Phones 4 U has been in the news again – for all the wrong reasons. They have been under investigation by Ofcom for the last 6 months, in response to the high number of consumer complaints regarding hidden charges, mis-selling and poor customer service.
The telecoms regulator found them guilty of engaging in the following practices which are both unfair and unlawful:
- Mis-selling phones to customers by making untrue or misleading statements regarding network coverage, what elements would be included in service agreements, cancellation rights and upgrades.
- Not providing refunds in respect of faulty handsets
- Use of unfair terms in their ‘chequeback’ schemes and handset returns policy
Although Phones4U was not fined, they have signed a legally binding Enforcement Order, requiring them to improve or face prosecution.
Does any of this sound familiar to you? Chances are it does. Once again, complaints regarding mobile phone contracts and handsets feature prominently in Consumer Direct’s top ten for 2008. Take a look at What Consumer’s mobile phones guide for more on consumer rights, or look at Ofcom’s web site if you are finding that your complaints are falling on deaf ears.
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pre-ordered a iphone4s of p4u and i still havent got the phone and keep getting told the same crap story about out of stock.
They can’t even give me a indication of when i will get it,don’t use phones4u,you will soon find out that they don’t give a crap about you.
just an update still got no phone as p4u and pas will not do anything to help or try to fix it PURE CON-ARTISTS 🙁
me, another poor victim of phones 4 you. offered me 1200 minuts but sent me contract of 900 minuts.. they have listen all recorded call but still threatning me to keep it or cancle it ..
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All i have read is how bad phones4u are.. however i have two contract through them, been into 3-4 stores, and each and everytime i received great service from them along with a really good deal.. even after 2 weeks of getting my sencond contract i had a issue with the phone charging.. they swapped the phone and sorted there and then. they even had the courtesy to call my 7 days later to make sure everything was okay!!! not to mention how the showed and demod 3 different phones when i couldnt decide on which one, they werent pushy or just trying to make money. A lady called Toni stood out from all these sales reps.. i dont think i have had service this great in quite a long time.
The stores i have visited are :
Aldershot (hampshire)
Guildford (surrey)
Camberley (surrey)
Farnborough (hampshire)
I visited Phones4U with my 13 year old son on 16 August 2012 to buy a SIM card for my son’s iphone. On this first visit, we received peremptory service, with the manager being pre-occupied with making higher value sales to 2 other customers, continually leaving me to oversee negotiations notionally being conducted by his 2 sales staff. After about 45 minutes we left the shop with a SIM card we understood from the sales rep to be compatible with a Tesco registered iphone (having explained that we had bought the phone from Tesco) – and we paid £25 for top up. On returning home we found it didn’t work. When we returned 2 hours later to resolve the matter we were told that the SIM was not compatible with a Tesco registered phone but that Phone4U does not give refunds. All 3 of the staff in the shop were dismissive and unhelpful. After being ignored for a considerable time, the manager asserted that I had come into the shop requesting a particular brand of SIM – I said that I had not, but on the contrary had asked them to advise about compatibility with my son’s phone. The sales rep who had served me was uncooperative and rude, and also alleged I had not asked him to advise on compatibility, despite my son and I both pointing out otherwise. After 80 minutes of waiting and arguing I finally left the shop with a refund – I will not be using Phones4U again once my current contract with them has expired.
I bought a Galaxy S3 at phones4u. I loved the phone and really enjoyed it for a couple of weeks. Then it just died on me. Wouldn’t even turn on. Because I had only had it a couple of weeks I tried taking it back inshore.
I was told no refunds!!! But how can you not refund me. I hadn’t even had the phone long and it was already a shiny brick. I was pretty sure I was within my rights to get a refund after such a short period. But they wouldn’t budge. I stood around for an hour or so loudly complaining and telling any customer that came in my story. This annoyed the staff a great deal! thankfully to the point where they gave me my money back just to get rid of me!
I should of had to take it to that extent to get my money back though!!!
My teenage daughter was assaulted 2 days ago and robbed of her mobile phone whilst walking home one evening. She has a police incident number and 2 arrests have so far been made. She has insurance cover with Phones 4u however they have told her the insurance does not cover the phone for theft. She signed the contact for the phone and took out insurance less than a month ago. Even though she explained what had happened to her and showed the staff member the police incident card, she was all but brushed aside with a passing comment of “your insurance does not cover you for theft”. I am absolutely disgusted that she has been mis sold the insurance, because she is adamant that at the time she purchased the insurance there was no mention of the phone not being covered if it was stolen, and even more disgusted at the service she received from the member of staff who could not have cared less.
Needless to say we will be contacting Trading Standards and the local and national press in the hope Phones 4u put all their staff through some kind of customer service and insurance policy training programme.
It was upsetting for me to listen to my daughter in tears saying that she is stuck with the contract as there is nothing Phones 4u can do.
Terrible, terrible behaviour indeed. Tsk Tsk and shame on you!
Rest assured I will be taking this matter up with Phones 4u head office, however if their in-store staff attitude is anything to go by, I am not holding out any hope of coming to any kind of arrangement with Phones 4u.
My contract expired last month but i have been charged this month as well
They just miss sold me a contract causing me to become overdrawn and a lot of stress. I couldn’t pay my rent or get food shopping for a few days due to this and I am pregnant which made it even worse. I did question the sales rep about the contract for about an hour before I agreed to it yet he lied to me without any guilt of what he was doing to me. I have contacted citizens advise consumer helpline who have reported this to trading standards and they advised me what they did was a criminal offence and they have to pay me for damages. Look on your contracts in the small print from phones4u it states in terms of monthly agreement in section 5 through to 6 that they have to pay up for fraudulent misrepresentation. I would honestly uphold this as I am doing right now if you feel this has happened to you.
About 6 weeks ago I signed a contract with phones 4u which included a free tablet , I am still waiting for this to arrive ,what happens now ,they said roughly 3 weeks for it to come
Dear sir/madam,
I too have been hit with a massive phone bill over £300 this month over 200 last month- due to the fact phones for u arranged my contract and it was verbal and I was told unlimited access to internet- Vodafone have told me that the unlimited is only for the first 3 months and after that it is not free- is there anyway in which you can help me because I am struggling financially to pay off all these charges