Send pictures to us
Send us your pictures and video by text, email or by uploading. Click here to find out how. »
|
|
|
|
Police step in to halt free laptop hunt
11:21am Thursday 6th September 2007
Comments (95)A give away of thousands of pounds worth of laptop computers in Southampton sparked a row after police intervened.
Officers said plans by phone company Carphone Warehouse to leave 50 laptops hidden around the city would have sparked a security risk.
The company had planned to leave the £500 computers in secret locations across city to be found and then kept by lucky passers-by.
But this morning as scores of shoppers turned out to search for the prizes the company were forced to scrap their plans.
Instead, the avoid a brush with the law, the firm resorted to just giving away the laptops to any passer-by.
The move sparked angry scenes among those who had turned out for the great laptop hunt.
Some said they had been searcheing bushes and underneath benches since the early hours of this morning.
Among them was Daniel Chamberlain, 20, from Southampton, who said: "I am absolutely disgusted. I've been searching all morning only to find that the laptops are not hidden. It's a joke"
But company area sales manager Angela Morris defended the give away.
"The promotion has still gone ahead and people have still been given free laptops," she said.
FOR MORE SEE TOMORROW'S DAILY ECHO
Your Say YourDaily Echo
Laugh out loud, reading says...
11:37am Thu 6 Sep 07
50 happy (non Paying) customers and countless unhappy people that will now never be a customer.
SR, Southampton says...
11:56am Thu 6 Sep 07
P1ss-off!, In a hedge says...
12:09pm Thu 6 Sep 07
I'd even modified my metal detector to help me located location at least one laptop.
NOT HAPPY!
I'm going to be writing a very stern letter indeed to CPW.
Not Happy, In a hedge says...
12:10pm Thu 6 Sep 07
I'd even modified my metal detector to help me locate at least one laptop.
NOT HAPPY!
I'm going to be writing a very stern letter indeed to CPW.
Garry Trestump, Southampton says...
12:12pm Thu 6 Sep 07
As such it appears CPW might not have complied with the requirements of the "Lotteries and Amusements act 1976/Gambling Act 2005"
Anyone care to comment?
AngryOfTotton, Totton says...
12:12pm Thu 6 Sep 07
He hoped to find the van that had the laptops in them and was going to try and get every single one of them.
Sell them at £100 each down the King Alfred and he'd have retired on his profits.
He is not happy.
lmao, southampton says...
12:13pm Thu 6 Sep 07
me, says...
12:23pm Thu 6 Sep 07
according to the echo yesterday the competetion didnt start til 8 this morning.
me, Southampton says...
12:29pm Thu 6 Sep 07
also how would someone plan to retire on 5 grand? chasing a van round would be a little tricky unless they were leaving all 50 in the same place....
oh dear... some people are sad...
Daniel Chamberlain, Im a mug says...
12:31pm Thu 6 Sep 07
Lol @ you, Idiot says...
12:32pm Thu 6 Sep 07
AngryOfTotton wrote:Pwn'd.
I think it is outrageous. My son cancelled a morning off of work so he could get into town for 3am. He hoped to find the van that had the laptops in them and was going to try and get every single one of them. Sell them at £100 each down the King Alfred and he'd have retired on his profits. He is not happy.
giggle fit, romsey says...
12:33pm Thu 6 Sep 07
Acer Laptops, says...
12:38pm Thu 6 Sep 07
aghast, southampton says...
12:39pm Thu 6 Sep 07
not surprised, Southampton says...
12:47pm Thu 6 Sep 07
So glad the trough was empty.
Beattie, says...
12:50pm Thu 6 Sep 07
This is a company who don't give a **** for their customers.........
Frankie, says...
12:54pm Thu 6 Sep 07
whole load of nerds on hands + knees looking for something that wasn't there
get a life you fools !
brilliant, isn't it , brilliant !
Steve Reynolds, Southampton says...
12:58pm Thu 6 Sep 07
AaronDear, Southampton says...
1:13pm Thu 6 Sep 07
Stuart, Millbrook says...
1:25pm Thu 6 Sep 07
Dan Druff, says...
1:32pm Thu 6 Sep 07
Laughable Muppets, Southampton says...
