Mobile phone rip off

peter.collins443

Hi

I have recently decided to move from virgin mobile's due to the poor coverage that I got. I wanted to to get my phone (virgin red vm800) unlocked but found that the only way was to pay virgin £18 rather than £10 that it would cost at a local phone shop for my wife's samsung phone. I had been told when I originally purchased the phone that there wqs no problem getting the phone unlocked locally.

When I went to purchase 2 new phone's one for me the other for the wife I had to purchase two £10 top up vouchers from Argos for the Orange phones. They said that this was the phone companies terms and conditions. I had to buy them even though I was not going on to a Orange network but a company (Co op mobiles) that uses the orange network.
I even had to queue twice to purchase the phones as I was informed that I could only purchase one phone at a time. :mad:

I have tried selling these unwanted top ups but to no avail.

Isn't it time that this money making raquet closed down isn't it another form of Quango lunacy that is being practiced.

Surely the telephone ombudsman should be taking vigouros action against these companies. :money:

Any advice please

Peter.collins443

grumbler

Calm down.

The phones are subsidised by networks and as a result are sold at a low price "one phone at a time", with top-up and/or locked. Buy a sim-free phone elsewhere for a higher price if you wish.

And I don't see how "no problem getting the phone unlocked locally" means free unlocking.

For unwanted top-ups see: converting sim credit into cash or goods.

Jon_01

If you object to paying the network then go and buy them sim free.

That way you won't have to pay to get them unlocked or have to buy a topup... but they'll cost you more. As above, the network subsidised the cost of the phone, they expect to make something from your use. You can't have it both ways. . .