[3GScottishUser]

Just had a look at the 3 Store Website and following some recent press report the terms of the 14 day peace of mind guarantee have changed making it a total nonsense. See below.....

"14 day peace of mind guarantee

If you are a new 3 customer and for some reason you are not happy with 3, you can return your mobile and original boxed accessories, along with your proof of purchase, within 14 days of receipt to us and we will give you a full refund.

In order to be eligible to return your mobile under the 14-Day Money Back Guarantee you must not have used your handset to make or receive calls or texts, take photos, or download content.

Similarly, if your mobile has been damaged since you received it, this guarantee will not cover you.

This does not affect your statutory rights."

So basically you cant actually try the service using the handset at all.

Another brilliant innovative idea to inspire customer confidence eh?

[Hands0n]

I'm not sure how well that will fly in a court of law.



No contracting-out

Any term in a distance selling contract which is inconsistent with the protection of the consumer as set out above shall be automatically void.


The term in highlight above might well be construed as "inconsistent" inasmuch as the consumer has no ability to try out the service, the only way possible being to actually use the handset "to make or receive calls or texts, take photos, or download content". I rather think that it would not take a particularly smart lawyer to kick that one into touch at the front bench.

I am absolutely sure that 3 has taken legal advice on this - but it would be skewed in favour of what 3 want to do and may not have much basis during interpretation in front of a judge.

But then again, who would want to go to all of the bother of fighting this out with 3? Wouldn't it just be simpler and easier to, instead, go somewhere else which treats its Customers with significantly less disdain?

That said, there will be many caught out in this particular honeypot. Who, after all, bothers with reading the small print when there is a nice shiny photo of the highly desirable handset on view?

NB: Full details of the Distance Selling Regulations (http://www.out-law.com/page-430#Top) are online and in plain English language.

[3GScottishUser]

I think the description '14 day peace of mind guarantee' is now totally misleading. How can one have peace of mind simply taking the phone home and staring at a box. Bonkers and hopefully cutomers will be very wary of this latest 3 disincentive.

Distance selling regulations shuld apply to those buying on-line and by phone but personal shoppers to 3 Stores are effectively trapped as soon as they make a call or take a photo. If it was hard going for the 'blackshirts' to get sales before it'll be worse now with such a strong sale closing proposition effectively redundant.

Oh dear.....The competition must be rubbing their hands with glee!!