2:19pm Thu 6 Sep 07
On my way to work this morning I saw all manner of chav's searching bins, bushes and shrubs looking for this. If nothing else this PR campaign certainly amused me.
Stu, Romsey says...
2:24pm Thu 6 Sep 07
lol @ you all getting up early and hunting around for something that was not even there! That will teach you, go get a job, you might be able to afford on then!
posy peacock, southampton says...
2:32pm Thu 6 Sep 07
Flatley Cumbucket, Hants says...
2:33pm Thu 6 Sep 07
i managed to blag myself two, although i was nearly mugged by a couple of currys workers who ran after me.
Tim, Southampton says...
2:37pm Thu 6 Sep 07
Very Angry, Southampton says...
2:38pm Thu 6 Sep 07
I am a teacher and we needed new laptops for the school. I enlisted the children from my class to search for these free laptops - they spent all morning looking for nothing! What a waste of learning time!
Lipsy, Southampton says...
2:46pm Thu 6 Sep 07
Simon Daniels, Bassett says...
2:59pm Thu 6 Sep 07
AngryOfTotton, Totton says...
3:05pm Thu 6 Sep 07
me wrote:My son is 22 and with the 5 grand (at least) he was hoping to get he planned to move to Thailand (Just East of the central area).
omg... 3am? they were NEVER going to be there that early.
also how would someone plan to retire on 5 grand? chasing a van round would be a little tricky unless they were leaving all 50 in the same place....
oh dear... some people are sad...
Here 5,000 GBP will last for ages - it is just 'slightly' cheaper to live there, than here!
Still, nothing ventured - nothing gained. It was too good to be true...
He does end up out of pocket though - a morning taken off of work has cost him quite badly.
Carphone Warehouse - sort yourselves out!!!!
Barry Mung, Soton says...
3:10pm Thu 6 Sep 07
I'm very annoyed I missed out on the weekly bargains at Lidl to go and hunt for a laptop! I missed out on a bargain cheesegrater 'cos of this!
Will Carphone wh0rehouse compensate me?
Bap, Eastleigh says...
3:18pm Thu 6 Sep 07
Would it really stop you from buying a phone from them?
I have not considered buying a carphone for 15 years - why would anyone want one, when mobiles are so cheap and portable now?
nigel, southampton says...
3:21pm Thu 6 Sep 07
Bill, Winchester says...
3:48pm Thu 6 Sep 07
Sheitma Pance, Sarfamptun says...
3:51pm Thu 6 Sep 07
YOU are a sad muppet for whingeing about the whingers!
Coma, USA says...
3:52pm Thu 6 Sep 07
me, south says...
3:54pm Thu 6 Sep 07
Biter AND Twistered, Dole Office says...
3:54pm Thu 6 Sep 07
Ok, the car was locked, but it looked like a CPW car - easy mistake to make. Does that make be a bad person?
I think CPW should pay for my time in custody.
Did anyone trying to get a laptop, actually get one?? If not, I've got one for you - £50, no questions....
Toxteth O'Grady, USA says...
3:55pm Thu 6 Sep 07
Robert, says...
4:05pm Thu 6 Sep 07
U R Fools, Southampton says...
4:05pm Thu 6 Sep 07
Hilarious, Southampton says...
4:06pm Thu 6 Sep 07
LH, says...
4:09pm Thu 6 Sep 07
Lipsy, Southampton says...
4:27pm Thu 6 Sep 07
Chappers, Here says...
4:34pm Thu 6 Sep 07
Coma wrote:What's that, the pound is stronger than the dollar?
Man, you British people are soooo **** stupid. I can't even believe the stupidity of these comments. The one about the waste of learnign time from that teacher probably was the best. I mean, complaining about not getting anything and wasting time when you are the retard looking for it. I am suprised at how many people actually looked around for what would amount to 500USD laptops at BEST. I would convert this to your own currency if you had only changed over to Europe's standard, but for some reason you are still working with pounds sterling. But thank you for making me laugh so hard, and thank the Inquirer!
Gaz, Hants says...
4:38pm Thu 6 Sep 07
they're doing it in Portsmouth tmrw instead as the people are more civilised and it wouldn't be such a security risk
John, Southampton says...
4:43pm Thu 6 Sep 07
Just out of interest, how do homeless people charge a laptop? Maybe I'll leave that for you to work out
Brilliant - anyway I'm going home to put this on ebay!
yankbasher, soton says...
