The Mobile Republic Review

Overall Rating

None

Everything about their setup - including non-existence of customer services, useless online ticketing system

Here is a letter that I have sent to Croydon Trading Standard. They are well aware of The Mobile Repulic, yet they still seem to be letting them trade.

Email Croydon Trading Standards on trading.standards@croydon.gov.uk
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Dear Trading Standards, (sent on 13th May 04)

Further to my conversation yesterday with [name deleted], I have attached a letter that I have sent The Mobile Republic - along with evidence of correspondence.

All I want from The Mobile Republic is for them to:

1) provide me with a returns number
2) Once they have received the good back (a phone-free sim card), for the Mobile Republic to call Singlepoint(Vodafone), and cancel my 12 month contract.

I am currently locked in a 12 month contract with Singlepoint as I am unable to get in contact with The Mobile Republic to get a returns authorisation number.

Please assist me in chasing this matter up as I have not been able to contact The Mobile Republic for 2 weeks now - either by phone (20 phone calls) or their online ticketing system (4 tickets without reply).

This has been an awful experience from the start - and has totally put me off using the Internet for making purchases. They have not provided the product to my requirements - which were clearly outlined when making the order. I hope the Trading Standards of Croydon - having acknowledged the numerous complaints about this company - will realise that this company will continue to treat their customers with the highest disregard.

If you need further evidence of many customers that have suffered at The Mobile Republic's hands, then simply click these links:

http://www.reviewcentre.com/reviews.php?id=334 5&level=reviews&p=1
http://www.reviewcentre.com/reviews.php?id=334 5&level=reviews&p=2
http://www.reviewcentre.com/reviews.php?id=334 5&level=reviews&p=3
http://www.reviewcentre.com/reviews.php?id=334 5&level=reviews&p=4

I will also be contact BBC's watchdog with regards to this matter.

Regards

Kei
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(Letter to the Mobile Republic)

Customer Services Manager
The Mobile Republic
Square Root Centre
Windmill Road
Croydon
CR0 2XD


12 May 2004

Dear Sir/Madam

Invoice number: XXXXXXXX

I am writing to officially log a complaint about problems with my product and regarding the level of service I have received since purchasing it from The Mobile Republic recently.

I made an order for a phone-free sim card (contracted to Singlepoint/Vodafone) on 20 April 2004. Whilst making the online order, I categorically stated in the comments box that if my existing Vodafone mobile phone number could not be ported over to the new sim card, then I did NOT want the sim card.

On the 22 April 2004, I received an email acknowledging the order but informing me that the network refused to connect me. I was advised to choose another network or product. After this email, I understood that I would not be receiving the product/that the order be terminated. My online account details via The Mobile Republic website also showed (and still shows) the status of my order is still in the process of a credit card check and not ready for dispatch. However I still received the sim card pack in the post on the 30 April 2004. I contacted the Mobile Republic to enquire about my existing number being ported over. My request to have this number ported to the new sim card was not actioned and I was not contacted by the Mobile Republic to say otherwise. After being on hold for 25 minutes a Mobile Republic customer advisor told me that porting the number over to the new sim card was the responsibility of Singlepoint and not The Mobile Republic.

I immediately contacted Singlepoint directly and was informed that they could not alter the number on the sim card as the sim card had already issued to me and activated. Singlepoint advised me to cancel my contract with The Mobile Republic, and requested that you contact them to confirm the cancellation of the contract, to move my existing number over and then for you to reissue or reactivate the card. At this point I still wanted the sim card but only, as before, on the condition that I could retain my existing number. This information was sent via The Mobile Republics online ticketing system on 30 April 2004, again requesting that a customer advisor contact me to discuss the above. I gave clear instructions that if my existing number was not moved over, that I wanted the contract terminated and I would return the sim card. I have had no response to this.

Finally on this day as a last resort I called the 7 days returns number but could not complete the request for the cancellation because I needed to supply a returns authorisation code which I was not given because I was unable to get through to a customer advisor and had no response to my emails.

Since then I have logged further online tickets, and time and time again no customer advisor has responded. Copies of all email correspondence are attached. The queries remained unassigned until today (12th May 2004) when I discovered they had been closed for no reason. Whilst writing this letter I have received an email to apologise for the delay in replying to my ticket due to technical errors, but it has no reference to which ticket it is in relation to.

I now wish to return the sim card to The Mobile Republic and have requested a cancellation number in order to follow this through, again to no avail. I am extremely unhappy with the total lack of response from your customer services to resolve the problem I have highlighted to them. All I wanted from the outset was to purchase a sim card and have my existing number assigned to it. It has been a nightmare from day one. I should not have been sent the sim card in the first place because I was informed connection was refused by the network provider. I do not understand why after the sim card was sent I have been unable to get anyone to respond to any of my queries to get my existing number moved over. All it takes is for a simple phone call to explain to me what the situation is and what can be done to resolve the problem. I have been able to contact Singlepoint to explain the situation and they have in fact frozen this number based on the circumstances. They also have a full log of all my calls to them.

You contact your customers with an email confirming their orders and advise 'If you need anything be it product advice, troubleshooting or any form of help then visit: http://www.themobilerepublic.com/faqindex.asp' Customers are further advised to email the Mobile Republic '24 hours per day 7 days a week where an advisor will be waiting to help'. I have acted on this advice but have been hugely disappointed and frustrated at the lack of response from your organisation.

You appear to have a professional appearance from your website but this should not negate the fact that customer care is of utmost importance. Your established customer care protocol to deal with queries and respond within 24 hours is not met. From my experience callers are continually placed in a call-waiting system, emails remain unassigned, are not responded to and are terminated without being resolved.

I believe that The Mobile Republic has failed to reach their aims - that the customer comes first and that there is ease of contact. I have tried on numerous occasions to contact your customer services department but have been unable to get through each time and have been put on hold for ridiculously long periods of time (sometimes even close to an hour). Additionally, I contacted the customer services department via your email ticketing system, but again to no avail. I have received no response at all to any of my enquiries.

After conducting a little research on the Internet I have discovered that many others have similar complaints.

Under the Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regulations 2000, with any goods purchased via the internet, the customer is entitled to a seven day cooling off period. I believe my right to cancel within this period was negated by the fact that I was unable to contact anyone at The Mobile Republic about this problem and to get a cancellation number. As a last resort, I contacted the Mobile Republic to cancel my order and have not been able to do this firstly because I get no response and secondly because your firm operates a system whereby I have to be assigned a cancellation number, which I was never given. Based on the above regulation and on the surrounding circumstances which have complicated by the failure in your customer care procedure, I trust that The Mobile Republic will honour my request for a cancellation of the order/contract and will allow me to return the product without incurring any charges. Singlepoint are happy to cancel the contract once The Mobile Republic have confirmed the return of the sim card.

I would be grateful if someone could respond to this letter with the utmost urgency. I would like to be sent 'a returns authorisation code' in writing. Once I have received this I am happy to return the sim card and this will be the close of this matter.

Yours sincerely

Mr Kei

Encs.
cc. Croydon Trading Standards
BBC Watchdog

Members' Comments onSpooney's Review

• drrdf on 3rd Jun 2004

  Unfortunately this echoes my own 2 experiences of The Mobile Republic. The latest is the worst and is still causing me great problems with T-Mobile.
  
  I also am writing to Croydon Trading Standards and have already informed BBC Watchdog of my experience.
  
  drrdf