The carphone Swearhouse! (Carphone Warehouse)

Member Name: chloke83

Product:	Carphone Warehouse
Date:	13/03/09 (144 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: None

Disadvantages: Liars, thieves, scoundrels, cowboys, etc

I just wanted to share with you my experience of The Carphone Warehouse, unfortunately it is not a particularly good one!

In March 2007 i took out a contract for the (at the time) new Sony Ericson W850i (great phone), i took the option of paying via direct debit each month and was told i could phone the call centre and change the date this would come out but would have to wait a few days for the system to receive my info.
I also took out the life sver insurance which would enable me to cancell my contract if need be (without penalty) and give me all the usual benefits of mobile insurance.

After 4 days i call the call centre and ask for this to be done to which i was informed that i had to wait until the first payment was made and then i could change afterwards. I advised this was not what i was told in store and that the date they were looking to take payment (middle of the month) was unrealistic. They advised there was nothing i could do.

So i made the DD payment and then phoned them again to advise i wanted the DD cancelled and would pay manually each month when i received the bill, they agreed to this.

2 months went by without any problems when on the 3rd month i tried to make a call and my phone was barred?? (i had made all relevant payments to the account). I phoned their call centre and they advised that my DD had bounced and they had blocked my phone because of this!!! I was not happy as they had randomly decided to try and take a DD (even though it had been cancelled 3 months previously) on top of my manual payment. Lots of apologies were made and they unlocked my phone (which would take up to 24 hours) and advised if i faxed them my bank charge they would refund!!

24 hours past and my phone would still not make calls so i called them again, they advised there was a problem with the sim and they would have a new one to me the next day.
The next day my sim arrived and i put it in the phone and same problem, still locked!! I phone them again and they said to go to the local store (10 miles away) on my lunch break to get them to give me another sim. I got to the store and asked for the sim as requested and they advised they couldnt give me one as i had already had a replacement within the last 24 hours!!!!

I was not happy!!

I get back to the office and call them again only to be told that the phone needed unlocking and it was done within 20 secs!!!!

Another 3months past without hiccups and guess what, they take another random DD. I have lost it at this point so call them up and advise i'm cancelling my contract with the life saver insurance and ask what to do!
They advise i will need to take the phone back to the store.

That afternoon i go back to the store with my phone back in its box, walk up to the counter and explain to the situation. The guy behind the counter advises to hand the phone over and the contract will get cancelled on this system!

Anyway 7 months passed and i receive a letter through the post from a solicitors office advising that i am going to be taken to court if i don't pay for 7 months of owed line rental to Carphone Warehouse!!! I hit the roof and called them. It turns out that they have no record of me cancelling the contract or returning the phone!!! After another 2 months of going back and fourth i eventually got them to send me a cheque to forward onto the solicitors to pay them off.

I will never, ever use Carphone Warehouse again after this and i would emplore anyone else to stay well clear of them as they are useless, unprofessional and thieves!

Let this be a lesson to you all!

p.s. I forgot to add that have received no compensation or letter of apology to this day and have given up calling them now.

Summary: never again!!