Angry customers keen to talk about CeX
July 2nd, 2010 • 115 Comments
According to its website, CeX is an online retailer that’ll “buy, sell and exchange a range of technology and entertainment products including mobile phones, video games, DVDs, HD films, computers, digital electronics, vision and music CDs.” According to many of its customers, including avid Bitterwallet reader Adam, CeX wouldn’t know customer service if it smacked them on the arse. And that’s one of the nicer things customers seem to say.
Adam’s issue is with their failure to deliver goods as promised – the website states goods are dispatched within 24 hours to arrive within two to five working days. Adam has been waiting a fortnight and counting. If it was only Adam, it’d be reasonable to assume the order had gone astray; unfortunately CeX has its own Facebook group, and the discussions are overflowing with similar complaints.
The Facebook pages also flag up serious issues for consumers attempting to sell games and other products to CeX – some suggest orders worth hundreds and even thousands of pounds have disappeared after been delivered to CeX. This is one such complaint from a customer called Matt, and it doesn’t appear to be an isolated incident:
My wife sold two consignments to them which were both in the same box, clearly defined which is which. The parcel was sent by DHL and received and signed for by CEX. One consignment has been processed and paid for, however some items were marked as ’scratched’ even though they were brand new and sealed.
The second one CEX are still showing as waiting delivery. How can this possibly be when they have unpacked one consignment out of it. The second one was much larger worth around £150 but somehow they have lost it, or stolen it.
Other topics in the Facebook group include: The worst Online electronics service store on the web?; Small Claims County Judgement?; Orders NOT Received, all e-mails to Customer Service Ignored – and so on. One customer has posted an image to Facebook of an apparently stolen game he bought from CeX, with a local library’s stamp on the front and rear of the case, as well as inside and on the manual – it seems CeX don’t pay much attention to the condition of the used stock they buy:
Complaints about CeX don’t appear to be a new trend either, judging by the efforts of a little Googling. And if you’re a customer owed money or even a delivery, you no doubt wipe away the tears of laughter every time you read their lighthearted FAQ:
CeX Executive Board
Oooh. These are the big, scary bosses. They don’t have sandwiches for lunch like the rest of us, they eat raw quail eggs and caviar. They don’t drink beer, they quaff Chateau Rothschild 1996. If they went to the toilet – which they don’t, ‘cos they’re royal – they’d use £50 notes instead of Andrex.
The wags. The advice from Bitterwallet reader Adam is to stay the hell away from CeX; if you’re a past or present customer, what have experience of CeX have you had – good or bad?
waiting one month for £150 phone… says on status has been sent 4 week ago!!!
sent emails every day but nobody reply!
My card company say deal with CeX, but CeX ignores all emails…
lost £150….very sad
I got ripped off by bloody bastards in CEX Huddersfield branch. They kept my broken phone and gave me a receipt and told me that I’m entitled to have a replacement. However, after 40 days, I went back to the store and found out that my phone is missing and they now are denying their own receipe!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Screw CEX
Absolute wankers. Quoted £158 trade in price for my Blackberry Curve and iPod Touch (both used but immaculate condition, all boxed and all leads and chargers). Was asked to call back in an hour and a half while they check the items are working. When I get back, I was told that they have downgraded my items to condition “C” and will only offer me £110. When asked for a valid explanation, the staff proceeded to speak to me like shit. To add insult to injury, they wiped all data from my devices. I told them where to shove their offer. Absolute scammers. Avoid this company at all costs.
Those ignorant bastards at the Harlow branch of CEX! I went in there today to get a Nokia N8 that had died and refused to work properly replaced that I bought off them a few months ago. The ignorant piece of Shit ( ‘Manager) behind the counter REFUSED to change it, and came out with the usual drivel about sending it back for repair! I can’t be without a phone for work etc., but the bastard wouldn’t change it or lend me another one! I HATE THE BASTARDS AT CEX, I will NEVER shop there again!
I buy from CEX, I got a Palm Pre a while back from there Sheffield store.
After getting bored with it ( or skint ) I took it too another Branch to sell back to them.
I was told that it was water damaged and they would not buy it in. What got me the “water damage” was on the mute switch to tell me that the mute was turn on. Even when they looked up where the water damaged detector was on the phone on the internet and it told them it was inside near the micro usb port. But no they was having none of it.
Also A long time ago I took in a ipod touch and traded it in for a Sony K850 and iI used that for a few month’s and When I w
Ordered a Kinect to replace one that my puppy had damaged. Received a one with a broken stand. The Kinect was well packaged and the shipping box not damaged in transit. I personally think it must have been sent in this condition. …currently waiting for response from their customer services dept and now I’m fearing the worst after reading through the stories above.
I should have checked this before venturing into CeX in Bangalore, India.
I went in and bought two handsets of Motorola KRZR K1. When I reached home and checked I found that one of the handsets were deeply scratched. I went back to the store and was treated pretty shabbily. I was asked to give up pursuing the exchange as the value of the handset is paultry. Having been peeved, I offered the handset as a gift to the store staff and returned home frustrated. My loss, the store staff’s gain. Manners, behaviour, treating customers .. CeX Bangalore score a 10 on 10..
Same here – they do not answer their customer service email – wrong product sent to us – no email back when we complain! Money down the tubes with CEX.
Attempted to buy from their website, twice, for delivery to only be cancelled a week later, no explanation for why they won’t send me any of my purchases and trying to get in contact as it was a much needed phone, poor customer service, no reply, gutted, thought I could at least buy something decent on an affordable budget being a student, most of the things I own is second hand, but cex truly take the piss, they don’t care and customers mean nothing, treated like shit, won’t be bothering to step foot in any of their stores ever again, thanks Cex, waste of bloody time, energy and money!!
I bought a phone of them that worked great till one night it wouldn’t charge so I tuck it back and they said they won’t fix it because its scratched. I asked them how does a few scratched effect the phone from charging but they still refused to fix it. six weeks later after many emails as you cant ring them they are now saying that the Mic was broke and thats the reason they wouldn’t fix it. Mic wasn’t broke and I don’t understand how if it was why the phone wouldn’t charge. What they should do is say where giving yo a warranty but its worth shit all
go to the police. its robbery. cex is criminal.
I recently bought a phone from Cex in derry it has faults with it so tried to return it but they said can’t so offered exchange but knocked 25 quid off what I paid them for it . . Have phoned trading standards and am waiting for reply for them to look into the scam s that the company pull on people . . Its not right and should not be allowed as they are breaking the law
I sent a Mobile Phone to them using Royal Mail Special Delivery which was rec’d and signed for yet all i keep getting from them (Emails were sent to me 4 Days ago ) which keep saying they have had a huge backlog of items for testing????? How can such a large organisation not complete testing on peoples expensive items?? I am now getting worried that they have it for so long. I should of just taken it to my local store but half the time they dont have any money!!!! I should of just sold it to the mainstream mobile phone buyers online.
I have had the worst experience of any company in dealing with CEX, there is no chain of command. No real complaint process and no organisation.
The customer service centre is email only and based in India. They take days to reply and refuse to deal with the complaint even after replying. I have even written to their CEO, who refuses to reply.
1) In Aug 2011 – I ordered a Video Camera and was sent completely the wrong model.
2) Last week (March, 12), I without thinking, again ordered HV40 UK Version from your website (Order No. 843642) and was sent completely the wrong Model. The US Version of the same camera (Vixia) The UK Version was advertised on the website (Legria).
3) I returned the Camera by Special Delivery and CEX confirmed they had received it.
4) I have written to your Customer Service representatives many times, who reply in 3 days and do not answer the question in anyway. Raj has written to me a few times without bothering to answer or read my question. The poorest service possible.
5) Yesterday Raj, wrote to me confirming that I would be refunded yesterday, here is a extract from his email:
In a message dated 27/03/2012 16:31:56 GMT Daylight Time, wecare@webuy.com writes:
Dear XXXXX,
Thank you for your email.
The refund will be processed today.
Regards,
Raj
CeX WeCare Team
Buy Sell Donate
http://www.webuy.com
6) Nothing has been refunded and CEX have decided to not answer my emails even though they still have my payment. I have no choice but to take this further and complain to Watford trading standards and Watchdog, as a start.
Its clear from CEX’s reputation online and in reviews and blogs, that Cex treats all their customers like horse manure. This is obviously a regular occurrence and I find it surprising that companies such as CEX can continue to trade in the UK with no Customer Service.
I hope you this goes towards warning other people from buying from these fraudsters.
I bought an iphone from these robbers i asked for a a or b grade – I got sold a c grade it literally fell apart after a few months. I took it back as it was covered by CEX warranty – where I was accused of dropping it as there was absolutely no sign of me dropping it I was then accused of taking the back off. As the back was firmly attached to the rest of the iphone this was also an excuse of them getting out of there warranty and repair. When I expalined I had neither dropped the phone or removed the back but the on off switch had fallen out. the staff ignored me. I think all complaints regarding these rippoff merchants should be directed to the office of fair trading!