Getting phone from 'comparison' site - bad idea?

chickadee13

Hi everyone, hope someone can give me some advice.

I have had my faithful Sony Ericsson phone for 6 years and now I have a job it's time to get a smartphone, I think. I really had my eye on the HTC Sensation XE or, alternatively, the Samsung Galaxy S II (HTC preferably). I've been looking at all the comparison sites, especially moneysupermarket.com and dial-a-phone and they have some really good deals that are a lot cheaper than anything on the networks' own sites (or on Carphone Warehouse, I looked at them too).

I spoke to a guy from Orange on the phone today (that's my current PAYG network) and asked him about deals. He couldn't offer me anything nearly as good and in fact said they didn't even do the HTC phone I wanted (but they are on the comparison sites with Orange as a network in some cases). When I asked him about why it was so much cheaper online on these sites, he said I shouldn't buy from any of those because if something went wrong I'd have no protection or help. Is this true? I am not exactly on a high salary so I would like a really decent deal and the ones I found online are really appealing but I don't want to be left high and dry if for some reason the phone stopped working.

Obviously if I have to go for a cheaper phone that's fine, I don't want to live outside my means. I'm just interested in what the deal is with these sites and if it's a bad idea to go for something I find on there. I'm sure the Orange guy would have reasons for saying that but I don't know if he was trying to worry me away from cheaper deals that weren't through Orange or what.

As you can maybe tell I haven't had a contract before, always PAYG with Orange. I was looking to spend around £20-21 which is where dial-a-phone etc were looking really useful.

Any help would be amazing, thank you in advance!

Kat

grumbler

chickadee13 wrote: »

Hi everyone, hope someone can give me some advice.

I have had my faithful Sony Ericsson phone for 6 years and now I have a job it's time to get a smartphone, I think. I really had my eye on the HTC Sensation XE or, alternatively, the Samsung Galaxy S II (HTC preferably). I've been looking at all the comparison sites, especially moneysupermarket.com and dial-a-phone and they have some really good deals that are a lot cheaper than anything on the networks' own sites (or on Carphone Warehouse, I looked at them too).

I spoke to a guy from Orange on the phone today (that's my current PAYG network) and asked him about deals. He couldn't offer me anything nearly as good and in fact said they didn't even do the HTC phone I wanted (but they are on the comparison sites with Orange as a network in some cases).

It's because other companies sell Orange contracts and supply their own phones.

When I asked him about why it was so much cheaper online on these sites, he said I shouldn't buy from any of those because if something went wrong I'd have no protection or help. Is this true?

He lied - pretty typically for Orange. Your contract is with Orange directly. The Sale of the Goods Act covers your relations with the company supplying the phone. Although this company can be less reliable than Orange, the phone is also covered by the manufacturer's warranty.

As you can maybe tell I haven't had a contract before, always PAYG with Orange. I was looking to spend around £20-21 which is where dial-a-phone etc were looking really useful.

Check if you can get the same deal by going through tcb/quidco. And be cautious with redemption (cashback) deals.

chickadee13

Thanks for your reply. I did wonder if what he was saying was true, especially as the comparison sites are recommended on this website and I wouldn't have thought they'd be on here if they were all really dodgy. But I'm not a frequent phone buyer so I wanted to be careful.

So if I buy from Dialaphone (who are apparently owned by Phones4U) then I won't be in loads of bother if something goes wrong? I'm sure it's unlikely it would go wrong but knowing my luck!

My questions are a bit obvious, sorry - it all seemed straightforward and then he threw me a bit. Also I'm not used to having a contract, this is all new to me (I'm 28 but I've never afforded a smartphone before!).

[Deleted User]

He's partly right.

If something goes wrong with the SIM, coverage, airtime, billing, or network, you're covered by the network, whoever you bought it from.

But if something goes wrong with the handset or any other equipment, or any cashback deals or promised discounts, you're at the hands of whoever you bought it from.

latecomer

If you dont go for a cashback then provided the phone arrives and you get on the tariff you chose then its down to Orange which is then the same as going direct.

chickadee13

Thanks for the replies. These answers seem a wee bit conflicting so I'm still not sure if it's a good idea to buy direct from the network or not. I thought that the manufacturer would cover you for problems no matter where you buy the phone from, but is that wrong? I don't know how likely it is that a phone would break anyway, it's never happened to me with my trusty one, but it'd be just my luck if I didn't bother to find out!

The_pc_tech

Buy direct from the network, that way you are pretty safe.

grumbler

chickadee13 wrote: »

...I thought that the manufacturer would cover you for problems no matter where you buy the phone from, but is that wrong?

No, this is right.
You are covered by both the SOGA and the manufacturer's warranty. The first cover is more 'universal', but you can lose it if the manufacturer replaces (or even repairs?) the handset under the warranty. I guess this is why Martin recommends to deal with the supplier in the first place, not the manufacturer: Consumer Rights

chickadee13

grumbler wrote: »

No, this is right.
You are covered by both the SOGA and the manufacturer's warranty. The first cover one is more 'universal', but you can lose it if the manufacturer replaces (or even repairs?) the handset under the warranty. I guess this is why Martin recommends to deal with the supplier in the first place, not the manufacturer

This makes sense, thanks. I should have read that section of the site before I asked! Sorry. But that seems to suggest I'd be covered by Supply of Goods and Services (because the handset would be free with the contract) and therefore I'd take it up with the service provider (Orange?) rather than the goods-supplier (I assume whichever website I get the phone from). So does that mean I'd just ask Orange if something went wrong?

I sound really stupid here, sorry. I'm not, I promise! I appreciate the help very much.

grumbler

No. If you buy from, say, CPW/P4U/BMP, Orange have nothing to do with the handset (probably unless it is some Orange branded handset?).
Your supply of the airtime contract is with Orange.
Your supply of the handset contract is with another company. The fact that it is 'free' is irrelevant and you are covered by the SOGA.

That said, if the handset is supplied by a network, they routinely deny any relation between the handset and the contract. If they fail to repair/replace the handset within reasonable time they deny that this can be a reason for cancelling the contract under the Supply of the Goods and Services Act (note: not SOGA). The only way to enforce the SOGSA in such cases is to sue them.

chickadee13

I see now, that makes sense. Thanks for explaining.