HTC Touch Pro 2, Orange existing customer.. Why so difficult?

Mr_Gordon_2

The short version:
I'm on Dolphin 35 with a 2yr old SPV M3100 with a load of extras on the tariff I don't want to loose and need to keep my number. I want a handset upgrade to an HTC Touch Pro 2, but can't find a way of doing it. Orange say it's small business only, phones4u say new customers only even though it's on their website as available on Dolphin 35, they won't do an upgrade.



The longer version:
Been on Orange contract (directly) for 10yrs+. Have been out of contract for over a year still using a 2yr old phone, as when they called me in month 15 to offer an upgrade I asked about the HTC Touch Pro (1), as my current SPV M3100 has Windows Mobile, QWERTY keyboard etc.. which I really need, this would be the straight forward replacement. They offered only one other handset at the time which had all this but it had been out for a while. Was also offered a line rental discount on upgrading, but as I couldn't benifit from this as the handset wasn't available, I couldn't upgrade so my cost remained the same till now.

I was told the Touch Pro would be coming soon on several occasions, it never arrived. Then the Touch Pro 2 was talked about in various palces as coming in June '09, I thought I've waited so long I may as well just wait a bit longer for that. Again I got the "call back next month" line.

Orange are now telling me they do have Touch Pro 2's but only for small business customers! Have tried several ways round this but they can't get me one. Last resort they suggested trying somewhere like Phones4u to do an upgrade, which I didn't know you could when the contract was taken out with them. Their website shows Dolphin 35, Touch Pro 2, Free for new customers, no way to upgrade online.

On my tariff at the moment I've got free data, 5 magic numbers, line rental discount, discounted home broadband, need to keep my number etc.. so can't just cancel and take out a new customer deal.

Called Phones4u's upgardes number from the website, they said I need to do it instore. Went to three of their shops today, they all say they can't, I need to call up again.

Passing the Orange shop I thought I'd ask them once more, they saw no problem as to why I couldn't get one from Orange as "we don't have phones for business customer's only, we just don't have any here". :rolleyes: Called Orange Loyalty (I'm thinking of leaving..), they said they can't do it, only small business and should go back to Phones4u.

One last call to Phones4u, they say no this time, you can't get it on upgrades through them at all, Orange don't have it and won't be getting it, not instore either! The opposite of what I was told two days ago by them! Totally unhelpful guy on the phone, very unfriendly, really don't want to deal with a company like that to be honest.

So, I'm still stuck with a phone that's on it's last legs, on a tariff I'm really happy with and don't want to change. Other than upgrading to an expensive phone, selling it on eBay, then paying the best part of £600 for a Touch Pro 2 sim free, I can't see how else I can get this.

Any suggestions on something I've missed?

Thanks.

thedalmeny

Dunno whether its of interest to you...

But i have a HTC Touch Pro 2 - Sim free - No Branding.. Is direct from HTC, fully boxed. - only a month old in like new condition.. Which im selling for £420 since work provided me with one.. (Have high feedback via Hotdealsuk - plus u can collect for £410 if u can get to burton upon trent)..

Otherwise i dunno - HTC Touch Pro 2 is currently HTC's most expensive mobile to buy Sim Free, so Orange are gonna be quite stiff on prices.

Mr_Gordon_2

Thanks thedalmeny for the offer, but I'm not really wanting to spend as much as that on it, and need a warranty etc.. Would still rather go down the contract upgrade route if I can.

Expansys currently have it new for £439, that's the cheapest I've found it new sim free so far.

Can I ask you how you purchased it directly through HTC? Do they do sales to customers?

Wondered if it's worth making my point to Orange at a higher level, if the'd be interested.

zerozero_2

Hi Mr Gordon, I too feel your pain.

Have been on the phone to orange, first I wanted the sony ericsson X1 but they never stocked it, now they do stock the htc TP2 (sort of) but it is on business only.

Trouble is for me is that I could move onto a business contract (I am a director of a business), however as they don't do it in stores (anywhere, even the main oxford street business store) and it doesn't sound like they are going to, I will have to wait for 14 days for the processing, then the next occurance of my bill day before the account will switch to being a business account - and only then can I order the new phone (which they probably won't have in stock - they don't at the moment). I really want the phone before a trip to norway as I could use the GPS function and this is mid sept. I can change my bill date before submitting my form so that it co-incides with the 14 day account change completion (yet more engineering to work around orange's internal process flaws) but then it is still a gambe if it will be in stock or not and I don't know what problems/restrictions I will then find myself having a business account.

The main reason I want to stay on orange is to keep the excellent orange care insurance which is unrivaled by any other insurance as they will replace your phone within 24 hours, even if it is a fault on the phone and it is still in warrenty - no other insurance I've found cover this and this has been the only reason in 10 years that I've ever had to use the insurance is due to a phone fault (generally within warranty). Most insurances expect you to send it back to the manufacturer and wait for repair... which means all the things that you have come to rely on with the phone are not available - through no fault of your own.

So the other way that I thought I could do this was to find somewhere that does an orange branded phone and do an upgrade. I had talked to customer services at phones 4 u but they couldn't tell me and sales were too busy to take my call - so I will try again tomorrow (they too don't have the handset in the shops). There are a few other online shops also that I may try.

Did they say why phones 4 U couldn't do an upgrade? That seems a bit strange. Was it something to do with the business only rule that Orange seem so frantic to hold?

What is so frustrating is by the sounds of it I could buy an orange branded phone as a new customer and get orange care for this phone if I buy through a different company. Additionally I could upgrade to a business account (if I jump through all the hoops) and also I can stay on one of the domestic packages (racoon, panther etc). So given all of this, why on earth have orange decided to disallow people to have this on a domestic account - it just seems to be there to frustrate..

It looks like there are some that are available on both 02 and orange, so maybe I will just leave orange as they have made it so difficult to stay with them and transfer over to O2.. I'm starting to think that the conveinience of the insurance isn't worth this level of inconvienence.

jayukps

Its the same wi all networks they have consumer and business handsets if ya want the buisiness ones which they say you carnt have, Write to cancel or ask for your pac code and the outbound retentions teams will have access to it and will gladley give you it to keep your custom, Hope this helps

RenegMC

Join vodafone as an 'individual business user'. This doesn't require a business registration number, and will allow you to get business tariffs and handsets!

Am recieving my TP2 tomorow morning, on just such a contract!

zerozero_2

jayukps wrote: »

Its the same wi all networks they have consumer and business handsets if ya want the buisiness ones which they say you carnt have, Write to cancel or ask for your pac code and the outbound retentions teams will have access to it and will gladley give you it to keep your custom, Hope this helps

RenegMC wrote: »

Join vodafone as an 'individual business user'. This doesn't require a business registration number, and will allow you to get business tariffs and handsets!

Am recieving my TP2 tomorow morning, on just such a contract!

Thanks guys, have just been to my local vodafone store and they have it in stock - it looks like a great phone and so have pre-ordered it and am just on the phone to orange to get my pac code.

About the insurance if you get a business insurance then you do get slightly better guarentee's of replacement quickly which is a bit more reassuring, but life is too short than to muck about with orange and their inflexible handset rules I think