Carphone Warehouse Reviews

1.6 Rating 1,629 Reviews
13 %
of reviewers recommend Carphone Warehouse
1.6
Based on 1,629 reviews
Shipping & Delivery
Delivery Methods
Postal Service, Courier
Average Delivery Time
Within 5 Days
On-time Delivery
Greater than 25%
Accurate And Undamaged Orders
Greater than 85%
Customer Service
Communication Channels
Telephone, Live Chat, Email
Queries Resolved In
Over A Week
Customer Service
1.3 out of 5
Returns & Refunds
Refunds Process
Difficult
Returns Process
Could Be Better
Read Carphone Warehouse Reviews

About Carphone Warehouse:

The Carphone Warehouse was founded in 1989 to bring mobile services to consumers. The market has always been complex and our aim from the very beginning has been to offer our customers simple, impartial advice while also offering outstanding value. As a result we have grown from a handful of stores operating exclusively in the UK selling mobile handsets and contracts, to a European-wide platform of over 1,500 stores in 10 countries, providing a wide range of mobile and residential telecoms services.

Visit Website

Phone:

0870 111 6565

Location:

The Carphone Warehouse, PO Box 375
Southampton
SO30 2PU

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Carphone Warehouse 1 star review on 25th April 2022
Rachel Pollard
Carphone Warehouse 1 star review on 25th April 2022
Rachel Pollard
Carphone Warehouse 1 star review on 1st July 2021
Neil
Carphone Warehouse 5 star review on 1st September 2020
Ilyas
Carphone Warehouse 1 star review on 2nd July 2020
Brian Gillbanks
Carphone Warehouse 1 star review on 5th July 2017
Unsatisfactory Treatment!!!
Carphone Warehouse 1 star review on 2nd December 2016
Yeakub Kiani
3
Anonymous
Anonymous  // 01/01/2019
I generally don't write reviews but I am so frustrated and disappointed at the service I have received from both Samsung and Carphone Warehouse I feel compelled to write this summary of my recent experience. Who knew.... you can buy a Samsung phone from Carphone Warehouse, that is still in its warranty period and they are under no obligation to get it working! Unbelievable I know, but true! My Samsung A40 has an intermittent problem that means it turns itself off for days at a time and nothing can be done to turn it back on, a 'soft reset' occasionally works but generally it is dead, only to spring back to life at some point several days later. It has now been back to Samsung and Carphone warehouse 3 times; it is there at the moment, being repaired for a 4th time. Each time it comes back, after a few hours or sometimes days the problem reappears, it is thoroughly unusable, I have spent to many hours trying to transfer data between this and an old phone and have lost numerous text messages and call log data over the last couple of months. I was under the misapprehension that after the 3rd effort at a repair they would simply give me a refund or just give a new phone that worked... but alas no. I was told by the Curry’s Branch Manager at 'Curry’s Carphone Warehouse' in High Wycombe that I would have to keep sending it back for repair until they repaired it correctly. So I ask him what would happen if they were never able to repair the phone?... in around 6 months my warranty would run out, what would happen then? I was told that I should have taken out insurance, because after the warranty runs out they would not repair it! Just so you fully understand, that means that although my phone wouldn't have been worked for around 9 months, the majority of which time it would have been with the repairers, once my warranty runs out there is nothing I can do... they are under no obligation to actually get my phone working, just go through the process of trying to repair it until my warranty runs out and then there is nothing more than I can do. I am staggered, amazing, shocked, frustrated that this is allowed to happen. What is a warranty actually for? As far as Samsung and Carphone Warehouse are concerned, it means - we don't need to actually get your phone working just go through the steps of trying to repair it until the Warranty runs out', then is nothing the customer can do. Shocking poor service, both Carphone Warehouse and Samsung hold your heads in shame.
Helpful Report
Posted 2 years ago
We had excellent service from Car Phone Warehouse, when we bought an iPhone 7 a number of years back, before they were absorbed by Curries. We returned to buy 2 iPhone 12’s on May the 14th because of the previous good service. SERIOUS MISTAKE. After being promised they could set it up in store, transferring data from the old phone, apparently their internet is so slow it’s impossible, the assistant (rather an inappropriate description) seemed incapable of sorting it out and seems to have locked one of the phones so we are going to have go to an apple store to sort it out. The other we managed to sort out at home. Well never again. We would have been better off buying them on line and sorting it out ourselves.
Helpful Report
Posted 2 years ago
