Anyone else experienced this from Carphone Warehouse ?.

Just wanted a cheap 'Pay as you go' deal, and found a phone that was suitable for what I needed, with good reports of the battery lasting well - Samsung J700.

Go up to the shop and ask for one silver colour on T-mobile, as that’s the sim I already have.

Get told don't have one on T-mobile, but all the phones are unlocked anyhow. So I can use one on Virgin network, though I'll have to buy £10 sim card to get a deal, plus the Virgin phone will cost you £20 extra ?.

Uhh ?. 

The phones are unlocked, right. So how come you can't sell me the "Virgin phone" but at the same price as I wanted for the T-mobile deal ?.

Sorry but that's the way it is, we'll have some more on T-mobile tomorrow, here's the store number phone us to see we've had some delivered for T-mobile ?.

Err... Okay, thanks ?  .

Decided to go to the shop again today.... Yes sir we've had some come in.

Great so you can sell me a phone without the sim card then ?.

Nope, sorry for the £29.99 deal you have to buy a simcard with it, even though you can chuck it away once you've used up the credit.

Why do I have to... never mind.... , (okay then I think it'll be an extra tenner, but I'd put that on my credit anyhow), so I'm just about to sort it out, then he notices and says... Ah you want to pay cash for it.......

Yeeesss, that's why I'm getting the money out  .

Well if you pay by your credit card, you can have the deal for £39.99, but if you want to pay by cash, it'll be another £10 on top of that.

??????????  . But why if I pay in cash is it going to cost another £10 ?.

Sorry sir I know it's unfair, but it's policy. It's easier to pay by card.... (interrupt)... How, I've got my money here now ?!. Quicker than swiping my card through, and waiting !.

I know sir, but it's policy (again), do you still want me to put the transaction through ?.

Er.... No, I wanted to pay cash, not card. So I've changed my mind if it's going to cost me another £20 on top of what was supposed to be a £29.99 deal.

Oh... okay then he say (looking and sounding dejected). I understand.

Now I don't know about you folks, but I don't think I'm being tight here for another £20, and I know other phones cost a lot more, but come on £10 extra for a simcard that I don't need, then another extra £10 for the privilege of using "Cash" ?.

Surely this practise of paying extra if you want to pay buy cash is illegal in some way or other ?.

What next a Pedestrian Congestion charge in the shop when it's busy !!!!!!!!!!!  .

M

Quite frankly it's b******s

I can see this happening more. The likes of, say, Kwikfit where the are tyre fitters and a foreman blah, blah...........

At close of buisness they want to put the shutters down and go home. They do not want to reconcile the cash and drop it at the bank or pay for G4S to pick it up, as this incurs additional costs. They also do not want the job of looking after the cash during the day.

I'm afraid you will soon be having these costs passed to you, unless of course, you are dealing with a large retailer etc

Easy, with card they know who has the phone!!
with cash its anonymous and untraceable so they "encourage" you to use the card so they can trace you

Omegatoy wrote on 02. Jun 2009 at 22:09:


In standard retail transactions, that do not involve the noting of customer details, there is no system whereby the trader can trace the details of the owner of the credit / debit card. Only the banks / credit card companies possess that information and will not release them to a retailer.

Lizzie Zoom wrote on 02. Jun 2009 at 22:15:



Well I'm not the only one who's had a problem with CPW either.

Was talking to a college at work today about it, and they said that they went to CPW, paid by cash, and the sales person said they required a 'card' for security purposes, as it helps stop illegal activities through the phone. Well as their the honest type, they thought fair enough, so off they went, and apprently they said that the CPW had taken out exactly the same amount out via their card later on that day?!. Aparently they had hell of a game trying to prove that they'ed paid by cash, and even the customer service chap/lass at the CPW HQ said that they shouldn't of been asked for card details as well if paying by cash !.

So I won't ever be going there again 

Guess I'll have to look else where then, anyone know if Argos or the likes do the same thing, want you to pay by card ?.

M 

Try here Matt.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/watchdog/

BigAl wrote on 02. Jun 2009 at 23:32:


Customer details are only taken to send on to TV Licensing as retailers who sell television receiving and recording equipment are required to do by law.


As I said, standard credit / debit card transactions do not include customer details ie names, addresses, etc.  The card is simply swiped through the electronic comminication device linking the bank system to the shop, with the customer entering their PIN. No further record is kept but the copy till transaction slip, which only gives the card number, that xxxxxx'd. 

Even in the days of the old card slips, we in the retail trade only had a name and the card number.  Useless for tracking anything (how many John Smith's are in the directory!!)  and the banks never devulged their customers details.  Only they would contact their customer if a problem arose  with the transaction.

No, it is the loyalty cards of stores that provides full customer details compiled by the retail chain itself, which provides a great range of information on you, but still not your card details.

The internet businesses who you give your card details to, along with your name and address, is a completly different matter!!