Purchased a new phone (online) on an O2 pay monthly contract via mobiles.co.uk. My current provider beat this deal at last minute hence me wanting to cancel the O2 contract and return the handset. I am within 14-days of receipt of handset but have used the SIM/handset (no calls - just testing coverage). mobiles.co.uk's return/cancellation policy (here) states use of SIM/handset signifies acceptance of contract. It also mentions that coverage issues should be discussed with them/the provider before a cancellation can be approved. Either way, the handset will be returned and I will not be honouring the contract - however, just interested if anyone has had experience with similar and best way to approach them - purely because I want the upfront cost of the handset refunded without any problems or protracted battles. Thanks.

Hi, I'm a customer of Three and am currently on contract. My Sony handset has broken, and through no fault of my own. The screen has literally just come away from the frame, without being dropped or anything. Three do what they do best - wash their hands of the situation and refer me to Sony. Sony are taking ages to sort it out, it's been almost two weeks since I first called Three and they referred me. All this time I'm paying for a contract and I don't have my handset! Where do I stand from a legal point of view? The sale of goods act covers me, as the phone was bought before the newer laws came into effect. And from what I understand, it's the responsibility of the retailer? And they should do it in a reasonable time so as not to cause me inconvenience? It's causing me inconvenience. I don't have my phone, which I need for many reasons. So would I have a strong case to take Three to court via small claims? I'm really sick of these large companies, and would love to be able to send in the bailiffs. I did try to upgrade early, but Three want a fee to do so, which I'm not willing to pay out of principle. I only have 3 months left, and it's not my fault my phone has fallen apart. From what I understand it's a design flaw with the z3 compact. Any advice would be appreaciated.

Upgraded my old handset last September to the latest Moto G 3, all worked fine until it became unworkable, kept freezing, and rebooting itself three or four times a day, came to a head when I couldn't even make a phone call! Put it into O2 to repair under the 12 month warranty in March this year, so technically, although I would need to check the exact dates, within 6 months of purchase, so faulty from the start. The letter enclosed stated that the handset had been replaced, it hadn't, a 'board' had been replaced. All was fine until it came to update the software, this update was in German? Then it again started to do it's rebooting habit again. So this was put back into O2 to be repaired Last week, and today I have received a message off them, claiming that the repair isn't covered by the warranty? Confused?, You bet I am. Just waiting for the handset to be returned to the store, so I can read the enclosed letter giving me my 'options' to have the fault rectified. Why is nothing simple? Do we have any O2 reps on here?

Dear Caggers, I need some advice. I have a contract with EE. I cannot afford the contract anymore as I have other priorities (my gas usage is increasing rapidly as it gets colder) When I got the contract, I was under the impression that the handset was "free" and the monthly payments is for a "service" (calls, internet, texts etc) not a product too. Can anyone clarify whether (when I default) my handset will be blocked/blacklisted or just the contract SIM? I have tried to help myself by looking for the answer but all stories are conflicting. EE say they block the phone AND sim (but I am told this is scare mongering on the handset part into forcing you to pay the monthly contract)

