mikeswrx02

hi,
has anyone signed a contract for 12 months free line rental on a mobile phone from the net?

I am looking at this deal on the net from 'dial to save' here is the link...
Mobile Phone Deals - Mobile Phones UK - DialToSave

you get 12 months totally free line rental from a cash back deal and 500 minutes on voda and a free phone.
here another link...

Mobile Phones Orange, Vodafone, T-Mobile, O2&3 - UK

what do u all think? Is it safe? will they close down soon that type of thing???!!!!

Any info is appreciated.
Cheers in advance.
mike

MattW

Chances are you'll have to send your bills in at the end of 12 months and they'll be lost in the post

The Hoff

iTrader: (5)

Read the small print very carefully!

mikeswrx02

The terms and conditions says you must send bills 3 times ayear like 4th month, 8th month then 12th month by recorded delivery!

Has anyone completed this upto 12 months and got all the money back as promised???!

The Zohan

No such thing as a free luch - read the small print very carefully and a couple of times and if you go ahead then keep your copy of the agreement somewhere safe and sound.

CooperS

My dad's on one of these (half price deal) with 02 via carphone warehouse at the mo, we've got to send the 4th, 8th and 12th airtime bill off (within 60 days of receipt), each one gives him a cheque for £46, so far I've sent the 4th and 8th bills off with letters (recorded) they send him a text saying it's been received and processing, and then the cheques arrived pretty quick..

So yeah it's good, they rely on you forgetting/not being arsed to send off a copy of your bill.

turboman786

I took up a cashback offer on orange for a year, failed to send a single bill and ended up being on a £60pm tarriff for a year...you live and learn!

AndyC_772

iTrader: (2)

I'm on one of these schemes too - and as others have said, check the small print VERY carefully. I have to send in my bills (all of them) every 4 months, within 14 days of the date on the most recent bill, along with a voucher they sent me at the beginning of the contract. Then they say they'll pay the refund within 56 days - and with a gentle reminder, that's exactly what they did. Send in your bills by Special Delivery and it's hard to argue that they didn't turn up (plus you can get compensation if they actually do get lost).

The package came with useless insurance cover (specific exclusions for every possible circumstamces I could think of that might result in the loss of my phone!, which I cancelled immediately. It also included 3 months' free extra minutes, but failed to mention that I'd automatically start being charged for that bolt-on package after the 3 months. A couple of calls to O2 sorted that one and got me a refund.

Another little clause is that if I break one of the terms in one 4 month period, that automatically voids the payouts for the rest of the contract. Nasty, but not a big deal for anyone who's sufficiently organised.

I sold the phone on Ebay for about £50, so I figure I can spend up to that much on unexpected bills and still come out ahead. The contract is about £40/month, so I do need to make sure I give notice in time at the end of the contract so it doesn't overrun into a month that I actually have to pay for out of my own pocket.

mikeswrx02

GOOD info.

Which company are u getting the deal from? have u got a link? cheers

zedf

I was thinking about this aswell because i saw a deal aswell on this website DMC - Discount Mobile Communications - 100% Cashback paid upfront GUARANTEED! i was interested in the deals which were on the top line the middle one and the one on the right.

Can someone who knows about these deals have a look and let me know if it seems alright and everything.

Thanx.

JonMc

iTrader: (51)

I did this last year with two phones, one paid up no problems and the other needed several prompts from trading standards and a threat of legal action before they paid up.

This year I submitted my cashback claim, different company again, confirmed all the details from their website in December and all went quiet. Tried to hasten it in January only to find the company has folded, nil cashback.

Only bit of advice is send the bill via special delivery, may cost a fiver but you have consequential loss indemnity from Royal Mail if they do lose them, and if they don't you have a signature that you can use in the small claims court if the company tries to wriggle out of it.

Just don't bank on the windfall. My advice, buy what you want or can afford whichever is most important to you and treat any cashbacks as a bonus.

zedf

I know what you mean about the shops closing and the money going but the one i mention has been open for a number of years also the shop who's website it is are local and they also have a number of shops in different town/cities.

But the deals which i mentioned an i right in thinking that i would be changed nothing at all or would there be a charge??????

Thanx

paul w

I have just had 2 contracts end,me and the wife both on 12 months free with phonebox direct,they were great and we got all the cashbacks back and my mate is with them too.