Absolutely appalling service beyond belief. This is the FIRST and LAST time i'll ever use Carphone Warehouse. I've ordered an IPhone 12 sim free (£800), the money was accepted and received, the order was processed and due to be delivered. 2 Days after the expected delivery date i had not heard anything so i contacted them via online chat, to be told my order has been cancelled and i need to contact them to find out why... So i then email them with all my information, to then receive an email explaining they need my billing address to be able to help with my query (although my address was clearly stated), i then hadn't heard back so i decided to call them. I spoke to a very blunt member of staff (Ulanda) who wouldn't say anything more than "sorry you've failed an internal security check" and apparently no supervisors are available to help. I tried to get clarity as to what's happened as this is the first time using their service all i've done is gone onto their website, paid in full for a product, received confirmation that the order has been processed await for a dispatch notice, then not heard anything.. once again all she could tell me was i've failed an internal security check... 0 Customer Service, not even the slightest bit of understanding as to where i was coming from. I can not believe a company as big as this is able to exist, how and why would you completely refuse right of service to a first time customer who's paid in full via card...Utterly Shocking.
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Posted 2 years ago
Ridiculous amount of cold calling for the last three years (3 + times a week) and every time I ask them to remove me from the calling list and then block the number I used them once three years ago and like a fungus I just can't get rid of them. NEVER USE THEM FOR ANYTHING!
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Posted 3 years ago
Brought a new Samsung phone with trade in on old phone, sent away and now they backing on deal. we took video and photo's of old phone before sending showing perfect and working. now we told bad screen burn and only £5 trade in from £85. we asked for old phone to be returned and now we having issues got find it and make sure got right phone. lucky we took ime down. i would avoid trading and asked to send new phone back as they broken deal and told cant send new back as not an good excuse.
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Posted 3 years ago
Just awful customer service! Ordered a value bundle as I was moving house and wanted to make sure I stayed online. Ordered £15 one, received a £10 one, no problem I thought, got on their chat to report it. It took ages, and at the end they wouldn't do anything about it until I activated it. So I activated it and there's nothing on it at all, just a blank sim card. Contacted them again, they said they would refund me by cheque(??). 1 Month on, still nothing. I guess they assume if they wait long enough you'll forget about it. Still on the up side, compared to some of the reviews here I got off lightly!
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Posted 3 years ago
I bought a new phone from Carphone warehouse with a £100 trade in from my phone which was in good condition and good working order when I sent it off to them. After a week,they contacted me and said my phone was no good and offered me£30, so I asked them to send it back. After another week and several calls and e-mails to them,I finally got it back,but it did not even power up,they had broken it. I made several more e-mails and calls,non of which got answers. "BE CAUTIOUS" DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY,THEY ARE BANDITS
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Posted 3 years ago
Can you give 0 stars? I was fraudulently sold a contract, which I have requested the transcript of and I have ben delayed continuously and lead in countless directions. Be ware, this is a company who will do ANYTHING to set you up and take your money, even to things you have not agreed to. Then they will not send you the proof for you to prove they were in the wrong. To the people of Carphone Warehouse, you work in a communications industry, learn the tools to communicate and get back in touch with people and offer "customer service" rather than customer interference.
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Posted 3 years ago
Disgusting Outright Thievery. Traded in a phone for a £100 bonus + £45 for the phone it self. Got an email they would only offer £10!!! The email came conveniently after the 14 days cooling off period. So couldn't even cancel contract out of disgust!!!! . To top it all off the £100 extra bonus was refused as the phone had to be sent within 7 working days from receipt of the new phone... OK CARPHONE WAREHOUSE BRIAN BOXES HOW CAN I SEND THE PHONE WITHIN 7 DAYS WHEN I DIDNT RECIEVE THE BOX TO SEND IT BACK UNTIL 9 DAYS AFTER RECIEVIING THE NEW PHONE. That makes no difference in the Carphone Warehouse world apparently. DUDES WE ARE IN A PANDEMIC ROYAL MAIL DOESNT KNOW OF YOUR RIDICULOUS UNETHICAL PRACTICES OR THEY MAY HAVE HELPED ME OUT Complete JOKE of a company
