Prestige telecom / plan.com - its time we fought back

ballyblack

this is a 'business contract' so they use this fact against you for your rights

Get your PAC code by text and move on ! accept your losses!

 PS hang up on any cold callers in future

fion1818

I too am stuck in this contract and with the current circumstances in the UK and worldwide, I am not sure I will afford to keep paying! Please help. 

help3

I also have just been pushed into a business contract with theses people even though I told them I was going to be starting a full time job when the virus restrictions are lifted.
i was told that was ok as lots of business stop trading and it wouldn’t be a problem 
They made me believe they were from EE and even though I says I was unsure I was pushed into signing as they said it would help at this hard time with no money coming in to reduce my monthly phone payment down 
I have since looked into this and I believe. Sole traders are classed under the consumer protection act of 1 October 2015 
can you please advise as they are very nasty, and intimidating when I said I wanted to cancel. No service has been had from them and I’ve cancelled my PAC code And spoke to EE and O2 

JJ_Egan

Not sure who you are asking but google says .

However, individuals who act as sole traders can benefit from the same rights and remedies if they purchase goods and services for a purpose that is mainly personal rather than professional.

JoBrad

I too am embarrassed to say I have been caught in this, I was contacted by a guy who made out he was from my current provider EE who I am happy with, he said he had done a signal check and that it is often poor (true..I have to use a booster box) and that I would be better off swapping to O2 and although I am a sole trader very small company I would save money going onto a business contract, I was distracted working from home due to current situation with 2 kids ( classic scam tactic). It sounded like a good deal until I realised VAT is added I am not VAT registered and I very clearly stated I wanted a 24month contract (its actually 36 with a 24 month clause for review.. not to cancel.. presumably an attempt to upgrade and lock you in again). I have since read this in the contract I printed off... but during the call the sales handler quickly talked my though and email with tick boxes which stated proposal at the top and an electronic signature.
I have since had to cease trading due to finances and as I haven't received the phone or activated it I contacted them today to say I have changed my mind, they were aggressive, pushy and threatening saying that there was nothing I could do as it is a business contract and therefore no cooling off!!! this was not at all made clear... I have never heard of this before... I got divorced last year and I was 100% clear on that but even that has a cooling off between nisi and absolute!!
I have gone round in circles since. I spoke to EE and the said it is against the law and there is a cooling off and referred my to the gov website online and distance selling for businesses, - they have said to cancel today will cost £275 plus VAT

I have been onto the govent website and it clearly states that I have the right to cancel without actually having to give a reason.  I am going to refuse acceptance of delivery of the phone and send it back but not sure whether to cancel the DD as I dont want to get CCJ bad credit etc. I have also asked EE to stop the PAC release. I reported to OFCOM but they said there are no active complaints against prestige.com... but looking on here there are loads... has anyone actually managed to get out of this?? any further advice would be very much appreciated.

stragglebod

Where does it say on the government website that you have a right to cancel a business contract without penalty and without giving a reason?

takedownPTG

I will was scammed by Prestige Telecom 2 days ago. They bullied me and threatened me. There is a loop hole please tell everyone: 
there is no cooling off period for a business contract but only if connection has been made. I was lucky enough to get a call from my provider when I requested my PAC code and he alerted me to what I had done and cancelled it. I called prestige back to say I’d like to cancel and they lied to me saying I could not. After spending a considerable amount of time on the phone to O2 who are associated with Prestige and Plan.com , O2 called them on my behalf as I told them they were indirectly responsible and benefiting from this fraud. They put me through to Plan.com and Plan informed me I was well within my rights to cancel as connection from EE had not yet been made.  Plan.com we’re actually very helpful and informed me they were well aware of Prestige and their tactics.  Plan.com called Prestige on my behalf and I then got a call from Prestige to threaten me. They said they didn’t need a connection from EE they would just issue me a new number and I’d still have to keep my contract ( which is a rip off by the way) and by this point I was in tears. The customer service provider was actually agreeing with me and she said she had no idea why they were lying and why they are fighting this and we both agreed they were gunning for me. She spoke to her director and I was informed my contract would be cancelled but only if I removed my trust pilot review.  This is a mere summary of my dealings! Something needs to be done 

abihiggs1245

I am so relieved to find that I am not the only person who has experienced this as I have been so stressed and anxious since Prestige Telecom Group came in my life, it was only a week ago but it seems so so much longer and they have literally turned my world upside down!!! They cold called my over a week ago, much the same as everyone on this thread, I was more than happy with EE, I advised Prestige how my phone was only 1 month old, they explained how it would be cheaper to change to O2 and better coverage... sounds great.. so I thought. (I need to add at this point, whether it is me being stupid or not, but I have never heard of this less than 6 months old handset locking issue in my life, I am not technology savy and I was not made aware of this by Prestige when I explained how old my phone was). My sim card arrives, I go to pop it in to find my phone is locked to EE network (FRIDAY, 17TH JULY) , I then advise Prestige on the same day and this is where I am then sent on a mad goose chase and told the following:

MONDAY, 20TH JULY -  ( Ring EE - They CAN and HAVE to unlock the phone. - No Joy - EE explained this is not possible, I then go back to Prestige and explain and funnily enough, they don't sound at all surprised. They then ask for me to give my IMEI and a load of other personal details and my phone should be able to be unlocked so I leave it in their 'CAPABLE' hands.

