The Carphone Warehouse

First, let me say I am American. For me, getting a fair deal on a phone is not simple. After visiting various Orange, T-​Mobile, O2, and Vodaphone locations, my head was full of numbers and my hands were full of pamphlets and magazines with glossy photos of phones I could not afford because I could not get a contract. I have no credit history here, so no contract is available to me, and alas, no free phones, and alas, no nice deals on plans.
So, all muddled, I walk into Carphone Warehouse where, last time I lived in London (in 2005-​06), I had bought a tiny pay-​as-​you-​go Nokia that allowed me to call and text in this country. That was nice and simple.
My problem? After having a smart phone in the States, I am addicted and must have one here. How else to check in on Unilocal?The nice gent behind the counter helped walk me through my options for phones and sim rates. I noticed a deal on an HTC, advertised for a low price when one also bought a SIM and loaded it with a pay-​as-​you-​go plan. I decided that is what I would do.
He put the discount code into the computer. It didn’t seem to find the deal that was advertised there in the store. He called Corporate and waited on the phone for someone, and then patiently explained that he could not find the deal. Turns out the deal wasn’t even ready yet — they’d received the advertising in store too soon. But, since I’d seen that price (and evidently it had just been posted that morning) — he promised to honor the deal even though it wasn’t technically available.
So, I got my phone (for about half its market price) as well as a SIM card with a top up of £10 — just enough for some texting and a bit of internet.
Altogether, I was impressed with this level of customer service, and appreciated my treatment there.