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FREE PC Worth £500

Just had this e-mail through and I'm sure it's been talked about before but you can now register. Technically it's not a freebie as you have to sign up for a 3 year contract for broadband but anyhow I think it's a milestone and seems very tempting if money's tight or you know someone who can't afford a pc but could afford the connection.

http://www.redteninternet.com/

LG Redten Internet PC
• Intel® Pentium® 4 531 3GHz with HT Technology
• 512MB DDR2 RAM
• 160GB Ultra-ATA 7200RPM hard disk drive
• 18-Speed LG Dual-Layer DVD+/-/RAM rewriter
• FREE upgrade to 19” LG LCD monitor
• Genuine Microsoft Windows® XP Media Center
Edition 2005
• FREE upgrade to Microsoft Windows Vista®
• F-Secure Internet Security 2006
Consider anything only don't cry!

Comments

  • hmm intresting.... still looking though for the catch tho but not seeing any :T :T
  • bones61
    bones61 Posts: 2,272 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    if you are with BT anyway and want a new PC (or don't have one) this does look like an excellent offer.
    no use to me but a damn good find anyway
  • Rex_Mundi
    Rex_Mundi Posts: 6,312 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    This is certainly not free. It will cost £769.63 over three years. (36 months at £19.99 plus a £49.99 connection fee). There is already a thread running on this deal over at the Internet Board.

    I would urge caution with taking out such a long term contract with an ISP. Both E7broadband and Euro1Net offered cheap internet access deals based on longer term contracts (one or two years). Both of these companies folded this year (leaving many thousands of people stranded with no internet access) because they weren't financially viable.

    I see someone pointed out that the cost (minus £500 for the PC) left the internet at £7.50 a month. I can't see this working. For every customer an ISP has on the BT network (not LLU), they have to pay BT £8.50 a month plus they pay extra for the bandwidth used (this is why you see so many capped deals now, to keep the BT wholesale bill down for the ISP).

    If this company is using the BT network, these figures don't add up. You will be stuck in a three year contract with them if they start having problems.
    How many surrealists does it take to change a lightbulb?
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    Fish
  • This would be great for someone looking to get a PC and Broadband soon.. :)
    the Money Saving Expert team do not moderate forums, so if you see something that shouldnt be here report it! :beer:
  • bones61
    bones61 Posts: 2,272 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    I would debate the £500 for the PC, but the rest makes good sense
  • It is set up in partnership with BT so I would assume they'd cover any problems but agree with most of what you say.
    Consider anything only don't cry!
  • Rex_Mundi
    Rex_Mundi Posts: 6,312 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    dameon1024 wrote:
    It is set up in partnership with BT so I would assume they'd cover any problems but agree with most of what you say.

    The only partnership with BT would be them using BT wholesale as a supplier for broadband. If this ISP has problems, BT wholesale wouldn't be able to do too much because they are not an ISP who supplies broadband to the public.

    I remember reading an article about this companys claim to have partnered with Microsoft on this deal as well. It seems that this only extends to them running a Microsoft operating sytem on the computer it supplies. (I would have posted the link to the article, but I can't remember where I read it)
    How many surrealists does it take to change a lightbulb?
    ...
    ...
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    Fish
  • Rex_Mundi wrote:
    The only partnership with BT would be them using BT wholesale as a supplier for broadband. If this ISP has problems, BT wholesale wouldn't be able to do too much because they are not an ISP who supplies broadband to the public.

    I remember reading an article about this companys claim to have partnered with Microsoft on this deal as well. It seems that this only extends to them running a Microsoft operating sytem on the computer it supplies. (I would have posted the link to the article, but I can't remember where I read it)

    Must admit, like most things, it's worth thinking about and listening to others before taking up any offer and you seem to have a little bit of background to the offer. I hope the scheme does work but obviously the potential problems have made me think twice, good luck I say and good luck to anyone taking up the offer.
    Consider anything only don't cry!
  • Rex_Mundi wrote:
    This is certainly not free. It will cost £769.63 over three years. (36 months at £19.99 plus a £49.99 connection fee). There is already a thread running on this deal over at the Internet Board.

    I would urge caution with taking out such a long term contract with an ISP. Both E7broadband and Euro1Net offered cheap internet access deals based on longer term contracts (one or two years). Both of these companies folded this year (leaving many thousands of people stranded with no internet access) because they weren't financially viable.

    Well, it would not actually be that bad if that company gone busted, providing that you paid them by credit card, then you could claim compensation from your bank, and then you would be free from the three year contract, and still with the new computer. :p However, unlike e7even and euro1net this ISP seem to collect money monthly, and therefore as it is a subscription service some banks may make it harder to indemnify.
    I also passed over all the hassle associated with your ISP broke (having to look for a new ISP, writing compensation claim applications and so on), but it still seems that a new computer would be worth the hassle.

    Their comparision table (biased of course):
    http://www.redteninternet.com/comparison.html
  • Rex_Mundi
    Rex_Mundi Posts: 6,312 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    I also passed over all the hassle associated with your ISP broke
    I was never with E7 or Euro1net (my ISP for the last few years is one of the best in the UK... Zen Internet).

    ..................................................................................

    The way this deal works is that you take out an interest free loan for £769 from a company called V12 (there is a credit check required before they decide if you are eligible........Some people have been turned down because they failed this). Your payments for the three years go to the finance company to pay off the loan.

    I read through the terms of this offer. If the ISP goes belly up, you will be given the chance to pay off the computer and keep it, or return the computer and make no more payments.

    This is an attractive deal if you can't afford a computer in one payment. My only reservation is the three years tied to the ISP, and the amount they are charging for this service (it seems too low to be sustainable). Because of the E7 and Euro1 debacle this year, I would urge people to really think about this deal.

    The terms are also VERY woolly about their FUP (Fair Usage Policy). They state they will throttle certain types of traffic and stop heavy downloaders, but they make no mention at all about how much they regard as a big download amount before they start restricting your traffic. I can't see this being a high amount because of the low price they will have left after paying for the computer. If they start restricting you because of downloading too much. You will be stuck in a three year contract.
    How many surrealists does it take to change a lightbulb?
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    Fish
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