (which is the 2nd bill).

3. Remember there are often other requirements if you're porting a number across. This usually requires sending the first bill as well as the 4th, or whatever, as the first claim - so two bills in one claim. This allows the cashback provider to see proof that you ported onto the contract you bought from them, and are not claiming on an existing one.

4. Send the bills as soon as you get them, by Recorded Delivery and keep the counterfoil from the Post Office. Don't leave it a couple of weeks - remember that reminder you made initiallY - it's there for a reason.

5. You must have already read the T&C's but remember the small print, one claim per envelope, just the bill and the claim form no other correspondence, etc. Companies openly state they shread excess material and this would invalidate the claim.

These go for all cashback claims, not just Phones4U. Hope this helps.

As for a cheaper contract, what requirements you looking at - handset, mins, texts?

H.