mobile phone contracts with free gifts....any good??

toni001

hi,

so.. my phone contract with orange is due to expire soon. i have seen all these deals on the internet where you take out a new contract and get a free gift delivered with your new free handset. are they too good to be true? do you actually get the free gift?

I really need a new pc as mine is ancient and is on its last legs but unfortunatley i cant afford to buy a new one. I have seen a deal on the phones4u website where i can get a free nokia 6300 delivered next day with a free 80g ps3 (the website says the ps3 is delivered with the handset). my intention would be to sell the ps3 to buy myself a new pc.

I know alot of people think that these deals work out more expensive in the long run but i dont see how this one would do.
at the minute i am paying £35 a month for oranges dolphin 35 contract. I have spoken to orange about renewing my contract and they have offered me either, a) a top of the range handset (no line discount) or b) £150 cash and a cheap £30 handset (no line discount). this is on an 18 month contract. i have been a good customer and have always paid my bill on time by direct debit.

if i was to take the deal i mentioned above on phones4u, i would still be with orange, i would still be paying £35 a month (over 18 months) i would still be on dolphin 35 only this way i get a decent handset free and also the 80g ps3 so i could get myself a new pc.

is this all too good to be true? has anyone had any experience with these free gift offers? i have read every term and condition on the site and cant find any nasties. Is my free gift actually going to arrive along with my new handset or are my dreams of a new pc just that....dreams?

AdrianHi

Do you actually make enough calls to use the inclusive time on a £35 a month contract?
The Nokia 6300 is a relatively cheap phone that would come free on a 15 a month tarrif on most networks, so you paying £20 a month for 18 months = £360 extra to get a PS3 you don't want and would never be able to sell for £360.
You could get a better phone, like a Nokia 5800 on 24 month contract at £15 a month and borrow the money you need from the bank or computer retailer to buy a computer. If you don't need a new monitor a decent enough computer can be had for under £250 inc. VAT which could be paid at £20 a month (taken from savings from the cheaper mobile contract you now have) over a year.

underlay_guru

Forget the phone contracts with free Playstations etc etc. they are just a marketing tool to get pea-brained chavs to buy something they can't afford, plus the cost of the 'free-gift' is built in somewhere!

Regarding cash-back deals: You usually only get the cash back after a period of months, and you have to send original copies of bills by recorded post etc etc......they rely on i - people forgetting or losing bills ii - not sending recorded post, leading to being 'lost in post'(how convenient).

If I were you, id shop around. you should easily find something without the free gift, but much cheaper.....or you could ring Orange retentions and bluff them you have found a crazy deal elsewhere!!!