Emma

Jun 20, 2025

Very disappointing aftercare

Mixed Experience – Great Phone Order, Disappointing Aftercare I had a great experience with the initial purchase of my mobile phone—everything was handled smoothly, and the customer service was excellent. However, the situation with an additional charger I ordered has been frustrating. The charger arrived faulty, and I was instructed to return it for testing and a potential exchange if a fault was confirmed. I followed the procedure exactly as directed, including paying £10 for Royal Mail Special Delivery. I was told this process would take 5–7 working days. Despite Royal Mail confirming delivery, I received no acknowledgment from Mobile Phones Direct after 7 days. When I contacted customer service, I was told the timeline was actually 10 working days, not the 5–7 mentioned in their email. The response was dismissive and unhelpful. After 10 days, still without confirmation of receipt, I contacted customer service again. This time, I was told the item had been received and was being “tested.” There was no clear timeline, but I was advised it could take another 7 working days—potentially stretching the whole process to nearly a month. I later received an email confirming the item had been traced and that I would be offered compensation for the delay. However, the email came from a "no-reply" address, and when I called for clarification, customer service couldn’t tell me how much compensation was being offered, when I’d receive it, or even the current status of the charger. I asked to speak with a manager but was only told to "take a refund" as a resolution. No clear answer was provided about the reimbursement of my return postage costs. To sum up: while AO is known for excellent customer service, Mobile Phones Direct has been extremely disappointing in this instance. If I were AO, I’d seriously reconsider any affiliation. I'm just relieved this was over a £30 charger and not a £500 phone!