Phones 4 u stop selling new o2 contracts

jabbamk1jabbamk1 Posts: 8,942
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So first three and now o2. Who's next?

You can still upgrade on o2 through p4u though.

Www.phones4u.co.uk/o2

Comments

  • The Lord LucanThe Lord Lucan Posts: 5,054
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    Not a bad thing for new O2 or Three customers..
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 996
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    Anyone know why?
  • The Lord LucanThe Lord Lucan Posts: 5,054
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    There was a time Vodafone stopped most of the independents from selling monthlies. It was due to complaints and cost. Maybe similar reasoning. They are not known for being the best of companies... and i should know i managed one of the shops many moons ago.
  • legends wear 7legends wear 7 Posts: 2,102
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    is it possible that maybe there is just a website issue
  • Thine WonkThine Wonk Posts: 17,190
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    Phones4U launch their new MVNO 'Life Mobile' next month which runs on the EE network. I'm not sure launching yet another MVNO that'll get lost in the crowd is a good idea.

    Not selling phones on the fastest growing UK network and on the single biggest phone brand would surely kill their business.

    I wouldn't be surprised if they don't struggle over the next year and become yet another high street casualty.
  • legends wear 7legends wear 7 Posts: 2,102
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    Phones4u are doing just fine, cpw are the ones I'd worry about going bust
  • Thine WonkThine Wonk Posts: 17,190
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    CPW is doing ok http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2013/jan/24/carphone-warehouse-uk-revenue-rise

    P4U won't be though if there not selling phones for half of the main networks and piling money into a MVNO with seemingly no USP.
  • legends wear 7legends wear 7 Posts: 2,102
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    Thine Wonk wrote: »
    CPW is doing ok http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2013/jan/24/carphone-warehouse-uk-revenue-rise

    P4U won't be though if there not selling phones for half of the main networks and piling money into a MVNO with seemingly no USP.

    £1bn Best buy investment now worth half that, had to close their best buy brand. hundreds of job losses and a declining prepay market which has been a traditioanl winner for CPW
  • Thine WonkThine Wonk Posts: 17,190
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    Fair enough! seems P4U are opening new stores due to a lot of contract sales.

    I'm not sure about the MVNO though.
  • Step666Step666 Posts: 1,284
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    Not a bad thing for new O2 or Three customers..
    Not a good thing either if they don't want network-locked handsets.
    There's still CPW but less choice is never a good thing.


    Thine Wonk wrote: »
    Not selling phones on the fastest growing UK network and on the single biggest phone brand would surely kill their business.
    CPW stopped selling Vodafone when they were the biggest network due to Vodafone demanding CPW implement sales targets for their contracts.
    The outcome of that was CPW shifted focus to O2, sold that many O2 contracts that they even had to step in and set up a parallel billing system because O2 couldn't cope with the influx of customers. Vodafone stopped being the biggest UK network and went back to CPW cap-in-hand a couple of years ago.


    £1bn Best buy investment now worth half that, had to close their best buy brand. hundreds of job losses and a declining prepay market which has been a traditioanl winner for CPW
    Best Buy weren't a CPW brand.

    As for Best Buy's investment, there's two ways to look at it.
    If you bought something off me for £1000 and a little while down the line I bought it back in exactly the same condition for £500, has it's value dropped or have I simply ended up with a £500 profit?
  • legends wear 7legends wear 7 Posts: 2,102
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    Of course this could just be O2 trying to save money and will be back in Phones 4 u in the new financial year
  • andys cornerandys corner Posts: 1,664
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    , typically p4u phone a network, shout a lot and if the advisor doesn't cave in and throw disproportionate amounts of goodwill the staff member on the phone will shout to customers that the network in question is the worst
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 4
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    I've had a similar frustrating experience at Phones 4 U last weekend. I got greeted buy a sales guy who gives me a bit of patter about the iPhone etc… as soon as I mention an O2 contact he almost went into defensive mode and tried to sell me onto an Orange contract. Really weird tone and just tried to convince me I was wrong that got my back up. Informed him that I don't get Orange coverage at home and I was after an O2 one. Asked about what the deal was with O2 contracts at P4U and didn't really get a clear answer.

    Disappointed, I thought I'd try out the store in Sheffield city centre - thought I would get a clearer answer but obviously not… Again, was trying to push me on getting anything other than O2. It was almost like buying a used car, (or trying to!) but 100 times worse! clear as mud. Ended up leaving out of frustration! Anyone else had this kind of thing happen at P4U?
  • SkipTracerSkipTracer Posts: 2,959
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    I've had a similar frustrating experience at Phones 4 U last weekend. I got greeted buy a sales guy who gives me a bit of patter about the iPhone etc… as soon as I mention an O2 contact he almost went into defensive mode and tried to sell me onto an Orange contract. Really weird tone and just tried to convince me I was wrong that got my back up. Informed him that I don't get Orange coverage at home and I was after an O2 one. Asked about what the deal was with O2 contracts at P4U and didn't really get a clear answer.

    Disappointed, I thought I'd try out the store in Sheffield city centre - thought I would get a clearer answer but obviously not… Again, was trying to push me on getting anything other than O2. It was almost like buying a used car, (or trying to!) but 100 times worse! clear as mud. Ended up leaving out of frustration! Anyone else had this kind of thing happen at P4U?

    Not had any real problems with them but it does explain why they did not want to barter when their price for a phone I was buying was £10 more than in the o2 shop a few steps down the road.

    I thought I would try P4u first because I though the phone maybe un-locked but a tenner plus £20 Amazon voucher got the money going to o2 direct and as the phone was for use on GiffGaff it did not bother me much.

    It has left me in a state of mind that Phones4u are just not worth bothering with in future, but that said I must admit I have only ever brought one phone from them anyways over the past 18 years of buying mobile phones so not a big loss for them anyway.

    BTW Welcome to DS faceboy:).
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 4
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    Phones 4 U always seemed a little dodgy to me. Couldn't get a proper answer regarding *new* O2 contracts with a handset in store at all when I spoke to them so ended up having to Google and see the real reason why they couldn't provide O2 phones.
  • jabbamk1jabbamk1 Posts: 8,942
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    Phones 4 U always seemed a little dodgy to me. Couldn't get a proper answer regarding *new* O2 contracts with a handset in store at all when I spoke to them so ended up having to Google and see the real reason why they couldn't provide O2 phones.

    What was the answer you found?

    The one about O2 not wanting to subsidise handsets and pay the same amount of commission to P4U, this P4U and O2 ending the agreement they had?
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 4
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    The latter,

    I was more annoyed at the service I got tbh. Rather than just tell me the truth, they tried to push me into another provider.
  • Steven L HunterSteven L Hunter Posts: 10,724
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    I think they always tend to push to sell the network which is giving them the most commission
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 4
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    Itried P4U once again to buy a phone this afternoon, but couldn't get on the O2 contract - still gave me no solid reason why so ended up going across the road to another store, oh well.
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