4:45pm Thu 6 Sep 07
Coma wrote:**** off yank. go home!!! obnoxious ****!
Man, you British people are soooo **** stupid. I can't even believe the stupidity of these comments. The one about the waste of learnign time from that teacher probably was the best. I mean, complaining about not getting anything and wasting time when you are the retard looking for it. I am suprised at how many people actually looked around for what would amount to 500USD laptops at BEST. I would convert this to your own currency if you had only changed over to Europe's standard, but for some reason you are still working with pounds sterling. But thank you for making me laugh so hard, and thank the Inquirer!
VL, Scotland says...
4:49pm Thu 6 Sep 07
Coma wrote:After seeing this article on The Inquirer I wondered how long it would be til the Yanks came wading in thinking they would be any different. The Pound Sterling is pretty much the stongest currency in the world so we don't want the Euro.
Man, you British people are soooo **** stupid. I can't even believe the stupidity of these comments. The one about the waste of learnign time from that teacher probably was the best. I mean, complaining about not getting anything and wasting time when you are the retard looking for it. I am suprised at how many people actually looked around for what would amount to 500USD laptops at BEST. I would convert this to your own currency if you had only changed over to Europe's standard, but for some reason you are still working with pounds sterling. But thank you for making me laugh so hard, and thank the Inquirer!
David, Southampton says...
4:49pm Thu 6 Sep 07
lol, lol says...
5:19pm Thu 6 Sep 07
Robert, says...
5:33pm Thu 6 Sep 07
Look how successful they were with the Weapons of Mass Destruction!
Chappers, Here says...
5:38pm Thu 6 Sep 07
Robert wrote:lol ha ha ha pmsl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ha ha ha
The Yanks would have no hope of finding anything like a free laptop.
Look how successful they were with the Weapons of Mass Destruction!
High IQ, Southampton says...
5:56pm Thu 6 Sep 07
Very Angry wrote:Why do you need new laptops? I managed to get my A levels without ever touching a computer!
Not a funny joke! I am a teacher and we needed new laptops for the school. I enlisted the children from my class to search for these free laptops - they spent all morning looking for nothing! What a waste of learning time!
Maybe your school needs new teachers!!!
Tom, S'ton says...
6:13pm Thu 6 Sep 07
Laughing of Totton, says...
6:48pm Thu 6 Sep 07
I know its not big of me to say it, but "I could have told you so".
How can people seriously get all worked up and angry at something that was so transparently, obviously going to go t*ts up!
Sorry folks but thats a proper good laff. Now run along and get yourselves a life.......
Mister Pleasant, Southampton says...
7:08pm Thu 6 Sep 07
Does anyone know if I take them into the carphone Warehouse shop will they give me free broadband?
Hidden in the bush by CFW, Southampton says...
7:12pm Thu 6 Sep 07
Grow up and get jobs you poor fools.
Only a desperate profit making, greedy, selfish person would go and try and take the van full.
Barry Mung, Southamton says...
7:14pm Thu 6 Sep 07
Boppo the Clown, Clown City says...
7:15pm Thu 6 Sep 07
Barry Mung, Southamton says...
7:18pm Thu 6 Sep 07
Boppo the Clown wrote:You need to say: "Oi! Salespersonage! You are a stoopid c0ck-arse. May the fleas of a thousand dogs infest your spotty armpits, tuurd breath".
what's the phrase you need to say? will it work with any potatoes?
You'll then get what's coming to you..
Ige Smalls, Londinium says...
7:18pm Thu 6 Sep 07
Oh yeah 'Coma' you are a dick. Not all yanks are stupid but guess what? You're one of the 100's of millions that are; I think you are also under the delusion that what you wrote suggests you're intelligent...DOH!
F.Y.I. Sterling is approx twice the value of the dollar so I think we on this side of the Atlantic can divide $500 by 2 to work out the possible value of said laptops.
Can't wait for tomorrow's installment of CPW's great give away - Oh n I love the free BMW's comment, top notch!
claxxy, says...
7:20pm Thu 6 Sep 07
I would not get up at 3am in the morning for a £400 laptop. It can't be much good anyway.
If you actually wait for a couple of weeks, the carphone warehouse and orange are giving out free laptops if you sign up to a contract.....i would just wait for that!