Helpful Report
Posted 3 years ago
I AM REPORTING TO OFCOM, IF I GET NO RESPONSE.... What I have experienced is illegal, have already done my checks. IN A NUTSHELL I HAVE SUFFERED THE FOLLOWING: 1)First and foremost, Customer Services are horrendous. Rude, obnoxious, accusatory (accused me of lying, pulled my story apart (like a trained Gestapo agent), NOT NICE to have it pulled apart viciously. Oh & before I forget, I got accused of being deceitful.. NICE !!! ). The managers raise their voice like they are speaking to a dog. They shout at you but when you shout back, they put the phone down, everyone from bottom to the top are uneducated about Carphone Warehouse T&Cs to the point they give false information, and their conduct Must be illegal. They have no idea of British consumer law but still think they are the authority. 2) I paid £365 up front. No invoice / No receipt / No T&Cs issued and no way of getting a copy. (if that is not illegal it is highly unethical) 3) The 14-day cooling off period was not explained to me properly, NO T&Cs sent to me. Tried to get confirmation from Customer services several times and got told incorrect information!!, tried to get to speak to a manager for cast iron solid information 3 times and got no call back 3 times!!!!! This RESULTED IN WANTING TO CANCEL, and I tried to do that on a day that I thought (and was led to believe) was "day 14". Only to be told "day 14" was the day before. So basically, I was lied to by customer services and given the wrong information. 4) I have been robbed of my Samsung free gifts which I found out the day the "cooling off" period ended. (It was the only reason I went with Carphone Warehouse in the first place) and that is plain theft and shadiness. 5) Had no confirmation whatsoever, that I will get the extra £100 for my old phone "trade in", that I was promised. (based on my experience I honestly feel if they can find a way to wriggle out of that too, they will). PROBLEMS WITH SOUTH AFRICAN CUSTOMER SERVICES South African customer services (its impossible to speak to anyone in UK), are ill mannered, and rude. At best, the lower-level customer services are tantamount to being drones, reading from scripted sheets. At management level they enter into a new level of rudeness and disgusting behaviour, they make things up if they don't know the definitive answer or make assumptions about matters (UK Law for instance) they actually know nothing about. No matter how high you demand to go up the ladder (I have been to senior management level) they have no power to solve problems, all you receive is a blank "NO WE CAN’T HELP" or "REFER TO T&Cs" or lies. Their stock answer is almost always "REFER TO T&Cs". I ask them to send the specific T&Cs that they are referring to and they do not even know where to locate it themselves, often sending me links to T&Cs that have nothing to do with the topic of discussion. It is obviously taught to them to say: "if you get in a tight spot with a customer, tell them to refer to the terms and conditions".... ITS BEYOND LUDICROUS. Carphone Warehouse have given Customer Services in Sth Africa ZERO ability to use human judgement. If the "computer says NO", it is a NO forever. No matter how plausible and truthful the reason for why you need X, Y or Z, if the system will not let them do it, you can NEVER get it done!!!! SO standard process of complaints I have made.... STEP 1: Starts out with a “NO we can’t help" from a customer service agent. STEP 2: It is escalated to "refer to T&Cs" if I push for solution. STEP 3: I ask to speak to a manager and on 3 separate occasions I got told I would get a call back... DID NOT GET ONE SINGLE CALL BACK. Only time I get to speak to one is AFTER the 14-day cooling off period (convenient!!) STEP 4: I speak to a manager (eventually) and they turn it around and blame me!!! she made me feel stupid, wouldn't listen to a word I said, "butted in" throughout my explanations, and she would not deviate from what she believed was right ... show no compassion other than the occasional "sorry" that has no meaning. The worst experience is being accused of lying .. straight up!... or the excuse for not getting a call-back was that I should have chased it up. SERIOUSLY!! I called 3 times, so you expect me to chase up on a daily basis.... JOKE OF A COMPANY!!! Once that handset is sold, they make it purposely difficult to get information that could give you reasons to leave. Had I had the answers I got literally on the day after the cooling off period ended (very convenient) I would have canx 5 minutes after I bought the phone. NO INVOICE I have no invoice/ no VAT receipt, no terms, and conditions. South African CS cannot issue a replacement, it is not possible for them to. It does not matter that not issuing one in any form is unethical and possibly illegal. No matter how hard I try I cannot get one... I have spent 5-6 hours on the phone trying.
