Carphone Warehouse Manager tells woman ‘sweaty ears caused fault in phone’
I’ve had my problems with Carphone Warehouse in the past, as I mentioned here. I wasn’t expecting so many people however to come forward and post comments about they feel they have been ripped off by Carphone Warehouse.
My post has attracted over 80 comments, some from angry customers and some from angry Carphone Warehouse employees. This woman (Claire Robinson), a Carphone Warehouse employee, even pretended to be a customer to try and fool others into thinking Carphone Warehouse were a company that offered great customer service. The complaints against Carphone Warehouse on this website suggest otherwise.
I have now been contacted by another disgruntled Carphone Warehouse customer who has been told that her phone is faulty because of her husband’s sweaty ears!
Have a read of this response to a complaint email from Carphone Warehouse:
Dear Mr ******
Thank you for your email.
I’m sorry to hear that you are unhappy with the repair you have received and the decision that has been made to the fault with the handset.
When a mobile gets wet, whether it’s from precipitation, humidity or any type of liquid, it causes corrosion to the electronic circuits. This gets worse with time. Often, when the mobile dries out, it will work for a short period of time, anything from a day to several months, but eventually stops working for good.
A fault like this often happens when the mobile hasn’t been in obvious contact with liquids. This is because liquid damage can be caused by a variety of factors, and often without you being aware of it.
Important information
Liquid damage is something that is not covered by the manufacturer’s warranty. Even if you wanted to pay for us to repair your mobile, we won’t because we cannot guarantee how long the mobile will work for if it was damaged by a liquid. If you have insurance for your mobile, you should find out if you’re covered for liquid damage. If you don’t have insurance, then you may have to buy another mobile.
If you’d like another second opinion we would advise you to contact that manufacturer directly on 0845 045 5555. Taking all this into account we will not be able to action your request of repairing the handset free of charge.
I apologise I can not offer a more favourable response. If you need any more help please call our Customer Support team on 0870 087 0168, between 8 am and 8pm Monday – Friday, 9am – 8pm Saturday and 10am – 5pm Sunday.
Regards
Kelly Cole
The customer was told that the sweat from her husband’s ear could have been the cause of the fault to her phone, and they will not be repairing it for her.
So, be warned that if you buy a phone, answering it and holding it up to your ear could invalidate the warranty with Carphone Warehouse. This is almost as good as when Carphone Warehouse told me that their returns policy didn’t apply to phones.
Classic stuff.
I'm an Affiliate Marketeer, SEO, web developer and all round Internet personage. I run a network of content websites on a variety of different subjects. I'm also victim to some of the worst luck in the world, and I tend to Blog about all of it here. 
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There’s probably more to this story than you’re being told. It’s not difficult to imagine the woman dropping her mobile down the toilet, or into the sink, or a puddle, then figuring she’d try to have Carphone Warhouse repair it under their warranty. Of course, since she knows the warranty doesn’t cover liquid damage, she has to make something up – “It just stopped working” – and hope they fall for it. They don’t fall for it, but since their customer denies that the thing ever came into contact with water, only the most bizarre scenarios are left for them to suggest.
P.S. To head off Mr Daz’ usual accusation before he makes it, I’ve never worked or shopped at Carphone Warehouse. I’m simply an incurable cynic.
Well I have always had great service when I go to my local store of the Carphone Warehouse. It seems you can’t please everyone all of the time! You will always hear about the negatives but never the positives. Yes things may go wrong but a company the size of Carphone, that probably maks up a miniscule percent.
No doubt it’s the same with every large organisation.
You have to remember there are unreasonable, arrogant and rude customers you can never please.
Some are liars, cheats, crooks, fraudsters and everything else and the salesmen have to put up with them all day.I work in a supermarket and I know!
Nobody is perfect and to expect that is just naive! Grow up, get a life and buy a new phone,for gods sake they’re cheap enough. Put things into perspective there are far more important things to worry about in life than someone saying you had sweaty ears!! GOD!
WITH RESPONSE TO THE ABOVE , (TENPAST )COMMENTS:
IT IS ACTUALLY MY HUSBANDS PHONE, HE HAS HAD OVER 20 YEARS EXPIERENCE WORKING WITH
SENSITIVE ELECTRONICS AND COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS IN THE BRITISH FORCES. HE HAS TAKEN HANDSETS ALL OVER THE WORLD, INCLUDING MANY HOSTILE WAR ZONES. HE TAKES EXTREME CARE OF ALL HIS EQUIPMENT AS AT TIMES IT IS NEEDED IN LIFE OR DEATH SITUATIONS.
