This guide may make the whole thing seem really daunting. It’s not. This guide is just very thorough - it’s been written like this in order to give you the most help possible with your purchase.
Cashback contracts are very common, and a very good way of getting a cheap mobile contract. They begin at £0 - that’s right, totally free for the total contract term and you even get a free phone (although these deals are less common at the moment). So what’s the catch? It seems that people are becoming more aware to the risks involved. We hear a lot of people not receiving cashback or having problems. A lot of the time this is due to the stringent terms and conditions which the companies enforce, which consumers do not follow correctly and subsequently lose their caashback. Here are a few tips which will help you to succeed with your cashback…
First of all, it’s nice to know how cashback works. It all varies, but it generally works like this. The network set their commissions each month. They pay an amount to the retailer for each connection on each tariff. The retailer can then offer this commission to you in the form of a free phone and/or cashback. You pay the full amount to the network who send you bills. You then send specified bills to the retailer at specified times who will send you a cheque for the cashback, returning the correct amount of money to you. The amount the retailer gives you depends on the commission they receive for that tariff. The zero-cost line rental offers can work in a number of ways. Either the network gives the retailers more commission than the tariff in the hopes that you’ll make lots of calls and texts and earn them more money and stay with them after the contract is up or the retailer relies on some people forgetting to claim or not follow their T&Cs. Keep your eye on the ball and you will beat them at their own game quite easily…
Who to Contact
There’s two (or three) parties involved. These are the mobile network , the mobile retailer and the cashback site you have purchased through. It’s important you contact the correct one with your questions and complaints.
Network
e.g. o2, Orange, T-Mobile, Virgin Mobile, Vodafone, etc.
This is the company you pay the money to. They also send you the bills. Their job is to provide you with the minutes and text messages you use to keep in touch with your friends, family and colleagues.
The network has nothing to do with your cashback. Although if the retailer has performed against the network’s code of practice you can complain about them to the network. This requires a lot of logs and evidence.
From this summer, there will be hopefully new rules enforced by OFCOM which will require networks to be more responsible for cashback deals which have gone wrong.
Retailer
e.g. Carphone Warehouse, e2save, Phones4U, Mobiles2YourDoor, OneStopPhoneShop, etc.
This company sells phones and contracts for the network. They will be the people you have bought the phone off.
This company provides you with the cashback.
All cashback claim queries should be sent to your retailer.
Cashback Site
e.g. QuidCo, TopCashBack, Rpoints, etc.
This is confusing. This company has nothing to do with your cashback claim. They simply give you a small amount of money to purchase via their website. This does not need to be claimed for. Queries regarding cashback claims should not go to these websites. Similarly, queries regarding the status of your cashback via these websites shouldn’t go to the retailer!
How to succeed…
Be sure
Read the terms and conditions carefully. They outline EXACTLY what you need to do to claim your cashback. Print off a couple of copies if possible and keep them safe. If anything is unclear to you, ask here or ask the company’s customer services department.
Read the terms and conditions again. It sounds silly, but you really must read them over and over again!! Read through them until you remember it all clearly and understand the terms fully. If you don’t follow the terms correctly then it will cost you literally hundreds of pounds and only you will be to blame.
Make sure you have everything you need. If the terms and conditions say you need cashback claim vouchers then make sure you have received them. Most companies only give you 7 or 14 days to request missing vouchers, and they’ll regularly allow them to go “missing” where possible. Also, some companies require you have a receipt or dispatch note to send in or a copy of it with each claim. Check this in the terms and conditions and if you need one make sure you have it. If anything is missing don’t hesitate to get in touch with the company!
Don’t assume ANYTHING. If you aren’t sure, talk to the customer services of the RETAILER you are dealing with. If you are still unsure, feel free to ask questions on HotUKDeals and someone will help you!
Ask the customer service team lots of questions. Emails can often be more useful than telephone calls where urgent responses aren’t needed because you can keep a record of what has been said. Don’t be scared to ask lots of thorough questions.
Complicated Terms
Check the retailer terms and conditions to check if bills to be sent out are outlined by bill number, month number or number of days of connection. If you are unsure then contact the retailer to clarify or ask on HotUKDeals where someone will help you.
Stay Organised
Read the T&Cs carefully and work out EXACLTY which bills you need to send off . Ensure you understand any differences between the number of the bill, the month of the bill, or the number of days after connection.
Remind yourself. Set reminders. Lots of them. Write it in your diary. Add it to your phone’s reminder system. Stick post-it notes everywhere. Add reminders in your email program. Sign up to a reminder service such as
www.memotome.com who will send you emails at the necessary time. Whatever it takes.
Keep it all safe. Put all of your documentation, including bills, vouchers, printed terms and conditions, copies of any written communication with the company, etc all together and in a safe place. Don’t forget where they are or allow it all to get spread around the house!
I can’t stress how important this is as you WILL need it later.
Send the bills as soon as you get all of the ones which you need. Don’t leave it until the last minute. When you have everything you need to send your claim, do it THAT DAY!!
Fill in the provided vouchers carefully and correctly (if your claim requires vouchers).
Print out a cashback date schedule. Use the T&Cs to make a table of when you need to claim your cashbacks. Something like THIS:
Click Here. Make it as colourful and personalised as you like and stick it somewhere obvious where you will remember it. Maybe add more detailed and fool-proof instructions for yourself to this.
