Brighthouse sold me a stolen item advice needed please?

nikkimc6780

Hi

I'm not a fan or do I recommend brighthouse at all!

Yesterday my son broke his iPhone and I didn't have the funds to replace or repair so as I am already a customer with brighthouse I called my local store to see if they had any refurnished phones they said yes a Samsung Galaxy S4 they put it on hold and I collected it. They told me it should be open to all networks but cannot guarantee it fair enough I thought.
I came home tried my son's 3 sim card and wouldn't work. Tried the O2 PAYG sim card that was in the box, still wouldn't work. Then I had a light bulb moment and thought is this phone blocked??
So I went on to o2's website (as it came with O2 sim) and started a Web chat with an O2 guru he asked for the handset imei to check it's status he told me that the phone was reported stolen and orange had placed a block on it.

Can someone please advise where I go from here?

I am so annoyed a shop has sold me a stolen phone! I Googled to see if it had happened before but nothing came up apart from a lot of brighthouse customers being annoyed by the harassment they get when they don't pay. I have always paid on time so I wouldn't know but I am very disappointed my son needed a phone to go on holiday with so I had to give him mine. I almost paid for the phone to be unlocked as well! Thank god I didn't!

Appreciate any help xx

mije1983

nikkimc6780 wrote: »

Can someone please advise where I go from here?

Take it back to Brighthouse. You could see if they have any other refurbished phones while you're there or just get a refund.

neilmcl

Have you considered taken it back to the store where you bought it from?

flashg67

Did you save the web chat to show the store - the store would be my first port of call. However annoyed you are, please try to be calm and speak to them as you'd wish to be spoken to in return - you'll get much further being polite but firm.

next step would be head-office, but I can't see why they wouldn't refund given what you've said.

wealdroam

Before going back to Brighthouse, you might want to get a Checkmend report to back up your claim.

But the report does cost £1.99, so maybe see what Brighthouse has to say first.

mije1983

Not sure how reliable this site is, but it's free

http://www.amta.org.au/pages/amta/Check.the.Status.of.your.Handset

wealdroam

mije1983 wrote: »

Not sure how reliable this site is, but it's free

http://www.amta.org.au/pages/amta/Check.the.Status.of.your.Handset

That will only tell you whether or not your phone is blocked in Australia.

There is no worldwide blocked database, so the check needs to be done against a UK database.

harrys_dad

I hope you get the refund you are entitled to OP. After that, ask your self the question "why does my son need an iPhone when I cannot afford it and neither can he?".

How old is your son? Does he have his sim card on a contract or is it PAYG?

If the only way you can afford stuff is to shop in Brighthouse (and you say you are already a customer) then actually you cannot afford it at all. The overall cost of shopping there is astronomic.

zaax

How did you break an iphone so its unrepairable?
Also your living above your means?

Paully232000

I would imagine taking it back to the shop would be your first port of call, cant imagine even brighthouse would want to be seen selling stolen goods.

On the other note people are making is this really how much they charge for a S4,

http://www.brighthouse.co.uk/samsung/samsung-galaxy-s4-mini-black-vodafone/

maybe a cheaper phone from ebay etc would be a better option.

soolin

Paully232000 wrote: »

I would imagine taking it back to the shop would be your first port of call, cant imagine even brighthouse would want to be seen selling stolen goods.

On the other note people are making is this really how much they charge for a S4,

http://www.brighthouse.co.uk/samsung/samsung-galaxy-s4-mini-black-vodafone/

maybe a cheaper phone from ebay etc would be a better option.

£832.00 :eek: flippin eck

My DS, all grown up in a job with a flat and car owned outright is using a basic entry level phone from Tesco. I asked him whether he had thought of upgrading as his contract ended several years back and he said he uses it to phone, send texts and occasionally do a bit of internet browsing so why would he need anything else?

I think if I was asked I would have to say I was relatively well off, I certainly don't have to go without anything and pay cash for any tech stuff I want, yet I must actually be poor if I consider an £800+ phone a bit out of my league - I'm looking to buy a new PC for that this week.