The Sparkle vs. The Carphone Warehouse
i thought i should really post about this - i wouldn't want anyone else to be messed around this much.
1st September This was the day after the night I had no sleep due to finishing my web project. At about 4ish, just as I drift off and get all nice and snuggly, I get a phone call. It's a woman from Carphone Warehouse. She tells me that my contract is due for an upgrade, and because Orange now have so many customers, they have given their current customers' details to Carphone Warehouse to upgrade. Clearly, this is bullshit. Really, I should have put the phone down and contacted Orange about this, but we have to remember two things here:
7th September Finally get my phone, after lazy housemates refuse to open the door for the courier. It's a Nokia 6111. It slides open all the time and this unlocks the keypad. Also, it is too big and bulky for my little hands to text with comfortably. I do not like it. But that's ok, cos I can take it back can't I. I keep it for a week to see if I can get on with it, but decide that I really want a different one. By this time, I've decided I want a Sony W810i.
15th September Just inside my 2 week window, I go to Carphone Warehouse to swap my phone over for something decent. The staff are very rude. Apparently, if you buy over the phone, you only get 7 days to exchange - "but it took 7 days to *receive* it!" I exclaim, and *then* they point out that they don't exchange Orange upgrades at all. Ever. Which is clearly completely different to what that woman said on the phone. They say they'll get a manager to sort it out for me, and they'll give me a ring (I'm still waiting...). I phone the woman who talked to me in the first place, but only get the answerphone, so I leave a message for her to call me ASAP.
16th September Still rather disgruntled, I go to the Orange shop to enquire about their providing Carphone Warehouse with my details. They are shocked this has happened, and deny all knowledge of this. I am told that if I cancel my upgrade with Carphone Warehouse, I can upgrade through Orange direct instead, and they will give me lots of fabulous offers and any phone I want, and such. Another trip to Carphone Warehouse ensues. Apparently I cannot cancel with the shop because I upgraded over the phone. I phone that woman *again* and leave *another* message on her answerphone, this time making it clear that I intend to cancel my upgrade.
18th September Wait for the woman to call for a while, clearly she isn't going to. I leave another message for her explaining that I really do want to sort this out now. After further waiting, I phone the customer services line and ask for a manager. All the managers are busy, but they'll call me back. They don't.
19th September Leave another message for the woman when i'm on my lunch break, asking her to call me back within the hour. She doesn't. Neither does the manager.
20th September as 18th September.
21st September I leave another message for that woman, informing her when my lunch break is the next day, so she has plenty of advance warning of when to call me. After work, I see she has left me a message. She has sent me a new phone, which will arrive the next day (when she knows I'm at work!) and I can swap for the 6111 with the courier. Quite what she thought she could achieve by this, I do not know. The fact that she neglects to mention the make or model of the phone irks me further still. She also says she'll phone me back at the agreed time on the next day.
22nd September I go on my lunch on time. The first thing I do is to phone the woman to remind her that I need her to call me within the hour. Surprisingly enough, she doesn't. After work, I phone Orange and tell them my story. A lovely man with a Geordie accent is very concerned, and tell me that somebody is clearly in breach of the Data Protection Act. No shit. He will sort everything out for me and escalate my complaint as far as he can until he can get my upgrade cancelled, and will call me back on Monday evening (after checking when I finish work) to tell me all about it.
I hope he calls me back.
So yeah kids, cautionary tale. Frankly, I never want anything to do with that bastard company ever again. I will be writing some very strongly worded letters to a variety of people. Hopefully it'll be sorted out on Monday though.
*fingers crossed*
1st September This was the day after the night I had no sleep due to finishing my web project. At about 4ish, just as I drift off and get all nice and snuggly, I get a phone call. It's a woman from Carphone Warehouse. She tells me that my contract is due for an upgrade, and because Orange now have so many customers, they have given their current customers' details to Carphone Warehouse to upgrade. Clearly, this is bullshit. Really, I should have put the phone down and contacted Orange about this, but we have to remember two things here:
- I was half asleep and my brain had left the building
- I am a gullible fool
7th September Finally get my phone, after lazy housemates refuse to open the door for the courier. It's a Nokia 6111. It slides open all the time and this unlocks the keypad. Also, it is too big and bulky for my little hands to text with comfortably. I do not like it. But that's ok, cos I can take it back can't I. I keep it for a week to see if I can get on with it, but decide that I really want a different one. By this time, I've decided I want a Sony W810i.
15th September Just inside my 2 week window, I go to Carphone Warehouse to swap my phone over for something decent. The staff are very rude. Apparently, if you buy over the phone, you only get 7 days to exchange - "but it took 7 days to *receive* it!" I exclaim, and *then* they point out that they don't exchange Orange upgrades at all. Ever. Which is clearly completely different to what that woman said on the phone. They say they'll get a manager to sort it out for me, and they'll give me a ring (I'm still waiting...). I phone the woman who talked to me in the first place, but only get the answerphone, so I leave a message for her to call me ASAP.
16th September Still rather disgruntled, I go to the Orange shop to enquire about their providing Carphone Warehouse with my details. They are shocked this has happened, and deny all knowledge of this. I am told that if I cancel my upgrade with Carphone Warehouse, I can upgrade through Orange direct instead, and they will give me lots of fabulous offers and any phone I want, and such. Another trip to Carphone Warehouse ensues. Apparently I cannot cancel with the shop because I upgraded over the phone. I phone that woman *again* and leave *another* message on her answerphone, this time making it clear that I intend to cancel my upgrade.
18th September Wait for the woman to call for a while, clearly she isn't going to. I leave another message for her explaining that I really do want to sort this out now. After further waiting, I phone the customer services line and ask for a manager. All the managers are busy, but they'll call me back. They don't.
19th September Leave another message for the woman when i'm on my lunch break, asking her to call me back within the hour. She doesn't. Neither does the manager.
20th September as 18th September.
21st September I leave another message for that woman, informing her when my lunch break is the next day, so she has plenty of advance warning of when to call me. After work, I see she has left me a message. She has sent me a new phone, which will arrive the next day (when she knows I'm at work!) and I can swap for the 6111 with the courier. Quite what she thought she could achieve by this, I do not know. The fact that she neglects to mention the make or model of the phone irks me further still. She also says she'll phone me back at the agreed time on the next day.
22nd September I go on my lunch on time. The first thing I do is to phone the woman to remind her that I need her to call me within the hour. Surprisingly enough, she doesn't. After work, I phone Orange and tell them my story. A lovely man with a Geordie accent is very concerned, and tell me that somebody is clearly in breach of the Data Protection Act. No shit. He will sort everything out for me and escalate my complaint as far as he can until he can get my upgrade cancelled, and will call me back on Monday evening (after checking when I finish work) to tell me all about it.
I hope he calls me back.
So yeah kids, cautionary tale. Frankly, I never want anything to do with that bastard company ever again. I will be writing some very strongly worded letters to a variety of people. Hopefully it'll be sorted out on Monday though.
*fingers crossed*