AL QUAIDA, says...
7:43pm Thu 6 Sep 07
I vent out and planted some parcels and didnt get caught
Thanks to the police concentrating on car phone warehouse
VELLY VELLY GOOD
Spoiler, says...
7:45pm Thu 6 Sep 07
warehouse.com/aol_el
igibility.php - you get a free laptop for signing up to AOHell anyway, so this 'promotion' of 50 laptops is no big deal
Me, Soton says...
8:32pm Thu 6 Sep 07
Sasha, says...
8:35pm Thu 6 Sep 07
Donald Hedges, Southampton says...
8:38pm Thu 6 Sep 07
Bomber, Southampton says...
8:55pm Thu 6 Sep 07
I thought I'd found one, but when I looked in the box, it was just a mass of wires and kiddies Plasticene, however there was a mobile taped to it.
Took me ages to get the tape off, and some sill bugger had got the wires trapped in the phone casing. till, can't complain at a free phone.
Baz, Southampton says...
8:59pm Thu 6 Sep 07
I shur they hid a few. I saw one on the bak seet of a car Daft sods forgot to leaf the doors unloked, I had to brak a window to get the fing
Well chuffed, bin lukin for sum more
Vonnie, Shirley says...
9:30pm Thu 6 Sep 07
i havnt laughed like this in soo long, the comments were hilarious!
good to see us brits still have real humour lol
Mike, Southampton says...
10:06pm Thu 6 Sep 07
I was up out the door by 7 to start the search... I thought that if we went there early, we would find at least one! We looked by the walls, in the 3 big parks, in buses, in bins, in West Quay, Marlands, Bargate and EASTREET! We went down random alley ways that I didn't even no existed, and then started asking random passers by if they had any wings in their laptop bags... of which they thought you were going to steal something from them.
Eventually, we went back down to the bargate at 10.45am after searching everywhere like the so called 'finders keepers' as it was advertised in the paper!
I know it was a promotion and they didnt have to give anything away at all, but why advertise it as something its not.The lady giving them away knew we wanted a laptop but on purposly kept saying to go look for them. We decided to go INTO CPW and ask, and they said the more time we spent asking them in the shop, the less time we would have to actually find them. WELL WHAT A BIG LOAD OF RUBBISH! They wernt even hidden! A lady was giving them out willy nilly!
We decided to drive on down to Gunwharf Quays in Portsmouth to see the POWER FM roadrunners, they gave us 2 chances, but still didnt win. So hearded back to Southampton.
IM TRIED, BLISTERED AND LAPTOP-LESS!
Will be in contact with CPW!
bold Also - they wernt giving away laptops, just the free 2 year AOL broadband. When we were in the CPW they said that if we wanted one, all we had to do is sign up to AOL broadband for £19.99 pm, and they would give us a free laptop. I knew this was too good to be true.
Scammer, soton says...
10:44pm Thu 6 Sep 07
CPW knows how to waste peoples' time. Time wasters
Maltese lira is the strongest currency in the world.
A, A says...
11:16pm Thu 6 Sep 07
http://www.theinquir
er.net/?article=4218
8
Jonny Fartpants, Southampton says...
11:21pm Thu 6 Sep 07
*IF* the Police had given the go-ahead, as CPW suggest, then why did they abandon the promotion?
I also hear from a mate that works in the force that they had NOTHING to do with the promotion being stopped. In other words CPW made the decision themselves.
The only reason CPW would abandon the publicised promotion is if someone in authority told them not to!
Tell the truth, CPW, and stop using the Police as and excuse for your c0ck-up!
joke, says...
5:06am Fri 7 Sep 07
Would you ever have bought a lap top, just be thankful that CPW had decided to give some away, otherwise, we wouldn't even be talking about it!
Ian, Turkey says...
7:33am Fri 7 Sep 07
Chappers wrote:And now they 'accidently'load nuclear weapons on to b52 and fly them across America.
Robert wrote: The Yanks would have no hope of finding anything like a free laptop. Look how successful they were with the Weapons of Mass Destruction!lol ha ha ha pmsl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ha ha ha
Didn't even know they were missing.
What a country.
kaz, southampton says...
8:02am Fri 7 Sep 07
pmatuszy, So'ton says...
