redemtion tarrifs

[twiglet]

has anyone ever bought a mobile online using the cash back redemption offers? they sound too good to be true so im trying to find recommendations on which site to use if any. so far i have looked at e2save, mobiles.co.uk and dialaphone..........any advice?

[Bazzlad]

I'm in the industry.
Avoid like the plague.

Suck it up, and do what normal people do - PAY for your service.

If this isn't warning enough for you:

Index.asp

Nothing is.

"We anticipate that customers main queries will be regarding cash-back claims. Our initial investigations show that these liabilities may be between £4-10 million. There is no possibility that the company will be able to make any meaningful payment to any creditor, whether consumer or supplier."

[Agent]

Stay away.
Most of the systems rely on the fact that people forget to send them in, so many have collapsed. The stories about dialaphone are enough to put anyone off.

Most of them use the fact that you have only a few days to get your bill, pay it, send it in and for them to receive it before the deadline.

[pauldarkside]

BBC NEWS | Business | Mobile phone cashback 'rip-off'

I recall there were a lot of issues relating to cash back offers - companies not honouring them due to lack of funds. Personally, I'd take it as a bonus if you get it but don't bank on it.

[twiglet]

wel i've been with the same network for years but they arent offering me any good deals when it comes to upgrading im not tight im just a student lol

[Saracen]

wel i've been with the same network for years but they arent offering me any good deals when it comes to upgrading im not tight im just a student lol

So don't upgrade?

[twiglet]

im going way over my current tarrif allowance so 1 way or another i need a better deal, i know il have to pay more. i know people that have amazing deals so why wont my network offer me nething even close

[freddie]

yeah, they sem like trouble but if you really need to save a money for those books and the beer then i'd check out the company with companies house on the web. it'll state when they last did their accounts or whether they are in administration.

apart from that clarify any queries there and then, double check the conditions for getting money back.

plain obvious but all you can do is try.

[Saracen]

I do know people that have taken advantage of these deals and actually got all their money back. But you have to be very, VERY careful.

The deals are usually designed to be as convoluted and unclear as possible, and often contain a complex set of conditions that have to be met. More than once, I've seen deals where if you fail to meet those complex conditions for ANY claim, you lose entitlement to ALL subsequent periods too. And that condition might be that you send the paperwork in a day early, or a day late. Or it might be that you need to send the original and send a copy. Or it might be that you fail to use a postage method where you can prove both that it was delivered and when. There's also often confusing wording over exactly which bills you need to send.

So if you do it, I'd suggest getting it clarified, in writing, the dates of the bills you need to supply, and the precise dates between which the bills must arrive. Then, when the relevant bill arrives, fill in any necessary forms and send it straight away. Oh, and plan holidays so that they don't conflict with those dates ..... and pray you don't get any awkwardly-timed postal strikes.

And after you've done all that, pray some more that the company offering the rebates doesn't fold before you get all yours.

As has been said, these schemes usually rely on a small percentage of people actually getting all this right and meeting the arcane criteria precisely. But as increasing numbers of people have been caught once, they become aware that they need to be precise in their claims, and as that's happened, so the rebate level has caused companies to fold.

Of course, since these deals involve two contracts, one with the airtime provider and one with the phone seller, when the phone seller collapses you often have little or no recourse against the airtime provider, with whom you still have a contract and may be expected to continue meeting it ... and paying for it.

Airtime providers have somewhat reluctantly it seems to me, been being a little less rigid in these situations, and OFCOM are certainly pushing for that. But personally, I'd avoid such deals like a dose of the ..... plague. They're a gamble. You MIGHT get all the rebates and do quite well from the deal, but if you either screw up somewhere or if the phone retailer collapses, you could find yourself with a lot of hassle getting out of an expensive contract, and not getting all the rebates you expected. If you can't afford to pay for that if it happens, then my advice is to not take the risk that it will.