e2save / OSPS - are they that bad?

matty_art

I'm due a new contract soon, and this deal on Onecompare stands out as great value:

http://www.e2save.com/mobile/phones/showBoxes.php?&B[0][next][0]=&B[0][handsetcode]=O2MW850ICLPM&affiliate=aw60094

o2 800 + 500
12 Month Contract

£7.50 after cashback, £45.00 per month direct debit. Handset is £FREE

There's an equivalent deal with Onestopphoneshop.

The issue is reading this site scares me somewhat. I'm currently on a deal with OSPS which has been very smooth, I've followed the timing precisely and they have been reasonably prompt with cheques (3 out of 4 bills sent so far).

I now read that Onestopphoneshop is being closed down by CPW in so far as offices (not brand), which may complicate things somewhat. Also I understand there may some difference with O2 via CPW to Orange, which I'm with at the moment, although I can't quite understand what.

I'd probably go with OSPS again, but the one issue with the last transaction is that I didn't get Quidco cashback, my query on that is still pending since last November (incidentally it now has Sureshop accreditation, my query has been "sent to merchant" for months, but is it worth resubmitting now it has this?). Also slightly concerned about this closure of OSPS..is there any risk they will be liquidated with no recompense for cashback claimers?

Any positive cashback stories, or is it all woe?

elljay20

nooooooooooo!!!!! not ANOTHER cashback thread!!!!! don't do it. if it sounds too good to be true it probably is!!! cashback is so hit and miss, if they paid out on half the claims, these companies will go bust!.

Quentin

The most important thing to realise is that things have changed as far as their business model goes.

When you took out your current contract, they had "reasonable" cashback conditions - in comparison with the competition (eg mobile outlet, cool new mobile)

They have changed these radically - and are now designed to make you fail, with no attempt by them to offer any support.

They even now say that although recorded delivery is recommended, should your letter get lost in the post (and even though you can prove it was sent recorded), they will not pay you for the lost claim. Worse, in such circumstances they will not pay for any more claims, and say your whole cashback is lost.

mobilejunkie

Hardly surprising the same deal is on both - they are the same "company" now and Onestopphoneshop were closed down about 2-3 months ago. That's the least of your worries; they are not the company they were, which should become apparent by reading all the threads developing. Wait just a very short time more and I suspect they'll be a lot worse. Might also want to have a look at a thread I started a while back, since the t&c you'll see aren't necessarilly the one's you'll get. If you think old OSPS methodology and add a month you'll be closer to what they're using - but not the legal t&c. I've had loads of cashback deals with both companies, but things are different now. No cashback details on your account - except ones you can't trust and no indication of cheque raised nor anything else any more. I am still getting deals with them for myself and a few others but you really have to know what you're doing now. In fact, the old Onestopphoneshop methodolgy is closer to their current one than E2Save's was; even though Onestopphoneshop closed and E2Save took them over, the IIC came from Onestopphoneshop and is wrecking everything from addresses to on-line account information to t&c to so-called "price-matching" - and more!

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=558661&page=1

I still think half the people roughly will get their cashbacks - the others won't or will have to fight. Of course, I could be wrong - so far I've been wrong more in terms of the other things they've been getting up to recently rather than the problem I'm expecting.

matty_art

Thanks for your replies, most useful.

Over the last year, I've been having to send within 30 days of a certain date (which I set up outlook reminders for so not to forget), with the latest bill. I've sent recorded delivery, checked online to confirm they've received, and the cheques have been sent out without problem (6/8/10 month, 12th month still to send).

I haven't had to check any cashback details on the account. The only thing I've been in touch with them about is when they didn't send enough cashback vouchers at the start of the contract, they were sent out without problem (actually they sent out two copies, handy just in case!).

I've had a read of a few threads but without the prior knowledge it's hard to get the gist; what is the difference between the above description and the "new methodology" you mention, mobilejunkie? I don't quite follow the "add a month", is this just timing of the cashback claims?

Maybe I should go to the OSPS website and look at the T&C before, but it seems these differ depending on the deal?

mobilejunkie

Firstly. you've contradicted yourself; you DID used to check your account to see it was received. No longer. The t&c were lifted word from word from Mobile Affilitates - and now there are 5 claims instead of four. The forms they send you are sometimes contradictory. They are attempting to change the E2Save t&c for older contracts which are still running. The addresses keep changing. They recently deleted the dates and useful information on E2Save's accounts and then had the nerve to actually WRITE t&c for contracts which had been running for well over 6 months and put those on instead as if they'd always been there. Their telephones are flooded with calls. They often claim they haven't received things until they ask for the RD number and check themselves on the RM website. The t&c you'll see there now are mainly ignored and they do things rather differently.

Quentin

That deal you are interested in has the pricematch conditions (which are nothing like the "friendly" ones you currently have).

elljay20

Quentin wrote: »

That deal you are interested in has the pricematch conditions (which are nothing like the "friendly" ones you currently have).

that's because they can't afford to pay out!!! the amount of customers i have through my door who have been ripped off by cashback companies is astonishing.

op, why not look at normal contracts with instant free gifts or upfront cashback? not as cheap as some of these deals, but at least you'll get what your promised

matty_art

mobilejunkie wrote: »

Firstly. you've contradicted yourself; you DID used to check your account to see it was received. No longer. The t&c were lifted word from word from Mobile Affilitates - and now there are 5 claims instead of four. The forms they send you are sometimes contradictory. They are attempting to change the E2Save t&c for older contracts which are still running. The addresses keep changing. They recently deleted the dates and useful information on E2Save's accounts and then had the nerve to actually WRITE t&c for contracts which had been running for well over 6 months and put those on instead as if they'd always been there. Their telephones are flooded with calls. They often claim they haven't received things until they ask for the RD number and check themselves on the RM website. The t&c you'll see there now are mainly ignored and they do things rather differently.

Sorry I didn't clarify correctly. I never checked my account, merely I checked the Royal Mail online recorded delivery service.

I don't quite understand this price match thing, I'm reading the terms and conditions at https://www.secure-mobiles.com/files/pdfs/cashback_price_match_terms.pdf
but can't see any specific mention.

The only difference apart from the additional month on 4 months, is that you must send an additional bill for a ported number, I didn't do this on my current contract.

Edit: actually I also just noticed that it says you must send the original bill now. I've sent a copy and had cashback over the last year. I presume this is another change.

mobilejunkie

Then I'm not sure I can advise you any more. The t&c are very specific but not the same as they are using, as I have explained elsewhere. They never actually HAD any written t&c like this previously; in fact, they had hardly anything at all and although they were the same t&c in essence as E2Save they worked quite differently. Now they aren't following the existing ones for existing customers and are ignoring some very specific and crucial parts of these. That is probably because they didn't write them in the first place and the IIC merely thought it a great way to stitch people up and reduce successful claims.

matty_art

Actually that's interesting. As you say, they are now using the e2save T&C. But in fact when you click on the cashback details from the OSPS website, it takes you to the e2save website T&C! I didn't notice they were e2save when I first read them.

Clearly seems you have had some issues with them, hope you manage to get them resolved and thanks for your help.

What does IIC mean by the way?