Tried to get one in Leicester store but there were none. Most people in shop were there for the same thing.
I tried to determine how many they had received but agent was very cagey. Seems they had none today and a "few" yesterday but he wouldn't tell me when they actually ran-out yesterday. He could not say when more would arrive. The whole of the back wall of the shop was devoted to an advert for the elusive device.
I asked if they could put up a sign to say they had run-out to save everyone queuing but was told it was "not something they could do" but I could queue up to speak to a manager if I wanted.
Seems to be another company in the throes of making a PR disaster out of something supposedly designed to please their customers.
Some weird people in this thread talking about debt and stuff. This must be one of the simplest things in the world yet people are just making it complicated.
Some weird people in this thread talking about debt and stuff. This must be one of the simplest things in the world yet people are just making it complicated.
No it is EE who are making it complicated.
BTW the Derby EE shop have at least put up three signs in the windows to say that they are out of stock so clearly it can be done.
I presume the whole purpose of the hire agreement is so they can simply swap your used item with another used one as it wouldn't fall under normal warranty replacements for purchased products?
Similarly if they find a damaged one out they have the capability to remove it from someone rather than leaving them open to challenges from someone ending up with / continuing to use a faulty charger, but at the same time to save EE the cost of repairing loads of broken ones.
That being said, the leaflet that came with the phone says to take old ones to household waste recycling collections (rather than throwing it in the waste) - if they really wanted them back at the end of the term surely they should have made it clear it needs to be returned to an EE store?
My concern now is I originally sent the text to receive the code before I realised the charger is not a free gift but a rented product. So I am not getting one but reading on Hot UK deals from a lot of people in many cases the main connection to someone who went into a store and was given a charger is the sent text to the recipients phone. Many said they were not asked to show the code.
Unless they hand one over and that is noted against your number, why are you concerned?
Unless they hand one over and that is noted against your number, why are you concerned?
Because in a lot of cases people have been given charges without checking the code. So the only connection that someone has one is they were sent a code. Therefore EE could presume those sent a code are now hiring a charger.
Because in a lot of cases people have been given charges without checking the code. So the only connection that someone has one is they were sent a code. Therefore EE could presume those sent a code are now hiring a charger.
The chances of all that are incredibly low, though - especially given the value of the item and what its value will be in 18 months time (near zero). It'll cost them more to send the initial "please give it back" letter than it's worth, let alone a bill or debt collectors. They'd be laughed out of court too
Tesco prosecuted someone for spilling a bottle of milk, just saying. He had to pay pay £1.50 compensation to Tesco, fined £75, ordered to pay £20 victim surcharge and £85 costs.
Tesco prosecuted someone for spilling a bottle of milk, just saying. He had to pay pay £1.50 compensation to Tesco, fined £75, ordered to pay £20 victim surcharge and £85 costs.
Spilling milk is not a criminal offence, the sentence in your case is a criminal offence sentence, I would presume there is a lot more to the story than that.
Spilling milk is not a criminal offence, the sentence in your case is a criminal offence sentence, I would presume there is a lot more to the story than that.
You missed the point. They will go after someone or everyone just on a principle.
Tesco prosecuted someone for spilling a bottle of milk, just saying. He had to pay pay £1.50 compensation to Tesco, fined £75, ordered to pay £20 victim surcharge and £85 costs.
If you read the original story you'd realise they were asked to leave the store, were verbally abusive to staff and then deliberatley threw the milk and had to be escorted out. I'm sure if you did the same in an EE store they probably would prosecute you too.
Do EE sell milk? Again, it's not really the value of the item but the principle involved.
I'm not even sure what point you're trying to make.
If you take care of the "Power Bar" and return it if and when requested there will be no problem and no need for EE to prosecute you, which you seem to think they will. Just like how if the man had returned the milk and left the Tesco when requested he would not have been prosecuted either.
You missed the point. They will go after someone or everyone just on a principle.
I didn't miss the point, you are pointing at a criminal case and trying to compare it, "it's a civil matter" is all they would get even if they tred to prosecute for non-return, that's without the problems of chasing after 1000's of people who have lost or sold them, the civil courts would be thrilled to be clogged with bucketloads of cases for a fiver revolving around dubious terms.
If you read the original story you'd realise they were asked to leave the store, were verbally abusive to staff and then deliberatley threw the milk and had to be escorted out. I'm sure if you did the same in an EE store they probably would prosecute you too.
That would be totally different to someone losing their EE power block, thanks for the info.
It's not a concern whether it's criminal or civil. The contract is that you return the item when they say or you pay, or be taken to court if they wanted to.
Because in a lot of cases people have been given charges without checking the code. So the only connection that someone has one is they were sent a code. Therefore EE could presume those sent a code are now hiring a charger.