Never use the mobile outlet they are incompetent and totally ****e i am still waiting after 2 months for 2 phones to turn up so have given up hope and gone with e2save on 11 months free.

Google any company you are thinking of using first and see what they are like.

Hth
Paul

JonMc

iTrader: (51)

They are cashback deals, it's in the T&Cs. You have seven days from the date of the bill to send in your claim, if your bill takes 7 days from processing to you getting it you lose your cashback. Most companies give you 28-30 days.

The company I lost the money from this years seems to fold and reopen under a new name at the same address with alarming regularity. Because it is not a limited company there is nothing I, or trading standards, can do.

JonMc

iTrader: (51)

I stand to be corrected, but I had an issue with some morettes not turning up a couple of years back, and the advice I got was if mail order goods haven't arrived after 28 days you can consider the order cancelled. If the goods then subsequently arrive you can consider them as unsolicited goods and there's obligations on the retailer. If you contact them they have 28 days to arrange collection of the goods or they become yours. Alternatively, you can just not tell them and if after 90 days they haven't arranged to reclaim the goods at their expense you can consider them yours. Nice little loophole that may be worth exploring if they ever do turn up.

zedf

Alright mate the companies you mentioned is this the websites for them???????

Free Mobile Phone - Orange, O2, T-Mobile, Three (3) and Vodafone Mobile Phones - phoneboxdirect.co.uk

Mobile Phone Retailer :: e2save.com :: Best Mobile Phone Offers.

Also do you know how long they have been open and they are trustworthy arent they????

Thanx.

Bugatti

Have to agree with the above, absolutely useless company. We ordered a phone off them on a cash back deal, received a email to say it had been dispatched so should arrive within 48 hours. A week later I called them to ask where this phone was and they said it will be dispatched later that day (raises the question why was I emailed to say it was despatched if it wasn't )

Any ways, 1 month later still nothing even after they claimed to have despatched it 6 times, and yes they had the right address. If they can't even manage to send the phone and contract out then what chance have you got of claiming money back off them.

AndyC_772

iTrader: (2)

I ordered through BuyMobilePhones, eight months ago. The deal was a free Razr V3, 12 months on O2 with 250 inclusive minutes per month, free additional 250 minutes 'bolt-on' for 3 months, and 3 months' free insurance.

Since I don't use my phone that much, in theory I shouldn't end up paying a penny all year, because the line rental (refunded) includes all the calls I ever make. In practise I did get charged for the 'bolt-on' 250 extra minutes for a couple of months after the free period ended, simply because I didn't explicitly cancel that package in time. To their credit, O2 were really good about it and did let me have a refund.

This thread reminds me - I have about 4 days left to get my next batch of bills in the post

AsifScoob

Cash back has been fine for me. Had 30 days in which to return the bills and it was made crystal clear which ones to send.

I use E2Save, which is part of the Carphone Warehouse, so not about to go belly up.

Sales is very easy to get through to, customer service can be more tricky, but you get that everywhere.

Having gone through the learning curve of what needs to be done, I find it no problem. If it stays this way I would happily do it again.

Bear in mind that they rely on a fair percentage of people to forget to send their bills in on time. It is similar to a 0% interest offer, there they also rely upon a fair percentage of folks to not repay in full before the end of the interest free period, thereby liable for the whole amount of interest.

People don't respond properly, for whatever reason, so thats how the companies make their money that way.

Asif

jonc

I entered an 18 month contract with 12 months free line rental and free Sony K750i. The contract has come to an end and currently pay a reduced tariff. Through out the term of the contract, I had to send my bills to them every 4 months. I did this on the day I received the bills with out fail and got all my full redemption of cash for each of the periods. I got my deal via Mobile Phone Retailer :: e2save.com :: Best Mobile Phone Offers. on a monthly Virgin Mobile 200 tariff.

mikeswrx02

Oh, did u manage to get your first cheque back after sending the first batch of bills? if so, how long did u have to wait for your cheque?

paul w

Yes mate,they are the 2 sites.

Cheers

AndyC_772

iTrader: (2)

I gave them a prod around day 56, and got the message that (surprise, surprise) it was being actioned that very day. The cash arrived in my bank account a week later.