HE HAS BEEN A LOYAL CUSTOMER OF ORANGE FOR OVER 10 YEARS, NEVER HAD A PROBLEM, WHOOPS “HE HAD TO GET A BATTERY REPLACED IN A HANDSET ONCE”
WE HAVE NEVER HAD TO PERSUE ANYTHING LIKE THIS BEFORE, BUT FEEL WE HAD TO THIS TIME AS A MATTER OF PRINCIBLE.
WE ADMIT THE EMAIL ABOVE DOESN,T QUOTE EAR SWEAT, BUT DO YOU HONESTLY THINK IT WOULD?
WE HAVE ALOT OF LETTERS, PHONE CALLS, EMAILS ETC ; THAT HAVE GONE BACK AND FORTH,
WE CANNOT POST THESE AS WE HAVE BEEN THREATENED WITH LEGAL ACTION BECAUSE ALTHOUGH THEY WERE ADDRESSED TO US, THEY ARE STILL CPW PROPERTY THE COMPANY STATES !
THAT IS WHY WE ARE GOING TO COURT, IT IS OUR RIGHT AS A CONSUMER AT THE END OF THE DAY ISN,T IT !
F A O ALEX PHILLIPS : (
YOU STATE YOU WORK IN A SUPERMARKET, YOU HAVE THE MEANS TO WALK TO A PHONE SHOP ANY DAY OF ANY WEEK AND REPLACE A PHONE !
WOULD YOU BE ABLE TO DO THAT WHILE PROTECTING YOUR COUNTRY ON THE FRONT LINE IN AFGHANISTAN………..
I THINK NOT !
AND WHAT GIVES YOU THE RIGHT TO JUDGE OTHER PEOPLE !
IF YOU TOOK THE TIME TO SEARCH THE WEB YOU WOULD FIND A WHOLE HOST OF UNSATISFIED CUSTOMERS THAT HAVE BEEN DUPED BY CARPHONE WAREHOUSE.
I HAVEN,T OR WILL NOT JUDGE YOU, BUT I WONDER IF THE BIG SUPERMARKET CHAIN YOU ARE EMPLOYED BY , KNOWS ABOUT YOUR ATTITUDE TO CUSTOMERS ? ?
YOU ARE NOT A GOOD ADVERT FOR THEM ARE YOU NOW?
ARE YOU BY CHANCE TRYING TO LEAVE YOUR MUNDANE JOB AND GET A JOB AT CPW!!!!!!!!!!!
Barkly, if you don’t want to be judged, don’t throw your silly little story up onto the internet for everyone to see.
ONCE AGAIN TENPAST ! YOU ARE JUDGING SOMETHING YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT !!!!!!!
YOU ONLY HAVE TO LOOK AT THE OTHER PEOPLE THAT ARE POSTING ABOUT CPW ON THIS SITE AND ELSEWHERE……………………..
ARE WE ALL MAKING UP STORIES ? I THINK NOT !
WHY ARE YOU SO DEFENSIVE ABOUT CARPHONE WAREHOUSE ?
DO WE ALL NEED A A LEVEL OR DEGREE TO WORK IT OUT !
I THINK NOT……………………..
I
I suppose I was stupid to expect a sensible, reasoned argument from somebody so obviously inarticulate.
what a load of bollocks.
silly woman
I’d like to point out I used to work for CPW and they love nothing more than when a customer comes back with a broken phone. We were always told don’t just try and help them fix the phone try and see if you can get an extra sale. They say that the charger isn’t covered under warranty, it is if you send it with the phone I know this means sending the phone for repair but will save you nearly £15-£20 90% you will be offered talk talk don’t take it it’s useless and then they will look like they are doing you a favor by checking to see if you are due for an upgrade. I was sick and tired of trying to sell something I didn’t believe in especially when a customer comes in with veins popping out of their forhead because their handsets don’t work.
I wonder how Barkly and her oh-so-heroic husband got on in court. Type something, Barkly! The world wants to know how your daft story ends!