TUESDAY, 21ST JULY - Another day passes and no update or email as I requested. I ring back on my neighbours phone, excited to hear where we are in this process, to find nothing has been done at all. I am then told to go to a Phone Shop - Any one will do, they can unlock it for you. I go to a phone shop and ring around a couple of local ones - this is a known problem and not possible. I advise Prestige of this, they explain how they have had this issue before and it has definitely been done. They then didn't know what to do. By this time, it is my fifth day of no network.

WEDNESDAY, 22ND JULY - Prestige sends a list of unlocking websites and I am told ' your phone will unlocked within an hour if you use one of these websites'. I paid £30.00 to one of these websites and surprise, surprise, no can do. I advise Prestige, by this point, no staff member knows what to do. I advise Prestige that I will need a new unlocked phone sent out to me, the same device as I have now. I am then told at midday that this is not possible. This is when I send a load of emails asking for an immediate resolution to be emailed to be 5pm the same day, if no reply, I warned I would be cancelling - business contract or not as I have received no such service from them, by this point I am really frustrated (mainly as my employer has asked me to take 3 days unpaid leave). I sent a chain of emails from midday to 5pm and no reply!!

THURSDAY, 23RD JULY - Midday - Still no reply from Prestige.  Over 24 Hours passed until I received a reply on what you would think was an extremely urgent matter - no phone signal - living alone in a remote location - no business - losing money. I send another load of emails hourly as by this point, I feel totally abandoned, taken advantage of as I can't ring and only email and overall felt totally scammed. 
4.30pm - FINALLY - we have a reply from Chris at Prestige who tells me not to send so many emails as it clogs up their inbox. ( Got to say, I couldn't really sympathise on this one, the least of my problems is his inbox!! ) Also to explain that I couldn't cancel as it was a business contract and if I do, I would be subject to termination fees and in the event of them being unpaid would result in a CCJ, despite the fact that I am still to receive to any such service from Prestige. Chris advises me that he is trying to locate a handset for me to loan and that I will receive an update by the end of the day. I explained I do still want to cancel and that i await his reply. You will not be surprised to find that I did not receive an update at the end of Thursday. 

FRIDAY, 24TH JULY - 10AM -  I send another email to Prestige, explaining that despite Chris promising to get back to me, I am still yet to hear anything, I want to cancel immediately, explained that I have not received any service at all and how they knew as a company that my phone was a month old. Chris finally reappears and repeats that I cannot cancel and that I have received a service as they've sent the sim card, however the sim card is just as useful to me as a scrap bit of cardboard as my phone is still locked - I have not received any service!!!

I am newly party self employed and the remainder of the time part time employed, like many others am ashamed I got caught out by this company. I have been a whole week without phone signal and have lost a whole weeks worth of business. With the current pandemic, I am working from home more than ever and relying on my phone for the majority of my work so I have literally lost a whole week of work, had to take unpaid leave from work as no way of doing a thing and lost all my self employed business, I haven't been able to do anything. I live in an extremely remote location and internet is not great so usually  use my personal hot spot on my phone to use my laptop etc.  Felt extremely vulnerable living on my own without any phone network at all, obviously haven't been able to ring Prestige, only able to ring when I have borrowed my neighbours phone, so mostly the whole communication has been via email, which, they do not get back to for at least 24 hours.

I have put 2 reviews on Trust Pilot of my experience and Prestige have removed them both which I think is RIDICULOUS as Trust Pilot should be there to have a fair picture of a business! I am furious!!! Prestige manage to report my reviews to Trust Pilot within minutes of my reviews but don't come back to me for over 24 hours on email (when this is my only way of communicating and they know this!!! Thank god I haven't had an accident at home as I live alone in a very remote location, no vehicle at present and a severe asthmatic, things could've gone a whole lot worse than losing the money I had already!!!!) 

ballyblack

Thank you for your story

I am afraid its unlikely you are not going to get any useful advice on here as this is a tech site

BUT why did you engage with a cold caller in the first place ??

Nobody rings you out of the blue and offers a fantastic mobile deal (doesn't happen in the real world)

Get ur PAC code,  pay your fine for being gullible and move on !!

lucky99

Prestige.com and Plan.com. 
I was lucky to finish with them before my SIM card been activated. They act the same way, making people a fools. Telling lies, being ruth and aggressive.  Do not insert that sim card in your device. Get a lawyers to write them a cancellation letter. Request a PAC code and move to another Trusty network Like O2, Vodafone, EE.. etc. Once your number is safe discus To cancel a contract. The earlier you react the better for you. It’s better to encounter the dragon when it’s small, don’t wait until is old, strong, deadly And toxic.. That companies are acting on your FEARS, stand up and Fight, don’t afraid. Good lack..