Phones 4U has closed all 550 UK stores today after going into administration, and fires the blame directly at EE and Vodafone.
Over 5,500 British jobs are at risk as smartphone retailer Phones 4U enters administration, closing all 550 stores across the country on Monday. The chain has blamed EE’s decision not to renew its contract for the shock demise, which came just a week after Vodafone jumped ship to Dixons Carphone.
If you’re currently on a contract dished out by Phones 4U, don’t panic – the company has already advised that existing contracts would not be affected by its administration. However, if you’ve just taken out a contract or ordered a phone and your new handset hasn’t been despatched yet, then you will unfortunately be affected. You’ll need to call Phones 4U’s customer service line, 0844 8712253, for more info.
Today, in place of the company’s usual website, is just a simple page of text.
“Following the unexpected decision of EE and Vodafone to withdraw supply from Phones 4U,” the message states, “we regret that we are offline. Please accept our apologies and we will update you as soon as possible.” It’s signed off ‘the heartbroken Phone 4U team”, with a rather poignant frowny face.
The demise of Phones 4U, which has been around for three decades, means that Dixons Carphone is now the only high street retailer that allows customers to choose from a variety of tariffs from different networks. The only other choice is to use a comparison website like Recombu.
Are you a Phones 4U customer, or just shocked by the sad news? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
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