Guru4u Forums

My name: xxxxxx
My 3 mobile number: xxxxxx

Since taking out my contract with you I have had numerous problems with my handset. When I first contacted you about a problem I was told to put my SIM card into another handset and try that for a while, due to time constraints at the time I decided to live with the problem for the time being. Eventually the problem deteriorated so much that I couldn't use the handset at all, so I contacted you and the handset was taken away for repair, after 3 days I received the handset back fine and repaired.

After a while I began to experience new problems with the handset (the handset would stop charging the battery after a few minutes, and the handset began to switch off at random intervals - including whilst making calls, the handset would then be able to be switched back no fine for a period of time). I contacted you again on the 6th November and the handset was taken away for repair again, which I received back on the 8th November. Immediately on receiving the handset back I found that the handset still had the same problems (i.e. had not been repaired), so I contacted you again the same day. I initially got put through to James Maxell in your repairs centre in Scotland, he told me that he wouldn't be happy with the service I have received and that I shouldn't be either, and that 3 as a company would not want to be seen to be offering that low level of service - he also said that he could see that my phone after being repaired had failed your quality control but had then been passed by someone else.

James Maxell offered to arrange to have the handset collected again that day, and that rather than repair it I would receive another handset, but he couldn't guarantee what handset model it would be. James then said that although that was the best that he in the repairs centre could offer, he could put me through to customer services and they would more than likely offer me a brand new phone of my choice due to the problems I have experienced with you, so I agreed to be put through to customer services.

At customer services I spoke to Gaurav Karmalkar, and he said that although he couldn't offer me a new handset on that day for free, he could bring forward my upgrade date from Feb 22nd 2007 to Nov 22nd 2006, so if I waited 14days I could upgrade my contract. He then asked me if there was a specific handset I was interested in, I replied the SonyEricsson K800i, he said that indeed I could upgrade to that handset for free on the 22nd Nov 2006, or that if I could not wait 14days I could upgrade on that day at a cost of ?172. Obviously I didn't want to pay ?172 for the sake of waiting 14days, so I asked how I go about the upgrade on the 22nd Nov. Gaurav replied that he would put text on my account to confirm these exact details, and all I had to do was contact you on the 22nd Nov and you would straight away upgrade me at no cost to the SonyEricsson K800i. I asked if I could have this offer in writing, he replied that he could not do that, but that he was putting the exact details as text on my account so I would have no problem when I contacted you on the 22nd. At that point I was happy with that and ended the call.

Since the 14th Nov I have now been having even more problems with the current handset, to the point where it is now unusable - the handset will switch on for approximately 5minutes, then it will go to a white screen and freeze, at which point I have to switch the handset off and back on again, only for it to do the same thing. As an extra to this I have received less than 50% of the text messages sent to me in this period, and some text messages that I have managed to send have been received several times by the recipient despite my only sending them once.

I called you today as my handset was unusable to ask if I could bring forward this upgrade to today so that I wasn't unable to use a mobile phone. I initially spoke to Sarga in your repairs centre, he said that there was nothing that he could do and put me through to customer services. After several minutes on hold I eventually spoke to a female (whose name I wasn't given) and she said that I could not upgrade to the SonyEricsson K800i for free, and that it would cost me ?69.99, or I could upgrade to the SonyEricsson W950i for ?139.99, I replied that this wasn't the deal I had been offered and she said that there was no text on my account to say I had been offered that deal, so she couldn't help me, I then asked to speak to her manager. After several more minutes on hold I was put through to Reena Bhattacharya who told me that she was the manager, she said that she had been told what my problem was and she would see what she could do to help me. She eventually replied that I could upgrade today to the SonyEricsson K800i for free, but not on my current tariff, the deal she offered me was an 18month contract at ?35/month (?5/month more than my current tariff) which included ?180/month worth of voice calls and text messages to use as I pleased (but did not include any addons, so the ?5/month extra I currently pay for the Sport service would be additional to this).

I do not wish to be tied into a contract for 18months, and I do not wish to pay another ?5/month on my contract, so I asked Reena why I could not upgrade for free and keep my current tariff as had originally been offered by Gaurav. Reena replied that if I wanted to speak to Gaurav direct she could arrange for him to call me when he comes on shift, but he probably couldn't offer me anything better than what she had offered me, and he wasn't coming on shift to 1130pm today UK time, naturally I do not wish to be called at 1130 at night and as she said that he wouldn't do anything anyway I declined this offer. I said to Reena that I really wasn't happy with this service, and then she offered me another deal, she said that I could have the tariff that she had offered me before, but for ?26.25/month on an 18month contract. Again I told Reena that I didn't want an 18month contract, so she offered me the same tariff on a 12month contract for ?35/month, with the SonyEricsson K800i upgraded for free, and I could not have the SonyEricsson W950i or discuss it because you don't currently have it in stock (despite it being advertised on your website). I said that this would still mean I would be paying an extra ?5/month, and I wasn't happy with this, she then said there was nothing else she could do for me.

I asked to speak to someone superior to Reena and she said there was no-one I could speak to, so I asked how I go about making a complaint, she gave me this email address and said that I would get a response within 72hours. She then also said that if I wanted I could send the handset away for repair again today - I said that I wasn't happy with this as I have already been without a phone for some time, and last time it came back without being repaired. She then said that if I sent it away she could guarantee that it be replaced with a brand new handset of the same current model I have now - I said also that this wasn't acceptable as I know of many many people that have had the same problems with this handset so I didn't want another handset that would be faulty. I then asked about cancelling my contract immediately as the service wasn't acceptable, she said I could do this but there would be a termination charge of ?65.91, I asked if this could be waived due to the poor service I had received and she declined. She did not make me any further offers.

As it stands I have a handset that I cannot use and which last time it was returned for repair was returned without repair, and you have not kept to the deal that I was offered, so the only way to rectify the situation at present is for me to incur extra costs (either pay an extra monthly fee or cancel my contract now with a termination cost). I am far naturally far from happy with any of the options you have given me today, and would like to know urgently what you propose to do to rectify the situation at no cost to myself. I feel that due to the service I have received I would be within my rights to cancel my contract immediately at no cost to myself, or if you wish to keep a good customer then I should be offered a handset of my choice (SonyEricsson W950i is my preference) at no additional cost to myself and on the current tariff, with a 12month contract.

Please contact me urgently to let me know what you propose to do about my current predicament. As my handset is unusable you will be unable to contact me on that, so please either respond by email, or ring me during working hours (8am to 5pm) on xxxxxxx, or out of working hours on xxxxxxx.

Regards,

A very unhappy customer

fac51 wrote:you got a charger now then?