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Posted 3 years ago
Returned phone after numerous phone calls and a different excuse every time, even phoning dpd while they put me on hold. To cut a long story short it took 6 yes 6 weeks to get money back. The lies they tell are unbelievable steer clear...
Helpful Report
Posted 3 years ago
Worst UK company. I will ensure my family and I will never purchase a phone/broadband or any of your services from you ever again. I have asked your customer service to politely remove me from your database and stop calling me. Your customer service team call me at least 4 times a week from India and I have had enough. I have put in a complaint to the financial ombudsman.
Helpful Report
Posted 3 years ago
Purchased 3 x handsets and mobile contracts 13 Jan, cancelled 14 Jan, returned handsets 15 Jan, fought to get PAC codes which took until 27 Jan! they still have not refunded the upfront costs £150 owed to me, now 8 Feb 2021! Had to complain a number of times and involve Ofcom too. Cancelled them due to very poor service from ID Mobile, they kept me on a chat box and passed me around 8 operatives who made me clear security each time. I had to contact them ten times with the longest call lasting 2 hours and 36 minutes. I complained to CPW, then received a letter saying they'd dealt with my complaint! and provided an obsolete number to contact them on said letter! Then CPW informed me they had posted a cheque to me! Is it 1984 or 2021? I am still waiting for that cheque to arrive and why are they encouraging me to go out to the bank in the middle of a pandemic? Not good and all because of the poor service with ID Mobile. Please issue me my refund, you owe me £149.97 I have lost many hours trying to sort this out! Compensation due!
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Posted 3 years ago
Trade in phone and was perfect then a week later received an email stating that there was screen burn utter Bs would only give me £40 of the £135 I was due. Have asked to have it sent back Aviod at all costs.
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Posted 3 years ago
Cut my wife’s new sim off refused to speak to her as they had input her wrong address even though they had sent the sun to her address Will not tell us how this happened or why it happened
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Posted 3 years ago
I was offered £135 to trade in my Samsung Galaxy S9. Once my new phone arrived, I packaged it up and sent it off. The S9 was in perfect working order and I was using it without issue right up until this point. A couple of weeks later, I received an email from Carphone Warehouse telling me that they could only offer £35 as the phone didn't work due to water damage. Firstly, let's remember I'd been using the phone without issue right up until sending it so it was definitely in working order. Secondly, the S9 is a water resistant device so it's very unlikely that it could be water damaged unless something serious happened while the phone was in their care. From reading other reviews about the trade-in service, I can now see that claiming false damage is a very common occurrence and I deeply regret trading my phone in. Absolutely avoid!
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Posted 3 years ago
sent me wrong item Customer care confirmed me that it was by mistake and returned the item Once they received it they are not admitting their mistake Shame on this company for deceiving customers
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Posted 3 years ago
Customer "service" useless. Purchased a 2020 model of a phone, the 2019 model has wifi calling but not CPW 2020 version. Spent 16 days during lockdown dealing with Vodafone before going back to Carphone Warehouse. They refuse to have anything to do with this unused phone and refuse to put anything in writing. Do not buy anything from Carphone Warehouse. If need be pay extra elsewhere!
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Posted 3 years ago
As a former employee I full well know that on a big sales event, for example Black Friday, the marketing team make up fake deals to increase internet traffic then remove them under the pretence that a mistake has been made. They do this usually twice a year and leave their awful customer service team based in South Africa to pick up the pieces. However I do know that the capita employees that they use in South Africa are told that each customer has a ‘£100 compensation pot.’ So they won’t resolve the problem and lazily throw money at the issue. My advice buy a cheap phone case, say it’s damaged and then demand money and chances are they will send you a cheque for £50. Ring a week later and repeat 😀
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Posted 3 years ago
Never go with this company they cant deliver a phone after 13 calls and broken promises of the phone being delivered the following day
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Posted 3 years ago
Carphone Warehouse is rated 1.6 based on 1,629 reviews