My letter to Phones 4 U

To whom it may concern.

In February 2003 I purchased a Sony Ericsson T68i on contract with T-Mobile from your store in Salisbury, Wiltshire. Roughly two months after I purchased the package I started having problems with the phone. These ranged from not being able to make or receive calls at intermittent times (even when the signal bar was at full strength), to losing signal in mid-call or just dropping the call for no apparent reason. Shortly after the problems started I took the phone in to the store I originally purchased it from and was informed that the phone could only be replaced if I had brought it in within the first month following purchase but that it could be repaired free of charge. I agreed to this under the impression that following repair the phone would be functional.

Unfortunately this wasn't to be. Much to my dismay a couple of weeks after repair the phone started up with exactly the same faults as it had before. I struggled with it for a few more weeks while I went through all the motions with T-Mobile to ensure that it wasn't a sim or service provider fault, but when testing my sim in another phone it worked perfectly, which indicated that the fault was with the phone. So following that I took my phone in for repairs again at the store that I purchased it from. This time it was away for 6 weeks following a mix up at which saw my phone waiting a fortnight before even being sent to Sony.

Which brings me to the present, 3 days after receiving my phone back from the store, with it still suffering from all the symptoms I took it to be repaired for. I find it completely unacceptable that I pay a monthly contract for a package, of which half (the phone) is completely useless to me, and I would like to know exactly how you mean to resolve this problem. I'm tired of sending my phone in to Sony only to have it come back with the same problems, and while I know that the faults with my phone aren't in any way a function of your service I unfortunately have to take this up with you as the supplier of my phone and contract.

All I would really like is a new replacement phone without having to change my current contract or extend it a further 12 months. I'd be completely happy with a new [working] Sony Ericsson T68i as all I really want is what I originally paid for. However if there is another mobile phone alternative that you can offer me then I'll gladly hear it, but like I say I would be 100% happy with a working T68i.

Unfortunately if you fail to empathise with my situation and understand it from a customer point of view I will be forced to terminate my T-Mobile direct debit and when they contact me I will instruct them to take it up with you as the cause of the termination. While I understand that it isn't in any way the fault of the service provider that my phone is non functional I do believe that I purchased the phone and contract as part of a package from you, and you are failing to provide me with the service I am currently paying for.

As a side note I'm not writing this letter because I wish to go above the heads of the personnel at your Salisbury branch (who have been nothing but friendly and helpful), rather I'm writing it because I don't wish to drive out to Salisbury once again on some errand linked to my phone.

Regards,
Ian Wilson

Now I just need to wait for the reply. We'll see.