Avoid Phones4U - Dishonest or Incompetant

EdgarTPeaceful

Hello,

I bought a Nokia Lumia 920 from Phones4U back in February of 2013 - a 24month contract with Orange. As I'm coming to the end(ish) of my contract I'm intending to keep the phone and move to a rolling monthly contract with another supplier.

As per this article in PC Pro:

pcpro.co.uk/news/379714/unlocked-nokia-lumia-920-trapped-on-ee

I was sold the phone as unlocked. I asked specifically in shop when purchasing and was told "all our phones are unlocked". It turns out that this is not the case, and the phone is, in fact, locked to Orange/EE/T-Mobile.

I was annoyed when I discovered this but thought, ok, I'll bite the bullet and pay for it to be unlocked for £20 with EE - "Sorry you'll have to get it unlocked with Phones4U". I rang Phones4U - "we don't have the unlock codes, you'll have to go back to EE". So no way of getting the phone unlocked.

When I challenged Phone4U on the mis-selling of the phone as 'unlocked' the just parroted a script that all Lumia 920's sold with a contract were locked to a provider (EE/Orange/T-Mobile) and that I would have been explained this on purchase.

I was not, in fact I was categorically told it was unlocked. I quoted the PC Pro article to Phones4U as evidence of a widespread mis-selling of these phones but Phones4U refused to comment.

When I bought the phone either the staff in store were dishonest (which I doubt) or they hadn't been informed that the Lumia's were in fact locked. That's incompetence on the company's behalf.

There's not much I can do except advise that others don't buy from Phones4U and instead go direct to the phone company.

grumbler

EdgarTPeaceful wrote: »

....don't buy from Phones4U and instead go direct to the phone company.

I think it is much cheaper to buy from p4u and pay for unlocking than to buy directly from the 'phone company'.

To be fair to p4u, it's something very new and unusual. I'd rather blame EE for refusing to "unlock phones purchased from Phones 4U" (as per the above article). Why on earth do they refuse?! Or have they changed their mind and started unlocking them?

BTW, it's incompetent, NOT incompetant

EdgarTPeaceful

Thanks for the reply grumbler.

EE have said that they don't have the codes to unlock 'generic' phones (which, again, suggests it should be unlocked but...) and directed me to Phones4U

Either way, Phones4U sold me - and others - a phone as 'unlocked' - specifically and categorically - which was in fact locked to EE/Orange/T-Mobile. They won't engage with the charge of mis-selling bought by me, and others, according to the PC Pro article and multiple complaints on other forums.

chanz4

does it say unlocked on your recipt

EdgarTPeaceful

Unfortunately I filed the contract 'somewhere safe' 18 months back and can't find it without ripping my house apart at the moment.

Phones4U were confident on the phone that the contract stated that I had discussed the exclusivity of the phone to EE/Orange/T-Mobile. - Hence their lack of sympathy or willingness to do anything to help.

As I've stated above, on sale I was told verbally (and how I wish it was via an online chat log) that the phone was completely unlocked, as all Phones4U phones were unlocked.

There's a lot about the Phones4U mis-selling of the phone as unlocked in the PC Pro article and the links therein:

pcpro.co.uk/news/379714/unlocked-nokia-lumia-920-trapped-on-ee

Legally I don't think I can do anything, unfortunately. All I can do is draw attention to the mis-sale, and subsequent 'tough cookie' attitude from P4U.

gjchester

EdgarTPeaceful wrote: »

As I've stated above, on sale I was told verbally (and how I wish it was via an online chat log) that the phone was completely unlocked, as all Phones4U phones were unlocked.

The 3rd party phone shops buy phones where they are cheapest, that could be network branded and locked stock or generic stock. Typically they use unlocked stock so they don't have to hold a few of each networks branded version in the store.


For a long time the 920 was an EE exclusive phone so all stock would have come via the network and so be locked. Even when it stopped there could still be stock in the supply chain to clear.


Phones4U staff may not have known they were locked, Was the box network branded, or is there any branding on the phone that may imply its network sourced stock?

EdgarTPeaceful wrote: »

Legally I don't think I can do anything, unfortunately. All I can do is draw attention to the mis-sale, and subsequent 'tough cookie' attitude from P4U.

Legally if you can show you were sold it was Unlocked then you have a case, however that depends if you can find the paperwork and what that shows

ste_wilko

EE are talking crap! If the phone is locked, it is locked. It is not a generic phone. Retailers do not have access to lock codes, that is the network. EE are the only ones that can unlock the handset and no-one else.

Speak to EE again, just tell them that you'd like your handset unlocking. Don't mention the P4u bit