PC World : Mobile Broadband Dongles

ts_aly2000

Hi,

OK, so I bought an O2 dongle and a £15 top up voucher. "That's all that you need."

I get it home and get ready to go to Stansted (flying out), and you HAVE to have a credit card.

Thanks (not) PC World. So, I'm sitting here with an O2 dongle that I can't use, and a £15 top up voucher which isn't accepted.

(I'm not giving them my CC details as it sets up a Continuous Payment Authority). I'd have gone contract otherwise. I specifically want PAYG, so that I know precisely where I am.

Be warned. There's NOTHING telling you about this on PC World's website, nothing on the shelf, and nothing on the outside of the 'sealed' box. You only find out AFTER you've unpacked it all and plugged it in.

Just preparing myself for a lively debate later today...

Be Warned.

Littlemiss27

Afaik you can use either a credit or debit card and you can top up as often as you like. It doesn't set up a CPA, you just add credit when you need it.

Amistoso_2

does it not only set up a CPA so that you don't need to enter the same card details every time. Only taking money off your card when you authorise them to do so?

adouglasmhor

Get a prepaid and use that, stops them taking anything you don't want them to have.

thegraduate_2

I would recomend avoiding 3 mobile broadband, they realyyy should call it 3 dial up. its so slow, barley works out side of a main city and tries to reinstall the software each time you load it up.

My recomendation Avoid

ts_aly2000

adouglasmhor wrote: »

Get a prepaid and use that, stops them taking anything you don't want them to have.

Yes, I think that's what I'm going to go back and do. Get a refund.

Like, PAYG is kind of specifically for people who don't have/like to use credit cards. And this kind of completely defeats the object of it.

I bought it SPECIFICALLY so that I could PAYG like I do with my phone. No one has my CC/DC details, as wherever possible I always use cash.

This is the one I think I'll exchange it for : http://www.pcworld.co.uk/martprd/store/pcw_page.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@1793299799.1257335903@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccfgadeikgfijfdcflgceggdhhmdgml.0&page=Product&fm=null&sm=null&tm=null&sku=533569&category_oid= Actually, scrub that, it's not in stock at my local. REALLY beginning to regret buying from PCW. It's always something with them..

Would have preferred the O2 though, as it comes with unlimited WiFi, and I know the 3G is fast since my phone has it.

macman

ts_aly2000 wrote: »

Hi,

OK, so I bought an O2 dongle and a £15 top up voucher. "That's all that you need."

I get it home and get ready to go to Stansted (flying out), and you HAVE to have a credit card.

Thanks (not) PC World. So, I'm sitting here with an O2 dongle that I can't use, and a £15 top up voucher which isn't accepted.

(I'm not giving them my CC details as it sets up a Continuous Payment Authority). I'd have gone contract otherwise. I specifically want PAYG, so that I know precisely where I am.

Be warned. There's NOTHING telling you about this on PC World's website, nothing on the shelf, and nothing on the outside of the 'sealed' box. You only find out AFTER you've unpacked it all and plugged it in.

Just preparing myself for a lively debate later today...

Be Warned.

If you are flying out abroad, be grateful, as it has saved you a fortune, the roaming charges using dongles abroad are massive.

timberflake

ts_aly2000 wrote: »

Hi,

OK, so I bought an O2 dongle and a £15 top up voucher. "That's all that you need."

I get it home and get ready to go to Stansted (flying out), and you HAVE to have a credit card.

Thanks (not) PC World. So, I'm sitting here with an O2 dongle that I can't use, and a £15 top up voucher which isn't accepted.

(I'm not giving them my CC details as it sets up a Continuous Payment Authority). I'd have gone contract otherwise. I specifically want PAYG, so that I know precisely where I am.

Be warned. There's NOTHING telling you about this on PC World's website, nothing on the shelf, and nothing on the outside of the 'sealed' box. You only find out AFTER you've unpacked it all and plugged it in.

Just preparing myself for a lively debate later today...

Be Warned.

It doesn't set up a CPA, all it does is saves your details and when you want to top up, you authorise them to take the money for the amount of bandwidth you want. Don't really see the problem here apart from if it wont let you use the voucher PC World sold you.

withabix

ts_aly2000 wrote: »

Hi,

OK, so I bought an O2 dongle and a £15 top up voucher. "That's all that you need."

I get it home and get ready to go to Stansted (flying out), and you HAVE to have a credit card.

Thanks (not) PC World. So, I'm sitting here with an O2 dongle that I can't use, and a £15 top up voucher which isn't accepted.

(I'm not giving them my CC details as it sets up a Continuous Payment Authority). I'd have gone contract otherwise. I specifically want PAYG, so that I know precisely where I am.

Be warned. There's NOTHING telling you about this on PC World's website, nothing on the shelf, and nothing on the outside of the 'sealed' box. You only find out AFTER you've unpacked it all and plugged it in.

Just preparing myself for a lively debate later today...

Be Warned.

Sounds like you've got it wrong to me.

We've got two O2 dongles, which we use for the 3G and also the free BTOpenzone you get with it.

The top-up voucher is added on the O2 web page (I think) that opens up on your browser. Not certain, as we always pay by card, BUT there is no CPA set up - you have to enter the payment card details each time you top up.

PC World said 'that's all you need' for what exactly???

withabix

Sorry, I was wrong:

You can buy mobile broadband access online using your debit or credit card. Standard top-up methods such as voucher and E Top-Up cannot be used to buy Mobile Broadband Access.

...is what it says on O2's website.

I don't think you can buy top-up vouchers for ANY mobile broadband.

The nob in PC World must have sold you a phone top-up voucher.

ts_aly2000

withabix wrote: »

Sounds like you've got it wrong to me.

We've got two O2 dongles, which we use for the 3G and also the free BTOpenzone you get with it.

The top-up voucher is added on the O2 web page that opens up on your browser.

PC World said 'that's all you need' for what exactly???

It only gives me the option of Credit or Debit Card, and O2 Customer Services confirm this. That you CAN'T top up with a voucher.

PCW gave the impression that I'd be online immediately. I'm leaving in about 15-minutes for Stansted, so it'll have to wait unfortunately.

The immediate selling point was the unlimited WiFi hotspots.

Admittedly I feel that the fault is somewhat down to O2, since you're told NOTHING until you open the box and break the seal. The sales pitch says PAYG, so naturally you buy a PAYG top-up voucher. It's fooled me, and it's clearly fooled PCW.

It's a bit like buying a PAYG phone, and then finding out that you can only top it up with a credit card. Which completely defeats the object of PAYG.

In the small print though, it does say that you can return it to 'your retailer' if it's undamaged and unused.