Orange Dolphin pay as you go con

grumbler

Yes, I missed your first post. My apologies.

Wannie wrote: »

As an aside, I fail to see how checking Gmail via your browser has any similarity to the functionality of the Blackberry service.

Have you actually ever used a Blackberry for that purpose??

No, I have never used Blackberry. I have Desire and use Gmail app. Today I tried to use a browser instead of the app and it was not much different because I was redirected to the mobile version of the website I guess.

Checking emails via the browser? What kind of caveman are you?

Am I a caveman because I use Desire with Gmail app (that is not much different from using a browser)?

Wannie_2

grumbler wrote: »

Yes, I missed your first post. My apologies.
No, I have never used Blackberry. I have Desire and use Gmail app. Today I tried to use a browser instead of the app and it was not much different because I was redirected to the mobile version of the website I guess.Am I a caveman because I use Desire with Gmail app (that is not much different from using a browser)?

Not a problem...easy to miss a single post.

To be fair, I have really resisted the whole smart phone craze. My Nokia N96 is still in the box. Until someone gave me a Blackberry. I actually use the thing.
That's a testament to it's functionality.

So it would be a shame for the OP to have paid out £140 and then not be able to use the main functions of the unit.

The 'caveman' comment was a blatant joke.

fatbadger2

Wannie wrote: »

I think that you are not listening. Since you bought the thing to check your emails, you are missing out on not having the Blackberry Internet Service whilst having a Blackberry.

Please note. I went to an Orange shop because they advertise with a slogan something like "no tricks, just simple mobile plans", which is good as I am not familiar with smart phones. I explained I wanted a smart phone for a teenage daughter and she wanted full keys for ease of chatting. He suggested the Blackberry on the Dolphin plan which comes with free internet as long as you top up 10 quid/month.

Wannie wrote: »

Once you actually make use of the service you will understand what I mean.

I just want free access to the net as advertised - look at the website, where does it say you need to pay extra?
http://shop.orange.co.uk/mobile-phones/blackberry-curve-8520

Wannie wrote: »

BIS is not just Internet. Goodness knows why you actually bought a Blackberry.

:mad:
I bought a Blackberry with Dolphin plan so my daughter can gossip on facebook using a full key pad and check her emails on the net for FREE.

Wannie wrote: »

Why don't you go back to the shop and ask them to actually demonstrate the Blackberry functions to you?

:rotfl:
I went back to the shop a few days later and asked the manager to explain how we get on the mobile internet (other than wireless) for free. "You have to pay extra for that to Blackberry". I said that wasn't explained and nowhere on the store poster or the literature about Dolphin does it say that.

"You should have checked in the terms and conditions". Nice! :money:

Although you may be trying to help, your attitude does remind me of a mobile store salesman, ie not helpful. :eek:

Wannie_2

fatbadger2 wrote: »

Please note. I went to an Orange shop because they advertise with a slogan something like "no tricks, just simple mobile plans", which is good as I am not familiar with smart phones. I explained I wanted a smart phone for a teenage daughter and she wanted full keys for ease of chatting. He suggested the Blackberry on the Dolphin plan which comes with free internet as long as you top up 10 quid/month.



I just want free access to the net as advertised - look at the website, where does it say you need to pay extra?
http://shop.orange.co.uk/mobile-phones/blackberry-curve-8520


:mad:
I bought a Blackberry with Dolphin plan so my daughter can gossip on facebook using a full key pad and check her emails on the net for FREE.


:rotfl:
I went back to the shop a few days later and asked the manager to explain how we get on the mobile internet (other than wireless) for free. "You have to pay extra for that to Blackberry". I said that wasn't explained and nowhere on the store poster or the literature about Dolphin does it say that.

"You should have checked in the terms and conditions". Nice! :money:

Although you may be trying to help, your attitude does remind me of a mobile store salesman, ie not helpful. :eek:

You clearly don't understand what you are being told, so you just repeat what you have written here before, parrot fashion. You are running the risk of becoming boring.

Again, either get a refund based on being mis-sold (if there was nothing presented to you concerning BIS access costing extra) or unlock the phone, change the firmware and move to T-Mobile, as outlined in my first post.
Is there something that you don't understand about what I have written? Again, the problem is not the use of data, it is access to the BlackBerry Internet Service. You need that to access the unique functions of a Blackberry.

So get a refund based on that not being made clear and move to T-Mobile. Idiotic for you to be sold a Blackberry without that being made clear. So get it sorted. You can stick with a Blackberry, but move to T-Mobile. Then she'll have access to Blackberry Messenger, Windows Live Messenger, WhatsApp, Facebook etc. That is what she wants.

Even if they baulk at giving a refund, you can unlock the phone, change the firmware and get the service for free with T-Mobile for six months with a single Top up..

