Free Laptop with AOL now! (merged)

InDebted2U_2

Waiting for my student grant to get a new PC to replace The Ark. This sounds like a potentially good deal, although it's gonna cost me £30 p/m in my area. Is anyone actually getting this deal for £20? Has anyone received their free laptop yet and what's it like?

Ems*Honie

Thanks MK-Donald. I think I could be lucky in the sense that I am just starting out in business (I'm self employed) so I can probably see it as a way to get rid of the spam.

Indebted2u, I can get the deal for £20, but opted for the more expensive optio as I dont want to take the talk package (hubby will be pleased,, not)

mk-donald

Ems*Honie wrote: »

Thanks MK-Donald. I think I could be lucky in the sense that I am just starting out in business (I'm self employed) so I can probably see it as a way to get rid of the spam.

Indebted2u, I can get the deal for £20, but opted for the more expensive optio as I dont want to take the talk package (hubby will be pleased,, not)

Dont quite understand the last comment re paying more as you don't want their phone package.

The "AOL Talk Pay As You Go" package included in the £19.99/m tariff (which I'm in the right geography/exchange for) is actually/categorically per T&Cs a "CPS" package - ie Carrier Pre-Selection.

So if you want to continue to route some calls by BT you just prefix them with 1280 to route via BT. Similarly for routing over other carriers rather than the 'CPS' carrier.

Well that's how all my previous CPS with Sainsburys (ie TalkTalk), TouchTelecom (Heaven knows who, it was cr*p, but v.cheap at £48 for 1yr of 01/02) had worked and cannot believe AOL Talk PAYG have a unique CPS setup.

It's fascinating to see how far the market has developed from the days when I had a "fancy" Mercury landline phone from Cable & Witless (well that's how they operated, I think their business name was Cable & Wireless) which had a blue call button, which from memory (it's a long time ago) just dialled 132 pause and my 10 digit account number before every call. And then I paid something like 3p/minute to call CompuServe's UK access number which got me at 300bps onto an electronic web of information which made the world such a smaller place!

"And you try telling that to kids today and they just don't believe you...". Do consider your phone choice though - you have 7-10 days to change your mind from memory.

PS Don't mention the 'business' bit - the service is exclusively for residential non-business users.

mum2one

Hi
The charges are basically from £19.99 per month, but if you want to opt out of the call packages, they charge you £29.99 a month, it says in the printout that a lot of the prefix numbers dont work on calls, so you cant redirect, although 1899 was not on there, Ive been with them 4 a yr, saved over half my previous phone bills.

Ems*Honie

I'm on BT option 3, so I get all landline calls free for an hour at a time, which has saved me a fortune (I moved away from my sister and spent at least an hour a day on the phone to her), far more than the extra £10 not taking their call option cost me. I hope hubby see's it that way,as this works out more expensive per month than my BT broadband option, but I really wanted a laptop so I dont have to fight my 6 yr old boy for the comp (I think he is going to be superhot with comps by the time he hits teenage years)

I'm self employed, as opposed to a small business which I think makes a difference?

I'll look into the prefix route today, I understood that you have 14 days for all the service to arrive, install, then you have a 7 day cooling off after that (I imagine that is why the laptops are delivered just after that combined amount of time) Were you not told the same? Anyone else?

liam191

Ems honie...isnt the unlimited option with AOL just as good as the BT 1 tho??

Ems*Honie

liam191 wrote: »

Ems honie...isnt the unlimited option with AOL just as good as the BT 1 tho??

I'm looking into it this morning Liam, I was aiming to change over with as little disruption as possible. An MSE member emailed me with the cost breakdown last night and if I take up the unlimited AOL calls aswell then the laptop will effectively cost nothing atall, save the extra charge for the odd 0845 numbers (My bt phone and BB is approx £35 per month inc these calls)

I think after having a really bad experience with changing gas suppliers a few years back I was aiming for as little change as possible. Silly as it would have cost me more (Or hubby more anyway )

M20DAL

Any one got there laptop yet ?

liam191

not yet, i still havent received my router and i ordered it on the day it was out and mine has been working for 11 days now on my old modem!

Aiadi

Seems that some will pay for their BB for few months before actually getting to start to use it. Welcome to the murky world of CPW/TT/AOL.:eek: