New phone contract - poor signal, can I get out?

sal-ad_daze

My OH recently took out a mobile phone contract as a gift for me, he got the phone from phones4U.
Up until then I had one of the O2 pay monthly sim only deals with an ageing Motorola rzr phone.
He was recommended an Orange deal with a sony ericson vivaz phone for £35 per month. This is £15 more a month than the O2 deal but went ahead with the deal because he thought the phone would be better for me.
However the signal from Orange is awful, I can be talking on the phone outside and walk into a shop doorway and the signal cuts, it's awful if I'm inside period. It's just not doing what the sales person said it would and I'm missing calls. I just don't trust it at all.
If it's not doing what it was purchased for can we end the contract, and how can we prove it's not doing it's job?
£35 a month is a lot of money to us, especially if I'm not able to fully use the phone.
We've had the contract about 4 months so I've given it a bit of time.
Any advice.
Thanks

Exhortation

After that length of time you've probably got no chance, no. Sorry.

Oscar_The_Grouch

I agree that you've got zero chance of getting out of the contract, but if the phone cuts out as soon as you go through a doorway, it could be the phone that's the problem.

I'd suggest buying the cheapest phone you can that will take your Orange sim and try that out. If it has better signal strength and call reception than the Vivas, take the phone back to P4U and get them to replace it. You need to do that quickly, as under the Sale Of Goods Act you need to show a fault within 6 months for it to be considered to have been "faulty" from its purchase date.

bingy_burge

Dont just auto blame the network.

I have been with orange years and took a nokia 6600 slide which has terrible indoor signal. However i had never had an issue with orange who have one various awards for their coverage and have the bet 3g of any network. My iphone 4 on orange is fine and gets coverage where my 6600 did not.

Apparently some handsets are known to have poor indoor reception and I have not heard good things a sony ericssons (although after hoo har with the 4 you would think they dont work but they do for me)

My other halfs brother is borrowing my bogo nokia 6021 and using his orange sim and I said how u getting on. Hs reply 'its gets signal everywhere' where his samsumg smart phone did not.

Exhortation

bingy_burge wrote: »

Dont just auto blame the network.

I have been with orange years and took a nokia 6600 slide which has terrible indoor signal. However i had never had an issue with orange who have one various awards for their coverage and have the bet 3g of any network. My iphone 4 on orange is fine and gets coverage where my 6600 did not.

My wife had a 6600 slide that had perfectly good reception indoors on O2 and I have a colleague who has an iPhone 4 on Orange which he himself admits has been rendered as little more than an expensive iPod touch due to signal issues.

Everyone has different experiences and providing they are put forward in a reasonable manner, everyone's experience and opinion is equally valid.

prettypennies

My OH is on orange and is always complaining about the reception on his phone. He has had two Nokia 6500 classics and the problem has been as bad with both. I have an ancient nokia 1100 and don't have any reception problems whatsoever. As other posters have said, I would try a different phone before assuming it is definitely a network problem.

bingy_burge

Exhortation wrote: »

My wife had a 6600 slide that had perfectly good reception indoors on O2 and I have a colleague who has an iPhone 4 on Orange which he himself admits has been rendered as little more than an expensive iPod touch due to signal issues.

Everyone has different experiences and providing they are put forward in a reasonable manner, everyone's experience and opinion is equally valid.

Yes but I am doing a direct comparison using the same network/sim card in different phones. According to cpw 6600 slide is known for poor reception. I was comparing it against other phones on the same network in the same building. My iphone 4 works just as well as any other phone I have had on orange/o2 all networks have black spots.

My friend cant get indoor signal on 3gs on 02 at my house.

Did your friend with 4 have great reception on orange with a orevious handset in the same building as thats the direct comparison I am making.

bingy_burge

prettypennies wrote: »

My OH is on orange and is always complaining about the reception on his phone. He has had two Nokia 6500 classics and the problem has been as bad with both. I have an ancient nokia 1100 and don't have any reception problems whatsoever. As other posters have said, I would try a different phone before assuming it is definitely a network problem.

according to several people alot of newer nokia have poor signal. My partner had probs with her 6500 on 3.

My older 6021 is basic but as said gets signal everywhere which gets better signal everywhere my oh brother has been with it in comparison to his old sonny ericcson and samsung smart phone.

drbesty

No mobile provider guarantees indoor coverage due to the nature of a mobile signal, if the handset works outside then it's not at fault, have you tried switching the handset to GSM to see if that improves the signal?

chuckley

no chance after 4 months. however has brilliant signal so id say its the handset. and im amazed uve sat on it for so long.