10:00am Fri 7 Sep 07
do you believe that anything is free??? Start work and stop bullsh*tting
emma, southampton says...
3:03pm Fri 7 Sep 07
You lot need to get a grip and learn some respect! The amount of students that were out there looking is more than likely to be the case as University starts in a few years. Yes you know they are the type of people that need these things so they can pass their degree's so they can qualifiy to look after people like you lot that come on here calling us muppets. In fact its the attitude of people like you that makes me wonder why we even bother taking social care work and courses when the people we are trying to help do not deserve it because they all have a stereotypical rude and ignorant attitude. Ok the CWH may have conned a lot of people but there are also genuine people that will eat nothing but noodles and bread through the next 3 years that a laptop would of been a helpful lifeline.
Keep laughing, its these graduates in 3 years time that will be looking after you when you are old, or advising you when you need money.
What goes around comes around.
Anon, says...
4:15pm Fri 7 Sep 07
emma wrote:Sorry to butt in and refute your final point - financial adviser qualifications are nothing to do with university.
I think its disgusting the way people act on this forum. Firstly not everyone is a 'gypo' or unemployed, or are they muppets. You lot need to get a grip and learn some respect! The amount of students that were out there looking is more than likely to be the case as University starts in a few years. Yes you know they are the type of people that need these things so they can pass their degree's so they can qualifiy to look after people like you lot that come on here calling us muppets. In fact its the attitude of people like you that makes me wonder why we even bother taking social care work and courses when the people we are trying to help do not deserve it because they all have a stereotypical rude and ignorant attitude. Ok the CWH may have conned a lot of people but there are also genuine people that will eat nothing but noodles and bread through the next 3 years that a laptop would of been a helpful lifeline. Keep laughing, its these graduates in 3 years time that will be looking after you when you are old, or advising you when you need money. What goes around comes around.
Ellie, Scotland says...
4:40pm Fri 7 Sep 07
I Got a Laptop., Southampton says...
6:38pm Fri 7 Sep 07
Early Chrismtas Present For Me ;) I Got a Free Laptop & Sorry, Their Not Crap.
Intel Inspiron 1520. 80 GB Hard Drive. 1GB Memory. 128 Graphics. 3.6GHZ Processor.
I got a laptop too,, Southampton says...
9:08pm Fri 7 Sep 07
rus, Eastleigh says...
8:39am Sat 8 Sep 07
Hoyus, Potters Bar, Herts says...
9:44am Sun 9 Sep 07
Chris, leicester says...
10:26am Sun 9 Sep 07
P1ss-off! wrote:Most people on this board are unbelievable. a company is giving away 50 x £500 laptops, and the police warn them it could could be an issue to hide them, so the company just give them out instead, and you moan!!! unbelievable!!!
I've been searching since 4 this morning, and found nothing! Got home, checked the internet to find that they've just given them away!
I'd even modified my metal detector to help me located location at least one laptop.
NOT HAPPY!
I'm going to be writing a very stern letter indeed to CPW.
that just sums this country up, even when you get something for nothing you still moan
FellMeUp, CPW HQ says...
9:50am Tue 11 Sep 07
Thanks.
Dave Hunter, New Zealand says...
11:16am Wed 12 Sep 07
Up the Saints.
sue, cheshire says...
12:16pm Tue 2 Oct 07
duc duy, free ah says...
11:01am Sat 13 Oct 07
FreeLaptopComputers.
co.uk, Birmingham says...
11:30am Thu 15 Nov 07
uters.co.uk
bob, uk says...
4:35pm Sun 9 Dec 07
Brian Dudhill, Rotherham says...
12:34pm Mon 21 Apr 08
In this section
- Tower block inferno claims Hampshire designer's life
- M271 closed after lorry jack-knifes into central reservation
- Fury at advertising boards clampdown
- Cannabis factories closed in police raid
- Suspicious car alert to pupils’ parents
- Give our Tigers a hero’s welcome
- Cat mauled to death by dogs
- Shock as pub landlord dies aged 48
- Multi-million pound primary school unveiled
- Woman run over by train
Sponsored Links
|
|
Local Advertisers
Local Information
Enter your postcode, town or place name
a Carphone warehouse employee, Guess says...
11:31am Thu 6 Sep 07