Tags: Scams
3Com 3G Phone Scam
December 2nd, 2006, by Rich.
Warning: apache_lookup_uri() [function.apache-lookup-uri]: Unable to include '/pics/2006/three/three' - error finding URI in /home/www/boakes.org/htdocs/mods/plugins/boakes-depicticon.php on line 65
I just got called by another TPS-ignoring baby-eating evil telemarketing sales company - it must be my lucky month.
Picking up the phone and answering to find musak playing I thought I might be in for the deal of a lifetime, or maybe an offer that was too good to refuse, so I grabbed a pen and paper just in case.
After a few seconds an Indian sounding chap appeared on the line. His broken pronunciation immediately suggested that English was not his first language. He told me that he was “calling from 3com on behalf of 3G” and that my land-line number has been specially selected “to receive a mobile phone absolutely free, including 400 minutes any time any network and 25 free minutes video conferencing, with no roaming charge, no activation charge, ” … etc. etc. “the phone will be a Motorola E1070 camera flip phone…“.
Naturally there would have to be a line rental, and I’d be getting that at a 50% discount. Paying £17.50 per month instead of £35.
I currently have a top-up mobile phone but I use it so infrequently that my last number was reallocated by the phone company because they thought I’d abandoned them: so even if this telemarketer is offering me a great deal, I don’t need it, and I’m TPS registered so they’re not allowed to waste my time.
So I decide to keep them on the line for as long as possible, and mention that I have another call coming in, so perhaps he wouldn’t mind holding for a few seconds. I compose myself, tidy my notes, and return from “my other call”…
Elaborate Bluff, not.
I asked the guy to elaborate on a few things that were unclear, like:
- Which network the offer was with. He said “3G“. I didn’t want to lead him with any information (like explaining where 3G fits into the mobile phone jargon world) so I mention that “of the phone networks in this country, none of them is called ‘3G’”, and he eventually offers “the network is three but it actually called 3G sir“. Um… yeah… this is me, being unimpressed.
- I ask who’s calling me, and he repeats “3Com on behalf of 3G”. I ask for clarification saying; “3Com as in the company that make network things?” and he says “Yeah, obviously sir, obviously“.
Call Termination
So then he passes me off to the “closer” another Indian sounding chap, for the recorded portion of the phone conversation. I ask the closer where in the world he is and he tells me “Leeds, South Yorkshire”. He asks for my credit card number and date of birth. I say I’m not comfortable giving out this information because they’ve called me, and ask if I can have a phone number to call them back on. He puts the phone down.
If anyone falls for this patter and finds out who’s taking money from their account, do tell all - I’d like to know who to register my TPS complaint against, but the caller withheld their number.
February 22nd, 2007 at 2:01 am
well this is very very interesting. about 3 years ago, i got a call from this ‘3com’. i was 16 at the time, and all the talk of the latest phone, half price line rental blah blah caught my attention and i snapped it up in a flash. 3 and a half long weeks later my phone arrived, and i had to ‘register’ the sim card. from that point, every day i received a call from an 087 number ‘checking’ i was getting on ok with the phone, seeing if any other family members would be interested etc. then, within about 1 week i received a bill for over £90. i couldnt work out how i had used the phone that much, especially seeing as i was meant to have 400 minutes. well i ended up paying it, stupidly, and received another shocking bill the next month. i decided to take it to the 3g shop and ask what was going on. it was there i was told that all the calls i had received off the aforementioned 087 number had all been reverse charged to my phone. it had turned out it worked a lot like ring back on your home phone. when their number is free , it rings you, but when you answer you are actually ringing them.
i was intent i would not pay it, and the tried to cancel the agreement. however i was apparently in a legally binding contract, which was funny, as nothing was in writing, all the agreements took place over the phone. the strangest thing was that they knew i wasnt even old enough to own a contract phone, yet they went ahead and gave me one anyway. i refused to pay for nearly 6 months when finally a letter from a debt collection agency came in and i was told i would end up in court if i didnt pay my £287.65 bill. i tried to explain but apparently the 3 network had provided them with copies of my bills showing that i had rung the 087 number, so i had to pay. these bastards need to be sorted out.
March 5th, 2007 at 3:51 pm
I have been expecting important call from the states. The phone rang this morning from the following numbers: 0018007018418; but the line off just before I was able to pick the phone. Just to be sure, I googled this number and discovered that the call was from some scammers. Thanks to the internet, I have been saved. They would have cajoled me into giving vital information about myself and finances.