Let me begin by saying this - I have never experienced such awful customer service on this level. Or in my life. Quite upsetting really. I upgraded with Vodafone for a 2 year contract and a new handset - an iPhone 6. I then discovered a fault with the screen. Went to the Vodafone store in Trinity Leeds and was told by the manager that it was Apple's problem. I was not even offered a repair by Vodafone as 14 days had passed. Got an appointment with Apple - they agreed, faulty screen and provided me with a refurbished handset. Once I got home that day, I discovered the new handset had the same problem, but it was 10 times worse than the first handset. You could actually hear the screen click when pressing on it gently. Went back to Apple the following day - got another handeset. Surprise, surprise...handset also has clicky screen. I subsequently called Vodafone and asked them if I could get another handset or even a different model. They said go in store as we don't deal with it. This was on Sunday. So, to recap, this weekend gone, I have been provided with 2 refurbished phones with faults. Monday - went to the store. Was told we don't deal with it, call customer service. It's also an Apple phone which is provided by them, so we can't repair. Called customer service - was told that they would look into the issue as this was my third handset in just over 1 month. Promised a call back. Vodafone never called back. They didn't even call back today. So, I decided to go back in store today. Was told that as it belonged to Apple, they had to repair and that they should have provided a new handset. Aaron at Trinity Leeds store seemed to be baffled as to why Apple had provided refurbished handsets. If it had been the phone Vodafone provided they could have sent it for repairs. Told him I was not informed of this. Went to Apple - spoke to manager. They are going to take steps to retrieve original handset provided by Vodafone, but can't guarantee it will be in one piece. They also queried why Vodafone had not offered repairs. Take note Vodafone, Apple's customer service was fantastic. Always polite and lovely, and the lady dealing with my issue was clearly going out of her way. Went back to Vodafone store - asked Aaron to confirm what part of the agreement related to faulty handsets. He rudely replied 'go online'. After having questioned him some more, he became defensive and appeared to have very little understanding of the contract. In addition to this, he was also training a newbie - might not be the best person to train him. Got home for 6pm, have spent the last 2 hours on call to Vodafone. Was put through to a lady in the billing department after I requested to be transferred to someone senior. She said she did not have the authority to send out a new iPhone but the only option was to send it back for repairs, and if it was faulty the 4th time, a new handset would be issued. However, I had to go in store to do this. I said this was not good enough as I use my mobile for work therefore I required a mobile. She put me through to someone else. Rather a very rude Scottish chap who ended up shouting at me, and cutting me off. And he also did not leave a note on the system. I was able to find this out as I was out on hold for 58 mins before someone spoke to me again. I have even screen shot this for my records. Perhaps this is a new record? The final chap seemed more concerned about finishing his call as it was nearing 8pm. The line also started to echo at this time, very convenient. He offered to repair handset, which would mean that I would be without a mobile for 2 weeks. No replacement phone to use whilst repairs taking place. I stated this was ridiculous for a professional person, he simply laughed and offered no alternative. He then started to accuse me of actually damaging the phone by stating 'how do we know you've not caused it if it wasn't evident in the first 14 days'. My response is this - I take great pride in an item, particularly handsets which I have contracted for 2 years. I would not intentionally damage my phone at all, and to suggest this in his line of questioning was unprofessional if not underhand. In short, Vodafone appear to be very good at making attempts to 'pass the buck'. I asked him what other options I had - he offered none. I asked him why a new handset could not be sent out, as this would simply solve the problem. I would not have to be without a phone whilst repairs were taking place. He did not offer much insight, the call ended with him taunting me and I cutting him off. Bravo Vodafone for employing professionals such as this imbecile. Can anyone advise some next steps? I feel like Vodafone customer service and instore are extremely unhelpful, I have been passed from pillar to post, with different accounts, and just general lack of respect. They don't even seem to have a complaints department hence my reason for this post. I honestly wish I had not upgraded with Vodafone. They are quick to sign you up to a contract, but when you actually genuinely need assistance, they simply do not care. I have experienced better customer service in countries from people who do not even speak the same language. Vodafone has some serious customer service issues. I welcome your thoughts and hope this can be resolved ASAP. If I get my original iPhone back from Apple, in pieces, are they going to attempt to fix it?

Hi all Bought a high spec handset in a contract from Mobiles.co.uk. I paid an upfront contribution for the handset. Had it for three days and quite honestly the battery is appalling. Ive done everything i can to limit battery use but even running in power save mode constantly is not helping and im not getting the use out of it that ot was designed for. I use all features of my phones but am having to avoid using this one. As this was a distance sale and i had no chance to test the handset, am i able to return it irrespective of the fact its been used? I must make it clear i have emailed them tonight and am awaiting their reply so am just trying to get an idea of my legal position. They have done nothing at all to upset me so far and i want to stress that! My gripe is with the handset only at this point. Can anyone advise on my rights? Many thanks