They ask for your phone number and it gets checked against their system before handing over the power bar. The code is irrelevant. I'd be more bothered about a non EE customer giving them your phone number and getting a free bar than being sent the code.
It's not a concern whether it's criminal or civil. The contract is that you return the item when they say or you pay, or be taken to court if they wanted to.
Of course it's a concern whether it's civil or criminal, it's apples and oranges, there are hugely different rules for civil court, civil is far more skewed to the consumer, EE will struggle to even prove that the customer has agreed to the terms before anything can be done, not to mention it will cost EE a lot more than £5 to chase the 'debt' in civil court (unlike criminal courts, the plaintiff will have to pay costs to proceed in civil court). The odds of a judge not finding the terms to be unfair is rather slim as well. The consumer would have to be made aware of the terms prior to agreeing to the contract (and see www.ee.co.uk doesn't constitute making the consumer aware).
Honestly, the terms are to try and stop people selling them, and to cover themselves for warranty issues, certainly not to start suing their customers in the county court for a fiver.
EE published their terms for all to see on their web site, if anybody bothered to read them, that's up to them. If it's worth it?, that's up to them, but they can.
Comments
I tried to determine how many they had received but agent was very cagey. Seems they had none today and a "few" yesterday but he wouldn't tell me when they actually ran-out yesterday. He could not say when more would arrive. The whole of the back wall of the shop was devoted to an advert for the elusive device.
I asked if they could put up a sign to say they had run-out to save everyone queuing but was told it was "not something they could do" but I could queue up to speak to a manager if I wanted.
Seems to be another company in the throes of making a PR disaster out of something supposedly designed to please their customers.
No it is EE who are making it complicated.
BTW the Derby EE shop have at least put up three signs in the windows to say that they are out of stock so clearly it can be done.
But it's not complicated that's my point.
Similarly if they find a damaged one out they have the capability to remove it from someone rather than leaving them open to challenges from someone ending up with / continuing to use a faulty charger, but at the same time to save EE the cost of repairing loads of broken ones.
That being said, the leaflet that came with the phone says to take old ones to household waste recycling collections (rather than throwing it in the waste) - if they really wanted them back at the end of the term surely they should have made it clear it needs to be returned to an EE store?
Yes, the one in INTU have. The other one make you wait to be seen before telling you they are out of stock.
Unless they hand one over and that is noted against your number, why are you concerned?
Because in a lot of cases people have been given charges without checking the code. So the only connection that someone has one is they were sent a code. Therefore EE could presume those sent a code are now hiring a charger.
The chances of all that are incredibly low, though - especially given the value of the item and what its value will be in 18 months time (near zero). It'll cost them more to send the initial "please give it back" letter than it's worth, let alone a bill or debt collectors. They'd be laughed out of court too
Spilling milk is not a criminal offence, the sentence in your case is a criminal offence sentence, I would presume there is a lot more to the story than that.
You missed the point. They will go after someone or everyone just on a principle.
If you read the original story you'd realise they were asked to leave the store, were verbally abusive to staff and then deliberatley threw the milk and had to be escorted out. I'm sure if you did the same in an EE store they probably would prosecute you too.
I'm not even sure what point you're trying to make.
If you take care of the "Power Bar" and return it if and when requested there will be no problem and no need for EE to prosecute you, which you seem to think they will. Just like how if the man had returned the milk and left the Tesco when requested he would not have been prosecuted either.
I didn't miss the point, you are pointing at a criminal case and trying to compare it, "it's a civil matter" is all they would get even if they tred to prosecute for non-return, that's without the problems of chasing after 1000's of people who have lost or sold them, the civil courts would be thrilled to be clogged with bucketloads of cases for a fiver revolving around dubious terms.
It's a non-issue.
That would be totally different to someone losing their EE power block, thanks for the info.
They ask for your phone number and it gets checked against their system before handing over the power bar. The code is irrelevant. I'd be more bothered about a non EE customer giving them your phone number and getting a free bar than being sent the code.
Of course it's a concern whether it's civil or criminal, it's apples and oranges, there are hugely different rules for civil court, civil is far more skewed to the consumer, EE will struggle to even prove that the customer has agreed to the terms before anything can be done, not to mention it will cost EE a lot more than £5 to chase the 'debt' in civil court (unlike criminal courts, the plaintiff will have to pay costs to proceed in civil court). The odds of a judge not finding the terms to be unfair is rather slim as well. The consumer would have to be made aware of the terms prior to agreeing to the contract (and see www.ee.co.uk doesn't constitute making the consumer aware).
Honestly, the terms are to try and stop people selling them, and to cover themselves for warranty issues, certainly not to start suing their customers in the county court for a fiver.