March 8th, 2007 at 7:50 pm
Hello,
Yes i have just been contacted by this company however they did not speak.
I pressed 1471 and got 0018007018418 an American number. I automatically came to the internet and found this! So I guess they are still up to no good.
March 14th, 2007 at 9:37 pm
I had the same problem with 3, i got a telephone call saying i would get a new phone 600 minutes free for the next 3 mths there after £40 a month. I thought that’s great, but then i got a bill in that month stating a owed £170, I still had 565 minutes to use, they told me it was excluded numbers i was getting charged for. then they decided to let me keep the phone on a pay as you go for all the misunderstanding. I agreed of course.
March 22nd, 2007 at 6:23 pm
i got a call off this so called “3com” last week,offereing me similar great deatils,saying they have just signed a million pound deal with o2.stating all my conversations will be recorded.
they sent me a phone,which i actually told them i didnt want anymore,say came back and said i cant cancel as my reason for cancelling isnt good enough!i mean,what is a good enough really for them?!?
after days of ringing and being fobbed off by them saying they wil ring me 2moro,and them saying i still cant cancel i went do to my local trading standards office and got them on the case.there is a clause to get out of verbal contracts within 7 days,they cracked on the phone saying “we had no record of you ringing up and speaking about this matter at all”,even though id been ringing for 3 days trying to sort it out.i asked for each of the peopels names and it was the same person each time but each tim giving different names,when questioned this one said” yeah we get that all the time,we must just sound similar”
HA
these people are scumbags and after trading standards were on the case they cancelled straight away.so be warned.
so i have an address to send the phone back,but what happens if i dont send the phone back?hum,anyone got any ideas?
March 23rd, 2007 at 12:09 pm
Here’s another twist on this scam… we were called with this great deal - 17.50 per month with 14 days cooling off period. My partner cancelled BEFORE the phone was sent, but the phone was sent anyway. We were told by the Glasgow office to return the phone but then got calls from India NOT to return the phone but that a courier would come to collect it. This went on for 3 months! In the meantime, despite the cancellation of the contract, they took out 17.50 from our account - (although the Indian call centre told us to ‘ignore any bills’) and we cancelled the direct debit and had our bank get the dosh back. They then had the audacity to rebill us that 17.50 plus another 17.50 for another month! No couriers have ever arrived to collect said phone. Now 3G or whoever they are are demanding not only demanding the 35 quid (which has now gone to a credit collection agency thus threatening to affect our credit rating!)but they want 300 odd quid for non-return of the phone within 14 days! We have now referred the case to Trading Standards…. we shall see what happens next…
April 30th, 2007 at 9:05 am
Had another call from them again the other day. seems they are now trading as 3direct now maybe its just me, but that set alarm bells off after reading all abouth the sky scammming company satellite direct!! are they becoming a full scale ‘across-the-board’ scamming monster?
September 11th, 2007 at 11:39 am
hi to all,,ho read this,,my dad was on 3.he past awawy in may of this year,,3 keep phoning my house asking for him,i keep telling them hes past awawy,,ive tried to get them to stop phoning my house but thay just keep phoning,,ive had it up to my eyeballs with 3,,ne 1 got ne help thay can offer me,as this 3 is upseting my mum badly,,thank you kindly
December 14th, 2007 at 1:05 pm
I have just had 2 calls for to people who could not speak english at all. They tried to sell me a phone. I asked where they got my number from and they said BT which is odd as I am with NTL/Virgin and ex directory.
I put the phone down on them twice and both times after asking to speak to a manager and then shouting and them.I did 1471 and got the number 0701 2212212
This is aboiously a scam of some sort and urge people not to pass on any personal details.
June 18th, 2008 at 2:32 pm
Just had a call from those plonkers.
I told them I wasn’t interested but they persevered.
Me: “where are you calling from London”?
Him: “of course sir”!
Me: “So how is the weather up their in Manchester?”
Him: “Good sir, good”.
After asking him where he got my number from he said the white pages. I told him that it was impossible as I am TPS, and I bet he didn’t know my name. He told me that I am quite silly because names aren’t listed in phonebooks only numbers! riiiggghhht whatever!
So I asked to speak to the manager, and he proceeded to call me an a*shole and a c*nt and that he was a manager. After sinking my teeth into him he asked me why I was speaking to him. Because you called me you retard!!!!
So needless to say he didn’t get a deal out of me….