Onecom mobile contract via Vodafone how do I get out of it?

J901

Onecom cold called and talked me into changing to a business tariff last Thursday (21st April). I called on Monday to cancel (25th April) thinking I had a 14 day cool off period.

Onecom won't let me cancel. Business tariffs don't have a 14 day cool off.

Since then I have discovered. That they offered me a deal of £9.81/ a month ex.vat. The deal was for a £44.81 package with Vodafone. Onecom then discount it by £35/month = £9.81. 

What they don't tell you is you pay the £44.81 + VAT. They credit you £35 (no Vat) so I will actually be paying £18.77 a month not £9.81 ex.vat.

They told me it was a 2 year contract. But the paperwork says 3 years!!?? 

The £35 discount is also only for 17 months of the 3 year contract!

I could cry.... 

Any advice on how to get out of this contract?

drdillydally

Hi, just wanted to say I'm in exactly the same boat (though my contract is even more expensive!) And was called about a month ago.

I've gone through the complaints procedure and obviously just been told "tough luck".

It's given me sleepless nights and made me so angry that a company can run on such blatant mis-selling.

I've got a recording of the call and I've transcribed it. I'm not sure on my next steps. The ombudsmans service is CEDR, however they have terrible reviews and I don't have much hope of resolving it that way. 

What I would really like to do is just take them to court and let a judge decide, but I'm really at a loss as to how to do that. Small claims seems to be monetary based only, and honestly I just want out of the contract. I'm even willing to pay a reasonable termination fee as an "idiot tax" but they refused this also.

Neil_Jones

If you are both business users or were acting on behalf of a business you would have been expected at the time to be in full knowledge of what you sign up for.

You've never had any of the protections that are in the domestic sector apply to business.  If you sign up over the phone you're committed there and then.  So if in any doubt, always say no.  Also business costs are usually ex-VAT.

ballyblack

Something similar has been discussed here before;

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6051611/aerial-direct

Compassionate1

Hi, I too have a dreadful contract with onecom. It sounds like a really good deal, then when you’ve fallen asleep at the end of the sales pitch, the summary has all the details in it.
The VAT payment is not on your payment but on the full contract through Vodafone, so my monthly cost is £105 plus vat of not 20 as you would expect but £60 VAT. Also they sell the 18 month stop of their funding as a ‘tariff review’. It’s not a tariff review, it’s when their funding stops. You can negotiate a new contract at 2 years that I’m dreading as I’ve no idea what will happen. I also got 4 ‘free’ mobile Wi-Fi boxes. They are free for the 18 months, then I’ll have to pay for them.
At 18 months my monthly payment for 4 phones goes from £160 up to£360 a month!!! 

Would anybody like to work together and share the cost of taking them to court for an incorrect sales pitch? 

The problem is, they do explain what you’ve signed up for in the summary, but it is different to what the salesman has been discussing in the sales pitch.

cpilia

I have signed up to this too - looking to save money only to find out I am paying more! I asked to cancel the contract and they have quoted me almost £10000!!!
When I have tried to contact Vodafone - who I am paying each month I am always transferred back to Onecom
How can Vodafone work with a company who mis sell their services? Just need some help here...
Would love to take them to court!

ChilliCrisps

Hi  I'm hoping someone may still offer some advice!
I STUPIDLY answered a call back in April this year from Onecom and I honestly wish I hadn't. 
The claimed  that they could offer me a contract for £30 I think it was. She said plus VAT, but that doesn't mean anything to me, as I'm not a VAT registered business, I just a little one woman band. She said they'd pay off my existing contract, as I wasn't out of contract yet.
Not ONCE did they tell me it was will VODAFONE, had she said that I wouldn't of taken it. I assumed as my exist contract was with O2 that it was related to that. 
She said there was a Free entertainment offer, which I was never able to get to work! Some free device to have calls with landline numbers, which I said I didn't want or need, she said it's free! It most certainly isn't!!!!! I recently had new business cards/artwork, etc so I wasn't able to add it on anyway. 
I was told that there wasn't a "cooling off period" which I thought was odd, but seemed stuck now. When I got the first bills I was in shock as it's £99.67!!! How in the hell is that £30 odd plus vat?!?!?! If I go onto Vodafone bill it says £57.47 I think. Now I'm !!!!!! at maths, but even with 20% vat that's not £99.67. ONECOM give me £46 towards the bill, but £46 off of £99.67 is £53.67. So that still doesn't explain why it says £57.47 on Vodafone. And it is STILL way more that I've ever paid for a phone contract! 
It not like they have given me a phone with bells and whistle, it's only a poxy Galaxy A32 5G, which she tried to say was new. But in O2 store at the time, this phone was on a £25 contract!
In the beginning I called them a few times, saying I can't afford that amount, I didn't want it, etc and every time they nothing you can do about! Its upset me and !!!!!! me off in equal amounts!! Today I was having another look as to how I can get out of it, looking at their cancelation and what do I find. That THERE IS a 14 day right to cancel!!! They said they wasn't. How the F**k is that allowed??? So I guess what I looking at is how can I now use this to get out of my contract, coz basically they LIED!! Please some say I can do something???

jimparker65

I am 85 years old and not a business user. I entered into a mobile phone contract with Onecom for  my sons and my mobile phone which I was pushed into by Vodafone. It did initially lower  my monthly payments although payments to Vodafone were much higher Onecom refunded about 50% to me monthly. However, what I was not told was that these refunds were only for 2 years whereas the Vodafone contract was for 3 years. After 2 years Onecom offered a new contract on similar terms which if I did not take I would have to pay the full Vodafone amount without a Onecom refund. It seems that this is a con to keep you as a customer and take away your freedom to go elsewhere. I am prepared to let Onecom take me to Court for non-payment but do not want to lose the 2 telephone numbers. Can I take out a new contract with say EE and get the numbers transferred before starting non-payment of the Onecom contract

Murmansk

Sadly we can all learn from this that it's very unwise to buy anything via a cold call and businesses need to appreciate that business contracts don't enjoy the same cancellation rights as normal consumer contracts do

Mehrin

J901 said:

Onecom cold called and talked me into changing to a business tariff last Thursday (21st April). I called on Monday to cancel (25th April) thinking I had a 14 day cool off period.

Onecom won't let me cancel. Business tariffs don't have a 14 day cool off.

Since then I have discovered. That they offered me a deal of £9.81/ a month ex.vat. The deal was for a £44.81 package with Vodafone. Onecom then discount it by £35/month = £9.81. 

What they don't tell you is you pay the £44.81 + VAT. They credit you £35 (no Vat) so I will actually be paying £18.77 a month not £9.81 ex.vat.

They told me it was a 2 year contract. But the paperwork says 3 years!!?? 

The £35 discount is also only for 17 months of the 3 year contract!

I could cry.... 

Any advice on how to get out of this contract?

Hi J901,

i’ve had the same problem. what can we do! who can advice and help us