Poorly chicken

[emmab]

First of all Merry Christmas everyone. I hope you all had a lovely day yesterday. Anyway, now to ask all of your advice. As I said, I don't want to appear ungrateful but yesterday my lovely husband got me a new mobile phone for christmas. Its the new blackberry phone and very fancy! It's also very heavy and big and not the one I wanted! I asked him (very nicely) if he didn't mind if I took it back to orange and picked a different one (I wanted an iphone and had been dropping hints like bricks but to no avail). Either way, as he had gotten such an expensive phone as part of an upgrade, then paid extra towards it, orange have a no returns, no exchange policy and I am now under contract with the phone until june 2012. Their advice was to sell it on ebay and buy myself a new one as it's tough luck! The phone hasn't even been switched on, although I did open the box to have a look at my present (obviously). Anyway, I then looked on ebay and the phone I have is now selling for 300-500 pounds!! Which is madness to me, as I shouldn't be trusted with such an expensive phone! Anyway, I am now tempted to sell it and buy myself a new laptop as I am currently writing this on my old, slightly bashed up and not ringing properly phone! There's no way we could've afforded a laptop but then I do need a new phone! I've looked up orange's policy and maybe I can return the phone, cancel the upgrade and then start again in a few days time or I could sell it and get a laptop but have to keep the old phone for another 18 months. Has anyone ever tries challenging orange on their no returns policy? I know this isn't a life or death dilema and I don't want to appear ungrateful for my lovely present but now I know I'm in posession of a 500 pound phone I'm starting to think of other possibilities!! What do you guys think?

 

Emma x

[Blackrocksrock]

Can you not sell it and buy a laptop and instead of the old phone - buy a cheap one and get the orange number on it surely its easy enough? Not that I am good at those things mind you.

[emmab]

I thought maybe that too but he's signed up for an expensive contract (because the laptop's had it) so I can get internet on my phone. Its gonna cost £40 a month no matter what phone I have! I'm rubbish at these things so I don't know if its possible to reduce the tariff at a later date! Its very confusing and I feel like if I ask too many questions I look even more ungrateful! I know its a lovely gesture but I feel its a waste of money and don't know what to do for the best without upsetting my thoughtful hubby!

[Chucky Mama]

I doubt very much if you can alter the contract at all, they are pretty much set in stone from what I have experienced. If the expensive contract was taken out in order for you to get internet access on your phone I would think about selling your Blackberry and trying to use the money to get an iPhone. I love my Blackberry but I don't think they are great for internet browsing if that is your priority. I am not sure how they compare price wise though. I think they key is that you have to work around the contract as I doubt you can change it.

[craftyhunnypie]

Not being awful - but orange are probably one of the worst companies to deal with over exchanges, returns, contracts etc. T mobile aren't to clever either since they merged with orange, hence the reason I changed to 3.

I would sell it privately to avoid any hassle & stress from orange. Try preloved first or ebay, but local pick up only & buy it now with best offer chance. This would minimise all the time waster bids, dodgy emails like ' can I buy it for £50' etc.

If it's not what you want, you're never going to be happy or use it to it's full potential.

Sell it, buy what you want & good luck!

 

Emma.x

[WitchHazel]

Looks to me as though you have 5 options

1) Kepo the phone and use it, costs you £40 a month

2) Sell the phone (without the number), buy the iphone you wanted, use your existing contract. Costs you £40 a month.

3) Sell the phone (without the number), buy another cheap one, use your existing contract. Costs you £40 a month but you can use the remaining proceeds towards a laptop, or towards offsetting the monthly cost of the phone

4) Wrangle with Orange and see if you can swap the phone for an iphone on the same type of contract

5) Wrangle with Orange and see if you can get out of the contract

[Willow]

I must admit I'm of the opinion that if you think OH put thought into the present even though it's not what you'd like maybe you should make the most of it. If you swap it might deter him from making a big gesture again.

 

I love my blackberry, it is better than the iphone for emails but not great at internet browsing - if I could I'd have a blackberry for work and an ipad for personal browsing on the move

[Eggasperated]

I know exactly what you mean about husbands and presents, in my experience hints are never enough and writing things down are usually the only way to get anything specific I want from my OH. However as you've now got the Blackberry perhaps you should try and live with it, yes you're stuck with it til 2012 but then it's only 18 months and there are worse things that could have happened at Christmas than getting the wrong phone.

 

Even tho you are currently anti- Blackberry giving it a go may mean you could learn to live with it for 18 months ( and perhaps even learn to love it ) , it's also possible the people at Orange persuaded your OH this was a better option as it was better for their commission and he's feeling bad enough already.

 

Don't forget it's only a phone and your husband obviously loves you madly and tried to do the right thing .

[emmab]

Hey guys,

 

Thanks for all the advice. I completely agree that it is only a phone and I know I have a wonderful thoughtful hubby. Its funny how you can get wound up over the smallest things, even though you know in the grand scheme of the world it irrelevant! However, I am now getting madder at orange's attitude. I called customer services today and after waiting half an hour, the lady on the phone told me that orange shops have 'nothing to do with us' as they are only a franchise who can set their own rules and policies. This seems ridiculous to me as they are obviously representatives of the orange company! I have also figured out that we have been customers of orange for 18 years and they have over £1000 a year from us. I am completely confused that they cannot make a gesture of goodwill and swap a brand new phone, when it was just a simple mistake! I feel like they don't care at all now we are locked into an 18 month contract and feel like I'm being robbed!! I also know that they are so many better deals out there! Sorry, rant over! They just make me made! If it was anything else you had bought you could just send it back no problem!!

 

Emma x

[Snowy]

Just a thought, but it may be worth ringing Orange and telling them you want to cancel the contract. They are perfectly capable of cancelling them, if they choose to do so. I once rang and told them I knew I had 12 months left, but financial situation had changed and I could no longer afford it - either cancel it or get in line with other creditors and try to get it off me that way. They had no problem cancelling and suddenly managed to find lots more beneficial tariffs in order to keep the custom.

[emmab]

Hey guys, just wanted to let you know that I took my hubby back to the orange shop and you.were all right, not a chance of cancelling the contract. However, they did swap the phone and changed the tariff (after saying there was no chance of this when I was there on my own) AND they gave us our 50 quid back! I didn't get the iPhone but got one I liked anyway! So there was some merit in going in the shop and playing your face a bit!

 

Emma x

[Snowy]

Thats good news - surprising how flexible they can be if they try isn't it? Glad you got a phone you were happier with as well

[Charlottechicken]

Glad to hear you got it sorted to your satisfaction