Hi, I too have fallen victim to not only fraud, but Vodafone's utter incompetence in dealing with the issue. Here is a summary: - In October 2014 I went abroad on holidays for 2 weeks. - While I was abroad, someone used my identity to change the home address and contact number on my account. - 2 lines were added to my account, upgraded my monthly tariff from £10.50 to £166 (for 3 lines) and ordered an iPad and 2 iPhones – which Vodafone claim were received and signed by me. - Vodafone suspected fraud on my account and cut my line off while I was away, however later concluded that no fraud had been found on my account. - To cut a long story short: after about 20 calls to the Vodafone helpline, 2 trips to Vodafone stores and countless hours spent trying to solve the problem, my tariff still has not been reverted, and Vodafone claim I owe money. - I have filed a crime report with the Police, and am pursuing matters with consumer groups and in the media. I have never dealt with such a badly organised and dreadful company. Each time I call, I spend an hour bringing someone else up to speed, only to find out (a) that they can't do anything, (b) put me on to a different department or © promise me it's going to be fixed in 48 hours and of course nothing happens. I have been with Vodafone 15 years, and have tried to cancel my contract, but I am not allowed to because of the outstanding balance on my account and the additional £900 I am being asked cancel a contract I never agreed to. Very frustrating!

Hi there, I hope that someone can help me clarify a matter and advise on if there is anything I can do. I have been in a contract with Orange (now EE) for a good few years. In June 2011, I was midway into a contract when I registered a new phone via customer services. It was the Iphone 4 that had been purchased directly from the Apple store and I advised this to the agent I was speaking to. At the time, I was advised that the £6 a month Orange Care would increase to £12 a month as the new handset was a smart phone. Later I found out that the agent I spoke to also put a note on the account to say that the handset is a generic handset. There was no reason for me to question the £12 a month as I was led to believe that my handset was covered. About 2 weeks ago, I called up EE upgrades to negotiate a new deal for my contract. I told the advisor that I was thinking of buying another handset directly from Apple and was wanting to know the best sim only tariff that they could offer. During the conversation that advisor told me that if I purchased a handset from a third party, in this case Apple, then the EE care would not be valid on it and as it would be classed as a generic handset. I paused and then told her that my current handet is a generic handset and I have been paying the monthly £12. She was not sure why this was and told me that I would need to speak to customer service with regards to it. She also told me that there were notes on the account to state that they were aware that the handset was generic. I've tried speaking to customer services and feel like I'm being passed from pillar to post. When I eventually spoke to a team leader, he advised that it was wrongly applied and in the event that I needed to make a claim, they would have honoured it. My gripe is that at the time, the agent knew that the handset was generic and continued to apply the new insurance to my account. Had I been informed of the full facts, that the insurance does not apply to generic handsets, there would be no reason for me to continue paying for Orange insurance? Is this a case of 'misrepresentation'? Am I right in thinking that the insurance was missold to me? They have admitted that it should not have been added to my account but also that they would not refund me. What can I do now? Am I entitled to a refund? Any help would be much appreciated. TIA

Hi guys, I wonder if anyone can help shed any light on my situation. I took out a vodafone contract via Phones4U in July 2013. In Jan 2014 I was contacted by a vodafone and offered the 4g contract for £42 per month which I accepted. Last week my phone ceased working through normal use. The phone is a Nokia Lumia 925, it is still under 1 year old. I took the phone to a vodafone store who sent it for repair, but told me I would not be eligible for a courtesy handset. I then had to pay £45 for a PAYG phone so that I could continue receiving calls on my contract number. It was my understanding that under the terms of the 4g contract I would be entitled to a courtesy phone. I complained via email to vodafone and an agent called me back to say that since I took out the initial contract with Fones4U I was not entitled to a courtesy phone, but if I had taken the contract with vodafone I would. I raised the point that I was paying the same as other customers and not receiving the same service, the agent agreed. I was offered £15 compensation for the loss in 4g service (the handset I bought being 2g capable only) but I still feel I have been conned somewhere.....

