instore contract returning policy

vixmony

a few days ago a colleague of mine at work due for retirement at the end of the year, "bless ", asked me for advice as she wanted a free laptop and internet so she could use it at her caravan site and to casually browse at home. she had only just started learning how to use the computer so she was clueless. she went out with her hubby and she ended up at orange, and after 2hours, she was convinced by orange to sign up for a 2 years 30pound a month laptop and Broadband deal. Orange advised her the network at her address was very good and the next day I went to help her set it up. got to her place to find contrary to what she had been advised, the coverage at her place was apoling. it was so slow you had to go make a cuppa to wait even for Google to load up. I then connected my iPhone with a Vodafon sim to her laptop and it clearly showed what a contrast as Vodafon was dead quick. She took it back and guess what the orange shop took it back, after she staged a 5 hour, sit in protest, in which she told them she was not leaving until they canceled it. They came up with the usual we don't cancel contracts taken in store but they had to back down eventually after she showed great relentlessness. So depending on how you protest, you can return a contract taken instore.

MissKeith

Personally, as a sales person, I advise my customers before they take a contract there is not a returns policy, even for no coverage in some cases so if a customer staged a sit in, they'd be politely asked to leave. If they refused, the police would be called. So that technique would never, ever work on me.

Generally, the best thing to do is appeal to the networks better nature but as they are mobile devices, if there has been any kind of usage at all, a network can refuse the return.

My advice is to do all the neccessary coverage checks yourself before purchase, inform yourself with returns policies before you buy and try a 3G sim of that network on the internet on a phone or borrow a friends dongle before you buy.

Aiming yourself with the right tools and information before you buy a product is much better route than expecting a network to cave on their returns polices and this rarely works. Personal responsibility rocks, no?

macman

The network checkers simply work on a postcode and can never be relied upon-if there is block of flats in the way of the mast, or the caravan is in a dip, then no signal. Always check for yourself.
Actually the lack of signal is fortuitous, as there is no 'free laptop'. She signed up to pay £720 for a low spec laptop probably worth £350, and a mobile contract worth maybe £200.
Advise her to buy her own laptop and separate mobile broadband contract. A lucky escape.