Beware Carphone Warehouse website 'deals'

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Sugarfreezone
Sugarfreezone Posts: 2 Newbie
in Mobiles
I placed an order yesterday via Carphone Warehouse's website for a web only deal of £49.99 upfront and £16.99 per month for 24 months. My e-mail came through with an order number and confirmation of my order. Also said if it was rejected for any reason I would be e-mailed with the reason. I got an e-mail saying they needed further information. Now found out they have cancelled my order, no record exists despite my e-mail, I have to re-book and by the way the deal no longer exists and will cost me at least £5 per month more. I think it is illegal to offer a price that you will not stand by, but no options left, but to get angry. By the way , the original deal can be found on Direct Mobiles...
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  • Silk
    Silk Posts: 4,836 Forumite
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    Sugarfreezone wrote: »
    I placed an order yesterday via Carphone Warehouse's website for a web only deal of £49.99 upfront and £16.99 per month for 24 months. My e-mail came through with an order number and confirmation of my order. Also said if it was rejected for any reason I would be e-mailed with the reason. I got an e-mail saying they needed further information. Now found out they have cancelled my order, no record exists despite my e-mail, I have to re-book and by the way the deal no longer exists and will cost me at least £5 per month more. I think it is illegal to offer a price that you will not stand by, but no options left, but to get angry. By the way , the original deal can be found on Direct Mobiles...
    So order it through Direct Mobiles if it's available
    It's not just about the money
  • boatman
    boatman Posts: 4,699 Forumite
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    Sugarfreezone wrote: »
    I placed an order yesterday via Carphone Warehouse's website for a web only deal of £49.99 upfront and £16.99 per month for 24 months. My e-mail came through with an order number and confirmation of my order. Also said if it was rejected for any reason I would be e-mailed with the reason. I got an e-mail saying they needed further information. Now found out they have cancelled my order, no record exists despite my e-mail, I have to re-book and by the way the deal no longer exists and will cost me at least £5 per month more. I think it is illegal to offer a price that you will not stand by, but no options left, but to get angry. By the way , the original deal can be found on Direct Mobiles...
    Unfortunately they have the 'you failed the credit check' get out, its difficult to know if its true or not. But yes, if they try to bait and switch, should be reported to OFCOM.
  • Sugarfreezone
    Sugarfreezone Posts: 2 Newbie
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    I did go with Direct Mobiles and got the same deal I was offered by Carphone Warehouse yesterday. There is also another firm out there offering the same deal which I found by going on the Money Supermarket site. Direct Mobiles say my credit is good so that cannot be Carphone's excuse - looks like they just reneged on a deal they posted as on offer on the internet for no valid reason. That is the reason I was narked - I don't like being taken for a fool.
  • mobilejunkie
    mobilejunkie Posts: 8,460 Forumite
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    1) They have two credit checks - theirs, then the network's.

    2) What they did is not illegal and they cannot be held to the deal. Neither can they be "reported to OFCOM" for it.
  • boatman
    boatman Posts: 4,699 Forumite
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    Have you ever known of failing a 'credit' check, then them contact you by phone and giving you a better deal? All i have ever heard is of people getting offered a worse deal, if that isn't bait and switch, what is?
  • mobilejunkie
    mobilejunkie Posts: 8,460 Forumite
    edited 28 August 2015 at 7:52AM
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    When that 's happened to me and it was their credit check as opposed to the network's I've then got the decision overturned. I've also had a deal which wasn't honoured because it was a mistake on the website; in that instance I was offered a more expensive deal, which I declined. It is not unusual for someone to tell you an incorrect reason for the decline either - perhaps because they don't know or haven't bothered to check or because they don't want an argument.

    In any case, what I said still stands.
  • MataNui
    MataNui Posts: 1,075 Forumite
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    CPW have done this to me twice.
    Its a clear 'Bait and Switch': Both times i waited for the confirmation, both times I was told they couldnt put that offer through, both times it continued to be advertised on the website and importantly both times i was was asked to contact them and was 'upsold' (attempted to upsell) a more expensive tariff or a much higher initial payment.
    It happens so often they would be very hard pressed to explain it away as accidental. Its pretty clear they are operating a deliberate bait and switch. OFCOM wouldnt deal with this. You would need to make a complaint to the ASA.

    If this is bait and switch (which is most likely) then it IS illegal.
  • boatman
    boatman Posts: 4,699 Forumite
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    As far as I'm aware there is only one credit check per contract, you may well pass another networks credit check if you fail with one of the networks. I think there is more than enough evidence on these forums alone to know how the phone shops operate, getting the hard evidence could well be more difficult, hence why the mobile sellers continue to get away with it.
  • mobilejunkie
    mobilejunkie Posts: 8,460 Forumite
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    Given that I've ordered hundreds of contracts through CPW and only come across website mistakes once or twice there is no attempt to mislead. And they do their own checks first before the network does theirs. Whilst a different kind of check it is done every time. I won't bore you with the reason, which is slightly bizarre in any case.
  • Silk
    Silk Posts: 4,836 Forumite
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    boatman wrote: »
    Have you ever known of failing a 'credit' check, then them contact you by phone and giving you a better deal? All i have ever heard is of people getting offered a worse deal, if that isn't bait and switch, what is?
    I don't follow you with this ???
    The deal is no longer available through CPW but is still available with Direct Mobiles, how does that equate to bait and switch ?
    It's not just about the money
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