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back to article Dial-a-phone 4u?

Phones 4u is buying Dial-a-phone, marking a significant expansion of the high-street retailer into direct sales via phone and on-line. Dial-a-phone runs a couple of websites and a phone-line ordering service out of Kentish Town and Northampton. Its 300 staff sold over 120,000 contracts in 2007. But that's small potatoes to …

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  1. Peter Redding
    Unhappy

    Pounce

    I hate Phones4U because their sales staff always come across as needy and desperate and pounce on you as soon as you go into the shop. They've driven me out of their shops on a couple of occasions so now I don't go in there unless I want to deliberately waste their time.

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  2. Andrew Cannon
    Unhappy

    I got my Wii from Dial-a-Phone

    And a damn fine piece of kit it is too. I can't see them offering deals like that in the future. I hate Phones4U. Last time we went in there they were offering to pay the last 6 months of my wifes O2 contract just to try and get a contract sale.

    All we wanted was a cheap pay as you go phone...

    Madness (or desparation, you choose).

    Andy

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  3. Mark Broadhurst
    Unhappy

    Phones 4U suck

    While I've never used Dial-a-Phone I can't help but to think that the expansion of Phones 4U is about as bad news as you can get.

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  5. Anonymous Coward
    Unhappy

    End of the independents

    Carphone warehouse own e2save, onestopphoneshop, mobiles.co.uk and thephonespot.com.

    Are there any independents left or have CPW and P4U carved up the entire market between themselves?

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  6. Mike Crawshaw
    Pirate

    @ Peter Redding

    The best way to waste time of phone shop staff is:

    * Find a shop with a relatively high volume of browsing customers.

    * be REALLY interested in the latest offering from Network X and be wanting to "upgrade" *RIGHT NOW*

    * enquire about the "unlimited" offer on calls / texts / whatever

    * "discover" that "unlimited" doesn't actually mean that due to a FUP that doesn't disclose the actual limit.

    * be loudly incredulous about the misleading nature of the promotions.

    Great way to spend 10 minutes. So I've heard.... not that I've ever done anything of the kind.... *ahem*....

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  7. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Down

    used to work for phones 4u

    In their IT department, its amazing how many times I had to explain to some business analyst or manager.

    "You can't do that...its illegal."

    I'm not even sure that they are aware that there is a Data Protection Act.

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  8. Jim Cosser

    Dial-A-Phone bad!

    Seriously bad company, took them 3 months to delivery my PS3 that was supposed to come with my contract and that was after much hassle.

    Why would you keep that brand? oh right Phones4u is mildly more hated, I see.

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  9. Anonymous Coward
    Dead Vulture

    Re: used to work for phones 4u

    either you've never worked for the company or it was many, many years ago. I've worked here for over 5 years and as a company I can say Phones4u are excellent in relation to DPA. They have large dedicated Compliance and Security departments who make sure of this and the company has gone way beyond many others in safeguarding customer data.

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  10. Sam Kirkpatrick
    Alert

    Beware The Hidden Surprises

    I bought my last contract handset from Dial-a-phone but only to get the free Xbox 360 that accompanied it. It arrived - on cue I'll admit, 30 days after my contract was connected - but faulty and with an Argos catalogue number on the side of the box!!

    The sneaky insurance is a nasty one - watch for that if you buy from them. I've no personal experience of Phones4u, and haven't found them any more pushy than any other mobile sales stores.

    And there is no telephone number for Dial-a-phone which takes you through to a human being and no means to report a fault other than posting your handset to their "Repair Centre". I read nothing but poor reports of this and couldn't bring myself to send it in when the camera went dodgy on my 3-month-old handset. Their website FAQs are ropey at best. And they HATE the iPhone...

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  11. Mark

    @Anonymous Coward

    (Side Note: I like the fact there's a Phones 4U ad at the bottom of the page where everyone hates Phones 4U, as I type this...)

    Mind you, it drew my attention to another ad, apparently, there is an independent left. Well, at least, I've not come across mobileshop before.

    Looks like Carphone and Phones 4U haven't quite got everyone yet... Although I do christen those two companies "the creeping bleeeerrrrgggghhh"

    Feels appropriate...

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  12. Sam Kirkpatrick

    @Mark

    mobileshop are a price/deal comparison site - they don't actually sell directly.

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  13. Anonymous Coward
    Stop

    @ "Re: used to work for phones 4u" AC 1127am

    "either you've never worked for the company or it was many, many years ago. I've worked here for over 5 years and as a company I can say Phones4u are excellent in relation to DPA. They have large dedicated Compliance and Security departments who make sure of this and the company has gone way beyond many others in safeguarding customer data."

    Wow. Just..... wow.

    Next you'll be saying how wonderful the customer service is, and how happy the employees at P4U are to help us, THE CUSTOMERS - the most important people in the store, get the best from your excellent-value range!!

    Is your name Tim Whiting by any chance??

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  14. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    "Re: used to work for phones 4u"

    Is throwing customers personal info into a skip good data protection?

    The ICO don't think so...

    http://www.ico.gov.uk/upload/documents/library/data_protection/notices/phones4u_undertaking.pdf

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  15. Anonymous Coward
    Dead Vulture

    Re: "Re: used to work for phones 4u"

    Carphone is also having dealings with the ICO...

    http://www.mobiletoday.co.uk/Carphone_failed_to_meet_data_protection_act.html

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  16. kerlmann
    Stop

    @Sam Kirkpatrick

    "I've no personal experience of Phones4u, and haven't found them any more pushy than any other mobile sales stores."

    If you've no personal experience of them, how can you have found them no more pushy than others?? Doesn't make sense.

    I work in the industry and ALL the customers we speak to are unanimous in their condemnation of P4U's sales approach - I've not found anyone with a good thing to say about them. Most of the networks' own stores are now committed to offering an experience that's diametrically opposed to P4U.... it's a slow process, but it's starting to happen.

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