Hi Jen T

By all means complain under the data protection act, I would be interested to hear the outcome of that.

Letter of complaint should also be sent recorded delivery. In this letter you should demand your money. Tell them that they have 14 days to pay or you will issue a summons in your local small claims court. Don't allow CPW to mess you around any more.

They probably receive a sack load of complaint letters every week, ensure yours goes to the top of the pile for priority by threating court action.

I am now issueing a summons my self for monies owed to me from e2save.com (CPW) so will let you know how it all goes.

I have also experienced problems with the CPW call centre. I keep getting conflicting information and advice each time I call, Particularly regarding the dates of my bills to be sent and date they should be received by. Strangely though not all the information and advice is recored their end. If anyone else has had the same experience I would like to know.

Thanks, I have sent it recorded delivery, although not quite sure if that will make a difference given last time and I have threatened court action so hopefully something will happen.

I have been trying to find a copy of their complaints procedure but all I can find is an address which isn't helpful. I assume they have a regulatory body that you can complain to.

If you look on the terms and conditions it says (on one stop phone shop at least) that all claims will be paid within 45 days as long as you comply with their rules, so you might be able to use that against them if e2save.com is the same.

Hi JenT

By ensuring that all mail is recorded you can state to a judge that you have done everything reasonable and practicable in the circumstances, thus passing total responsability in the lap of CPW. This is assuming that you have to go this route.

To obtain a copy of their complaints proceedure you should in the first instance write to their complaints department. Check the details with their switchboard and clarify the information before sending registered post.

If they still refuse to send this then contact the ombudsman, here is their web details:

www.otelo.org.uk

Should all else fail and you decide to take the court route then you can ask for the compaints information under the 'disclosure act'.
They then have a legal obligation to provide the information.

Always remember, the court should be seen as a last result, when all else has failed and not used as a matter of convenience.

English law was originaly set to ensure that 'the have nots do not have what the have's have got'.....not to ensure fairness.....

Have a nice weekend.

:-)

I've had three contracts like this with different companies and never had any problem Just read the conditions and do what they say!
Some companies have conditions which are so difficult you feel they are trying hard not to pay - keep well clear! Otherwise, bear in mind that forums like this attract people with bad experiences! People like me tend not to bother saying that it worked well.

I had one of these and had no problems, apart from one I forgot to send in but that was my fault. it was with e2save and I would do it again.

Carrie,

I have just completed a 12 month contract with Carphone warehouse which involved sending back my 4th, 8th & 12th airtime bills to get the cashback. Thankfully I have had no problems what so ever. They were happy to accept photo copied statements rather than sending the originals. Acceptance for the cash back was always received by text message and the cheque would normally arrive about a month later. As other members have stated, it is worthwhile sending the statement by recorded delivery so that you have a record of it's sending. But provided you send the bills off as soon as you get them, you have a 60 day period in which to claim your cashback.
These deals are often above and beyond what the phone networks offer and are a way of attracting your custom. I have just signed up to another 12mth cashback contract with carphone warehouse and hopefully this one will run as smoothly as the last. For the sake of a covering letter and postage the deals are quite often hard to beat.
Good luck with your claim.
Regards
Smiffy

I have not had problems in the past with e2save and cashback, however this time I have. The emails they send regarding cashback say send your 4th, 8th and 12th monthly bill, duly sent my 4th monthly bill only to be told that I should have sent my November Bill, which was number 3 !!!!

They cocked up the billing apparently and combined the first two bills, and they say their T+Cs show it should have been the November bill. I have no doubt they do, but the two emails mails they sent to me marked as importtant information for claimining your cash back do not say this. I have phoned the caskback (no) helpline, who advised that I need to write to their complaints department, which I duly did with no reply.

Tired of companines shafting individuals and thinking they can get away with it, cashback is only for £75, and have issued Court proceedings on the 28/02/2007 through money claim online which cost me £30. They have 14 days to reply or I can claim judgment by default......just waiting to see what happens.

Also logged a complaint with Trading Standards over this, just waithing to hear back from them.

