InPhonic - CellphoneEdge Rip-off, Lies, Broken promises - fraud. Washington District of Columbia
Purchased two cell phones via CellPhoneEdge.com's web site, with the promise of a $50 rebate on November 16, 2007
Phones were delivered on schedule, and all was well. I then waited the requisite time and then printed off copies of my AT&T bill, and submitted all required documents for rebate.
Two months passed and I finally got a notice that my submitted bills were not in the required window and to re-submit. The bills were, in fact, in the correct date range. But I did resubmit as directed.
Yet several more weeks passed, and after I called and emailed several times (getting generic canned responses back with promises that my rebate was forthcoming), I finally found that the rebate tracking page said that my rebate was approved and payment was processing. Rebate should be received in 3-4 weeks.
A month goes by - web site is not updated.
More weeks go by - still no update, so I contact them yet again - Still more promises. My rebate was supposedly "escalated" in priority and it would go out within two weeks.
Months have passed - so I submit the whole case to my state Attorney General's Office. They issued me a case number.
Just this week, I received a letter from InPhonic with the following information (also on the rebate tracking site):
On November 8, 2007, the sponsor of this rebate, InPhonic, Inc., filed a voluntary petition for reorganization under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. The filings were made in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. You will be receiving communication pursuant to the procedures of the US Bankruptcy Court regarding any approved rebate claims for products purchased prior to November 8, 2007. If you have not yet submitted your rebates, follow the instructions, terms, and conditions included on your rebate form for your rebate submission.
InPhonic is still operating, using the same business practice of promising rebates on phones purchased through various "front" businesses like CellPhoneEDGE.com, Wirefly.com, etc. How can the US Bankruptcy court support and approve of continuing the fraud-based business practices? If they are now honoring new rebates, where is the money coming from?
All these are questions that need to be answered.
Michael
Carlisle, Arkansas
U.S.A.
1 Updates & Rebuttals
Cellphoneedge
Vista,California,
U.S.A.
CellphoneEdge offers Updated Facts About InPhonic's Chapter 11
#2UPDATE Employee
Tue, February 19, 2008
We sympathize with customers that lost money on rebates; we've heard rumors of possible solutions. CellphoneEdge did not receive pay for three months sales, so we feel the pain as well that accompanies a Bankruptcy, however some of the comments you say about InPhonic's current state are inaccurate.
InPhonic is under new management and is now called Simplexity. Since the Chapter 11, there have been either no rebates required, or rebates offered direct from the carrier (Sprint, AT&T, Verizon, etc.), which are very easy and fast to redeem, and your carrier can always credit your account if the rebate is not received for any reason.
If you would have contacted us before the Chapter 11, we would have been more than happy to help you, as we actively work with InPhonic/Simplexity on behalf of the customer, a major difference between us and most other cellular 'front companies'.
We can be reached 7 days a week by calling, sending email, or visiting our website:
http://CellphoneEdge.com
1-877-EDGE-USA (1-877-334-3872)
Mail@CellphoneEdge.com