Phones 4 U in administration

Deijavoo

Were rivals of mine for about 10 years but I'm still really sorry to hear this news for the staff's sake. 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/mediatechnologyandtelecoms/telecoms/11095462/Phones-4U-collapses-into-administration-as-EE-is-final-operator-to-hang-up.html

PWC dealt with Jessops who I used to manage when we went belly up last January. Pretty unpleasant to deal with. 

digitalscream

Sooo....I have an EE contract through Phones4U. Guess my insurance is probably worth fuck-all now, then; only took it out because it was almost free - £5/month, then a minimum of £120 back for the old handset when you upgrade through Phones4U.

Deijavoo

I'd say dude.  Doesn't sound like any otger way back either unless they start their own network or a virtual network. Even then, the infrastructure that they currently have is too huge to start something like that. 

guitarfishbay

Gutted for the staff. I guess the name of Manchester's arena will change again due to this.

dchwhite

guitarfishbay said:

Gutted for the staff.

Likewise; a member of my immediate family works for them

jellyroll

John Cauldwell never came across as being the most likeable sort ...but you have to acknowledge his nous...selling for £1.4bn a few years back. 

richardhomer

It seems that 'Administration' will in fact mean 'closing'. They have no service providers at all - yet their role was to offer 'independent' advice as to which service provider would best suit your needs....

Hard to see a way back from that position....

Axe_meister

To be honest it does not surprise me. To me they always seemed a little bit amateurish compared to say Carphone Warehouse. The adverts were terrible.

Also how can they compete with other retail shops like O2/EE/3 who often have better deals and you can view the phones and then shop around.

mudslide73

dchwhite said:

guitarfishbay said:

Gutted for the staff.

Likewise; a member of my immediate family works for them

same here - it looks as though it's a commercial move from all of the networks. 

xmrchi

digitalscream said:

Sooo....I have an EE contract through Phones4U. Guess my insurance is probably worth fuck-all now, then; only took it out because it was almost free - £5/month, then a minimum of £120 back for the old handset when you upgrade through Phones4U.

No you will be fine , in their statement today they will honour all insurances and contracts till the date your contract ends.

Myranda

Probably going to suck for everyone come renewal time - was so easy to get a better deal by saying "Phones 4U have it half that price" ...

Less competition means less reason to fight a price war.

In the UK we have: EE (now that Orange and T-Mobile merged), Vodaphone, O2, 3, and Carphone warehouse... how long before the last gets squeezed out? Then it'd done to the competitively challenged networks to keep prices down.

digitalscream

mrchi said:

No you will be fine , in their statement today they will honour all insurances and contracts till the date your contract ends.

That's my point - the real benefit of this insurance over all the others comes at the point where the contract is over and I get to renew. That's the only reason I went for it in the first place...

gubble

Deijavoo said:

 

PWC dealt with Jessops who I used to manage when we went belly up last January. Pretty unpleasant to deal with. 

I'll get my coat

fretmeister

http://news.sky.com/story/1336270/vodafone-plotted-joint-takeover-of-phones-4u

No doubt they'll offer the administrators a third of what the company is worth, and it will be the only offer on the table.

Deijavoo

gubble said:

Deijavoo said:

 

PWC dealt with Jessops who I used to manage when we went belly up last January. Pretty unpleasant to deal with. 

I'll get my coat

This is the part where you say that you dealt with me personally on that one and were the one and only sound fella I dealt with and now I've offended you isn't it? 

Same thng happened the other week when I was pissed up slating Burnley FC, the table next had a lovely couple of season ticket holders. Ended alright considering I was due getting my face smashed in. 

gubble

Ha that's funny

I'm not in the administration department so our paths will most likely have never crossed.

I can completley understand people's dislike of the administrators, i've dealt with them all of my professional career and for sure some of the things they do leave me with huge question marks.

chrisj1602

guitarfishbay said:

Gutted for the staff. I guess the name of Manchester's arena will change again due to this.

Everyone still calls it the MEN anyway!

Axe_meister

Just seen that EE (Who caused the issue in the first place) are to take on 58 Phones 4U stores, Whats the bed Vodaphone will grab another slice.

Probably getting them at a bargain price as well.

jellyroll

Axe_meister said:

Just seen that EE (Who caused the issue in the first place) are to take on 58 Phones 4U stores, Whats the bed Vodaphone will grab another slice.

Probably getting them at a bargain price as well.

I read that Vodaphone are taking over 150 or so stores. 

holnrew

Definitely fishy

johnnyurq

It all smells a bit fishy if that is the case, if so not good with all the jibs that will be lost circa 1700 I think.