I was wondering if anyone could offer any advice. My wife signed up to a contract in April last year for a phone for our son for when he was out and about. Soon after the contract started the phone became faulty. Apparently it is a common fault with the phone in that it will no longer charge. Getting it replaced/repaired I thought would be quite straight forwards. But it's not. It appears that the contract might be through a 3rd party. We have sent off requests on how to get the phone repaired or replaced and heard nothing back and towards the end of last year another letter was sent. Still heard nothing back. this week as my wife is off and it's in her name she decided to call the number given on the letter. She was hoping that she could both arrange a repair and a payment plan as there was no way we were paying for a contract where the phone was faulty and they're not getting back to us. The number was a mobile which pretty much confirms to us that it's not orange. The man that answered was very rude and refused point blank to repair it. He refused because we had not taken out any insurance but we were under the impression that it was covered in the first year. The repair is not through a fault of ours but what appears to be a common problem. Not only that but we had been trying to get it sorted months ago. He said to get it repaired we would have to pay. Is this correct?

Hi there, first time poster so not sure if this is the right place for this question. I am dealing with a claim through my mobile phone insurance company, the claim has been accepted and I am more than likely going to receive a replacement handset. My question is can they keep my other handset or can I request it be returned to me? I was hoping to recycle the damaged one and recoup some of my costs Hopefully someone can help, thanks in advance

Hi Caggers Can anyone point me in the right direction with the following problem ??? 1: Took out a new contract with EE - June 5th 2013 for 24 months 2: New handset kept freezing and was inoperable August , took it to EE they sent it for repair, would not issue a temp phone without a £100 deposit 3: Phone returned 7 WEEKS later 4:I Took it away and they said it was fine now and blamed the manufacturer for the fault. 5: 2 days later not only was the phone still freezing etc but was even worse in as much as you could not be heard when making a call, so it went back again 6: After 3 more weeks i collected it this morning to be told it was water damaged ????? possibly due to the change in the climate etc, yes this is exactly what I was told, people were dumbfounded by the assistances remark How do I go about resolving this matter ? I am now in a contract costing £36 per month for a phone that does not work AND has never come into contact with water AT ALL Any advise would be really helpful and if there are ant EE or Samsung representives I would be grateful for a response Cheers Andy

I've been directed here as unfortunately I have been left in the mire by 3 mobile and their horribly incompetent, unwilling, greedy "policies" over broken handsets less than two months into a 24 month contract...! The contract: £27 pm for the One Plan and getting a Sony Xperia S from end of Feb 2013. The usage: I received the new Sony Xperia S in the first week of March. However I did not open, unbox or examine it for three-four weeks as I was extremely busy and continued to use my old Nokia E5. On Sat 6th April I finally commission the new X-S phone and get my SIM changed over etc. I thought I might even like it...! Sunday 7th April: A visit to a steam railway museum sees me using the handset as a camera. Unfortunately a jet of superheated ['dry'] steam is sent at me and I and the phone are in its way for about 1-2 seconds before I dodge out of its way. Phone is still working. Sat 13th April: 10:30am - phone decides that it is going to reboot, delete my data but the tocuhscreen is still working. I now have a phone back in factory condition. It asks me to restart again after the setup. Sat 13th April : 11am - phone has rebooted and the touchscreen has completely died. Refuses to respond in no way whatsoever. Even 'emergency call button' option will not function. Only way to shut off the phone is to use the two physical bttons emergency lockdown. Not good. After this, I report the loss to 3-mobile. I receive a package and get it sent off for repair or replacement. I then receive a somewhat snarky letter telling me that the device cannot be repaired due to "liquid damage". I am sent a crappy, blocky image of the so-called damage and then a blank space where "good device" example should be! Since then I have waged a somewhat-losing war of attrition on the telephone using my old and on-its-last-legs Nokia E5 with their ill-trained staff, having had three escalations through their poor excuse for 'customer resolutions/complaints'. My argument is that if both of my handsets die, I will not be able to USE their service and so why should I be paying? Secondly, they provided the damn handset and it has not even been three months since the failure. Thirdly, when I spoke to the last complaint handler a week ago, after a so-called 'investigation', they could not supply WHAT the liquid damage was[broken microprocessor, fused circuit board?] [all they could parrot was "liquid damage! liquid damage!" nor WHAT liquid had CAUSED it! Mention was made of the steam incident. However, I ask the following:- 1)A jet of steam for less than 2 seconds on a handset that would have been shielded by my hand. 2)It takes SIX DAYS for any such damage from it to occur? SERIOUSLY? Even after the cold April we had and condensation? Since then they have shipped the duff handset back to me with no work done. They had the bloody cheek to try and extort £360 out of me for a replacement X-S and then offered a number of cheaper options, the least being £100, all of which I politley told them to go to hell regards. I am not paying anymore money to these people! Fourthly, no matter what they say - the provision of the handset IS part of the contract which they are now, in my view, breaking. Afterall, why does exactly the same plan in terms of mins/texts/data cost £25 with x handset but £34 with y handset?? After several calls, I laid down a number of options. Given that ultimately in my view they would not be able to honour the contract, they could do the following. 1)Replace the handset. No can do. Liquid damage! We're not going to tell you any specifics either. 2)Allow me a lesser handset free of charge. I even asked for a new Nokia E5 just to settle this. We don't do the Nokia E5 anymore. And the least we can do is £100 for the Galaxay Ace. 3)End my contract mutually - WITHOUT paying 20months worth of 'early termination'. They can't do this either - its a contract afterall. [funny how they cannot abide their side of the contract] 4)Reduce my contract to £22-24 to compensate as I'm back on my old handset. We could set you up a new contract but we can't reduce anything. [] After 7 years of customer loyalty, I am somewhat shafted by this disgusting practice. It gets better [worse?]: They are now offering a superior handset for a pound less each month on the same plan as I had! I then also find that they are practically Throwing Away new Samsung S4s in a bid to promote their awful, awful service in competitions! So they could afford to dish out S3 Minis to clear out the stock, and throw out handsets costing £400+ but cannot even take into account customer loyalty and replace ONE lousy midrange handset? I have had to purchase a secondhand E5 on Ebay and still have the broken X-S as at least I managed to claw it physically back off them. Sadly once this contract is through I will be ditching them no matter what - it's when things go wrong that a company's service is put to the test and sadly 3 have reacted badly in this occasion. Is there any advice CAGgers could lend or am I totally up the creek with this? Many thanks for your time