You have been given clear advice here. Please, take the time to understand what has been written. No one has suggested that you are wrong. You aren't. But either get on with the presented solution or just give it a rest. Please.

Wannie_2

One thing that you may have overlooked is that the £10 you have used to top up the Dolphin package will still be available. The texts and 100 MB allowance is 'free'. So you can allocate £5 of that to the Blackberry Internet Service, leaving you will £5 to spend, on perhaps calls. You can buy a bundle of 100 minutes with that.
So for the £10 you can get Blackberry Internet Service with 50MB of data(according to their FUP), 100 MB of data for use outside the BIS(Third party applications and browsers), 100 minutes and 400 texts.

So if that suits your daughter, you can stick with Orange. Perhaps it just wasn't properly explained.

Though whether 150 MB of data will be enough for your daughter will depend on her pattern of usage.

Wannie_2

I certainly don't think there was any kind of misinformation or 'con' by the Orange sales person. It seems a simple misunderstanding. The £10 that you have topped up is available to pay for the access and bundles that you need. Problem solved it seems.
I think an apology to Orange is in order.

TeenyBash

fatbadger2 wrote: »

Dear All,

Is it just me or does the Dolphin pay as you go plan clearly state that you get 100 MB of FREE:) internet use for a £10 top up each month?

Nowhere in the small print of the internet info or the posters or flyers in the shop does it say certain phones are not included .

I recently explained to a salesman in Orange what I wanted, he suggested the Blackberry 8520 on pas as you go. I said is 100 MB enough to check emails, he said no problem.

Week later, went back to ask them to explain how to get on the net as I am bit techno useless. manager says, you need to pay £5/month to Blackberry to access web. So why does the big poster, all the literature and the salesman say web is free? Why is the phone in the section that has a big poster saying internet is FREE???!!! "You didn't read the terms and conditions" . I have read all the small print I can find and nowhere does this info occur. They gave me an email address correspondence@everythingeverywhere which I have fired off an email to ask for an exchange/refund.

Does anyone else have a similar experience?

If everything was displayed and marketed as you describe I'd say you have a strong case for trading standards. It's misleading marketing.

Contact Trading Standards and have a word with them about it. Contact details are on their website (have a Google). Also, Citizen's Advice maybe able to advise you on how to handle Orange.

What is your desired outcome?

Wannie_2

TeenyBash wrote: »

If everything was displayed and marketed as you describe I'd say you have a strong case for trading standards. It's misleading marketing.

Contact Trading Standards and have a word with them about it. Contact details are on their website (have a Google). Also, Citizen's Advice maybe able to advise you on how to handle Orange.

What is your desired outcome?

I don't think that there has been any mis-selling in this case. Only mis-understanding.

The 100 MB of Internet data is free and since the fee for BIS access comes out of the Topup, the OP does not has to pay extra for it as such.
The shop assisitant probably made a recommendation based on the OP's description of her requirements. BlackBerry is very popular with the young 'uns.
Perhaps the OP didn't fully understand the way that BlackBerry works.

The package received is actually ok.

For a £10 topup you can get Blackberry Internet Service with 50MB of data(according to their FUP), 100 MB of data for use outside the BIS(Third party applications and browsers), 100 minutes and 400 texts.

Quite ok for light to medium usage. Just avoid YouTube and don't upload too many pictures on FaceBook.

As I suggested to the OP, go back to the store and get them to subscribe to the packages suggested and demonstrate them, if they have not already done so.

Daughter will soon be happily messaging and posting away and checking and replying to her 'pushed' emails.

Definitely no 'con' or rip-off there.

fatbadger2

Thanks for all the advice.

Wannie
Are you deliberately being an obtuse bore? Please go and patronise some else!

I have just rung Orange. I asked them where on any of their literature it said that you have to pay extra to access the free internet data. Answer: nowhere, and they apologised.

If you, Wannie, are a smartphone whiz, then whoopie-do for you, hope yer feeling super smug, however other people are not. I expect that when every piece of literature I read states top up £10 and get free access to 100 MB of internet, then that's what I should get.

And stop telling me to simply get the phone swapped, if it was that easy don't you think I would?

I am not going to update firmware, a) because I don't want to risk !!!!!!ing up the phone not knowing what I'm doing, and b) because I need to wait for orange customer complaints to advise.

You may think that everyone knows that Blackberrys work differently to other phones, but I didn't, and know I am not alone.

Dolphin is a rip off if you are left with £5 credit, after paying for BBM to blackberry, to spend on 25p/min calls.

fatbadger2

TeenyBash wrote: »

What is your desired outcome?

Free internet on a Dolphin compatible phone - as advertised

And a store manager in the stocks

The slogan on the orange carrier bag says "once you buy, its not bye bye, come back for advice"

My advice was "you didn't read the terms and conditions". Although now I have, and still can't spot the BIS/BBM service charge