retail

Currys says calls aren’t a scam … its staff say they are!

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Within three hours of buying a TV online from Currys I found a missed call from a Loughborough number, 01509 437111. A message stated it was about my Currys purchase and that they would try again.

I checked the number online and it appears to be a scam. Other people have received calls after making a purchase from Currys and have been asked to confirm their financial details.

Currys’ customer services confirmed it was a scam and when I collected the TV from my local store an assistant said the same. It appears that there is a serious security leak which has been going on for at least two months and leaves customers vulnerable. Unfortunately, the response I received from Currys gave no indication they are interested in doing anything about it. TR, Nottingham

Various number-checker forums do, indeed, rate this landline as “dangerous”, as dozens of customers report being harassed by missed calls or hard-hitting sales pitches within hours of making a purchase from Currys. Startlingly, however, despite two of its own staff telling you it is a scam, Currys tells me it is not and that it is, indeed, responsible for the calls.

It says: “During purchase, the customer opted in for a follow-up call and the team called to offer services relating to his new TV.

“Our aim is for our customers to come away feeling fully supported. To help, we offer optional services in store, online and over the phone, such as specific delivery slots, recycling of products, and others.”

The screenshot provided of the “opt-in” turns out to be a line below the customer’s delivery details stating that the phone number provided will be used for delivery updates.

This is, presumably, why Currys was at pains to point out that calls are first and foremost to confirm delivery dates and times. Only after two requests does it admit that during the call, “depending on the conversation, the customer may be offered a care plan on the product purchased”. It insists, however, that none of these are extended warranties or insurance products.

Currys must operate a different lexicology to the rest of us since the link it provides to such “care plans” describes repair and replacement cover costing up to £499.99 for five years. It declines to answer whether callers receive a commission for selling a policy.

This column is grimly familiar with the experiences of many who did sign up to its protection then tried to claim and Currys should think carefully about the effect its hard-sell tactics are having on its reputation. Anyone who thinks their data has been misused or that they were not given the chance to opt out of marketing calls, should complain to the Information Commisioner’s Office.

If you need help email Anna Tims at your.problems@observer.co.uk or write to Your Problems, The Observer, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU. Include an address and phone number. Submission and publication are subject to our terms and conditions

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