Hi, I sent my 4th phone bill to Carphone Warehouse last month. I had a text message to say that they would take a while to deal with it. Today I had a letter saying that I had sent in a claim too early and it should have been the 6th month!!! I phoned customer services and was on hold for two lengthy periods, the outcome was that it should have been the 4th but that the 4th bill was the February one, this is actually the 5th as I have carefully numbered them. I have now posted the 5th bill and the 4th bill again, incase they change their minds, with the notes that the salesman wrote down for me when I took out the contract. I only took out the contract because it was going to be much cheaper than my pay as you go and so I am going to continually badger them until I get a cheque. I am a bit alarmed since finding this site as they obviously hope people will drop it. I shall report them to trading standards and go through the small claims court if I have to.

you seem to be slightly confused here, Virgin just happens to be owned by Sir Richard Branston, cpw is owned by share holders, the main one obviously being charles dunstone, now talk talk is owned by carphone warehouse, and run by a company called opal, which is in no way associated with virgin in anyway shape or form. im sure sir branston would be absolutely disgusted with you saying that he was carphone warehouse.

carphone warehouse is in fact the only independant company left on the high street, all others are affiliated with certain networks, hence you are seeing such a change in market conditions.

on the subject of cashbacks i would urge you to listen to what is being said and read the small print, if there is anything that you are unsure of then ASK, these companies are not ripping people off they are working off terms and conditions, which is the same as any company in the uk, these companys have to protect themselves from fraudsters, it is not the networks that give the money back it is the company, who actually only get paid a minimal commission from the networks for selling there product (about 280 gbp per contract phone) from this they have to cover all their costs as in transport, wages and running shops, as well as paying commissions.

these companies have certain departments to call if you have a problem with a cashback, if you cannot get this department then everyone has a customer care department, they cannot refuse to put you through to a manager. they must take notes of every call that they recieve, if you take legal action they can retrieve these calls and play them in court as these are a permissable form of evidence for these companies.

the regulator that you are speaking of is called OFFCOM

if you have a real problem with a cash back go into a local store and get them to call for you

not that hard really is it!!!!!!!!

Carrie:Hello, I have just signed up to my first pay monthly contract with Orange through the Carphone Warehouse online service with a total cashback of £245. Having just read experiences from other customers I am now worried that I will never see this money. I will be sending my 4th phone bill to Carphone Warehouse in March to hopefully receive my 1st cheque. Any tips?

Carrie

- I had so much trouble the first time trying to get my first 'Cash Back'.
Twice I was told by Car Phone they had not recived my Virgin tel bill Bill from me.
Even though one was recorded delivery, told me I ha sent it to the 'wrong office.
Then the third time they told me 'The address had changed' I was sending it to the wrong place,
even though I got the address of their Internet site.
At last one 'Honest Guy' said " Sorry this is all wrong what has happened to you,
Fax it to me, Now, and I will sort it out for you" He did, I was told ' Verbal Wrongs' non stop.
Why do these 'Workers make things up and cause this problems for their customers.

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What is this?

I just sent back my 4th bill with all the details photocopied and attached and received a cheque last week no problem. It was only for 90 pounds though so not as much as yours but nevertheless no problems, just completed everything and sent all the supporting paperwork.
Regards,
Charlie

Hi

Did you have any luck taking CPW to court? I had a problem with phoneboxdirect, the information they provide in their T&C's are not clear at all.

I believe that most of these companies do not give clear instruction as to which bills you should be sending them. They send your 1st bill almost immediately after you sign up to them but when they say you need to send your Nth bill they actually mean the next one (if you get what I mean). Also, if you miss one deadline they automatically will close the whole of the claims process so you won't be able to claim any cashbacks going forward. Please be careful people!

If you get anywhere would you please let me know how you took them to court?

Many thanks

Fila

cashback deals especially thru carfone warehouse nitemare would not advise anybody to go down that route.. try contacting vodafone for some deals they have good offers and stuff like voda family and stop the clock

which is gr8 for minute saving

One Has to send ones 'Mobile Phone Bill' to CPW, my phone just happend to be with Virgin.
We know Virgin is not CPW, and I know Virgin get many complaints on CPW,
they told me. Why your telling us whom owns what has nothing to do with 1,000 yes 1,000s of people
are having trouble. Because some has No Problems is not the point, I have not had an
accident on a Motoway, so do I write in and tell every one when theres a big smash up?
Of course not, it is the people who are not getting a service and fighting to get their Cheques back.
Recorded delivery means nothing even with the Royal Mail confirming delivery to them
"Lost some where" is a standard responce, I know as I had it and four friends.
Emails? never got one reply from CPW, Not One! Is that good?
I will never use them again, This contract was from Nov. 2005 and 3 phones before.
Enough is enough and think of the people who paid their money in good faith to no avail.
Courts, OFFCOM, Legal action etc. Should not even be thought off in the UK with companies this size.
If any one knowes about the working of OFFCOM they will not waste their time with them.
They can do nothing Legal and the people there are a waste of time. I know from talking to them.

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What is this?

just make sure you have the right paperwork and send it recorded delivery. I got my cashback in full from them last year. Its really the smaller guys you need to worry about

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Rob Barnes

Head of Broadband & Mobile

moneysupermarket.com