Upgraded 7 days ago today via phones4u but my apple iphone is faulty. They have agreed to exchange it for a new one but I have to send this one back before they will send me a new one. I have explained the problem with this - ie 5 days with no phone but they say this is the only way forward. I have asked to cancel the whole thing but they refuse. Surely if the handset is not fit for purpose and I ordered over the phone, there should be a way to cancel altogether?

I renewed my contract with Vodafone and up-garded to a samsung s3. I received the phone on the 14th August and within a week or so the phone would only charge to 40% and then it wouldn't charge at all. The problem is with the usb connector inside the phone not the actual charger. I called VF on the 6th September and was told I would receive a new handset (no mention of a nearly new handset). After countless phone calls/emails, the phone was delivered Monday, 3 1/2 weeks after my first phone call. The seal on the box was broken so I phoned Vodafone to query this, they told me it was a 'nearly new' handset and I was not entitled to a brand new handset because I reported the fault after 16 days of delievery of the handset. I am so annoyed because I thought you had 28 days to return a faulty product. I called Vodafone today and was told no I will not get a brand new phone and should be happy with the nearly new one. I am not happy with a nearly new phone as I was only 3 weeks into a 2 year contract. Please could someone advise what my statutory rights are regarding a new handset.

Hello, Need some advice regarding a recent upgrade. On the 10th June 2012 i ordered a new handset on a 24 month contract. It arrived after a delay via courier on the 18th June 2012. On the 2nd July 2012 the touch buttons on the bottom of the handset stopped functioning, rendering the handset faulty. I contacted Orange for a replacement, and was advised that "it will be no problems the new handset will arrive this evening" (it was a same day service). However, upon receipt of this "new" handset, i noticed it was a refurbished handset, not a new one. I am now in a battle with Orange because they are quoting the sale of goods act every time i call to complain, and state that the handset will only be replaced with a brand new handset if faulty within the first 14 days. However the @OrangeHelpers account on Twitter have advised me that i am entitled to receive a NEW handset within the first 28 days. Where do i go from here? I can't use the email complaints procedure as there are technical problems with it, and each time i contact Customer Service, they just attempt to feed me with this new 14 day rule that they have. What are my rights? I'm now stuck with a refurb phone on a 2 year contract paying £36 a month!!! HELP!!